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Writing a great book is just part of the equation, your social media platform is where readers will get to know you, find out about what you’re writing, and could determine the success of your book sales.
Goodreads
One of the most important platforms for writers is Goodreads. Goodreads’ tagline is “meet your next favorite book” and I’ll add “and favorite author!”
You can set up a solid author profile on Goodreads which includes a bio, links, your blog feed, and books that you’ve read and reviewed.
A great place to connect with fans and other writers. Follow hashtag streams to find people who are talking about your topics.
A few Twitter tips:
- Share a wide variety of content in your subject matter. Videos, articles, photos etc.
- Don’t share only tweets about your book. That’s a huge turnoff for anyone looking at your Twitter stream.
- Follow an interesting array of people and create Twitter lists to keep track of your favorite Twitter pals.
- Use the #FridayReads hashtag to connect with readers globally each week. Do I need to remind you not to recommend your own book? Be generous and recommend a book that you love.
Facebook Page
According to Facebook’s Terms of Service (which you can’t ignore and shouldn’t try to bypass), “personal profiles are for non-commercial use and represent individual people.
You can follow profiles to see public updates from people you’re interested in but aren’t friends with.
Pages look similar to personal profiles, but they offer unique tools for businesses, brands, and organizations.” Since you’re an author, you want the ability to use Facebook for commercial purposes so get your Facebook page up and running!
You can promote your Facebook page for more likes, links to your books on Amazon or other retailers, or to your author’s website or blog. Your Facebook content should be fun and relatable for your readers and future readers
One of my favorite authors to follow on Facebook is Elizabeth Gilbert, best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love. She posts from her heart and from her life.
Here’s a recent post about the dress she was going to be wearing on her last speech on tour with Oprah.
Liz’s excitement and joy come through in the post and you can’t help feeling like you are right there with her. A fantastic connection with her Facebook community.
A goldmine of marketing wrapped up in beautiful images. If you have a website or blog, apply for a Pinterest Business account so you can get great analytics and promote pins on Pinterest to targeted audiences.
[Tweet “Pinterest is a goldmine of marketing wrapped up in beautiful images. ~ @PegFitzpatrick #ArtOfSocial”]
Some Pinterest boards that authors could create:
- A book for each book.
- Fun research for a behind-the-scenes look at your process.
- Character boards to showcase their personalities.
- Things that inspire you will surely inspire you as well.
- Writing tips for aspiring writers.
- Boards that reflect your personality and show your interests.
A quick network to build your brand awareness. Commenting is very important on Instagram, so keep up with responding to people who comment on your photos.
Create a hashtag strategy for your books. Post a photo a day with a series of hashtags that are specific to you and your readers.
What to post:
- Screenshots from your phone with images from Twitter or Facebook from readers who loved your book.
- Photos of people reading your book.
- Use the #DayintheLife hashtag to share your writing process and what you do each day.
- Photos from your book launch or events where you speak.
- Take selfies when you meet fans and post them on your account.
Also Read: The Five Secrets to a Killer eBook Cover
Google+
Is a great place for you to connect with a new audience! Google+ Hangouts are a personal way to connect with people since they are life and recorded for YouTube. You can try to score an invite to an existing Google+ Hangout series or create your own events.
Here’s an interview with self-publishing superstar Hugh Howey that I did with Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch, co-authors of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book.
We had some tech glitches and you might too but stick with it and keep trying. Getting your story, your face, and your books out there! This is a cool interview so listen in to hear Hugh tell the story about how he writes and publishes.
I hope this gives you a few ideas that you can use to create a social media presence for yourself and find your future readers.
If you want a more in-depth dive into social media marketing, I’ve co-written The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users with social media rock star Guy Kawasaki to help people just like you!
Guy and I have tested everything we could get our hands on and boiled down the best bits to share in one book. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below and I’ll do my best to help you out.
