# Tell us about your efforts to market yourself using social media!



## TKent (Sep 18, 2015)

I've always been intrigued with marketing, and as a budding writer, have been trying to learn what works and doesn't work. I've got an active following on Twitter now, but I think it is mainly because I enjoy Twitter. I've not been that active on Facebook, Goodreads, etc. I'd love to hear how some of you use social media (or other channels) to engage your readers, build your 'author' brand, promote your work, etc. Successes? Lessons Learned?


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## Arthur G. Mustard (Sep 18, 2015)

I think this is always a tough one and can often be a case of "What works for you". I am currently using amazon for my ebooks and have an author page there. I also use Facebook to promote, which brings mixed success. Vistaprint has been useful, as I have designed a variety of postcards incorporating my book covers; these have been displayed in libraries, bookshops and other shops.

I am seriously thinking about a website and a blog, but have never bothered with Twitter. And of course I contine to submit to publishers and add to my collection of rejection letters.


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## popsprocket (Sep 19, 2015)

Arthur G. Mustard said:


> I am seriously thinking about a website and a blog, but have never bothered with Twitter. And of course I contine to submit to publishers and add to my collection of rejection letters.



Blogs are huge business these days and can be great if you're able to build a following, but the catch is that you have to take them pretty seriously to get anywhere. Content needs to be high quality and regular, possibly posted to a schedule, and also interesting... and preferably with some SEO going on.


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## Arthur G. Mustard (Sep 19, 2015)

Thanks for the advice Popsprocket, I`ll certainly give it a go.


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## TKent (Sep 20, 2015)

That is a very interesting idea on the postcards! I had not thought of that. Yes, as an author, I am a terrible blogger. Maybe once every 6 months I'll post something. But for others who do this regularly, like InstituteMan, if the content is interesting, engaging, and/or useful, I am pretty sure it can help in a lot of ways.



Arthur G. Mustard said:


> I think this is always a tough one and can often be a case of "What works for you". I am currently using amazon for my ebooks and have an author page there. I also use Facebook to promote, which brings mixed success. Vistaprint has been useful, as I have designed a variety of postcards incorporating my book covers; these have been displayed in libraries, bookshops and other shops.
> 
> I am seriously thinking about a website and a blog, but have never bothered with Twitter. And of course I contine to submit to publishers and add to my collection of rejection letters.


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## Arthur G. Mustard (Sep 20, 2015)

Looks like blogging is the way! The postcard idea is not a bad one and inexpensive; if they fail you can either stick them on your fridge for inspiration or post them to your friends whilst on holiday,  lol.  

Blogging is on the list and I'll be posting a new thread in a couple of weeks to gather people's thoughts and ideas.


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## TKent (Sep 21, 2015)

Great! I look forward to it!


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## LeeC (Sep 21, 2015)

Watching this thread with interest, thanks TK. I've never been much interested in blogging or social media, but I've had a site for about a decade with a natural world theme. I get healthy visitor spikes when I occasionally add a piece (I suppose through interested parties using the RSS feed), but in-between not so much. 

Anyway, if "propositioning" agents and publishers doesn't work out, I've built an ePub version of my book to self publish. Dread the possibility though, as I'm more the observer than the in-your-face type, not shy but reserved ;-)


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## InstituteMan (Sep 21, 2015)

Blogging is what I do best, at least in theory. When life let's me post daily, I actually have readers according to my analytics. The first catch is that you have to post frequently. The second catch is at people reading your blog converts to sales at a low rate. The third catch is that you have to have something to sell to use a blog to drive sales. 

All that said, I enjoy blogging. Now that I have tried it, I think I would blog even if I wasn't trying to be a writer.


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## LeeC (Sep 21, 2015)

Sounds like good advice IM, but not so easy as I struggle to interact more even here. I'd rather be out in my natural garden ;-) 

Thanks

- - - - - - - - - - -

It's that third catch you note that I struggle the most with, as it's all about convincing.


