Darkwater Syndicate
Join The Syndicate!
  • News
  • Store
    • Free Books
    • New Releases
    • Action & Thrillers
    • Comedy
    • Fantasy
    • Horror
    • Science Fiction
    • Hardcover Special Editions
    • Special Interest
  • Authors
  • Our Staff
  • Awards
  • Publish With Us
  • About Us

Get Noticed! Social Media Advice For Authors

2/21/2014

 
Let's say you've just penned the next worldwide bestseller. Great as it may be, your readers can't want what they don't know exists. Your job as a writer isn't over once your fingers complete the last keystroke. Your audience is out there, eager to read what you've written, but you need to find each other first. And while some of you may cringe at the prospect of posting on Facebook or Twitter, that fact is it's an unwritten rule of the game that you'll have to promote yourself if you are to achieve any success.

This article isn't like others you may have read about author social media and SEO (search engine optimization). Unlike those, we're going to tell you exactly what you need to do to help get your message out.

Brand-Name Authors

Writing is a highly personal activity. Your work speaks for you and reflects on you. Therefore, you are your own brand. Your first task is to identify your brand name. Will it be your name or your pen name? The title of your book or that of the series? Decide on a brand name so your readers -- new and returning -- know what to expect.

Pick a good name -- one that uniquely identifies you and your work, and more importantly, one you can live with. Reputations aren't made overnight, and you'll be working under this name for a long time.

Get Set Up

Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens famously stated that the Internet is "not a big truck. It's a series of tubes." We'd say he's only partly right. Social media itself is like a truck. Your message is its load. You want to get as much of your message across while making the least number of trips. Naturally, the bigger the truck, the more it can carry and the fewer trips it has to make. More efficiency means more time you can devote to writing.

First things first: start a blog. You need one. Not only will it help keep your writing sharp, it is also a tool for getting your message across. We can't stress this enough: your blog is your message. Social media is how you get that message out. Post frequently and regularly. You want to garner a following, but that's not all -- you want interaction too. Be sure to respond to your audience's blog comments promptly and thoughtfully. After all, no one likes to be ignored.

Limiting yourself to one or two social media accounts is like using a wheelbarrow when you've got a big rig truck parked in your front lawn. Do not limit yourself to just a few social media outlets. Open accounts with Twitter, Goodreads, and LinkedIn. Then open Facebook and Google+ accounts, and make pages on both. The aim is to make it easy for your audience to find you. Your readers might have Facebook but not Twitter accounts, or LinkedIn and Goodreads but not Google+, and so on. Don't have them chase you down, because in many cases they won't. You need to go to them.

For each of your social media accounts, assign the same brand-name you devised earlier in this exercise. Your goal here is to have consistency across all accounts so that your readers can find you on several outlets.

Get The Word Out

Now that your truck is loaded up, you need to get that message out. By now you might be thinking: "I just opened five social media accounts; how on earth am I going to make time to post to all is them?" Simple. Integration.

You don't have to post to each account individually, as that would cut into your writing time. Remember, you are an author first, and a social media wizard second. Writing is the end in itself. Social media is a tool for successful writing.

First, sign up for Buffer. It's a free social media integration app that will save you loads of time. Make an account with Buffer and link your social media profiles to it. All social media posts you draft in Buffer will be distributed to all your accounts at once. Alternatively, you can schedule your posts for a future time.

Next step: syndicate your blog. This means setting up your other accounts to update every time you post a new blog entry. Sites like Goodreads and others allow you to syndicate your blog. When you syndicate, each time you post to your blog, the message can reach several outlets in the time it takes you to post to one.

Remember: The Dog Wags The Tail...

...And not the other way around. Social media can be loads of fun, but it's also a tremendous time sink if you're not careful. We reiterate: you are an author first, and a social media wizard second. Don't get your priorities crossed.

Writing is a conversation. Your words speak to your readers, and your readers respond. Don't speak to an empty room. Get out there and be heard.

Best of luck, and happy writing!

Comments are closed.

    Become A Patron!

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Writers
    Annual Recap
    April Fools
    Awards & Reviews
    Behind The Scenes
    Book Trailers
    Cover Reveals
    Events
    Free Books
    Guest Posts
    Interviews
    Just For Fun
    Music & Video
    New Authors
    New Releases
    Perez's Picks
    Special Offers


    Friends Of The Syndicate

    Alvarium Experiment
    Beneath The Undergound
    CoverReveals
    DLS Reviews
    FL Authors & Publishers
    FL Writers Association
    Golden Dusk Photo
    GullwingOdyssey.com
    HistoryMiami
    IBPA
    JF Audio, LLC
    Minimalist Maestra
    Msgr. Pace High School
    Prometheus Saga
    Red Shoe Poet
    Snakebite Horror

    Swiftpassage
    Wyatt Gray Comedy
    Wynwood Radio

    Archives

    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

Copyright © 2017 Darkwater Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.