Highlighting Social Media for Authors

 by Jeanette O'Hagan

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one listening, does it still make a sound?" 

The answer to this question depends on your world view, the intricacies of which I leave for another time and another place. But maybe it raises another question.

"If an author writes a book and no one reads it, does have purpose?"

This one is is easier to answer.  Yes, because after all, the writer is the very first reader of a work. Besides, writing in and of itself has benefits. Writing, maybe especially writing stories, helps us process thoughts and feelings, can give release, help us move past blockages or provide escape from grim reality. Writing, in and of itself, can be therapeutic. 

But, on another simpler level, if and when we seek to publish our stories, it's because we want someone to read them.  (Even if we are pursuing fame and/or fortune, we will need readers.) 

And, from my experience, while writing a novel or short story or memoir has it's challenges, getting the book published has perhaps greater challenges, but the biggest challenge of all is connecting with readers. 

So how do we find readers, or probably more to the point, how do readers discover our books?

While I don't claim to have solved this conundrum, we can explore the possibilities. 

Already Established Platform

Being already famous or well-known in another sphere, gives a leg-up on the visibility of your books. People buy books by household names because they know them and are curious. This is of particular advantage to those writing non-fiction but can also be useful for fiction. 

In addition, someone who is in demand as a speaker is already connecting with people who may be interested in their books. 

But that's not most of us. 

Friends and Family

Our friends and family often want to see us succeed and may read our books because, well, they love us.  Not that is is always the case. I can probably number on one hand my friends and family who are enthusiastic fans of my books. Most aren't that interested and certainly haven't read anything I written. In fact, apart from a few wonderful exceptions like my sister, it's my more distant relatives that have shown enthusiasm. 

Another reason for not relying too heavily on close circles - your early fans can determine how your book is ranked on sites like Amazon. As a result, it's better to aim at the readers  of your genre and audience. Plus, at some point, you probably want to reach beyond the people you know and launch your book out into the wide, wild world of readers. 

Launches, Book Signings and Conventions

Face to face encounters provide another way to connect with readers. As part of Rendered Realms, Lynne Stringer, Adele Jones and I have attended Sci-Fiction and Fantasy conventions like OzComicCon and Supanova as a way of connection with people who love the genre we write and, a good proportion of them, who love to read. 

Arranging book-signings or having a stall at the markets or book fair or organising school visits etc are all ways of connecting face-to-face with potential readers.  This has a great impact, but is also limited by space and time. 

Social Media

Social Media also provides a way for connecting with readers. It can be targeted a specific audience and has, at least in theory, the potential to go viral. 

The sites

Social Media includes a huge number of options to pursue.

Facebook - the biggest at 2.89 billion monthly active users and it's also versatile - it's great for interest groups of people (like Christian Writers Downunder) and showcasing your creativity and work on an author's page. Facebook can also be a platform for advertising books.

Instagram - popular with young people and visual artists, if focuses on cool images and is  a popular among many readers, book bloggers and authors. Hashtags work well here. 

Twitter - with posts (or tweets) limited to 280 characters, it's a great way to learn to say more with few words and also has both an active author and active reader communities. 

Goodreads - primarily a review site, it also has listopia (lists of books on a particular subject or genre), reading challenge and a multitude of book and writing groups. Even if you don't plan to frequent it, it's probably a good idea to claim your profile to make sure your books are linked as you would like them.

Bookbub - similar to Goodreads, Bookbub has book profiles and author profiles and sends out newsletters to members of books specials and free books. It can be a great paid promotional site for authors. Once again, maybe claim your author profile on this site. 

You-tube - for presenting audio-visual content - such as presentations, book reviews or author readings. 

TikTok - all about short snappy videos and is popular with young people (until the next big thing or the site gets too crowded with their parents). It has a very active book community - BookTok 

Tumblr - is a blogsite, an alternative to blogger, cum-social media with following pages part of the culture, though it can be wild and hairy. 

Pinterest - another visual site, in this case you can collect or pin cool images on virtual boards. Boards can be public, private or shared.  For authors, it can be part of the creative process - pinning images that give inspiration or help with planning your stories.  It's also possible to link blog posts (attached to an image) or book covers etc. 

