It's Time To Face Up

Facebook For Authors

Kymberlie Ingalls, Rainfall Press - kymberlie@rainfallpress.com

                                   

Of all the social media giants that pass over the internet – AOL, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, SnapChat – one thing is common; information overload.  Advice was once given to anyone looking to sell and connect to buyers or a fan base to be on all platforms all the time.  This is no longer the case.  It is best to choose one or two mediums and focus.  It is simply unrealistic to think we have that kind of energy to invest, and people have grown fatigued with social media in recent years.  Find the two that you feel most comfortable with and that you enjoy, and don’t worry about the rest.  Insincerity is easily detected, and people respond more when they feel ‘you’ come alive.

Statistics to know:

·       There are currently more than 2 billion active Facebook users

o   85% of those users come from outside the US/Canada

·       Age Demographics are important to know:

o   88% of those 18-29

o   84% of those 30-49

o   72% for those 50-64

o   62% for those 65+

·       Gender demographics are just about equal

·       Highest traffic times:  mid-week between 1-3pm, or evenings around 7pm.  What this means: You have the potential to reach more consumers and drive higher traffic to your site during peak usage times but people may be more likely to be more engaged in the evenings, especially on Thur/Fri when engagement is 18% higher on average.

·       Photo uploads total 300 million per day

·       People aren’t spending as much time as they used to on Facebook (average 35 minutes per day) but they are checking it more frequently (average 8x per day)

·       More than 60 million businesses have a page

o   40% of Facebook users have never liked a page

·       The sharing of original, user-generated content such as status updates and images declined 21% between mid-2015 and mid-2016.  At the same time, sharing of news articles and other outside links increased. 

Auto or cross posts –  

·       another thing we’ve been instructed to do is sit down and schedule out multiple posts in one session so that they roll out over time.  Here’s why that doesn’t work as well as it might seem: spontaneity is more appealing.  It’s pretty obvious when someone has scheduled a post as it usually reads as a rather dry, canned announcement or proclamation of some sort.  Cross-posting is also obvious because it is labeled as such and is generally more suited to the original platform, thereby falling flat on other sites.  Plus you can’t tag properly and tagging can be an important part of audience targeting.  The bottom line is that if you’re not willing to put the time in, it’s probably not the platform for you.

Groups –

·       Facebook groups can be a fantastic way for writers to connect, trade advice, swap war stories and find new opportunities. Knowing there are other people out there who “get” what it’s like to be a writer can be a huge comfort, and the chance to share experience and tips with people on all stages of the writing journey is invaluable.

o   The Write Life Community

o   Calls For Submissions

o   Indie Author Group

o   Write On! Online

o   Writers Helping Writers

Stories –

·       Camera-First Communications – this means that video and visuals are king.  The camera is beginning to replace the keyboard.  Don’t be discouraged, however.  Nothing should stop you from talking about your writing! 

·       Stories has been a hit on Instagram (also owned by Facebook), but has yet to take off on Facebook.  Not recommended at this time.  It is something they are trying out, so unless you have a radical idea that will shake up the concept, don’t put too much energy into it yet.  It may come and go as quickly as book trailers. 

Facebook Live –

·       Use it, but don’t abuse it!  Studies have shown that people will engage with a live feed but will be turned off if done too often. 

·       Use Facebook Live to talk about an event, let readers see you performing a reading, or perhaps give lessons or talk about your writing processes.  They can comment in real time, so the idea is to interact with them also in real time.  Let them ask questions and answer them as you go – Q&As are always popular.

·       Practice makes perfect.  Become comfortable with the camera before putting it into use.  Learn the ins and outs, use a tripod for your phone or device, invest in a decent and clear-picture webcam

Personal page vs Professional –

·       Know your etiquette – don’t over-saturate your friends by only promoting your work or selling them things.  This isn’t your audience, because it’s a limited market with little room to grow. 

·       Don’t be afraid to be personal on your professional page, but have boundaries

·       Facebook has set up ‘shop’ with the Pages – you can design your own store with photos, buttons for shopping, following, etc 

Branding –

·       Not every post needs to be the same, but have some kind of consistency because familiarity draws people in.  Toss in the occasional surprise to keep people on their toes.

