Rookie Writer Mistakes - We've All Made Them

Someone recently asked me at an event what advice I’d give to a new writer. This is a list of rookie writer mistakes (in no particular order). We’ve all made at least one.

1. When you schedule an event, always confirm ALL of the details (e.g. where will you be seated, who’s handling the book sales, the date/time, location, etc.). I’ve had one outside event in January, and several in the middle of August.

2. Always bring a box of books with you to every event. The bookseller could make a mistake, or you could sell out!

3. Have a bag with your swag, book stands, pens, tape, etc. with you. Mine has bandages, mints, lotion, and scissors in it, too. At my very first book signing, my one and only pen died. Thank goodness, Mom had a supply with her.

4. If you agree to an event, guest blog, or interview, meet your commitments. People are counting on you.

5. Don’t burn bridges. Be professional. You never know who you’ll sit next to on a panel.

6. ALWAYS get reliable references for services for editing, proofreading, book covers, and book promotions. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

7. Read all of your contracts. Consult legal professionals. You and your work are your brand, and you need to protect them.

8. Treat your writing as a profession. Consult your tax advisor for advice about how to record sales, sales tax, etc. This is a business.

9. Keep all of your receipts and track your mileage for your taxes. (See #8. It’s important.)

10. Have a separate bank account for your writing.

11. When you get to the point with your manuscript where you feel the book is done, then it’s time to send it to beta readers, your critique group, or an editor. It’s not ready for agents or publication at this point.

What would you add to the list?

I'm New to Twitter - What Should I Tweet?

Okay, so you created your Twitter account. Now what? Social media is for sharing information and building relationships. But what should I tweet about?

Tweet about the things you’re doing (e.g. things you’ve seen, movies you’ve watched, or books you’ve read). Include pictures to build interest.

Include appropriate hashtags (#) (e.g. #writingtips, #dogs #writingjourney), so others searching for that hashtag can see your post. Search hashtags of things you’re interested in. When you type a hashtag in your tweet, you’ll see a drop-down list of related ones.

Retweet others’ posts to share with your followers. You can just retweet or you can comment on it. (If you’re sharing news or pop culture information, I’d make sure the source is reliable.)

Share others’ celebrations. Retweet about your friends’ good news.

If you attend a book signing, conference, or workshop, take a picture and tweet it. Many events will have their own hashtag and that will promote your tweet to other attendees.

If you attend events with others, add a short video or a picture and tag them. (Type the @ sign and their Twitter handle e.g. @HeatherWeidner1 to tag someone.) People like to be recognized.

Twitter is a great platform for research, connecting with others, and building relationships. The number of followers you have almost never translates into direct book sales. Use the site to promote your books and events, but don’t make that the only thing you tweet about. Remember the 80/20 rule. Only about 20% of your posts should be “buy my book.”

If you blog, tweet a link to your blog post and add the appropriate hashtags. This will drive Twitter traffic to your blog/website.

Twitter has a direct message (DM) feature. This is a conversation between the two parties, and it’s not a tweet that everyone can see. I would use this feature sparingly with people I need to communicate with. Some people set up an automatic direct message to new followers with an ad or promotional information. This is often annoying if it’s unsolicited.

The goal is to get your tweet noticed (liked, retweeted, or commented on). Each interaction spreads your reach on the site. Look at your past tweets. If they’re not getting attention, I’d change my content. Certain tweets will generate more interaction than others.

You can mute or block others if you need to. Sometimes, there are unpleasant folks or bots that troll others. A block keeps them from contacting you or commenting on your posts. Mute removes them from your feed. You can also report accounts to Twitter.

Have fun with the site. I do a lot of research on Twitter. Sometimes, I’ll have a specific question, and there are so many kind people who will share their knowledge and experiences. For example, I ruptured my Achilles a while back, and so many people where helpful with advice about recovery and physical therapy. I also got an InstantPot recently, and Twitter has been great for sharing recipes.

