WRITING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

/ D.L. Finn, Author
Photo courtesy of Canva

Hello SEers! Denise here to talk about social media and book sites.

Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time promoting not only myself but other authors on social media. Here are my top eight suggestions of sites for authors to use.

Photo courtesy of Canva
  1. Twitter: Here’s my go-to social media for promoting books. It is the first share button I push when sharing a blog. Animated pictures are very popular, as are eye-catching banners or photos within tweets, along with a link leading the reader somewhere. You can use one of the many apps to schedule daily posts. I schedule a month at a time. Then each day, I pin a new post to my profile. When I’m looking to retweet an author, that’s the first place I look. It can be time-consuming to search through a profile to find something to promote for another author. I almost always retweet people who have retweeted me.
  2. Amazon Author Central: It’s a good idea to make sure you have an author page for Amazon and connect it to your blog. Once you add your books, you can add the reviews you’ve gotten outside of Amazon and awards your books have received. I often browse other author pages to find a book to read. I follow authors whose books I enjoy getting their updates. You don’t want to lose the opportunity to have people explore your catalog and learn more about you.
  3. Instagram: My feeling about Instagram is it’s a place to get a glimpse into the author’s life. I post pictures of my husband and me, nature, pets, and some books. If I’m on vacation, I will share a couple of pictures. But it’s not just posting photos. You need to interact with others, like their picture, and comment. I’ve joined in some author promotions and found new authors to follow. Please don’t follow to unfollow to boost your numbers. It’s bad manners, and people notice. I can’t get to Instagram as much as I’d like to, but I enjoy seeing all the pictures or quotes.
  4. Goodreads: Here is a place to post your books and reviews. I have taken part in the Reading Challenge and hit 106 books read last year. I love Goodreads keeps track of what I’m reading. You can link your blog to your page and leave reviews. There have been many times my reviews disappeared on Amazon for whatever reason, which is why I post my reviews here and appreciate when others leave their review for me there.
  5. Pinterest: I’m still learning this platform. I’ve created an area for my animal pictures, local nature shots, blogs, book videos, and my books. I admit I’m not good at browsing other’s pages, but I hope to explore this more in the future. All the pictures are my own except for blog challenges.
  6. Linkedin: This is a place to post your skills and education, the same as a resume. I don’t interact here as much anymore except to post a blog or check requests to follow—or not. I will respond to messages that aren’t ads, but not always in a timely manner. This was where I was stalked by a man who claimed to live by me, which made it worse. I’ve blocked this man and his alias. Yes, he’s rewritten me more than once with the same tired, “You look so familiar. Let’s meet for coffee. I’m a widow.” As an author, I’m insulted he wasn’t more creative.
  7. Facebook: I try to check in here daily and have my blog automatically post on my Facebook page. In this space, I post about my newsletter winners, vacation pictures, or pets. Any good news, such as an award, is posted, and I’ll share another author’s post. I belong to a couple of writing groups where I’ve found support and good people.
  8. Bookbub: Here, I not only follow my favorite authors and have my books listed, but I also post reviews. Bookbub will email you when an author has a new book coming out, and you can post your reviews to Twitter or other sites. There are ways to promote yourself, like submitting a book for promotion. I have not tried that yet.
Photo courtesy of Canva

Does social media help you promote your work? What are your favorite sites to visit?

https://dlfinnauthor.com/

90 thoughts on “WRITING AND SOCIAL MEDIA”

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  8. Running late this week, Denise, but I love all of your recommendations, except Facebook. I USED to love being there, too, but alas, I got hacked some time back, and someone was using my name to email my followers, asking for money! I closed my account and haven’t had the nerve to try again. Maybe one day. I do miss keeping up with folks on there, for sure, but I do not miss the embarrassment and anger from what happened.

    Still, I’m reconsidering how I’m using some of the other things you mention above. Great post!! Thanks! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Marcia 🙂 So sorry hear the you got hacked on Facebook! I remember several people I knew that happened to, and they had to change their passwords and resoirted it. We were all on alert for fake accounts asking for us to add them. Can’t believe they also asked for money too. That’s really bold and I wish they would get caught. Sorry you went through that.

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      • The weren’t asking for you to add them as friends. That would have been bad enough. But instead, you would have gotten an email from what LOOKED like me, begging you for help, and asking for money. I was mortified when I found out it was happening. And the only way to keep them from accessing any more of my FB friends was to close the account entirely. I’ve been thinking about reopening it, because it can be helpful, but I haven’t worked up the nerve yet. 🙂

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    • Wow, that’s crazy. I’ve never heard of that one, Marcia. I can see why you left. I hope no one lost any money to that scam. I’ve learned to spot the fake emails now, and they are always coming up with something new.

