25 Book Bloggers You Should Follow on Twitter

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How to Network When It's Not in Your Nature

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Writers tend to be solitary creatures. My last Myers Briggs personality test results listed me as an ESTJ. My "extrovert" score was just over the axis, so I'm really on the fence between introvert and extrovert. I love being around people, but there are times when I have "peopled" enough, and I just want some solitude. 

But, relationships are key in everyone's personal and professional lives. Even if it's not in your nature to be outgoing, networking is a skill that writers need to hone. Here are eleven tips to help you with your online and in-person networking.

1. Look for opportunities to volunteer. Helping others is an incredible way to give back. And it gives you an opportunity to meet new people.

2. Join a book group to meet other readers. What a great forum to talk about books!

3. Stay involved with your alumni groups and organizations. Many of these have newsletters for member celebrations. These are great places to announce book launches.

4. I use Facebook to keep up with friends from my hometown and college days. Most of my book news goes on my author page, but I do post every once in a while on my page - especially if it's a book event in a town where I know I have friends and family. 

5. I use Twitter to network with readers, book bloggers, writers, and librarians. It's a vast source of information, and if I have a research question, I can always find help.

6. I have joined several blogging network groups on Facebook. These have helped me set goals and promote my blog and social media sites. Search for blog network groups. There are lots out there.

7. Find your writing tribe. I'm a member of Sisters in Crime Central Virginia, Guppies (online), and James River Writers. Members of each are so supportive of writers, and they offer great programs on the craft of writing and book marketing. You're not alone. 

8. If public speaking terrifies you, look for a Toastmasters group in your area. I joined years ago, and it helped me FINALLY get comfortable with talking in front of all kinds of groups. The public speaking experience and feedback were invaluable.

9. Talk with your local librarians about co-hosting a program - a writers' panel, a publication discussion, a book reading, or a workshop. My groups partner regularly with local libraries. They get an education event, and we have an opportunity to talk about our books.

10. If your book's main character has a hobby, talk to folks in your area with related shops (e.g. knitting, craft brewing, sewing, crafting, etc.). There might be an opportunity for you to visit and talk with their customers.

11. Create a signup sheet for your newsletter and collect email addresses at all of your events. make sure that guests can sign up on your website too. It's important to have contacts for people who are interested in you and your books.

It does take a lot to muster the courage to cold call or network in a room of strangers. But it is worth it. I've had some really great opportunities because I made a phone call, sent an email, and offered my services. Let me know what other ideas you have to add to the list. 

Tips for Making Time for Social Media

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I never imagined how much time is involved in book marketing and building (and maintaining) your author platform. I work full-time and write part-time. Life gets in the way sometimes, but I make sure I build in time for the care and feeding of my social media sites. Here are my ideas for writers.

Social is the key word. You need to have a presence, and you need to be active on the sites you choose. But, you can't do everything, and all platforms may not work for you and your books. Decide what sites you and your readers like. And know the demographics of each site. The Pew Research Center has a good overview of each of major players. For my readership, I focus on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads. I occasionally post on LinkedIn, but that's usually about my IT life.

Lists in Facebook (Interests) and Twitter are a big time-saver. This helps me stay organized. The list gives me a newsfeed of just the accounts I select. There are a lot of posts out there. This helps me see just what I'm interested in.

Create a daily schedule for your social media time. I get up at 5:00 AM, so I check my sites during breakfast. I often check on them at lunch. In the evening while watching TV, I spend time catching up on posts. You need to respond to comments and participate in conversations. Social media doesn't work if you don't post or if all your posts are "buy my book."

Schedule Facebook posts (author page) and tweets to happen when you're not usually active (during the work day or in the wee hours of the morning). I've picked up followers from different time zones this way. I'm an early bird, but a lot of readers are night owls.

Look for blog/social media support groups. There are also quite a few hashtags that encourage support for writers and bloggers. I have joined several online groups, and we share each others' content and engage with posts.

For your social media to work for you, you can't just be a poster or a reposter of others' content. That's a good start, but you need to comment, like, and share. The interaction is what increases your reach.

These are the things that work for me. How do you manage your social media?

