Social Media for Authors

Your book is done and out there for the world to find, read, and love. Of course, no reader (beyond friends and family) will find it without some marketing. One of the best – and typically free – way to market your book is on social media. Maintaining a presence on social media these days is a must for any writer.

Social Media Options

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms and is widely used across all demographics. Instead of adding friends to your personal page, your best bet is to create an Author page. You can also create or join an author group as a way of networking.

Twitter is one of the most watched platforms. From presidential politics to celebrity gossip, Twitter is the place to be. This is a great place to build a following as many Twitter users will follow you if you follow them.

Instagram focuses on pictures and video sharing. You can share creative pictures of your work or other things that inspire you that allow readers to know you more.

Goodreads is a social media platform designed for writers. It exists to connect authors and their readers. Most of those on Goodreads are readers. Their reviews and lists can help deliver exposure for new and budding authors.

Pinterest is the least time consuming of the social media (as a form of advertising that is. Users on the other hand can spend hours looking at the items pinned on different pages.) People don’t expect you to reply or talk to them. You can just post your pins and let the program’s algorithm take care of the rest.

With this many social media options, you could spend a lot of time keeping up with them – time that you could better spend writing your next novel. It is true that social media can take up a lot of time, so my suggestion is to only pick one or two. Focus on the ones that appeal to you. If you hate Facebook, don’t join Facebook. If you don’t understand Instagram than pick one of the other social media options. You won’t have the time to be everywhere. You should be writing instead of maintaining all these accounts.

How to effectively use social media?

• Post regularly.
• Post about topics that aren’t all about your writing or your books. You want readers (or potential readers) to see you are a human just like them. Being relatable can boost sales of your books.
• Interact with your readers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, respond to comments and connect with your readers in a meaningful way.

For more on social media, check out this article from NY Book Editors, Kindleprenueur or Bookbub.

Quote of the Week – Jan 29

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The challenges of eating out with picky eaters

This summer, I encouraged the kids to try some new foods. They are both picky eaters in their own way. And being non-adventurous eaters, they are usually hesitant to try new things. While this summer’s experiment went well, I now need to expand the items they will eat when we dine out.

Picking places that please both kids (as well as the adults) can certainly be challenging since neither child seems to like the same things. Jase will eat steaks, pizza, chicken nuggets and tacos. Lexie likes spaghetti, pizza (if not to greasy), and steak. At home she will eat fried rice, enchiladas, and chili but she likes how I make them and not so much how they taste from a restaurant.

But fast food or sit-down places, I find it a challenge to find a place they both will eat well. For example, last Thursday, my husband was working so I decided the kids and I would go out to eat. I was thinking some fast food like Chic-fil-a. Lexie vetoed that. She used to love Chic-fil-a but once it made her stomach upset and now she rarely will eat there. She suggested one of her favorites Chipotle, but I didn’t want to eat there as the last two times I haven’t felt well after eating there. (And we will be eating there next month as part of a school fundraiser.)

Jase suggested Whataburger but Lexie said no. She always wants to order a hamburger but then never eats them which of course annoys me. Panda Express was out since Jase doesn’t eat Chinese and I wasn’t sure how Lexie would do with their fried rice. She loves the fried rice I make but is quite picky about other versions. She suggested Olive Garden where I know both kids will eat but I wasn’t looking for a sit-down place.

We ended up going to Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. Lexie tried their California burger and ate about 1/2 of it with the lettuce and tomato (a first) before just ditching the bun and veggies to finish the patty. She only at just a few fries but ate enough for me to get her a brownie delight sundae for dessert.

This whole process of selecting a place happens all the time and is draining! We are going on a trip with my parents this summer and I am already looking for places that my kids will find things they like. We are going to New Orleans and I know they won’t want gumbo, seafood or Cajun food.

We are also going to Disney World this year. That proves it own challenges as both of the kids are now considered “adults” but have the palates of “kids”. Even ordering off the kids’ menu isn’t guaranteed to make them happy. Disney’s kids’ menus most of the time don’t appeal to them. They don’t eat turkey sandwiches, uncrustables (PB&J) or mac-n-cheese. Plus, those meals are smaller though as I point out to the kids that just leaves more room for desserts and snacks.

My goal between now and these trips is to get them to start trying different meals. It could be that they just take a bite or two of what my husband or I am eating, or it might be they order something new. I’d rather they try things here rather than on vacation – especially when looking at those Disney meal prices.

Why writers must be readers

I’m sure you have heard it – from teachers, other writers and in books on writing – “Writers need to be readers.” Or something to that effect.

Writers work with words and it is in their best interest to know them well. A writer who doesn’t read is like a musician not listening to music or a chef who never samples other foods. Reading and writing go hand in hand.

Reading is not simply important for writers. It is essential to making them better writers.

Benefits of reading:

• Reading other works of fiction can give you strong fundamentals in story structure and plot development. You can learn many techniques just by reading a variety of other works.
• Reading allows you to see what works and what doesn’t work. Not all books with thrill you. You can learn a lot from books you don’t enjoy or don’t finish.
• Reading can inspire you and ignite your imagination.
• Reading can motivate you to move forward with your own work.
• Reading lets you gain new knowledge on a variety of different topics. It allows you to understand language better and can expand your vocabulary.
• Reading can expand your world. It allows you to step into someone else’s shoes and experience new things.
• Reading is a great way to escape. Skip learning anything and just enjoy being transported into another world.

And you don’t have to read just fiction. You can newspapers and magazines or non-fiction and how to books. Writers should read a variety of works.

I know sometimes we are busy and feel we don’t have time to read. Or sometimes we are so absorbed in our own work that we may not want to be distracted by reading. But there is always a time for reading whether it is daily, on weekends or just on vacation. You can read while you eat your lunch at work or while waiting in the pickup line at your child’s school or while they are in gymnastics or karate. Take this time to read a magazine instead of scrolling through Facebook.

And if you don’t have time to read, you can also listen to audiobooks on your commute, while doing chores or while exercising.

Side note – I’ll admit that when I am in the midst of writing – really in a groove – I resist reading. That is because often when I read, I do get absorbed into the story and all I want to do is keep reading. Then I end up reading when I should be writing.

You write for your readers. No amount of learning grammar rules and writing techniques can replace understanding your readers and to do that you need to be a reader yourself.

So take some time to read, to enjoy what you read. Get lost in the language, get lost in the story. Everything you learn as a reader; you can use as a writer.

 

Quote of the Week – Jan 22

Encourage yourself, believe In yourself, and love yourself. Never doubt who you are. ~ Stephanie Lahart