Wattpad - a writing site where fan fiction, short stories and other content is posted freely for users to read and give feedback. Some authors post stories in the hopes of developing fans who will crossover to their (not free) books. 

Patreon - an author or creative provides different level on content for their subscribers on a regular (monthly) basis - it can be short stories unavailable elsewhere, snippets from books, behind the scene stuff, artwork or even the books themselves.

Discord -  a way for groups to get together and discuss things.

Redditt - a discussion group or maybe discussion groups within discussion group?  

Blogger - a blogger site 

World Anvil - a worldbuilding site tailored for gamers and authors - a place to document the world of your book, but also to interact with others by providing interesting content. 

And there's more. Too many to mention.

Pros and Cons

All these platforms attract audiences/followers, and often many are avid book readers of both popular and niche genres. Building up an active following on these platforms, can result in a growing following of people interested in your books. They can also be used as a basis for paid advertising. If a post goes viral, it can really take off.

On the other hand, it's takes time and effort, rarely results in instant success and can be a confusing and a timewaster. And sometimes, social media becomes an echo chamber  - writers connect with other writers (and can support and encourage each other, which is good) but don't connect with readers. 

The huge variety can be daunting /off putting. It's probably impossible to be involved in each and every platform there is. 

Start small, build and stay with it.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Better to start small, build on your gains. And be strategic and genuine.  Remain involved. 

When starting out, choose one or perhaps two to get a handle of. Choose a media that resonates and you feel most comfortable with and which is more also popular to your readers. For instance, young people have deserted Facebook for Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.  If you have a lot of visual content, Instagram and Pinterest work well while Twitter is more word based (though even here visuals help attract attention). 

Take time to understand the platform and the expectations of their users. Twitter users look more askance at Direct Messaging than Facebook users. Hash tags may be used differently at different sites. 

Ask for help and do some research (including some excellent blogs on this site) and don't be afraid to experiment.

Add value for your readers/followers

Do you enjoy the shop owners who feel compelled to yell specials and 'buy, buy, buy' messages at you through a loud hailer as you walk past their shop? If you are anything like me, such loud and pushy tactics will make you want to run for the hills. So too with social media.  Think about what content you can offer related to your books, engage with people, be helpful and pleasant. And make any promotions relevant, interesting and attractive. 

 Remember, it's as much as making connections and building relationships. 

Be versatile

And remember, platforms change. Elon Musk has just bought out Twitter. Some earlier social media platforms no longer exist - anyone remember Yahoo groups or Myspace?

So the other point, is, don't be too dependent on any one social media. Have your own website (with or without a blog) and email list are other ways to connect with readers that is independent on the changes in policy and fortune of the big providers. 

Beware of Time Munchers

Social media can swallow whole hours once you start swiping or scrolling.  It's good to post regularly, put regular content up but don't let it swallow up all the available hours.  Ask yourself would I be better off writing (or editing).  Perhaps automate if possible or set aside time to work on certain tasks.

So which social media platform works best?  It depends - on you, on your book, on your audience, and on the phase of the moon. 

Okay, maybe not the phase of the moon, but there is a degree of unpredictability about all this. And all of these opportunities , these portals to readers - existing networks, face-to-face opportunities, social media, website and email newsletter, can and should work together.  

And remember to have fun :)  

It's a lot to learn and, often, a uphill struggle.  Yet a thousand mile journey starts with the first step.

Some questions for the reader. 

So, what social media and other means have you tried to connect with readers? What worked? What didn't work?  Do you have some tips to share or questions you would love answered?

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories, Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad's Legacy series - and new short story accepted for an upcoming Fantasy anthology.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life.

Facebook |Jeanette O'Hagan Writes | Twitter | Instagram

The Wonderful World of Digital Marketing

 

I love—loooove—writing.

 It’s easy and it’s fun. I love getting involved with my characters, and having adventures in the fictional worlds I create. Lots of drama and tears, lots of trouble and trauma, lots of healing and reconciliation, lots of love and happy-ever-afters.