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  9. Great reminders, Denise. I haven’t been able to write/blog/etc for over a week now, and what an absence that is! I miss touching base with folks. Don’t we all? Thank you!! I can’t wait for my WiFi to be restored. ❤️

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    • They are all very different for what you can use them for, I agree Robbie. Right now linkedin is where I share posts, I don’t do much else there. All helpful in there own way but we have to figure out what helps us most. Thanks, Robbie 🙂

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  13. I know I need to embrace social media as it’s the only way open to me to let people know my books are out there, but I find it bewildering. I do, however, read excellent blogs such as this one and I gain a huge amount in the process in terms of advice, book recommendations and general all-round friendliness. I see that several here mention BookBub and I might pootle along and see what that’s like. Many thanks for this!

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    • Thank you, Alexa It us all a bit bewildering, I agree. There is a lot of helpful information in blogs for authorswhich helps, and so very happy you find useful information here 🙂 I’m glad I found Bookbub, and want to explore it even more, besides leaving reviews and getting notices of new releases. Happy exploring.

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  15. I tend not to use Instagram and Linked in so much, although I keep reading that Instagram is a good one to use.
    I’m not good with Twitter, either. I tend to use Facebook most. I really must get to grips with other social media sites.

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    • I enjoy Instagram because of the nature pictures and quotes, although not all the posts fall into that. I know you can connect Instagram and Facebook so you can post both sites.

      There are many choices for us to use, and I think do whatever works best for you, like Facebook does:)

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  16. Great post, Denise. I started out using Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I never have enough photos or art to make any ripples on Instagram; and I will investigate BookBub. There are many vehicles for marketing and promoting. Thanks for this reminder.

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    • Thanks, Linda 🙂 All great ones to use. Instagram was a good outlet for me because I’m always taking pictures! Bookbub is the newest to me and a great place to leave reviews. So many way to market and promote, so all we have to do is find ways that work for us.

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  17. I need to start posting reviews on Bookbub. That’s a great idea, Denise, and I just need to get into the habit! Thanks for sharing your social media strategy. Now I need you to tell me how to create a couple of extra hours in my day! Lol. I don’t know how you do it. Happy Solstice, my friend.

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  18. My only issue with the social media platforms is that unless you post often, you can get lost in a follower’s feed very quickly. It doesn’t take long before you are way down the list if they are following a lot of people.

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  21. Same as you, Denise, my first one to go is Twitter, then Facebook, and Goodreads, in that order. I received notices regularly from a couple groups from Goodreads but I only interact with them once in a while. I also go to Amazon authors central and BookBub. I tried to go to BookBub as often as I could but time is limited. I have Instagram and Pinterest accounts but don’t have time to use them. Many friends invited me to sign up for LinkedIn, I just don’t want to split too thin.

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    • All good places to go interact, Miriam:) I used to participate in Goodread groups, but I haven’t in a while. Not enough time. We have to pick where it works for us and the time we are allotted. I love Instagram because I take so many pictures, but don’t get there every day either. I stay on some sites just in case I’ll need them later. It’s a delicate balance but worth it to not only promote ourselves, but meet so many great people doing it! Thanks, Miriam! xo

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  23. My go to social media is Twitter. I fought with Amazon over some reviews they didn’t like. I have been successful leaving a review on Goodreads (which is owned by Amazon, so you have to scratch your head on that one). I haven’t heard of BookBub. Thanks for the rundown.

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    • I’ve had that same battle over reviews on Amazon, and had one put back but otherwise not much luck. I know it’s crazy to think they own Goodreads too. At least the same rules don’t apply there. I learned of Bookbub through another author. Its a good place to list your books and post reviews, and offers more. I always put reviews there if I can. Thanks, Dan 🙂

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    • I had a lot of reviews removed on Amazon too. So, I’m glad there are other places to share like Goodreads and Bookbub. Twitter is turning out to be the most popular media here today!

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  25. A wonderful post, Denise! It is the perfect segue into my upcoming series on marketing, where I will take an in-depth look at all of these options. One thing I’ve found is to choose no more than three platforms to really focus on. And it’s great that some of them will automatically cross-post. That’s a timesaver. I’ve recently gotten more active on BookBub and love the platform. Thank you for sharing!

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    • Thanks, Jan 🙂 I look foward to a more in-depth insight into all of these sites. I had to cut out some of the information to fit this into one post…lol. Marketing is such an important part of writing, I’m glad you are going to share more about it soon. Cross-posting really is a great tool. Bookbub offers a lot, and is so easy to use, I agree.