In summary, use social media for what it was intended – to be SOCIAL! 

Using Social Media Effectively

Do you know the term hashtag?  Further, are you aware of its purpose and how to effectively use them?  How about retweeting?  Or tagging someone on Facebook and Instagram?  These are just little but important tools to enhance your social media marketing strategies.  Whether you are selling a book, offering a service or want to become a prominent influencer, you’ll want to pay attention, and begin to practice using these techniques. 

Hashtags:

·    The metadata tags have been actually been around for quite some time, first being used in 1988 on a platform known as Internet Relay Chat or IRC. They were used much then as they are today, for grouping messages, images, content, and video into categories. The purpose of course, is so users can simply search hashtags and get all the relevant content associated with them.

o   Metadata is defined as the data providing information about one or more aspects of the data; it is used to summarize basic information about data which can make tracking and working with specific data easier.^[

·    By July of 2009, hashtags were formally adopted by Twitter and anything with a # in front of it became hyperlinked.  Facebook and Instagram more recently adapted with the usage. 

·    For most people, the hashtag is used for fun. Others help organize news stories around major events. Sometimes they're just made up on the fly to make a Tweet sound funnier. The most basic function of a hashtag is to create a single, organized feed of Tweets or updates around each topic.  Popular hashtags are related to sports, names, charities and politics .  They should be words or terms that are familiar, already trending and not outlandish that nobody will ever search for them.  Examples: #POTUS  #nfl  #BreastCancer  #GeorgeClooney.

·    Popular hashtags related to writing:  #AmWriting  #AmEditing  #WordCount  #WritersLife  #LitChat  #WritingParty  #IndieAuthors  #NaNoWriMo  #SelfPub  #WritingPrompt  #BookGiveaway  #MustRead  #FlashFiction (do not use punctuation, and they must read as one word)

·    You may also use genres, and you should always create your own with the title of your book, or your name, or brand with the hope of going viral.  For instance, mine are #Bridges, #KymberlieIngalls, #WriterOfTheStorm, #RainfallPress, and #neuroticy.  Some of these are generic terms or easy to misspell, but over time when people search for me or any aspect of my work or social media posts, these tags become familiar to them. 

·    Tweets or posts that include a link and a hashtag show the highest engagement of any others. 

Hashtags have become more than just a way to categorize posts or add a narrative to your updates. Marketers have found new, innovative ways to use hashtags as a means to drive conversation, harness the public support, and garner attention to their brands.

Retweeting:

·    A Retweet is a re-posting of a Tweet. Twitter's Retweet feature helps you and others quickly share that Tweet with all of your followers. You can Retweet your own Tweets or Tweets from someone else.

·    Retweets look like normal Tweets with the author's name and username next to it, but are distinguished by the Retweet icon and the name of the user who Retweeted the Tweet.

·    To see Retweets of your own posts, go to your notifications tab. There you will see all activity concerning your Tweets—including which have recently been Retweeted and by whom.

·    If you're familiar with Facebook, then you may have already seen a friend reshare a post that was originally posted by one of their own friends or one of the public pages they've liked. Facebook sharing is basically the same as Twitter retweeting. You'll have the option to add a message of your own with the retweet before it's reposted to your profile, or simply leave it blank and retweet it just as it is. That user's tweet will then be automatically embedded in your profile and they will receive a notification.

·    When you retweet, you're essentially interacting with them. Unless they get a ton of interaction from thousands of followers and have a hard time keeping up with notifications, they'll notice your retweet and they may decide to connect with you or possibly even return the favor. You're also introducing valuable information and suggesting new voices to follow, to your own followers. Retweeting is what spreads good information fast and makes things go viral.

·    If you tweet something really great and a big influencer decides to retweet you, their followers will see and they may end up retweeting you as well or even following you. It's really the best way to get the word out about anything worth sharing and the build your own engagement.

Tagging:

·    Instagram has revolutionized how we experience visual content. It allows people and businesses from around the world to connect through pictures, graphics, and video.

·    Tags are a convenient way for individuals and businesses to expand the reach of a message or photo on Instagram. They allow users to find content like pictures and videos that they would otherwise not seen, helping to increase the reach of visual marketing materials..