I don’t mind editing.

 It’s a slow and methodical process, but when I finish, I have an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction in knowing that my characters and their adventures are now in the best possible state to be presented to readers to engage with and enjoy.

Marketing is the bane of my existence. 

I don’t mind posting the odd picture of my new cover, with a link, and a ‘guess what—new book is here’ announcement.

But today’s writer, whether you’re traditionally or indie published, needs to be actively building a platform. Social media pages, newsletters, and constant posting advertising what you’ve written.

It’s not my style, and I have this inbuilt sense that I’m annoying all of my followers by spamming them on a daily basis. Even weekly seems a bit much.

So I have recently joined two box set initiatives.

What is a box set, you ask?

 You’ve probably seen them. They have a lovely graphic of the boxset group that looks like a number of books in a box.

 

There is no box. Just to be clear. They are usually eBooks sold as a set, and more often than not, sold for 99 cents the lot. It’s a bargain, to be sure.

I’ve joined one group through Australian author, Lisa Renee’s Collaborative Press initiative. Lisa Renee is becoming a prolific author, churning out books a mile a minute. But she is also a guru when it comes to digital marketing. This is a skill she is not keeping to herself, but sharing with other authors, both Australian and international. Though it goes against all my inner impulses, Lisa has been encouraging everyone in this set to regularly post about the set, and swap newsletter posts—that is, you post my stuff in your newsletter, and I’ll post your stuff in my newsletter. I’ve entered tentatively into this world and hoping not to annoy or alienate my usual followers. So far so good. Mind you, I’m not exactly a mad poster. Just occasional.

What is great about this collaboration is that there are seven of us in the project, including Aussies, Narelle Atkins, Carolyn Miller, Lisa Renee and myself. With seven of us sharing and swapping newsletters, it broadens the reach. The graphics, which Lisa is a master at designing, are really classy and make me look good. 

Love, Faith and Tender Kisses Box-set

Then Carolyn Miller and Lisa Renee came up with this new idea. Join this American box set group who are aiming to reach the coveted status of USA Today Bestseller list. I made the decision to join without too much thought, and with no knowledge of what this entailed. Happy days.

I’ve teamed up with Carolyn Miller, and currently we are having the time of our lives writing a rom-com. In fact, we’ve churned out 45,000 words in the last two or three weeks. Crazy.

But what is more crazy is that there are 30 authors in this box set, and they’re still selling it for 99cents. I did a rough calculation and figure I will probably get 2 cents per sale. I’m not going to make my millions here, but I’m along for the ride to see how it works.

So, this box set is called ‘My Funny Valentine’. It is classified as sweet clean rom-com, not to be confused with Christian Fiction. This group’s directors have started the pre-orders as of last week, and have an enthusiastic postings schedule, yet the set will not be released until Valentine’s Day next year.

I must say, the 99 cents will be worth it if you only read Carolyn’s and My story. We’re having way more than 99 cents worth of fun writing it.

So, I’m mid experiment as I write this blog. I guess you will see how it goes if I suddenly start saying: Meredith Resce – USA Today Bestselling author.

Whether I get there or not, it’s an interesting process.

How do you feel about digital marketing?

As a reader or consumer, does it make a difference if you see a post about a book on a frequent occasion? Does your opinion differ if it’s one of your favourite authors or a random?

How is your platform growth going?

What techniques have you used that you think have been successful?

 

All the best as you write, edit and … (groan) market.

 

 

Meredith Resce

Author of the new Luella Linley - License to Meddle series and The Heart of Green Valley series

 

Confessions of a Genre Butterfly - Susan J Bruce

Photo copyright Susan J Bruce

The author platform. Do these words fill you with confidence? Do you say ‘I know who I am as an author and I know who I want to reach? I know what my brand is?’

Or do you think, ‘Eerk!’

Earlier this year I realised as I belonged to the second category, I really should do something about it. So I enrolled in Iola Goulton’s appropriately titled course, Kick-start your Author Platform Marketing Challenge. The first few days were fun and I was filled with a sense of purpose. They led me to rethink my author name (that’s another story for another time) and gave me confidence that I was going to succeed. I would make a good website. I would build a social media platform around my brand as an author.

