There's So Much out There? Where Do I Start with My Author Platform?

Social media and book marketing can be overwhelming. There is a lot out there, and it takes time to build and maintain your sites and followers. When I got my first contract, I had no idea how much marketing and promotion were involved. Here’s my advice to new and sage authors:

1. Start small. Start with the sites that your readers are on. My primary sites are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But I do have accounts on Goodreads, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Bookbub, and Amazon.

2. Schedule some time daily to log on, post, share others’ posts, and build your followers. Readers like to interact with authors. All of your posts shouldn’t be “buy my book.”

3. Post photos of your hobbies, pets, or travel. Post comments or questions that give your followers a chance to interact. Post photos of you doing research or other activities.

4. When you mention or include photos of others, make sure to tag them in the post. You want people to like, comment, and share. If you attend a class, workshop, or conference, take a picture and tag the presenters.

5. There is scheduling software that you can use for Facebook author pages, Twitter, and Instagram. This helps me line up my plan for the week. I usually do my scheduling for the next week on one day.

6. Set up your social media sites and website before you are published. It takes some time to build an audience of followers.

7. Authors need to have a website with their unique URL. This is your brand and home base for your activities. There are lots of services out there where you can build your site from templates. (I’ve used Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.) I like that I can update my site when I want. If your visitors see old or outdated content, they rarely come back. (If you’re not sure how to use services like this, check out YouTube. There are lots of good instructions.)

8. Make sure that your website and social media sites have the same look and feel. That means your color palettes and graphics look the same or similar. Make sure you have a professional headshot, so readers can identify you. Make sure your name is easily identifiable.

9. Find other authors in your genre and look at their sites. Do your colors and graphics match your writing style? I received some good feedback on my website from a publicist. (My first published story was in an anthology that had red and black on the cover, so I used those as my primary colors on my first website.) After my first novel came out, she said that my books are light and funny, and that I should stick to pastel colors.

10. Set small goals. Make sure you have interesting content to post regularly (or schedule). Then focus on one site each week to build your followers. Follow other authors in your genre and their followers. Make sure that you interact with posts and answer questions. Your numbers will grow organically as you participate more.

It takes a while to build your audience. The more you interact and post interesting things, the more you’ll see your numbers grow. It can be overwhelming, but working on your social media reach a little at a time will pay off. (I started off with three Twitter followers.)

Let’s Be Social:

Newsletter

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Goodreads

Amazon

Pinterest

LinkedIn

BookBub

YouTube

Book Promotions When You're Stuck Inside

We all have had to be resilient in 2020. All spring events were cancelled, and now a lot of summer and fall author conferences and workshops are being moved online. Authors need to be creative and think of ways to promote their work during quarantine or partial-reopenings. Here are some ideas…

1. Run a sale of one of your previous books. This will generate interest in your current book and your series. There are lots of good email promotions like BookBub, the Fussy Librarian, and Book Doggy.

2. Plan a Facebook party with some author friends. This is a great excuse to hang out with readers and writers. And everyone loves prizes and freebies.

3. Send out your newsletter with tips, hints, photos, and projects.

4. Partner with a local bookstore that is doing online events. Pitch a panel or interview discussion.

5. Be active on your social media sites. Interact with readers. This will help you build your platform. Readers like to interact with authors.

6. Partner with your librarians who are looking for panels and workshops for their online programming. Pitch an idea to your librarian.

7. If you like to teach or conduct workshops, look for groups in your area that provide learning for students or seniors. There are several in Central Virginia. I’ve done workshops in person before. This year, they have moved their programming to the virtual realm. This is a good way to share with others and to get introduced to a new audience.

8. Write your next book. This will put you ahead of the game when markets start to open again.

9. Think about doing a collaboration project in an anthology. When you partner with other authors, you’re able to increase your readership. The promotions also have a bigger reach when there are more authors involved.

What would you add to my list?

Stuff You Never Get To...

It looks like we’re going to be at home more and more over the next few weeks because of quarantines, self-quarantines, and social distancing. It’s the perfect time to get to work on some of your writing tasks that have been languishing. Here are some ideas…

1. Update your website. Make sure that all your links work and that your content is current.

2. Revise your author biography.

3. Work on book club questions for your novels and post them.

4. Make sure you have a summary/synopsis of all your works.

5. Put together a press kit for your publicity.

6. Work on blog posts for the future. It’s always nice to have a stockpile.

7. Check out your biographies on your social media sites and make sure they’re current (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, Amazon, etc.) Don’t forget the ones that you don’t visit that often.

8. Work on your next newsletter.

9. Create a marketing campaign. Work on all the scheduling and promotions.

10. And don’t forget to write your next story, novella, or novel.

I hope you and yours are safe. And if we can’t visit in person, let’s keep up with each other on social media.

