The social media platforms covered in great detail throughout this course are the most important and impactful, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider these other platforms as well. Keep in mind, the key to making the most of these online social networking communities is the same as with every other social network. The majority of your activities should be about connecting and providing useful information to others through joining the conversation.
LinkedIn is like a virtual resume to connect with other professionals in the industry you write about, other writers, and publishers. Because LinkedIn is a professional social site, it’s a good place for nonfiction and business authors. LinkedIn also includes interest groups in which you can post information about your upcoming events and publications in discussion forums. You’ll find influencers on LinkedIn—people whose words reach hundreds and perhaps thousands of others, so be sure your profile is polished and well-written.
Video, as we’ll discuss in the next chapter, is an increasingly important marketing tool for all industries. Consider creating short, entertaining YouTube videos about your books, your writing process, or other topics that may be interesting to your readers. Visual information is incredibly impactful, so including media like YouTube interviews and sneak peeks is advisable because it has multi-platform accessibility.
Wattpad is a popular social publishing site for young adults that can help you develop your market. Sharing drafts and works in-progress helps create a community that can be a huge source of feedback and support for your work. If you’re writing YA or Romance you’ll do well to participate here, but don’t forget that you’ll need to read and contribute to the development of other writers’ works. It can be a bit tough for a seasoned author to engage since majority of the authors here are new to writing, but if you’re naturally attracted to talking to and writing for young people, you’ll do well here.
Goodreads isn’t the only booklover community on the Internet. There are many others that you can join to harness the power of community to promote your book. While physical book clubs and reading groups still exist, online communities for booklovers make it easy for readers to share the books they are reading and their thoughts about them with a much wider audience. Social networking sites for books allow readers to connect with other readers around books and can keep an online record of the books they’ve read and those they want to read. They can share these lists and their reviews of the books they read with others in the community. Best of all, many readers use these communities to discover new books to read. You can use these online book communities to develop an audience and gain more readers for your books. You can also set up a profile and engage in advertising.
This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:
The Power of Online Book Communities by Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association
Social and Beta Publishing by Carla King, Founder of Author Friendly
Create a Strong Author Platform with Free Content by Carla King
Using Social Media to Drive Book Sales by IngramSpark