But then we came to the question of genre.

We were given an exercise where we had to identify our genre and find websites of authors who write the same kind of books. The idea was to see what website elements (images, fonts, etc.) are consistent with our genre. If we write romance we want the reader to get a romancey vibe when they visit our website or look for us on social media. If we are a science fiction aficionado we might depict spaceships soaring through nebulae, boldly going where no one has gone before. It makes sense. People should see our name and associate it with our brand so they can know if they will like the kind of books we write.

But what if we don’t write in just one genre?

I know. All the publishers and marketing gurus have crashed to the floor in a dead faint at my words. It makes absolute marketing sense to write in one genre, at least initially. But what if our writing doesn’t fit this pattern?

What if we are a ‘genre butterfly’? What if we flutter from genre to genre like a butterfly flits from flower to flower, collecting all kinds of nectar as it goes on its way.

Our group discussions showed that I was not the only one with this particular affliction, but that didn’t solve our problem. How do we develop an author brand if our writing doesn’t naturally fit one genre?

It must be possible.

Tim Winton comes to mind as a brilliant proponent of literary fiction: stories that are generally more serious and have deep artistic merit. Then there is general fiction. General fiction tends to be more accessible than literary fiction. Some general fiction authors are, I suspect, latent genre butterflies. They gather nectar from different genres and meld it into a new story. The success of a huge number of general fiction authors means that those of us who like variety need not despair. And then there are age-defined categories like young adult (YA) and children’s literature, which can contain multiple genres.

But what if we like to write different types of genre fiction? What if we want to write a cozy mystery followed by a science fiction novel and a love story between two dragons? Can we do that and build our brand as an author? What do we do? There are several options:

1.                  Embrace our eclectic nature. Write what we like, when we like. The catch is that we will probably find it hard to build a brand and to sell books unless we are so prolific that we quickly build up a backlist of several books in each genre.

2.                 Become a genre blender. You like three different genres? Mix ‘em together! I recently read Kerry Nietz’s, Amish Vampires in Space. This science fiction author blended Amish fiction, science fiction, vampire fiction and Christian fiction together to create an excellent space opera with great characters. In his case, merging genres made for excellent marketing. It led me (and many others) to read the book and because I liked it, I bought the sequel (which was great too).

3.                 Establish a unique brand of our own. Genre is a handy way of categorising our writing but it isn’t the only way. We can look at the heart of what we write, find the common themes and build our brand around those themes. 

I wish I wrote contemporary romance or cute cozy mysteries set in a bookstore. Branding would be simpler. But just because branding isn’t simple it doesn’t mean it’s not doable. I’ve chosen to take the third route above. Just about all of my stories, short or long, have themes of overcoming. Many have strong romantic elements, or themes of belonging, and are set in an environment of adventure or danger. Nearly all my work contains animals. Some stories contain deep issues. After a lot of thought I developed my working tagline: Stories of the human spirit – and sometimes other species. If I can write stories that fulfil that promise to the reader, and promote my books accordingly, I’ll be doing well. And should my writing evolve and take on a more speculative bent, I can always change it to Stories of the human spirit – and sometimes alien species J.

My name is Susan J. Bruce and I’m a genre butterfly. How about you?

Go on. Confess in the comments. You know you want to! How do you approach branding as an author?

Edit: Since writing this article I've added some mystery to the mix. The mystery novel is going to happen after all. Check out my website by clicking this link.

Susan J. Bruce, aka Sue Jeffrey, spent her childhood reading, drawing, and collecting stray animals. Now she’s grown up she does the same kinds of things. Sue works part time as a veterinarian, writes stories filled with themes of overcoming, adventure and belonging, and loves to paint animals. Sue won the Short section of the inaugural Stories of Life writing competition and her stories and poems have appeared in various anthologies including Tales of the Upper Room, Something in the Blood: Vampire Stories With a Christian Bite and Glimpses of Light. Her e-book Ruthless The Killer: A Short Story is available on Amazon.com.  You can check out Sue’s animal art on Facebook.