social media

Identify Your Authentic Social Media Voice

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You know I share a lot of posts on how to find your voice in your writing. Well, you need to find and have your voice represent you on social media as well.

Identify Your Authentic Social Media Voice

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

As authors we talk a lot about voice. In fiction, and even non-fiction, it’s defined as that certain something that makes an author unique. In everything—from the rhythm, cadence and flow—to the sentence structure. It conveys the author’s personality and attitude.

Although many may not realize it, there’s an advantage to developing a voice for your social media presence. If you think about it, it’s something that those most successful social media folks have done.

But with social media, it’s not just the words you choose, but it encompasses the images you use to represent yourself and the topics of the updates you post.

Here’s how to develop an authentic social media voice:

  1. Be yourself. This may seem obvious, but with any new technology, it’s easy to get sidetracked by all the bells and whistles. Don’t over think the hashtags or lingo of any platform.

Read the full post on The Write Conversation!

When Writers Struggle with Social Media Commitment Issues

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New social media platforms are coming out all the time.  It helps if you understand which platform is best for you to reach your audience, but how do you make social media outreach less of a chore?

When Writers Struggle with Social Media Commitment Issues

by Edie Melson

We all know it’s important for writers to have a solid presence online.

But many of us struggle with Social Media commitment issues. We have good intentions, but our follow-through may be less than stellar.

So today I’d like to share some tips to help you stay on track.

Stay Committed to Social Media

  1. Set Reasonable Expectations.I think this is the most important piece of advice I can give you. When I first started blogging, I wanted to excel at it. So my inclination was to set the bar high, posting at least five times a week. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I might not be able to keep up. So instead I started slow, posting once a week, and only adding more days to my schedule when I knew I could handle it. It has been the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve managed all my social media this way, and I believe it’s the one thing that has contributed the most to my success.

Read the full post at The Write Conversation

Quick Link: Sometimes You Have to Break the Rules on Social Media

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I admit it, this post freaked me out. Committing to social media pushes my buttons and I need a lot of baby steps to get there.  On the niche site Social Media Just For Writers, guru Frances Caballo shares what she has found to be helpful in dealing

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Sometimes You Have to Break the Rules on Social Media

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In the past, I’ve recommended strict rules about social media use.

Don’t argue politics. Stick to neutral topics. Be aware of your readers’ differing opinions.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I’ve not only broken my own rules, I’ve shattered them. Yes, you heard me correctly.

You see, during the worst fire in California’s history, which occurred in my community, a lot changed around here.

For one, the way I kept in touch with the majority of friends during this time was through Facebook.

How could I, in the face of many friends’ tremendous losses, post empty quotes and information about my blog posts? It wouldn’t have made any sense.

So I got down and dirty, so to speak.

By

Read the full post on Writers and Authors!

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: Social Media Content Tips for Authors – What to Post

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I don’t know how someone who has such a busy life that there is no extra time can also have such a boring life! One of the reasons I am bad at social media is I don’t like my pictures and I have no idea what to say to keep up my end of the deal.  Thank goodness Bookworks has this post from Frances Caballo Social Media Expert that will get me started. Hopefully, it has some good info for you too! What is your best content tips?

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Social Media Content Tips for Authors – What to Post

by Frances Caballo Social Media Expert

Many people are confused about what they should say in their social media posts. Figuring out successful social media content strategies can be challenging and there is no one-size-fits-all.

Authors often ask me, “If I can’t always post about my own books, what am I supposed to say?” 

You may remember the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the time, you promote your colleagues, other writers, and great posts, and 10 percent of the time, you can promote your books, readings, and awards.

If you’re still feeling confused about how to best present the information you’ve curated, don’t worry. Just keep reading and you’ll learn how to write the best social media updates.

The Freedom of Just 140 Characters

 

Read the full post on  Bookworks!

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media?

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

At Jane Friedman, Jane discusses a subject near and dear to my heart – author websites. This should not be an eithor or subject. Having an author site is like having a home. It lets people know who you are and where you are. It provides a base for social media marketing including Facebook and Twitter. Read on for Jane’s views and let us know if you agree or not.

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What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media?

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In 2013, I observed a conversation on Twitter where a publisher said they didn’t believe in author websites “for a lot of authors”—that social was a better place for authors to spend time from a marketing perspective.

It bothered me, and I ended up writing a blog post about it, exploring why a publisher might think this—rightly or wrongly.

