Market Yourself: Social Media for Writers

Social Media: Marketing your Writing

Note: This is a talking paper for a lesson I teach to Emerald Coast Writers. Don't expect it to talk by itself. I do that in person. But the links below speak for themselves.

Social Media can help you build your writer's platform.

• What’s a platform? See my post on building your platform for an easy mnemonic.

• The hard road to sales without publisher support: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203554104577002230413747366.html

• Get a GFC, FB or Twitter ID, your passport to Blogger land because nobody pays attention to anonymous: http://www.blogger.com/profile/03067955594103356768

• Important blogs to follow (and comment, because lurking gets you zero supporters):

         Author Nathan Bransford: http://blog.nathanbransford.com
         Platform Building Campaign Author Rachael Harrie: http://rachaelharrie.blogspot.com

         Reader/Reviewer’s blog: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com
         Writer’s Digest Editor blogs: http://www.writersdigest.com
        

   

Should you blog? If so, what about?

• Self-pub or traditional, fiction or non, find answers here  http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/10/dueling-agent-advice-on-blogging-who-do.html http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-gatekeepers-how-to-query-book.htm http://wendylyoung.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/guest-post-how-to-double-your-sales/  http://www.rachellegardner.com/2011/10/novelists-stop-trying-to-brand-yourself/ http://jamee-rae-the-writer.newsvine.com/_news/2011/02/17/6074543-why-start-a-blog

• Other platform venues: FB, Google+, Linkedin, Tumblr, Goodreads, etc.

• Be positive, polite in posting and handling comments.

Is Twitter only for twits and social butterflies?

• Power of organization: Use lists to create groups, #hashtags to search

• Power of cross-promotion in 140 characters (proof is on line below the tweet):

         When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep. 

         #OPENMINDS @susankayequinn #SF #YA avail NOW http://bit.ly/SKQOpenMinds
         http://www.susankayequinn.com/2011/11/in-which-blogosphere-rocks-my-world.html

    
         INDIE CHICKS is out and I'm in it! #IndieChicksAnthology http://amzn.to/uMKVMT

         Proceeds  go to #Charity
         http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/ 

• Power of timely news and warnings (things you wouldn't know to ask):  http://www.epublishabook.com/2011/11/02/the-dangers-of-royalties-on-net/http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/author-loses-royalties-from-5104-books

• Power in @followers? Either go for numbers: http://biozarre.com or try to build a quality following: http://www.derekhaines.ch

• Twitter basics:  Use mention vs. DM to welcome followers, block & report spammers

• Tools: Tweetdeck, Hootesuite, ManageFlitter

Social media lifecycle humor: avoid getting recycled before you turn into gold:

         http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2011/11/life-cycle-of-blogger-ten-stages.html

         http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/208153/20110903/john-locke-author-secrets


Feel free to ask questions and leave comments because I know everything isn't self-explanatory. I learned too many things the hard way and I would rather share my knowledge than let the same things happen to you. Thanks for visiting!