Lookin' Good! Design Tips for Authors

You, as the author, are your brand. You need to have a consistent look and feel with your website, business cards, newsletter, blog, and social media pages. Here are some tips for making your presence look unified, professional, and planned.

1. Get a professional headshot. Selfies shouldn’t be used on websites or book covers. Make sure that you update it every two or three years (or if your look changes). Don’t be one of those authors who uses the same photo for twenty years.

2. When you make a graphic to be shared on social media posts, make sure to choose the size that fits that platform. I use Canva, and it has a series of templates for each site that are sized correctly. The templates vary whether it’s a post, banner, or event. You also don’t want to stretch or resize a post graphic for a banner. It won’t look good.

3. When you use a photo or graphic, make sure that it is sized so that it can be viewed. I’ve seen author bookmarks where you can’t see the book cover or title. Also make sure it is proportional. Some people stretch the graphic, and it’s too skinny or too fat.

4. Pick colors that are complimentary and match your style of writing. My first published work was a story in a mystery anthology with a black, white, and red cover. I used those colors on my website and social media pages. When I talked to a publicist about my author sites later, she recommended that I choose brighter colors since my mysteries were light and humorous. You can use a color wheel to help you choose complimentary colors. There are lots of free ones on the internet.

5. Make sure you use a quality, high resolution graphic or photo for print and web. If not, it will look pixilated or grainy and not professional.

6. You may want to consider getting a logo for your name. It is another graphic that you can use on your sites.

7. If you use a photo other than yourself on your social media sites, make sure to have something like a logo that identifies it as you. This helps people find you.

8. When you’re making graphics or bookmarks, LESS is better. Don’t cover the entire graphic with text. Focus on important things like title, URL, ISBN, and book cover. Too much, dense text is hard to read.

9. Some authors use business cards or postcards instead of bookmarks. It’s a neat give-away that doesn’t cost that much to produce.

10. When you create business cards, bookmarks, or postcards, make sure to use both sides. I tend to put my latest book on the front of the bookmark, but I put the other series on the back

11. I made notecards/post cards with my book covers. I put the covers on one side and left the back in white. I use these to write notes. And If you don’t want to use it as a postcard, it will slip into an invitation or other sized envelope.

How to Make an Author Smile

Everyone likes a bit of serendipity and a nice surprise — including authors. Here are some ways you can make an author’s day…

• Buy their book. Read it, add it to your collection, or give it as a gift.

• Recommend the book to your friends.

• Add the book to your reading list on Goodreads.

• Leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N. It doesn’t have to be a book report. You can leave one line about what you liked. Online retailers use reviews to determine book placement in ads and promos.

• Recommend the book to your book club.

• Invite the author to visit or Skype with your book club.

• Take a picture of the book when you see it in a store or library and tag the author on social media. It’s neat to see where your book pops up.

• Request that your library order the book.

• Pop in at an author’s book signing.

• Share the author’s posts on social media.

What else would you add to my list?

Winner! Winner! Choosing Prizes and Gifts - Tips for Authors

Everyone loves free stuff. And everyone loves to win the prize. You can use your author swag to create interesting prizes for giveaways. Here are some ideas (and what I’ve learned).

Gift Baskets: People love baskets filled to the brim with goodies and lots of ribbons and bows. I build several each year for charity auctions that I support. Come up with a theme and look for fun items to add (e.g. Tea and Books, Mysteries and Chocolate, etc.). Don’t forget to add your swag (e.g. pens, pencils, bookmarks). Make sure to autograph the books you include.

Buy a cute or useful basket or container to use as a base. Make sure it’s the right size for your give-away. A small, overflowing basket looks more appealing that a giant one with three things in it. Arts and craft stores (or Amazon) sell rolls of clear plastic cellophane wrap for gift baskets. Top it with ribbons or a big bow. Flashy baskets draw lots of attention at silent auctions. One year, our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia chapter made one for the Friends of the Library’s fundraiser. We had over twenty-five books in the basket. And one of the gals made a big bow from yellow crime scene tape. A mystery reader’s dream!

Keep receipts and records for your taxes for charity donations. Talk to your tax advisor for details and specifics.

Social Media Giveaways: Facebook Hops, Facebook Parties, and Twitter Parties are great ways for you to meet readers and build up your audience. A lot of authors give away ebooks, and that often doesn’t bring the excitement or responses that a physical prize does. If you can, think of ways to incorporate small things in your prizes (e.g. small gift cards, fancy bookmarks, themed wine charms, etc.). I like Etsy, and I often find pins, wine charms, and notecards. Search Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, or Nancy Drew gifts, and you’ll be surprised at all the creative ideas that pop up.