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## TJ1985 (Sep 21, 2015)

I'm a nightmare in marketing. A small group of friends, none of which have disposable income, and I couldn't sell ten cent bottles of beer in the summertime. Plus, I let myself become my worst enemy. I could have a 1971 De Tomaso Pantera, low mileage and garage stored. I'd be so fixated on the little flecks of rust between the brake rotor and hub that I'd ruin my own sale. 

Rss? My blog has it, but I'm a foul ball in high weeds to figure out how to make it get people to... care, lol.


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## LeeC (Sep 22, 2015)

The RSS isn't something to get other people to "care," but rather a way they can get automatic notifications when there's something new on a site. 

And yeah, I'm not great at selling either. Just out of the military in the early '60s, I tried selling overpriced sets of pots and pans door to door. The only set I sold, I tore up the contract because the gullible young couple didn't need to be strapped with something they couldn't afford or need. These were kids just starting their life. 

Anyway, to get back in track, I don't really blog per se, but put up writings related to the natural world. And this social media stuff I've avoided. I don't even have a cell phone, figuring I've gotten by this long without one.


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## Arthur G. Mustard (Sep 28, 2015)

There's some good advice and ideas going on here. Thanks. It sounds to me like blogging, twitter and social media across the board can work for you if, and sometimes that's the issue, you do your research, use it wisely and put the time in effort in. I personally think any promotion, advertising or showcasing of your work is a good thing and you need to get out there and do it yourself if you don't have a publisher or agent.


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## pgbthewriter (Sep 28, 2015)

I use my blog to publish what I write, I have not looked in to using Facebook or twitter at this stage.


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## TKent (Sep 29, 2015)

Great blog!!


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## InnerFlame00 (Sep 29, 2015)

For me it's been an uphill struggle of trying to promote my work with little to no success. I've used twitter, facebook, tumblr, and others. I'm thiiiis close to just giving up on blogging and comics forever. You can create content into a void of apathy for only so long before it starts to feel personal.


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## popsprocket (Sep 29, 2015)

InnerFlame00 said:


> For me it's been an uphill struggle of trying to promote my work with little to no success. I've used twitter, facebook, tumblr, and others. I'm thiiiis close to just giving up on blogging and comics forever. You can create content into a void of apathy for only so long before it starts to feel personal.



And this is another fundamental misunderstanding of B2C social media.

Do not use social media to push your product. End of story. If you've got a new release coming out then share the link, but don't spam it. Do it once and move on.

Social media pages are about entertaining the audience. You make jokes, share interesting links, put the spotlight on people that you think are deserving, you do basically everything but say "GO BUY MY BOOK". If everything you post to Facebook or Twitter is a link to your Amazon author page then no one is going to give a rat's ass. They just roll their eyes and keep on scrolling if you're lucky, or they'll unsubscribe from your feed if they care enough to do so.

What you should be trying to achieve with social media is a connection with the readership - entertain and engage with them so that they feel as though it's a community that you're a part of. Trust that fans of your work will find your page, and trust that if _you_ post interesting/funny enough content, that _they_ will share it so that their friends can see it and thereby assist in growing your audience. Anyone who is interested enough will look up your books, and that's the best you can hope for. 


Social media is not the place to advertise your products, with very, very few exceptions.


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## LeeC (Sep 29, 2015)

Maybe what we're losing sight of here is that this internet age social media business is but an adaptive refinement of social networking. The same basic individual goals and audience impediments are at play as they always have been. If you'll forgive the starkness, what one is trying to achieve is integration and highlighting of their own subjective needs with those of others' subjective needs.

From the nervousness of a timid new acquaintance's greeting to a politician's greasy handshake, it's all about connecting for whatever reason. That is, whether for companionship, quid pro quo, or manipulation, it comes down to finding willing interaction. That willing interaction being a facilitating mix of individual inclinations. 

