As I noted before, I'm moving onward and upward to bridge that gap between readers and writers because, like those crazy Venn diagrams and logic puzzles from grade school, readers can be writers but not all readers are writers though all writers should be readers.
Phew, that was a mouthful.
To that end, I've comprised my list of must-have tools for writers in 2017. Pop on, use them, connect with readers and show them what you've got! I'll be exploring each one in more detail in the future but until then, sign up for my newsletter to score weekly nuggets of wisdom to help promote your writing across social media!
Please tell me you know what Facebook is. If not, start with Facebook by clicking on the link above. It's pretty easy from there. I would suggest separating out your author profile as a "page" that you operate so you may keep your privacy as intact as possible. Interact through your page, share author and reader friendly posts from similar pages (upworthy, wordporn, earthporn, and the like are all good places to start). Looking to expand your followers? Reach out to me here and join the fun. Add in some posts across other social media (see below) sending people to your Facebook page. I'll address more on Facebook for authors in a future post but if you have a burning question, ask me here or at booksbyviolet@gmail.com.
This is the Facebook "page header" I've been using to promote my Steampunk Trilogy and I made it myself!
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Aye, it is so. Have some fun with color and composition on Instagram. You're a writer, right? You see the world in a unique way, share it with the world, showcase your personality and what makes you tick. What inspires you? Where do you write? What do you use to write? What are you reading? Just make it colorful and inspiring! I've got two accounts - one for my pen name (@booksbyviolet) and the other for my personal, freelancing, and crafting accounts (@tracebroyles). The app comes with a lot of filters and it is a primarily mobile-based app so keep that in mind.
Writing short is the name of the game on Twitter. Engage with others in 140 characters or less. Can you do it? I think you can. Use link shorteners like bitly to add links to your tweets without destroying your character count. Twitter allows you to make lists of people who share your interests and helps streamline campaigns. Again, I use the same "handles" that I use for instagram - @booksbyviolet and @tracebroyles.
Don't waste time, get started now because it takes time to build a following!
Yes, some argue it is a time-sucking vortex but Pinterest can also be an amazing marketing tool. You can pin your blog posts, books you like, inspirations, writing prompts, and more. Make boards and share with others who may offer you inspiration as well!
I'm throwing a lot at you and there is a lot more that I haven't even touched on when it comes to social media, especially ways authors can utilize the various platforms. Let me just say that using a service like Hootsuite allows you to streamline your social media and access all of your feeds in one place. It's user friendly, offers training courses (including social media certification), and offers many free options.
Speaking of throwing a lot at you, if you're looking for more ways to put social media to work for you, why not sign up for my newsletter and get weekly hints and tips along with other valuable information in one, easy email. You can sign up here:
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