7 Ways to Help Your Friendly Neighborhood Author

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After my short stories and novel were published, I was a little surprised at how much marketing is involved in the writing journey. If you like a book, here are some quick ways you can help spread the news (and help out your friendly neighborhood writer).

1. Leave a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, or other book sites. It doesn't have to be a long, detailed literary analysis. It can be a couple of sentences. Book retailers use the number of reviews for ad placement, author ranking, and marketing.

2. Tell your friends about the book and the author. Word of mouth is the best endorsement.

3. Share the link to the book or a book review on your social media sites.

4. Request that your local library purchase the book.

5. If you're in a book club, nominate it as a future read. Many authors will visit or Skype with book groups.

6. If you blog, post about your favorite books and authors.

7. Buy the book for yourself or for a friend. Books make great gifts. My author friend supports other authors by buying the book and then doing a give-away on her site. I love this idea.

Authors are small business owners, and they always appreciate recommendations, referrals, and social media shout outs. Happy reading!

Which Author Events Should You Do? How Do You Decide?

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I love meeting readers and writers at book and writing events, and I'm fortunate to have quite a few near me. But as a writer, how do you decide which ones to participate in -- especially when your primary job is to write your next work? Traveling and marketing are an investment of your time and money.

1. ROI (Return on Investment) should be a consideration. Selling books is important. But I've done events at indie book stores where we didn't have a great turnout, but the store ended up selling a case of books during the week when there was more foot traffic. I've also made some invaluable contacts at events. Sometimes, building relationships is worth more than selling tons of books. If there is a cost for a table or an event, you need to consider whether or not it is worth the effort and value. If you've never attended the event, ask around to see what other authors have experienced.

2. I try a lot of events (at least once). We've done several over the years where the readers weren't my target audience (mystery). I attended and had fun, but I probably won't go back.

3. I believe in helping other authors, so I do a lot of writing workshops. Again, you may not sell hundreds of books, but you do make contacts, build email lists, and pick up fans and followers.  

4. I am also fortunate to be a part of several writing groups, and we plan events and signings together. There is nothing worse than sitting alone at an author's table. When we band together, our social media and fan reach grows exponentially. Plus, we often carpool, and that saves some money.

5. We've done some signings at some unconventional places for mystery authors (e.g. a Hallmark/gift store, a gas/restaurant/gift store complex on the way to North Carolina's Outer Banks, a winery, several museums, and several farmers markets). You would be surprised. We've sold more books at places like this than traditional book stores. Be creative when you book signings.

6. Be prepared -- no matter what the event. Make sure you have business cards, bookmarks, or postcards. Sometimes, folks don't buy a book at the event, but if you have something to give them, you may make a sale or referral later. I even take bookmarks on vacation. We stop at a lot of little gift shops that sell books.

7. I appreciate the events that do a lot of publicity, and I always make sure to share, tweet, and post. I want to be a part of groups that are organized and interested in building their audience. (I've attended several events, where there was little to no publicity. Surprise, surprise, the attendance wasn't that great either.) 

Best wishes for the marketing of your book. It's a lot of work. I logged over 2,000 miles this year for book events.

Whew! I Didn't Realize How Much Marketing Authors Do

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My debut novel launched this month. Whoo hooo! I planned a launch celebration and did interviews, author spotlights, and guest blog posts for 27 sites. I did a Facebook hop, a Goodreads give-away, a radio interview, and a podcast interview. And I'm just getting started. I have book signings and presentations scheduled through October. Whew! I also work a full-time job, so I've learned to balance it all.

When I started writing, I didn't realize how much marketing was required of authors. It has been a rush of activity (especially with all the other things going on at the same time), but it has been fun.

Here's what I did and how I attempted to stay organized...

1. I have a calendar for book events and marketing deadlines. I carry it with me and update it faithfully.

2. I track my marketing efforts to give me data to see what types of activities increased social media followers, blog/website traffic, and book sales. It will help me when I plan other marketing campaigns.

3. I also make a conscious effort not to devote all of my time to marketing. I have to make sure that I carve out writing time because ultimately, my job is to write the next book.

4. Since I work during the week, I block social media time to keep up with the comments, tweets, and other interactions. I do about thirty minutes in the mornings and about ninety minutes in the evenings. I make lists in Facebook and Twitter, so it helps me keep up customized newsfeeds.