In any gathering there's an element of advertising, but one should be careful they're not perceived by most as a soapbox buffoon (what pops alludes to). By "by most" I mean in mentioning any accomplishment (e.g. having published a book), to some it's a red flag regardless. While hopefully to the majority, if done subtly enough, it's an interesting aspect others may follow-up on. So in essence, the advertising is selling yourself as an interesting acquaintance. If you look carefully around this site, you'll see good and bad examples you might learn from ;-) 

Now, if I could only practice what I preach. I've spent my life more at home observing in the natural world. Even my early education was in a one-room schoolhouse, not the sardine can world so many are accustomed to today. So far in life I've avoided internet age social media. Even joining this site was a first time experience. 

As far as coming here to improve my writing, the impetus was that I tired of authoring papers that only the choir read. I came to the conclusion that broader understanding might better be achieved piecemeal as an underlying thread in a storyline, so embarked on eco-fiction. 

Of course, we all pursue improving our writing for different reasons, not to mention with different drives. So even here the interaction in helping each other is best served on a somewhat impersonal level. That interests may develop in each others writing is a potential benefit, but is a turnoff if pursued overtly. I would think that in the broader world of internet age social media, one has to be even more subtle, but it's a confusing world to me.


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## InnerFlame00 (Sep 30, 2015)

popsprocket said:


> And this is another fundamental misunderstanding of B2C social media.
> 
> Do not use social media to push your product. End of story. If you've got a new release coming out then share the link, but don't spam it. Do it once and move on...



I don't spam or over-post. For example, on my tumblr account I share a lot of different things from different people, and my fanart is very well liked. I have over 50 followers and we all share similar interests. However when I post original stuff (once in a while) nothing much happens. I reblog a cute puppy? 20 reblogs. I make a funny comment about fanfiction? Over 100 reblogs. I post an original comic? 2 reblogs. I've tried posting at different times, etc and nothing changes that fact. I'm pretty sure my comics just aren't relateable enough, or I simply suck *shrugs*. Or I'm funny, but not funny enough for anyone to take notice. At this point I'm just wasting my time and energy for no payout. I've had about the same experience on all social media platforms. They've been pretty worthless to me.


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## LeeC (Sep 30, 2015)

InnerFlame00 said:


> I don't spam or over-post. For example, on my tumblr account I share a lot of different things from different people, and my fanart is very well liked. I have over 50 followers and we all share similar interests. However when I post original stuff (once in a while) nothing much happens. I reblog a cute puppy? 20 reblogs. I make a funny comment about fanfiction? Over 100 reblogs. I post an original comic? 2 reblogs. I've tried posting at different times, etc and nothing changes that fact. I'm pretty sure my comics just aren't relateable enough, or I simply suck *shrugs*. Or I'm funny, but not funny enough for anyone to take notice. At this point I'm just wasting my time and energy for no payout. I've had about the same experience on all social media platforms. They've been pretty worthless to me.


Audience is an important aspect. I just looked at your blog, saw one strip I could understand and identify with, and entered a comment (I don't understand a lot of fanart these days). Then the site tried to get me to sign up with Google whatever, which annoyed me. I'm a very private person and don't like being taken where I don't want to go. No reflection on you intended, but passing out info, even just an email address, is something I try to avoid.

Even on my Mac I have Lil'Snitch so Apple can't be sending out anything I don't think is necessary. I could give other examples but you get the picture. On my site the only thing required to leave a comment is a handle of sorts.

I could have easily been confused, wouldn't be the first time, but I thought some feedback from an old fart might be of some small use.


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## popsprocket (Sep 30, 2015)

InnerFlame00 said:


> I don't spam or over-post. For example, on my tumblr account I share a lot of different things from different people, and my fanart is very well liked. I have over 50 followers and we all share similar interests. However when I post original stuff (once in a while) nothing much happens. I reblog a cute puppy? 20 reblogs. I make a funny comment about fanfiction? Over 100 reblogs. I post an original comic? 2 reblogs. I've tried posting at different times, etc and nothing changes that fact. I'm pretty sure my comics just aren't relateable enough, or I simply suck *shrugs*. Or I'm funny, but not funny enough for anyone to take notice. At this point I'm just wasting my time and energy for no payout. I've had about the same experience on all social media platforms. They've been pretty worthless to me.