·    Adding tags on Facebook allows you to create a link to their profile in your status update. People you tag will receive a notification so they can see your post. The post may also go on the person's profile and appear in their friends' newsfeeds.  Because of this, be aware of what you are including them in.  Don’t post offensive material or any kind of hard sell without their permission at the risk of losing that connection. 

·    Tagging a page is a different than with a person.  To tag a friend, you simply type in their name and Facebook presents you with an option to tap or click that person and automatically links their profile.  Pages have a different formula, more like Twitter.  Type "@" followed immediately by the name of a Facebook Page. Do not include the quotes or a space between "@" and the name of the Page – just the same as a hashtag.  Click the name of the Facebook Page when it appears below your cursor. This automatically inserts the name of the Page and turns it into a link.  You must know the exact title of the page.  For instance, to tag me on Facebook, typing in Kymberlie will bring up my personal profile if we are connected, or anyone can type @writerofthestorm and tag my professional page. 

Once you’ve become familiar with these techniques, you should find you’ll have more activity, engagement and traffic to each of your social media sites.  Most sites employ similar tactics, a simple search will turn up specific applications.  They’re essential tools to have in your utility box for effective marketing and branding, so get started now because it will take practice and time to develop.  Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get immediate results.  Patience and continued effort will get you far. 

Sources: Twitter, hashtag.org, lifewire.com, Facebook, digitalli

Guest: Alon Shalev - Authors Are Funny People

Authors are funny people. Really. Some are socially awkward. We take that for granted given that they sit alone behind a keyboard for long hours and live in alternative realities. Still…

I recently participated in an authors’ fair and, to be clear, most presenters were lovely, social people. I think I just happened to be sandwiched between the um…more interesting ones. I could just see the sympathetic looks I received from other authors around the room safely ensconced behind their tables.

Here is a list: What Not To Do at an Authors’ Fair.

• Don’t hog the microphone. Seven minutes of Open Mic might be 10, but they sure ain’t 20.
• Don’t walk up to someone’s table and lecture them how they really must read your book, especially if it is not connected to their genre. Actually, just don’t do it.
• Either compliment their book covers or don’t say anything. This is a book fair, not an art show.
• If you say you accept credit cards, make sure you can. Have the app open and ready (and don’t ask the author at the next table to swipe on their phone for you).
• Do not ask an author to put your promotional material on their table even if you write in the same genre.
• If you get a phone call when another author is presenting, take it outside. Better yet, if you need someone to tell you that, don’t come back!
• We understand why you need to eat during a long event, but go wash your sticky fingers before you fondle our book covers.
• “I’ll swap with you.” Don’t offer to swap books with an author who is making a living from this, especially when there is no genre connection. Go to a Swapmeet.
• Don’t spend your time telling us how really successful authors in your genre don’t know what they are doing. Sell a few million books first. Then we’ll listen … maybe.

I remember reading a collected work of the musings of Sir Terry Pratchett, who passed away last year. I have to admit never experiencing what he did. During a Book Show, he went to the bathroom and someone passed a copy of his book under the cubical door and asked him to sign!

Guess I have nothing to complain about, eh Terry?
____________________________________________________

Alon Shalev is the author of magical realism, fantasy and social issue themed fiction.  Click here to explore his work and here for Shalev's popular blog.  He can be found on Twitter at @elfwriter 

Chances Are...

An amazing thing happened last night on my way to another ho-hum day.  

I attended another lecture in another city, and truthfully I didn't even know what the lecture was going to be about or who the speaker was, only that I'd committed to being there.  It has been a blistering long week of meetings and administrative work and other boring things that writers never really talk about in the light of day.  On my drive over, I realized I hadn't stocked up on business cards nor had I brought along my bag of books.  Upon arrival, I frantically searched my car for any back ups, and found one copy of each book buried in my back seat under a pile of half-drunk Diet Dr Peppers, emergency snacks and a box of Kleenex. 

