Sup Cloth,
I love this thread topic. I think audience engagement is an integral element to an author's career in this day and age.
Personally, I'm rather new to the scene, so my opinions and methods should be taken with a grain of salt considering they are bound to change with experience.
Comment Section
Now the most obvious way is liking and responding to comments. I know there are some who feel that responding and liking everything seems desperate, but I feel the opposite. Unless you are a really popular author averaging a thousand comments a post, I see no reason to not respond to your commentators. The way I see it, if someone feels strongly enough to give me feedback (good or bad), then the least I can do is acknowledge that action and thank them.
Author Note
This is the one section I think is overlooked on all online mass-content distribution platforms (let alone Tapas). Back in the ye old days, the only real way you could really delve into the life and personality of a author was through the afterword or acknowledgements of the novel. Now with the the advent of the internet and the changes in how many people consume content, authors can now have that personal page with every updated chapter. I'm currently experimenting with this feature, and I'm almost having as much fun writing the author's note as I am writing the actual novels. With my main series, I have include a quote which bookends the small micro-story the reader has read, and finish off with a question meant to start an introspective discussion within the comment section. With my side series, I have a much more conversational tone and structure that is aimed to have the audience engage with me in the comment section.
Forums
At first, the forums on this site in particular was just supposed to be a shot in the dark. A last ditch effort to get any form of exposure for my work. Now, it's my favorite way to engage with the community. I've been on the site for probably less than a month, and already have met many amazing readers and creators on the site. The people here are some of the most supportive, creative, and welcoming individuals I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with. For anyone who reads this and isn't active on the forums, please do yourself a favor and start becoming involved. This forum isn't just a forum, but an honest to buddha community.
Paying Forward
“Every once in awhile try to do something nice for somebody you don't know, even if it's just leaving an opening in traffic for them to merge into, small things like that give people hope that we're not all assholes.”
― Joshua Neik
This community is amazing. You get that. It's also made up of many stupendously talented artists and authors. One of the best feelings is validation, and simply going out on these forums, your social media accounts, your blog, etc., and giving your fellow peers that very thing is not only kind, but one of the best favors you could do for them. It also reminds everyone that we're not competitors, but allies in this soul crushing grind. No one understands your creative plight better than your fellow creative, so I think we should all help each other out by sharing each other's work along with our own.
(I'm actually making a topic discussion of my own about some titles that I absolutely love. Expect a post this weekend about it haha.)
Thanks for reading this very long post! I know its quite lengthy, but hey, I'm passionate about the subject.