Tumblr is a different game altogether and I'm not overly familiar with how it works or how their posting algorithm alters the chance of your work getting seen. But, it stands to reason that it's fairly similar to other platforms. Therefore: if you have 50+ followers, how many of them will be on at any given time? 5? 10? 15? It's a fraction, however large or small. Of those handful or so of people who will have your comics in a prime position on the feed of people they follow, you can expect again only a fraction of those to reblog your comic. 

And although tumblr has a very specific culture and doesn't follow the exact same logic that the other social sites do, that much still applies: *only a fraction of a fraction of your followers will bother to respond to what you post.
*
It's this prime rule that makes social media a numbers game. 

Take the WF Facebook page for example. It's got ~1000 followers. Of those 1000, only about 50 will see a post that is made within an hour of making it (an average of about 150 people will see it in total over the next ~48 hours, after which it stops showing up in people's newsfeeds altogether and the count of unique viewers will almost entirely stop increasing). Of those 150 average unique views, only about 10 people will engage in any kind of way - a Like, a comment, a share. So, that's 15% of the total page followers who see the post (there's Facebook workings to this, there's a cap on how many people will see something you post if you don't pay to advertise the post [which is another matter again]), and then only about 5-6% of those 15% are moved enough by the content to engage.

If we can apply a similar logic to your tumblr following then you're doing _better_ than the math suggests you should if 2 people are reblogging. Six percent of fifteen percent of fifty followers is 0.45. You're doing 4 times better than one might expect.


Above all else, social media is a waiting game. Every now and then you come across someone whose following explodes overnight because the right person with a large following will share their work. But, by and large, the rest of us simply have to play the long game. You put out high quality posts that are entertaining or otherwise of an above average quantity, and your following will grow over time. At first that growth is minuscule and slow, but it gains momentum, and eventually the followers start to pour in if you continue to put out high quality content.


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## JustRob (Sep 30, 2015)

What's that saying about building a better mousetrap? Leaving my writing aside for the moment, when I embarked on my Honey Pi computer project I posted a thread about it on a vintage computer enthusiasts' website and then created my own small website as a central point for the project information. Apart from that I didn't use social media, but apparently others did as I discovered links to my website appearing on social sites that I didn't frequent. I suspect that the impact of social media may be quite independent of one's own efforts to get the ball rolling and more about its natural tendency to roll. 

Regarding my writing, when I had my embryo novel in reasonable shape I took the precaution of registering a website name relevant to it just in case I wanted to set up a website for it in the future. To date I haven't done that but do use the name as an email address when contacting people on the subject. It is possible that if I did create a website it might get some hits even now, but at present I have nothing to offer on it. Once again I probably wouldn't put the effort into creating a direct presence on social media because, despite my activity on WF, like Lee I am a very private person, reclusive even. It appears to me that what matters in publishing is what others say about one's work, not what one claims oneself.

I find myself in a quandary about my writing. Having other things to do I don't regard it as a priority and only do it occasionally when the mood takes me. I certainly have no intention to suffer for it. In fact, now that I know the story in my planned trilogy so well I have no personal reason to write it, so if anything motivation to do so would have to come from elsewhere. Of course, if I don't promote what I've already written then that won't happen. It matters little to me, but I am curious to know whether there is any interest in it and whether I ought to pass it on to others. Terms like "marketing" and "promotion" are far too fierce to use in connection with my reticent curiosity, so maybe a gentle request for beta readers here is all that I need for now and maybe ever.

To be or not to be ... a writer. It's barely even a question for me.


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## Aquilo (Nov 2, 2015)

I blogged to start of with, but then shifted away from too much promo and just carried on with my personal page on Facebook. I have an author page on thee too, plus a blog via the publishing company, then a website that feeds through to Goodreads, Amazon etc. But mostly I just mess about with talking. 