Since then, I’ve taught countless conference sessions and webinars about author platform development, content strategy, marketing and promotion, and long-term best business practices. Hands down, the No. 1 thing I’m questioned about is social media—by the unpublished writers, advanced writers, and well-established career authors. I don’t mind fielding such questions, but I find social media the most difficult topic to teach effectively, and I’ll have a separate post about that tomorrow.

On the flip side, I rarely field questions about author websites, aside from technical ones about what service to use or other fiddly details related to domains, hosting, and WordPress sites. I believe this happens for a few reasons: Website design and development is a more technical area, plus few authors actively engage on their site with readers. It can be something of a “set it and forget it” thing. Who’s really looking at an author website that much anyway, especially one without a blog or active updates?

Read the full post on Jane Friedman.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

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Quick Link: Social Media for Authors Like, Lurk, Linger

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Over at Shelly Hitz, she discusses the different types of social media personalities you are likely to have. Or be. So are you a liker, a lurker, or a linger? Depending on the day and the site, I could be any of the three. I think that if you are lucky enough to get anyone to pay attention to you, well then that is pretty good.

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Social Media for Authors Like, Lurk, Linger

by Shelly Hitz

I have noticed that there are different types of personalities and different ways that people interact on Facebook.

When you’re on Facebook, do you like posts? Do you lurk? Or do you linger and engage with the people that you’re friends with?

As I observe patterns of people’s Facebook usage, I have found three ways how people interact in social media. Which one are you?

 The Liker

Some people just Like everything!

With Facebook, Like has developed a new meaning.

 

Read the full post on Shelly Hitz

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

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The care and feeding of a blog or social media.

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When a client comes to me and asks about starting a blog or what type of social media they should use, I give them what information they need for their particular situation but then I always add a caveat. “No matter what you choose, be prepared. It is like having a baby. You have to put a lot of time and effort into the regular care and feeding of it.”

Having a static site, where you have basic information is different. That is a place where you have the same information, such as your author bio and your book lists. But blogs and social media, by their nature, work best when they are regularly and consistently updated. Your fans and followers need to know what to expect.

With blog posts, I suggest that people start them and write regular posts but not publish them for a week or two. That gives you enough time for the thrill of the new task to wear off and authors can tell if this is something they want to keep on doing.  It can be really difficult to come up with new posts ideas after a while.  If you still want to blog after that, well then you have a supply of back up posts. You can use them when you have crazy days and not be up at 10 pm writing a post when you have to be up for work at 5:30 am for the next day. (I know, play me the worlds smallest violin!)

All of this being said, having a blog and engaging in social media is a wonderful benefit for authors and writers. You get to meet so many great people and learn so much from the experience. And of course, you can help spread the word about your projects.

While I am still finding my feet as a writer, I am an experienced software engineer as my day job. So in the coming weeks I will be writing some posts on how to deal with these technical issues. Feel free to pick my brain or suggest topics. Please also share any tips you have for dealing with your blogging or social media chores. Lets all help each other!

Have a great day!

Paula

 

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Quick Link: Are You Clear About Your Writer Persona? Going Public by Design

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Privacy is such an important, and often under reported, issue these days. It is so easy to find out information on someone. But as authors, we want people to know about us, and that means sharing something of who we are.  At Jane Freidman, shares with us her tips and thoughts on your public face.

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Are You Clear About Your Writer Persona? Going Public by Design

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Today’s guest post is by creative coach, writer, and editor A M Carley (@amcarley). Her company, Chenille Books, is offering a guided self-study course for writers, 30 Days to Becoming Unstuck, during May 2017.

Back in the day, ancient Roman theater introduced the persona, or mask. Some say it was used as a means of protecting the anonymity of influential citizen-actors who didn’t want the public to see them on stage.

As writers, we don’t always know how much of ourselves to share with the public. I believe it behooves each of us to create and curate an author persona—the public face for our work. When we become published authors, get our first podcast interview, our first guest post on a well-regarded writing blog, our first press interview, our first book event—somewhere along that path the thought occurs: Who am I? Who do I want to be? What am I telling the world about myself and my writing?

Wise choices count here. On the one hand, if we don’t reveal anything, we may curtail our exposure and success. However, if we splatter too much personal information in too many places, we confuse our potential audience.

In other words, just like the Roman aristocrats, you have choices about what the public sees. Not a fake mask to hide behind, your persona is a filtered subset of the great array of attributes, quirks, and appetites that make up the person you are, along with the characteristics of the creative work you produce.

