If you’re an author these days, it’s generally expected that you have a Facebook and Twitter account, among numerous other social media accounts. People rarely ask anymore, “Do you have a Facebook page?” instead asking, “What’s your Facebook page?” or “What’s your Twitter handle?”
As fabulous as authors are at writing stories, both true and make-believe, they often struggle with what to put on their Facebook page and Twitter feed. In fact, that’s one of the most common questions we get from our authors.
Here’s a post with some specific ideas to help move you along:
- Use Facebook and Twitter as a platform to dialogue with readers
- List book tour stops
- Share positive reviews from both readers and professional reviewers
- Post a link to where readers can buy your book (Do this sparingly, as you don’t want to look like an infomercial.)
- Share new projects
- Post passing (interesting) thoughts
- Ask questions
- Talk about what you’re currently reading – tell people what you think about it and even how it affects what you’re writing
- Share trivia about themes, settings, and people related to your work
- Share photos of your work’s setting, your characters, themes related to your work, your writing environment, your hobbies, your neighbor’s cat… essentially just about anything that you feel comfortable sharing as a way for people to get to know you and your work (People really love photos.)
- Post character interviews, both fictional and real. (Author Brad A. LaMar has some excellent examples of this on his new Facebook page.
- Post excerpts from your writing projects
- Share your favorite quotes – literary or otherwise (Quotes are increasingly popular online.)
- Link to news stories that tie in to your subject matter, story settings, or characters
- Share and retweet content from other authors you enjoy. They’ll likely return the favor at some point, and it helps build community.
One important note: Not everything you do for Twitter and Facebook has to tie in directly to your work as an author. In fact, a lot of your content should be about you as a person and about the people in your life. Your readers will get to know you, and as a result, they’ll be more interested in what you have to say. Social media is first and foremost about relationship-building. You can do that.
