writer? here’s why you should Get Serious About Social Media
If you’re a writer, social media can help you get published
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash
When I first started my Tumblr blog in 2015, I didn’t expect anyone to read my amateur poetry.
But nearly six years later, with over 350,000 followers on my social media platforms, I’m so thankful I decided to take the leap and share my work.
My audience on social media led me to self-publish two books, become a #1 bestseller on amazon, and eventually get a book deal with a traditional publisher for my third book.
The benefits of being a writer on social media are many, but here are the three most important ones.
Pitching and getting published
Nowadays, a social media platform can help you get your book published. Just like musicians have been discovered on Youtube for sharing their music, writers can be discovered from sharing their writing.
Have you ever heard of #PitMad?
It’s a pitching event on Twitter where writers tweet the synopsis of their book and agents search through the hashtag and ask writers for more information about their book!
This is a great way to land an agent who wants to see your book get published.
Besides that one specific example, there are other ways you can make social media make your publishing dreams come true.
There are writers who have been found through social media because they have a big audience and a traditional publisher knows they can sell a lot of books through them.
Getting discovered probably shouldn’t be your top priority. It can certainly happen, but for the majority of us, we have to put in a lot of work to build our readership and pitch our ideas.
Once you have a solid following, you can leverage that in your book proposals.
Traditional publishers want to see a quality manuscript, of course, but knowing that you have an engaged social media following to sell your book to can definitely tip the scale in your favor.
I used a similar strategy to get my books on the shelves of bookshops because I knew I could send traffic to their stores.
Finding new readers
Of course you want to promote your work, sell your books, and get more website traffic. But social media is about more than that — it’s about being social.
It’s a two-way street for you to not only find readers, but engage them.
Learn about them and tell them more about you, too.
If you would have told me when I published my first poem on my blog back in 2015 that I’d have real-life, dedicated readers asking me to publish a poetry book, I would have told you you’re crazy.
It can be hard work to convert someone from a casual reader to a paying fan. From casually scrolling through your feed to buying your book, or subscribing to your newsletter.
But with consistency and authenticity, you can do it too.
Engaging with the writing community
One of the best things you can do on social media is get to know other writers.
Some of my closest friends are authors I’ve met through Instagram and Twitter. We host giveaways together, exchange advice, and read and review each other’s books.
These things help us achieve mutual goals — growing our audience, learning more about other people’s writing careers, and selling more books.
Don’t be afraid to follow and engage with other writers in your genre. Support them by sharing their work with your followers (always tag the writer and give credit!). A lot of times, writers will return the favor.
Remember, social media is a two-way street. If you’re going to engage with other writers and ask for advice or favors, make sure you’re giving and not just taking.
To summarize, if you’re a writer and you’re not using social media, you should be. It’s an amazing way to network with writers and agents, pitch your manuscript, and engage with loyal readers.
getting started with social media, or need help with your author marketing strategy? i’d love to work with you. learn more here.