5. I did a lot of guest blog posts for this launch, and I wanted each one to be different. Before I started, I made a list of themes and unique items in my book. That gave me a good list of blog topics. I did one on the Sears and Roebuck catalog house that my sleuth lives in, a day in the life of my character, a tribute to the 80s, a list of every-day spy gadgets, and an homage to Nancy Drew.

While it has been a whirlwind of activity over the last few months, it has been tremendous fun. And I look forward to this summer and fall's events!

My Six Favorite Tools for Book Marketing

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I've found some interesting tools and websites to help authors with their social media and book marketing. Here are six of my favorites...

Social Media

Sometimes, my Twitter follows/unfollows gets out of hand. I have a paid subscription to Tweepi to help me clean up. I used to use the free version, but they altered their "unfollow" feature. I upgraded to the paid version, and it helps me keep all of my accounts in order.

I use the free version of Crowdfire to manage my Instagram follows/unfollows. It also manages Twitter. I may try that and consolidate my tools to one.

I use Rank Forest to see my daily Amazon ranking. The free version allows me to track one book. It's good to see where you are over time, but I try not to obsess over numbers. Don't make yourself crazy.

Website/Blog

I use Squarespace for my website and for another that I created for a group of authors. It is easy to use, and it provides detailed analytics. Previously, I used GoDaddy, but they dropped their blog option.

Marketing

I use VistaPrint for my business cards. They offer frequent discounts, and the quality is good.

I've had a lot of success from Next Day Flyers for my bookmarks. I've also used them for invitations for book launches.

Social Media Analytics And Why Numbers are Important to Writers

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When you reach certain milestones on Facebook fan pages and other sites, you gain access to analytics, insights, and other metrics. Your website should also have this information. Even if you are not a numbers geek, this data is valuable to you. It shows progress and gaps in your marketing efforts.

While you shouldn't fixate on numbers, followers, retweets, and likes, you should use them as a measure of the post you're creating. Writers also need to remember the social part of social media. You need to build relationships and followers by interacting with each other. If you only use these sites to dump announcements about your reviews and sale items, you're not going to be that successful.

Facebook and Twitter offer a lot of good information. You can see things like which day you get the most traffic. Target those days for posting new material. You can also see which posts get shared or commented on the most. This can help you figure out what type of content works for you. Facebook gives you a lot of information, including the age group/ demographics of your audience. Twitter tells you your reach for the week. You can see which tweets get the most action, and how many lead to link clicks. You should use Twitter and other sites to drive traffic to your blog or website.

If you boosted a post or ran an ad campaign, you can see the results. This can help you decide which types of posts to pay for next time.

Your website should also have metrics you can use to track visitor patterns and what types of content are most popular. I use Bitly to shorten my blog URLs for posting on social media. It has an analytics page that lets me know how many people have clicked on that link and on what days. My website visits were up and down until I committed to post a weekly blog and post links to it on Google+ and Twitter. My Google+ numbers aren't as high as my Twitter ones, but they do help me with my placement in Google searches (SEO).

The charts, graphs, and information can be overwhelming. Start with one item like your reach or the key days of the week. If you need help, Facebook and Google have good help files that explain what the numbers and different charts mean.

All of this information should help you decide what's working for you. If you're scheduling tweets, and you're not getting a lot of retweets, replies, or favorites, then you probably need to look at the content, frequency, and timing of what you do. You're doing a lot of work for not much reward. Also know that if others looks at your recent tweets, they can see the action or inaction too. Mix it up and see if your numbers improve. Make sure to add a couple of relevant hashtags to get the attention of interested readers.

Also note that Facebook changes its algorithms frequently, and this affects what your friends and fans see. I wouldn't depend on it as my only marketing method. To date, I haven't paid to boost any posts, but I'm working on a marketing campaign for my first solo mystery for next spring. I'll let you know how that goes.

Finally, there are way too many social media sites to have an active presence on each. Pick what your readers like and focus your time there. Don't let it overwhelm you. Make small changes and see if your numbers improve.

Happy marketing! And let's connect so we can build our reaches and resources. 

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