I was tired and overworked and the glow of compliments from my own presentation last month was beginning to fade.  As I settled in to my seat and listened to the introduction of Mr. Sterling Anderson, an Emmy and NAACP award recipient among his awards for screenwriting and other works, I thought crap, I should have been better prepared!  Because I always work better on my spurs, I immediately went to work using my favorite tool (my always-in-hand-phone) to research Mr. Anderson as he told his glory stories, explained what makes a standout scene and echoed my own instructional philosophies on various other elements such as the purpose of dialogue (a way for a character to be seen/heard and expressing what they want which propels the story forward).  In just a few minutes, I knew that his work was being featured in an upcoming new television series, his nickname was Yoda, that his novel was one I wanted to read, his social media presence could use a little work, and that his Hollywood stories had merit.  When the time came for Q&A, I pointed my questions in that direction and therefore put myself in direct line with the speaker before me.  I was able to connect on a more personal level.  The expression on Sterling's face was its own reward when I read aloud a passage from his novel and asked what had inspired it. 

Sometimes we need to take chances.

One of my best pitches ever to a potential client was at another lecture and announced his project in progress to the audience and said he'd be looking for help, namely an editor.  I promptly got on my tablet, looked up his website and jotted down a page of notes on what worked and what needed improvement.  When I approached him later that evening, I lobbed a soft pitch for my services, asked how open was he to constructive criticism and at his invitation I handed over my notes.  It's now a pending contract.

As I stood in line last night to have Sterling sign the books I'd purchased (yes, including his novel), I kept cursing myself for not having business cards on hand.  Before I could say anything to the man, he looked me in the eye and said "Thank you for those great questions!"  I again said how much I appreciate the theme to his book of using our time wisely and curving with life's road, that it's something I write about a lot.  "That's great, are your books available somewhere?" 

Um, what?

In my best think-fast voice, I said "Yes, they are.  I also happen to have copies with me.  Because, you know, every self-respecting author keeps their books in the trunk of their car." 

And that's how I put my books in the hands of an Emmy award winning professional screenwriter.  Now, nothing more may ever come of it, but after having a lively conversation with him and his family as he asked me to sign both books, I felt an enormous sense of pride in myself.  I'd taken a chance, struck up a conversation, found inspiration, made a connection, and now had something to show for it. 

If anything, this amazing story.

Paying the bridge toll for the stranger behind me on my way to the lecture sure did pay me back in fortune.  I am rich in the opportunities that have come my way through this writer's life.  They might not be on a grand scale of things, but that's okay.  It is a legacy that I'm proud to own.

Quote from Five Seconds To Go by Sterling Anderson

Beyond the Sale

So, you're selling books.  Great!  But if any of your buyers are anything like me, selling the book isn't always enough. 

I love being able to support my fellow authors, if not for my own reading, I at least love to have a copy of their book in hand so that when I talk about the writers themselves, I can show the books as a visual. People like tangible things. Simply saying "I heard this author talk about blah blah" and it's just another name to remember, another story we've all heard. Seeing the book gets the feel of the author into their heads. 

For me, the hard part is a) finding time to read the ever growing stack of books, and b) not inner-editing them as I go. Occupational hazard. 

I used to love to read. I don't know that it's why I became a writer. I've always felt the need to express myself and this just seemed the logical way to do it. Over the years, too many critique groups and classes and manuscripts have taken some of that magic away. I find myself wanting to find that spark again, but like a midlife hormone change, the feeling just isn't there. 

I think we all have more readers like that than we want to realize. We practice smart marketing methods, contractually bind ourselves to agents and publishers and sell our souls to sell a book, but then what?  I wonder how often our books end up sitting on a dusty nightstand or crammed into a forgotten bag.  

Today I met author Kevin Smokler (Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School) and he asked me what was my favorite book to read in high school.  It was Black Boy, by Richard Wright. It was the only book I was required to read that I actually did. All of the others I'd skimmed just enough to get by. 

Kevin and I talked about why it's important to read other writers, and how he managed to find the time. Then he challenged me to go home tonight and while my husband watched his beloved football to read just ten pages. "It's only ten pages!"  

I'm not sure if he's devious enough to know that if go home and read the first ten pages of the book he just sold me or if he never gave it any thought other than to give a push to a fellow writer, but I went home and read Kevin's first ten pages. And it wasn't even because I was trying to get out of football or figuring out this space age new laptop. It was because his love of words made me want to see what he had to say. 

So, when selling or networking or engaging with others, remember that not only are you asking for them to boost your sales, you're asking them to give you their time, and that's the best benefit you will ever receive from selling a book.