You may notice this is becoming a regular thing. Having authors on to answer questions about their books.

On the third Wednesday of every month, we’re going to continue the trend (except next month we’re doing it on the third Tuesday because of American Thanksgiving).

We’re even building the calendar for 2013 so you’ll know ahead of time who to expect each month and can plan your calendars around stopping by to “meet” them (think Mitch Joel in May to discuss “Ctrl Alt Del”).

But today? Today we have an awesome guest. He’s a good friend – someone I finally got to meet in person during the Marketing in the Round book tour – and he’s written the book on how to get a job in social media management.

Starting Your Career as a Social Media Manager

While Mark Story begins “Starting Your Career as a Social Media Manager” talking to those in college or newly graduated, he goes on to describe those of you who are using your passion in social to create a new role for yourselves.

He talks about what to study (in school and on your own), how to interview for a job, and how to negotiate your salary.

The last third of the book talks about how to advance your career in social media (on both the agency and organization sides), how to create and measure goals, how to be a good communicator, and even how to predict which tools will become the next big thing.

And there is a list of resources at the end that can’t be beat (cough, Spin Sucks, cough).

Today’s Chat

At noon ET (that’s 11:00 CT, 10:00 MT, and 9:00 PT for those of you who can’t do time zones), Mark is going to be hanging out in the comments so you can ask him anything and everything about the book, how to start your career in social media management, the best resources, negotiating a salary, and more.

In order to participate, all you have to do is:

  • Make sure you have a Livefyre account or be ready to sign in with one of your social networks.
  • Set a reminder for noon ET today.
  • Buy, or download, the book so you are prepared to have a lively discussion.
  • Create a list of questions to ask Mark about the book, living part-time in Hong Kong, or even what it was like working for the SEC.
  • Come back here, scroll to the bottom, and write a comment in the form of a question. As soon as you hit “post comment,” Mark will see it and reply to you. You can even join the conversation around questions others are asking, if you like.

We’ll be here for an hour so you can join us the entire time or step in and out between noon and 1:00. It’s entirely up to you; just make sure you’re here before 12:59.

Win a Copy

This is the first time we’re doing this, but it’ll become a regular thing.

Those of you who participate in today’s chat (even if you’re late to the party, but not if you’re an Arment Dietrich employee) will be entered in a random drawing for a free copy of the book.

We are going to buy it for you and, if we can figure out logistics, will have Mark sign it for you. Because he’s living part-time in Hong Kong, that might be a challenge. But, at the very least, you’ll get a copy with a note from me.

Former Guests and Who’s Next

For former guests, check out Margie Clayman and Sarah Robinson.

And set a calendar invite on November 20 at noon ET. We’ll have Beth Hayden on to discuss Pinfluence (I LOVE Pinterest!).

See you soon!

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

View all posts by Gini Dietrich