It's right that different things work for different people. It's finding what you're happy with doing.


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## Donnam (Nov 18, 2016)

The vista print postcard suggestion is great. I'd never thought of that. For anyone wanting to try a free promotion on their book I recommend Books Butterfly. For the minimum package of $50 they guaranteed 500 downloads of the book, and far exceeded that. In contrast, my exhaustive marketing efforts at the time on facebook, twitter, as a guest blogger, amazon author page achieved only a small percentage of that. However, did all that movement convert to sales after the promotion? That's still yet to be seen - three months later. 
Instead of starting a blog I opted for guest posting on already well-established blogs. My thinking was there was more chance they'd be read and there was no pressure on my part to submit regularly. It is working well but of course, I don't catch the readers in a list. It has generated peaks in sales though. Thanks for the tips everyone, onwards and upwards,


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## LeeC (Nov 18, 2016)

Book promotion is, as pops pointed out, a numbers game that takes ongoing extensive effort, and a difficulty therein is finding the right buttons to push in a disparate, potential readership.

I've found benefit in assessing my own thinking, as objectively and honestly as I can. One thing that seems to me to be a hindrance is as stark as the nose on our faces, but very difficult for the individual to acknowledge. That is, we all have "it's all about me" perspectives to varying degrees. Harsh honesty yes, but a hurdle we all have difficulty is getting beyond. I'm not being disparaging here, but rather trying to understand the subjective mind better, so that I might find common ground as it were in making better connections. 

This pertains to all walks of life, as in people are remembered more for the impression their overall actions create, than for their words. 

Getting down to an example, social media facilitates networking, which in end game is getting one's book noticed by enough first readers to potentially give it traction. Take note of the chronology here. The initial and ongoing emphasis is on networking so that per chance interested parties may take notice. Only when possibly interested parties do take notice does the contents of a book play a role.

I reluctantly dipped my toes in social media early in 2016, and for a good while struggled to garner only a few hundred followers. Then it struck me that the old "it's all about me" thinking was holding me back. In the last couple months on Twitter my followers have increased more than ten fold, profile visits have increased a hundred fold, tweet impressions a thousand fold, and I'm beginning to garner followers that have a million plus followers. All this while avoiding the porn, politics, and over the top belief based preaching. 

What did I do differently? Well primarily I noticed that those that took other's interests to heart in their actions garnered the most attention. [There are exceptions of course, like already being "famous."] That is, those that actively and consistently helped get others work noticed more than their own, like reading and posting reviews of others books, highlighting others artwork, etc. Wouldn't you as an author be drawn more to those that posted reviews of your work, than to those that mostly talked about their own work while occasionally retweeting your spiel? You might even notice they also write, paint, etc. ;-)

What it boils down to is honestly recognizing your own goals, and better achieving such by helping others achieve their goals. Oh, it can be frustrating with so many inwardly focused people in the world, the return percentage is in the single digits. The soap box competition approach for the lesser known author has much less return though.

So ends today's reading from the book of Lee


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## Baby Firefly (May 9, 2017)

This only 'halfway' counts as actual promotion but on days/nights that I'm writing, I end the writing session by making a quick post on Facebook (and my own website) telling everyone how far into the story/novel I am and how much I wrote (for example, "43,116 words into ____. 3,874 words tonight!"). Sometimes I'll throw in a sentence that hints at something currently going on in the story ("I just gave all of the remaining characters weapons and I'm having way too much fun writing this" was last night's, for example, but using song lyrics that fit into the current events of a story is also a fun way of doing it if I'm not wanting to mention something that could possibly spoil the story). I avoid sending messages to people about it unless writing just happens to come up in the conversation. Bombarding people with a constant flow of "HEY! BUY MY BOOK!" can probably annoy a lot of people, especially if it's the same exact message over and over again with nothing personal or interesting attached to it. Regardless of how great the book may be, I can see that sort of thing bothering some folks.


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