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  26. Really informative list, thanks! Wondering what your thoughts are on whether it is still possible for a writer to do well if they’re reluctant to be active on social media? Is social media one way to get more exposure or is being active there the main way now to get published/sell a lot of books?

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    • Thank you Mubashshira! That’s a great question. If no one knows about you or your book it’s unlikely to sell, unless you advertise it another way. That can be costly to advertise. I enjoy promoting and helping authors I’ve become acquainted with through social media. I like and share for them. I visit their blogs and get to know them. I believe our best first readers, and teachers, are other authors, and I met them all by getting active first on social media. It becomes a delicate balance of giving and receiving, but worth it.

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  27. Good post, Denise. I just basically stick to blogging, and tell myself that it means I have more time to write.:-) (Not that it always turns out that way!) The weird thing about the Amazon author page for me is that when I have a new blog post, the old one goes away on Amazon. Only the lasted blog post shows up. I can’t figure out why, grrrr!

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    • Thank you, Priscilla:) Blogging is a great way to get your name out there too! Yes, always looking to find more time to write. That’s weird your blog posts disappear there on your author page. Although I usually avoid customers service because it takes too much time, maybe they can offer a suggestion? I hope you find a way to resolve your issue!

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    • Thanks, Bette:) I don’t take advantage of all Bookbub had to offer yet, but for now it’s a great place to recommend books and ones to read by those recommendations.

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  30. I used to be on many social media platforms but found that spreading myself thinly didn’t work. So now I concentrate on two (Twitter and Flipboard) and get far more engagement and traffic. You have to put time into them to make them work. Unfortunately, I think many users think they’re going to get followers without putting any work in. That’ll work if you’re famous, but not if you’re an indie author.

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    • Good point, Hugh. You do have to put the work in to get results. You can’t sit back and hope people will find you. Twitter is always my first priority of the medias available and where I devote most of my time. It’s true you need to focus on the ones that fit you. I’m unfamiliar with Flipboard, but have heard of it. Right now I’m okay with being on social media sites until I decide if they are a good fit for me. Thank you for bringing up this point!

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  31. Excellent breakdown, Denise.

    I used to be super active on Facebook, but trolls and haters have ruined it for me. Now, I stick close to my timeline and close friends when I see they’ve posted an update. Otherwise, I never scroll the feed anymore. Twitter has become my new favorite. And Instagram, but that’s a major time-suck. Twitter brings in more opportunities than any other site, IMO. Facebook is for laughs. Instagram is for cuteness. LinkedIn is stuffy but I’m there too (because I have to be). Oh, and Pinterest is great for inspiration. I doubt I’ve sold books there, but I make a board for each book. BookBub is excellent, but I don’t spend time scrolling through the feed, same with Goodreads. Library Thing has far fewer trolls than Goodreads. My 2c.

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    • I agree about Facebook and the trollers and haters. I only interact with those I know and luckily, so far, haven’t ran into anyone negative on my page. I am careful though. Instagram is a lot of fun but I limit my time there and focus on those I know. All sites have good and bad sides that we have to navigate and decide if its a place for us to be. Twitter seems to be most people’s go-to for social media and the easiest to deal with:)
      I forgot about Library Thing, I never got active there but I’m there. I might revisit it in the future. Thanks, Sue!

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  32. Great post, Denise. I use Twitter a lot, and it’s my go-to platform. FB and I fell out years ago, and I don’t miss it at all. I have a Pinterest but have baldly neglected it. I haven’t yet dipped a toe into Instagram. LinkedIn ended up full of spammers and scammers and general junk. Your appalling tale sounds all too familiar. In the end, I deleted my LinkedIn account … enough was enough. I do need to do better, lols. I keep my Amazon author page up to date. It would be nice if it would add our new books automatically, lols.

    Thanks for sharing 🙂

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    • Thanks, Harmony:) Twitter seems to most everyone’s go to especially for sharing. I almost gave up on Facebook until I found a couple of groups that I’m enjoying. Pinterest is one I want to explore more, especially since I like photos so much along with quotes. I’m hanging in there with Linkedin for now to see what opportunities it offers down the road. That’s my optimistic side…lol. I do wish they had a button when you publish on Kindle to add to Author Central. Maybe someday:)

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    • Thank you, Michael:) I agree it can be very time consuming. We have to pick where to spend our time and how it suits us best!

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  35. Nothing quashes my creativity more than trying to be everywhere on social media. My favorites are Twitter, Instagram and Book Bub. My least favorite is Facebook. When I try to interact on Goodreads I become quite confused. I feel the same as Staci. If I didn’t have books to promote, I would pull the plug on social media. I find it exhausting. Great post, Denise!

