 Social Media... I swear, someday, it will be used as a cuss word. Facebook especially. Instead of the "F" word, we will have the "FB" word. That aside, Social Media and Public Profiles have become very important for authors and readers alike. It is one of the main ways for authors to sell their books, and it is one of the best ways for readers to keep up with their favorite authors, interact with them, and watch for the author's latest books. Now, if you have 15 different public profiles on the internet, you have to keep this in mind: most people are not Social Media gurus, so it is important to go easy on them. You can't just jump out in front of them, grab them by the shoulders, shake them like a madman and scream: "I have a profile on 30 different places on the internet! FOLLOW ME ON ALL OF THEM!!!!" Nope. That will kill your readers. Not to mention, if you are like me, it will probably kill you to keep up with all those different places on the internet. So, let me simplify this for you and tell you the most important places to be at on the internet... PERSONAL WEBSITE GOODREADS Personal Website This is so important. A personal website is where people can go to learn more about your book and you. It is the best way for those people who don't do Facebook or Twitter to follow you (yes, not everyone in the world has a Facebook account). Adding a blog to that is also a great idea. Posting something on your blog once a month, twice a month, or even once a week, is an incredible idea. Your blog posts do not need to be long, drawn out, and filled with inspirational thoughts that make people cry. Short, sweet, and friendly is best!:
There are dozens of ways to keep your readers interested. You might not have a best selling blog, but you'll at least have a blog that keeps your readers and fans engaged. If you are ever at a loss as to what to post about, look at Pinterest! Pinterest is full of Writing Prompts and Blog Post Ideas. Need a website and/or a blog? I think Weebly is the best! Twitter scares people, but it is my favorite bit of Social Media. It is easy, it is fast, and is has MUCH less drama than Facebook. Plus, it is becoming the best and easiest way to attract readers to your blog, website, and books. The hashtag #amwriting get's TONS of attention. So does the hashtag #freebooks and #startrek... If you need to know how to use Twitter, read my old post How To Use Twitter. Believe me, using Twitter is a breeze compared to everything else on the internet. Facebook (boo, hiss!) As an author, I cannot stress how important it is to have a Author Page for your fans to "like" and "follow" on Facebook. It is NOT another profile page. It is a fan page, like the one for Starbucks. All a person needs to do on a Fan Page is click the "Like This Page" button. Then, that automatically signs them up to your fan page and they are able to follow your posts. It is very simple. However, it is important to keep up with your FB fan page so that you keep your fans interested. Post random pictures and quotes that they might like to share. Link your blog posts there. Post updates about your latest book and your writing adventures. The goal is to catch your fan's interest and hopefully (hopefully) they will hit the "share" button on one of your pictures, or you post, or something, and all of their friends will see and come check out your page. The more people you get to "like" your page, the greater your chances of selling your book or getting more attention drawn to your blog. Here is mine, for example. Please visit it and take ideas from it, if you wish: Facebook Group Another thing to keep in mind with Facebook is GROUPS. Facebook Groups are a great place to share blog posts and promote your book. Just keep in mind that all Facebook Groups have rules. Read the rules when you join a group and FOLLOW them. DO NOT be a shameless plug and start screaming at the world "Buy my book! Buy my book! Buy my book!" because, honestly, if people wanted to hear that all the time, they'd get a parrot and teach it to talk like that. Goodreads If you are an author or a reader, especially a book reviewer, Goodreads is one of the most important places to be at. Authors promote their books on Goodreads. Readers find books on Goodreads. Reviewers post book reviews on Goodreads. Goodreads is the place to be for anything that has to do with books. Now, I have to say, I am NO expert on Goodreads. I only get on there when I have to. I have my books listed there so that they can get reviews, and I have my blog hooked up to it so that people who are on Goodreads all the time will see my blog posts. Besides that, I have no idea how to really use it. SO.... if you are a Goodreads Guru, I beg of you: make a blog post explaining in as simple a way as possible how to effectively use Goodreads for promoting our books and our book reviews. And then put the link in a comment below, or tag my page on Facebook, so that I can read it! Well now. I have listed what I think is the most important things in social media for a writer/reader to hook up with. My job is done for the day. If you have a different opinion, please make your own blog post about it and share the link in a comment.
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Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. 
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