Doing our best creative writing is not our only mission. Why? Because most of us want readers. And if that’s the case for you, then you’ll benefit from considering how you present yourself to others. We’re in the world, surrounded by other writers who want to be read, and readers hungry for cues about whose work to read next. We need to keep an eye on the marketplace for our published work. How will these new readers know who we are? How will we tell them enough about ourselves to make them want to know more?

Are you clear about your writer persona?

Read the full post on

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: What Social Media Groups Are and How To Use Them

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

So you already know that you need social media to help spread the word about your titles, but have you heard of social media groups?  They are a great way to connect with people and help you stand out. Each social media platform has its own type of groups. Melissa Flickinger over at Bad Redhead Media helps you get started.

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What Social Media Groups Are and How to Use Them

By Melissa Flickinger

We discussed social media groups during our recent Twitter #BookMarketingChat. Of course, there is a lot to cover in one hour, so we chopped the list down to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. We’ll discuss Pinterest, Goodreads, and other social media groups in future chats and my next post. Here are some key tips to get you started on social media groups.

If you have any social media accounts, chances are you’re already in several groups. But for those who are just getting their virtual foot in the social networking door, let’s explain what a social media group is and why they’re so great for building relationships!

What Are Social Media Groups?

Social media groups are general interest or niche-specific forums within social media platforms. Indie writers, paranormal romance book lovers, and author street teams are all examples of the different types of groups you might find on social media. These groups can be open or closed/secret, based on the owner’s (aka, moderator’s) preferences.

Read the full post on Bad Redhead Media

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: 6 Ways for Indie Authors to Use Goodreads to Network

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This post from on the Self Publishing Advice Center from ALLI has reminded me about how neglected my poor Goodreads page is.   Everyone talks about Facebook as the best for your dollar marketing tool, but Barb suggests you also give Goodreads a try. What do you think? Is Goodreads worth the time and effort or are you like me and neglecting it?

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6 Ways for Indie Authors to Use Goodreads to Network

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Social media expert Barb Drozdowich counts the ways for indie authors to network on Goodreads to help market their self-published books.

 

Goodreads is often the site that is dismissed as difficult to navigate or full of nasty people.  Let’s talk about these elephants shall we?

  • Can Goodreads be difficult to navigate? I think so.  But like learning to write excellent dialogue,  navigating Goodreads can be learned with a little bit of patience.
  • Is Goodreads full of nasty people?  Not really.   There are 50 million account holders on Goodreads.  In a group that large there are bound to be nasty people.  Take your local mall as an example.  Not everybody there is pleasant,  yet you continue to shop there.  You develop a way to cope with the nasty people –  you can do the same on Goodreads.

The Enormous Potential Reach of Goodreads

Goodreads had 50 million readers all in on place. What could be a better place for finding readers, especially for the beginning author – or the author trying to make contacts in new countries, ?

But just like you would never stand in the middle of your local public library holding your book and yelling at everybody to read it,  that behavior is not acceptable on Goodreads either.  So put on your reader’s hat,  grab yourself a cup of coffee and think about six distinct networking possibilities.

Read the full post on Self Publishing Advice Center

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: Busy Authors Should Simplify Social Media Efforts

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Over at Romance University, new blogger Cecelia Mecca shares her tips on how to simply your social media to do list.

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Busy Authors Should Simplify Social Media Efforts by Cecelia Mecca

 Welcome first time poster Cecelia Mecca with her time saving ideas for any of us who might be busy. =) Like all of us!! Read on…

Busy Authors Should Simplify Social Media Efforts by Analyzing What Works and Focusing on the Intersection Between High Reach and Engagement

As marketing efforts for authors and other industry professional begin to look beyond reach to engagement, a shift in thinking about the purpose and management of social support for our content and campaigns is needed. Whether you’re launching a new book or building and sustaining interest in your own platform, engagement is key. It’s not enough any longer to set up a hashtag, analyze reach or impressions and consider a campaign successful. In addition, with content more prolific than ever, finding ways to cut through the noise is essential.

On the other hand, if you are not reaching your target audience, it is impossible to engage with them. Both are necessary metrics to consider. For example, your Facebook insights include both reach and engagement for a reason. Of course, you must regularly consider your insights in order to glean information from them.

If your reach is down on a given week, start by replicating your most popular posts. What trends do you see? What media type is doing well? What do posts which reached the audience have in common? Then shift to look at your engagement on those posts. Which had both high reach and engagement? Which posts did your audience engage with most? By looking at each metric together and individually, you can begin to replicate patterns since there really is only one golden rule when using social media to amplify your content. Find out what works and do more of it.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: Top Time Savers for Social Media and Blogging

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

A really great post from Elizabeth Spann Craig on how she saves time with her social media responsibilities. Worthy of a bookmark!