You want your item to be able to be mailed easily. Tina Glasneck gave me the best advice. Make sure your prize fits in a standard business envelope. When you do online contests, follow the terms and conditions of the site and specify where you will mail the gift to. One author friend bought really cute mugs, but they were expensive to wrap and ship. Also, postage jumps considerably when it is out of your mailing area/country.

I keep a shelf of swag and prizes in my office closet. Instead of throwing unused gift cards in a drawer, add them to your collection and use as a prize.

Swag Bags: I ordered a box of small purple bags with ribbon ties. (I found them on Amazon under birthday or shower gift bags. They come in all colors.) I make small swag bags (e.g. pens, bookmarks, pins, notecards) for people I meet with. These are like hostess gifts for the coordinator when I do events for libraries, schools, or senior community events.

Notes: I always add a “I hope you enjoy this/It was great to meet you” note with the prize. I had postcards made with my book covers at Vistaprint. The back is blank and perfect for a personalized note.

Contests and prizes are fun ways to excite readers and draw them into your social media sites. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, and a thoughtful gift is always memorable.

What I Learned about Book Marketing from Some Really Cool Librarians

Recently, my Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia chapter hosted an event with Richmond Public Libraries, the Library of Virginia, and the Indie Author Project to help authors learn about working with libraries for events and programs. Many thanks to Nancy Buck (Richmond Public Libraries), Nan Carmack (Library of Virginia), and Emily Gooding (Indie Author Project).

Here’s what I learned…

1. The Indie Author Project is a program that helps independent authors reach readers.

2. Pressbook is a software to help authors format their books for print or ebook publication. Some libraries offer a subscription to their members. Check with your library to see if the service is offered. Pressbook also has commercial packages for those who want to format books.

3. Libraries seed readership for authors. Librarians always are asked to recommend books.

4. Libraries are often looking for programs (more than just author readings or book signings). Create a proposal of your idea and then approach the programming person at your library.

5. Half-page or quarter-page flyers are great for your event. They are small enough for display tables and to put in books.

6. Authors should look into using Meetup to publicize their events.

7. If you make book cover or other posters, do them double-sided. That way they can be seen from both sides on a display counter.

8. Facebook Live is a great way to do teasers to promote your event.

9. Always write thank you notes or emails to your host after an event.

10. On social media, check out #VALibraries.

Social Media and Book Promo No Nos

We all want to promote our work and events, and social media offers us lots of opportunities. Here are some things you should avoid.

1. Don’t be a leech. If another writer is promoting her work, having an event, or doing a cover reveal, don’t hijack the comments to promote your stuff. I am a part of several anthologies, and we’ve had people tag on to our promotions with comments like, “Hey, if you like this, you’ll love my book at this link.” That’s a quick way to offend others and get your comment deleted.

2. Automatic messages are annoying when you get so many of them. I’m not sure that unsolicited ones are effective. These are canned and impersonal. Be social. Chat and share posts. Don’t depend on an automated email to build your audience or sell books.

3. Be creative with your social media posts. Show interesting things and your sense of humor. All of your posts shouldn’t be “buy my book” or “like my page.” If you have hobbies, pets, or visit cool places, incorporate those into your posts.

4. Don’t spend all of your time on your sites marketing your stuff. These platforms are for social interaction. You need to like, comment, and share others’ posts.

5. We all need beta readers, forewords, reviews, and blurbs. Make sure you have a relationship with other authors before you make requests. You need a peer group that you can seek help from. I’ve had complete strangers from other genres ask for a review or a blurb and then put demands on it. Be polite. You’re asking a favor. Ask for help and make it easy if you want something from somebody. (When they agree, I always send a synopsis and short bio to help them with titles and character names.) Also, give them as much lead time as possible. Everybody has his/her own deadlines.

6. Authors and bloggers are busy. Don’t ask people out of the blue to read your 200,000 word manuscript unless they extend the offer to you. I love to help other authors, but I have to guard my writing/editing time, too. I joined a critique group and have beta reader partners. We all agree to read and provide feedback on each others’ work. They also understand my genre, so they know the conventions. Find a critique group or partner to exchange manuscripts. Many times, you can participate in writing workshops that include feedback sessions.

7. if you’re looking for reviews and you’re targeting book bloggers, read their reviews and look at their site. Make sure your book fits the site. Many post genres that they are interested in and their requirements. Some put out calls and other don’t accept unsolicited requests. Follow instructions. You’ll have more success.

8. Use book events, workshops, and conferences as opportunities to network. If you take pictures or do a post, make sure to tag that person. Also, later if you do want to contact them for some reason, you have a relationship.

What would you add to my list? What are some of your social media pet peeves?