Are you wondering whether social media is useful for authors? Many authors are very successful on networks like Twitter and Pinterest, building up thousands of followers.
While all your followers on these networks won’t become readers or fans, some will.
Social media for authors: become visible and reach your readers
The big benefit of social media for authors is that it makes you more visible.
Tip: one way or another, you need to become visible, if you want to build your readership.
Authors become visible by:
- Publishing more; two and three times a month, to register with Amazon’s algorithms;
- Advertising on Amazon as well as on other sites;
- Publishing on every book retailer they can;
- Blogging…
Let’s look at three tips to help you to reach readers on social media.
1. Who are your readers? Curate content for them
Think about your readers.
Perhaps all you know about them is that they read books in your genre or category.
You need to do a little research to learn more about your readers.
Here’s how:
- Find a bestselling author in your genre who has a Twitter account. Read comments from his followers, and read their profiles. You’ll begin to see what interests them;
- Similarly, find a top-selling author in your genre who’s on Pinterest. How many followers do they have? How many boards? What topics do they curate on their boards?
After your research, you’ll know more about the readers of your genre. You can now curate content for these readers on social media.
Choose content that those readers will enjoy. Promote your books to them too, but lightly.
2. Engage with readers as much as you can
A couple of the authors in our writers’ group do well on social media. One author says she spends a few minutes every day checking her followers and retweeting, commenting, and liking their posts.
However, any social media network can be a time sink, so it’s a good idea to limit the time you spend engaging.
3. Collaborate with authors in your genre
Once you become active on social media, you’ll get to know other authors.
You can collaborate with them for promotions.
Ideas for collaborations include:
- Promoting your collaborators’ books to your own followers;
- Joint marketing: buy display ads with your collaborators. This works brilliantly: your advertising dollars will work harder;
- Creating collaborative works. You and an author friend could each write a novella to create a joint publication. Authors in various genres often create free or low-cost bundles: each author contributes a short story to the book.
Have fun on your favorite social media networks — you’ll build your readership reader by reader.
How to write novels readers talk about and recommend: The Scene-ery Solution
Page-turner novels readers recommend to their friends are never an accident.
You need to strategize and deliberately write page-turners which keep readers turning pages, long past their bed-time…
When you write page-turners, word of mouth kicks in. Readers tell their friends. Book bloggers blog about your novels.
Want to write novels readers love (and talk about)?
Here you go. All the tips, strategies and tricks you need. Check out The Scene-ery Solution.
Tara’s Enchantment – Regency Time Travel Romance, Book 1
A Regency time travel romance... What if you could escape across time, and find your soulmate?
Pure evil dispatches gorgeous Tara Ballantine across the centuries, to Regency England. Tara lands on Adam Jervoise, Earl of Hillingworth -- literally -- as he's riding through a bluebell wood.
Hillingworth is handsome, rich, and kind. He's also set to propose to an heiress.
When Tara realizes that she's falling in love with the earl, she fights the feeling.
More info →Molly’s Magic – Regency Time Travel Romance, Book 2
At 24, not only is Molly Ballantine stunning, she has two sisters she loves, and a wonderful career. Then her eldest sister Tara vanishes, and her life disintegrates.
Molly's life is about to become even more chaotic. She wakes up in a brothel with a man who's too good-looking for her peace of mind.
More info →Priscilla’s Destiny: Regency Time Travel Romance, Book 3
22-year-old Priscilla Ballantine wakes up 200 years in the past, naked in the arms of handsome aristocrat, and master spy, Dominick de Roche, Lord Bellemieux. Priscilla's accused of spying, and is in danger of summary execution. She can't help thinking that she wouldn't be in such a mess if Dominick de Roche hadn't mistaken her for one of his contacts...
More info →Escape Across Time: Tara, Molly, & Priscilla (Time Travel Regency Romance Trilogy)
Love time travel romances and the Regency era?
More info →