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Top Time Savers for Social Media and Blogging

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The biggest complaint I hear from writers is that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that we need to do.

Tasks facing writers include reading publishing-related news, doing research, promoting, updating websites and social media…on top of working on our books.

And most everyone is doing the above in addition to a day job, parenting, or caregiving.

It’s a lot, for sure.  The only thing that I can recommend is that we save time where we can.

With that in mind, I’m sharing my own biggest ways of saving time.  With these methods I give myself more time to do…whatever.  It could be more time to write, more time to do housework/cook/run errands, more time to spend with my family.

I started to include all of my tips in one post, but realized it was far too long for a post. I’ve divided them up by category: social media and blogging, writing, book production, and general tips.  I’ll run this series on Fridays for the next month.

Social Media

It’s commonly referred to as a time suck and it certainly can be. For this reason, I keep myself off of social media as much as I can. If I spent as much time on Twitter as I appear to, I’d never get anything done.

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Quick Link: Using Twitter to Make Powerful Connections as a Creative Professional

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Today’s social media post is all about Twitter, a great way to connect to people 150 characters at a time. Posting at Jane Friedman, Daniel Parsons explains the best way for authors to use Twitter.

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Using Twitter to Make Powerful Connections as a Creative Professional

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Today’s post is from Daniel Parsons (@DKParsonsWriter), author of The #ArtOfTwitter.

Finding an audience for your books can seem like an insurmountable task when you enter the publishing space with no prior experience. Thankfully, Twitter can help you become not only an engaged member of the community but—in time—an influencer with a loyal audience.

Four years ago, I joined Twitter because I was writing my first book, and every blog post on the internet seemed to be saying the same thing: authors need a social media presence. Starting out, I had one goal, and that was to get 3,000 engaged Twitter followers. Why 3,000? Well, I had heard that you only start to get interactions on every tweet when you hit that number, and publishers wanted authors with ready-made, interactive audiences.

A lot has changed in the last four years. For a start, I discovered self-publishing and decided that I preferred it to the traditional route. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is my focus on Twitter. I now have 93,000+ followers, reach 500,000 people every month, and get over 200 interactions per day. My followers have helped me grab the attention of powerful influencers, got one of my stories 30,000 reads on the story-sharing site Wattpad, and landed me a job at a publishing house. Along the way, they’ve helped my tweets trend above those of A-list celebrities—beating the likes of Craig David and Ryan Seacrest in various hashtag games.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: How Authors can Utilize Facebook Live

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Want a great tool to boost your social media reach and be able to interact with your fanbase? Alan Parks from Indies’s Unlimited gives a great tutorial on how to use Facebook Live.

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How Authors can Utilise Facebook Live

by Alan Parks

Almost every single Indie author that I know is on Facebook. Most of us spend time trying to sell our books to our friends, and many authors I know still insist on spending time copying and pasting a generic post to 20 or 30 Facebook groups and hoping that it will get them sales. STOP. There is a better way.

Facebook is still the best form of social media to use to sell your books, but you have to be smart. In recent months, Facebook has generously given us the best new tool for reaching and interacting with readers that we have had for years, and I haven’t seen anyone using it. It is called Facebook Live.

As authors, we hear a lot about algorithms. Whether it is Amazon algorithms or Facebook, all we hear is that these algorithms are working to stop people from seeing our posts/books. Facebook Live is different. If you have the Facebook app installed on a smart phone or tablet, you have the ability to use the live video to reach new and, crucially, different readers.

How to ‘Go Live’

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Quick Links – How to use Pinterest for Branding and Marketing

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Do you Pinterest? While not quite as popular as Facebook, Pinterest can be a great platform to add to your social media marketing plan, plus it is great fun! Over at Bad Redhead Media  where Melissa Flickinger has all the info on Pinterest and some great tips on how to really make it work for you. Do you have any great tips for managing social media?

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How to use Pinterest for Branding and Marketing by @melissaflicks

By Melissa Flickinger

Recently on #BookMarketingChat, we had the pleasure of discussing Pinterest with the brilliant Kate Tilton. Pinterest is an easy option for authors looking to extend their platform, build their brand, and connect with readers. Here are a few tips we chatted about to help you get started:

What type of boards and pins should I include? (I hear this question A LOT!)

  • The first thing I suggest is getting your list of keywords that you created for your author brand. Create boards based on those and add relatable pins.
  • Create a board for your blog posts, guest posts, featured articles and add pins that link back to your website.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

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