If you want to start a conversation, ask a question and include hashtags. You’ll be surprised at the responses you’ll get.

Remember the social part. You need to reply to others’ conversations promptly. It looks weird if you comment on something months later.

What else would you add to my list? See you on Twitter!

@HeatherWeidner1

Where Do I Start with Social Media Platforms? Tips for Authors

There are so many forms of social media out there. Where and when do I start as an author? It can be overwhelming.

I say start before you launch your first book. Start building your presence. I would pick a few sites and add others later. You can share information, links to blogs, book reviews, and other interesting information before your book is published.

Before you begin, you’ll need a professional photograph and a short biography. Make sure you have the links to your blog. As you set up your new accounts, remember that you can always go back and add or change information later.

I use Canva to create the artwork for headers (page banners) and posts. They have the templates already sized to fit all the major sites. This way you can customize your look and feel and make it match across all your sites.

Some authors struggle with whether to create a separate website/social media sites for each book. My recommendation is to create one for your author brand (either your name or your pen name). You, as author, are the focus, and your site should highlight your books. Now, many authors who write under different pen names often have separate sites for each identity.

Here are some other things you need to think about…

• Make sure you have a website with a blog. Your website’s URL should be your name or your pen name. Make sure that you have a site that you (or someone you pay) can keep updated. Nobody wants to see your information from 2004. (The reason most people have a blog on their website is to have a way to add new content regularly to the site. Readers and followers don’t revisit sites where the content is outdated.)

• Create an author Facebook page. After you gain followers, you’ll have access to analytics/metrics. The analytics show how many people interacted with your posts. On author pages, you can schedule posts. Some people use their personal Facebook page. Personal pages do have a cap on the number of friends you can have, and the algorithms limit the number of people who see certain types of posts.

• Create an Amazon author page and connect all of your books to it. I also connected my blog, so followers can see recent posts.

• Many social media sites can be connected. If you post to your author Facebook page, you can have it automatically tweet on Twitter. Decide if you want the same post on multiple sites. It can be a time-saver. But one draw back is that a post formatted for one social media site, may not fit or appear the same way on another. An example is if you auto-Tweet a Facebook post, it puts a link in the tweet to the Facebook post. Your followers on Twitter have to click the link to see what it is. (There’s often no picture.) Some people avoid these types of post, and you’re not getting action on that post.

• There are other tools (free or for a fee) that will help you monitor and schedule posts on social media sites. As you gain experience, you may want to look at some of these to help you be efficient with your time. (I use a free version of TweetDeck to schedule my Twitter posts. I pay for Tweepi to help me manage followers. I also use a free mobile app called Followers to manage my Instagram account.)

• Find the social media sites that you like and build your following there. You are more apt to visit those sites frequently and stay active on them. My go-to sites are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

• Balance your writing and social media marketing time. It’s all important, but you need to be writing your next book.

Why Authors Should Have a Newsletter/Email List...

As an author, it’s important that you have a mailing list (for emails). Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, where you build your following, own the contact and make/change the rules. If your account is suspended or the site goes down, you no longer have access/contact information for your fans and followers. It’s a good idea to have a sign up sheet where you can collect names and email addresses. This is your list and you maintain it.

I use MailChimp to create my newsletters and maintain my contact list. If folks subscribe or unsubscribe, the application takes care of it. (You are required to unsubscribe those who request it.) The services vary, and you should choose one based on what you need, how often you publish, and how many emails are on your list. With these sites, you can also export your list to keep it as a backup.

Many authors offer something free (a short story or character information that’s not available anywhere else) to new newsletter subscribers. Sometimes, that’s a good hook to get people interested.

I have a page on my website for my newsletter. I also have a sign up form on the main page.

The list of email addresses belongs to you, so you should spend time cultivating it. I keep signup sheets and clipboard in my bag for events. This list is valuable. You know they are readers who are interested in your work.