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    • Thanks, Jill:) I admit I knew nothing about social media before I started publishing. All I did was post pictures for family on Facebook. I didn’t understand why my daughter insisted I needed to be on Twitter. I’d much rather use my phone to take pictures of nature than anything else. But I soon found social media was a part of marketing and forced myself to embrace it. The good thing about it is how it connects all of us in a way that wasn’t possible before. I have my favorite places to visit too, Instagram being one of them:) Its where I can share my love of nature and taking pictures.

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  36. Thank you for the great information. This will be a great help for me as I dive into this new world! As someone who has done research for over 30 years now the biggest mistake people make is that in an effort to promote their site they put every flashing thing ever created on it.

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    • Thank you, I’m glad you found this helpful. I’m positive your 30 years of research will come in very handy and help you dive into a new endeavor.

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  37. I use most of these but not all of them and some I haven’t visited in ages (Instagram and Pinterest). Twitter and BookBub are my favorite platforms. I also use Goodreads to track what I’ve read and to share reviews. I do the reading challenges every year and always enjoy that.

    I really need to make better use of my Amazon author page. I do have my blog linked to it (and GR), but I think I could do far more than I’m doing now. I also think it helps to pick a handful of platforms and really work them, rather than scattering a little here and a little there over multiple platforms. At least for me, I feel I’m more productive that way. Lately, I’ve really been focused on building BookBub. It’s not only helpful to me as an author, but I also really enjoy it.

    Great post, Denise!

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    • It is hard to spread yourself efficiently over many platforms at once. I do tend to focus on building up one at a time. That certainly helps and I’ve done that with Instagram and others. Bookbub is one I want to focus on next. Pinterest will get my attention too soon.

      When I find people I like in certain medias I tend to stick around, even though it might not be daily. Each one has something to offer and we each find our own fit with them. I believe I found Bookbub through you 🙂
      Enjoying it is sure a bonus, Mae, thanks!

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  38. Denise, this was a helpful list, and made me realize how woefully inadequate my social media presence is! I use Twitter, and have a Facebook author page, which seems difficult to promote (to me, at least) maybe because my author name isn’t my real name. I haven’t mastered the art of getting ‘likes’ yet. I am just now starting to explore how to use my Amazon author page. I find social media exhausting! I love the writing but not the promoting. It’s great meeting other authors, though.

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    • Thank you, Maura Beth. Promoting and marketing are a necessary evil that can be very time consuming. I use a pen name too. On Facebook I created a business page off my personal page with my pen name. That way I can interact as D. L. Finn and keep my personsl posts for family:) What I’ve found is the more you visit others most will return the favor. I dream of an assistant doing all of this for me someday…lol.

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    • I’m still learning how to use most of these efficiently, Craig. I love the auto post offered for blogs. That’s a time saver. I don’t pin posts to pinterest other than my own blogs. Great idea to post to Story Empire too, I will do that! Thanks, Craig 🙂

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  40. Of all ones you shared, I think Amazon Author Central is probably the most important, because it directly links a book-buying platform with your content. My next favorites are BookBub and Goodreads. (I’m not a huge fan of GR, but anyplace that has readers and reviews can be helpful to an author.) I do use the other platforms to some degree, some automatically, some manually; none very effectively. But I hate being online and consider it more of a necessary evil than a joy. It used to be more fun than it is now. (Too many haters and trolls and vitriol-spewers these days.) I do need to make time and a plan to get back to using it more. And more effectively.

    Thanks for sharing your process, Denise.

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    • I agree about Amazon Author Central being important. I go there and explore an author’s page and decide what to read–or not. I love the notices of new releases too.

      I put more time than I want into social media. I’ve been thinking about how to trim it down, but have met too many wonderful people and that makes that task almost impossible. I do set my phone down though and take long breaks away from it all:)

      I remove the negative people from my media. I have no time for that. You are so right there are some who thrive on spreading hate and fear.

      It’s a delicate balance to find but worth it to meet the amazing people I have on social media and help them, as much as they help me! Thanks, Staci:)

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  41. I’m like you. Twitter is the first place I share other blog posts, etc. I’m not as good with it as I should be. (Making time, etc.) I need to get back in the habit of compiling Tweets ahead of time.

    I’ve used all the other platforms. Linked in is where I go to the least. They used to annoy me with constant emails even though I set my email preferences. I’ll have to say it’s gotten better of late.

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    • It is a matter of finding time, I agree Joan. I need to sit down and update the tweets I put out 🙂

      A lot of unwanted notices end up in my spam. I have been sharing more posts on Linkedin, though. So hopefully they reach more people.

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