Marketing Archives - Joyana Peters

How to Market Yourself on Social Media

Can an author survive without self-promotion? Not easily, so let’s discuss how to market yourself on social media!

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Over twenty years ago, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook. It changed the world as we know it. Suddenly, instead of just having our small social circles, we had the world at our fingertips. We were able to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. Define our relationships by our status. And it became a primary marketing tool for businesses. But this is still not always easy for all business owners. Authors, in particular, often struggle with getting out from behind the page and promoting themselves beyond their social circles. So, how do you market yourself on social media?

Accepting Social Media

One of the main things I hear from authors is they don’t want to deal with social media. It’s fake, they don’t know what to post. They don’t want to take time away from their writing. All of these are valid concerns. For any business. Social media doesn’t feel genuine and it is sometimes difficult to come up with post ideas. And it can be time consuming. However, for your business to thrive or your books to sell, you need to get past these concerns and learn how to self-promote on social media.

Learn to Be Genuine in Your Own Way

For starters, you need to get past the idea that it is all fake. Yes, there are fake “influencers” out there. But you do NOT have to be one of them. However, you do need to be open to sharing on your terms. And do it in an authentic way. For instance, there are times when it’s great to be made up and “perfect” looking, but my most liked posts are the ones where I am sweaty and coming out of the gym sharing a personal victory or in my pajamas with my morning coffee and a book. Find your comfort level of what you’re willing to share and be your true self. You will build the best relationships with your followers that way, which is the true purpose of effective social media marketing.

Build Relationships

Have you ever been to a party where you’re cornered with the person who only talks about themselves? You end up finding any excuse to leave eventually, right? It’s the same on social media. If you only post when you have a sale or you’re asking people to buy, people will feel like they’re in that same one-sided conversation. You need to nurture a relationship with your followers and make them feel like they know you and have built a personal connection to you. Then when you post that sale or new book launch they’ll be more willing to support you and buy.

Expand on Shared Interests

You are building followers for a reason. To eventually sell them something. So, why will your product appeal to them? Expand on that interest and naturally cater to it. Readers will read WAY more than just your one particular book. Besides, they’ll need something to hold them over until your next one comes out. In the meantime, share your own love of reading. Share what you’re currently reading and enjoying. Talk about your own favorite books in your book’s genre.

Share other hobbies and interests that you have. I have celiac disease and am always looking for tasty gluten-free finds. I always include that in my newsletters and on my social media feed.

I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to me about that and it creates and instant bond and thing we have in common.

Share the work that goes on behind the scenes. I share my writing process, victories when I complete a new chapter or word count. I share scenes from my current WIP, pics of my writing space etc. Again, if I forge a connection and get my readers excited about the process and work of writing the book they will hopefully be more invested and apt to buy when it launches and goes on the market.

Try to Have Fun

Social Media might never feel natural for you or a way you’d choose to spend your time. I, myself, only go on for my business and to share pics of my kids with family and friends. But I’m not a natural social media scroller/follower. However, I would say I’ve found a way I’m comfortable marketing myself. I’ve found a way that works for me and enjoy engaging with my readers.

Hopefully, these tips help you have a better idea of how to market yourself on social media in a way that works for you also. Have a great week everyone!

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Authors, Are you Holiday Ready?

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It is so hard to believe it is August and we have less than four months left in 2025. Where did the time go?

The holiday season is met with such excitement and anticipation, but for small business owners it can become a paralyzing business obstacle. That obstacle generally becomes clearly visible around now, when the end of summer back to school chaos is kicking off. It is followed by a parade of fall and Halloween festivities, which runs into Thanksgiving mayhem and suddenly the you are staring a giant Christmas hurdle straight in front of you.

What is this hurdle? It is increased marketing campaigns, Christmas promotions, extra events and festivals, and juggling customer service expectations. You have probably noticed from the Halloween decor that began popping up in stores in June, each holiday season seems to begin earlier.

Hopefully, you are feeling excited and motivated to jump into a busy season of sales, but if you are not feeling as prepared as you would like, here are a few tips to get preparations underway.

Create a Plan…and stick to it

In my author business plan I discuss setting realistic goals. Your marketing campaigns, events, and product development should all feed into accomplishing this goal. In the holiday mayhem it is easy to drift off course. Accepting invitations to events that don’t align with your goals can place unnecessary stress on you and your business. Make sure you have clearly defined your goals and only take on projects and events that will feed into reaching your goal.

Building Motivation

It is not uncommon for me to have a discussion with an author at this time of year and have them express frustration that they have fallen short of their goals for the year. Instead of fueling them to finish the year at full speed, this can cause frustration and a lack of motivation. I understand the disappointment missed sales goals can cause but it is important to remember, historically book sales peak during the holiday season.

Also keep in mind, goals can be adjusted. Sometimes the goals we set and unknowingly unrealistic. Economic changes or unforeseen obstacles may impact consumer spending. It is okay to say this was my annual goal, but after assessing performance my adjusted goal to close out the year will be….

Do not let low sales quarters define your business and remember, goals help guide our business strategy and will never be met if you quit.

Organization leads to success

Do you remember hearing your teachers say that as a child? Time to dig that gem out.

If you don’t have a spreadsheet or calendar highlighting events you want to participate in, events you are participating in for at least the next two quarters (although I would encourage you to aim for an annual plan), you are selling your business short.

Opportunities will present themselves last minute, in fact I just added an Amaryllis Author Collective event for September, yes, it is merely a month away. However, the majority of your events should be strategically scheduled in advance, plan today for tomorrow’s success.

Managing Inventory

Inventory is something I am asked about a lot.

How many books should I have at a festival? Should I add more products to my inventory?

My answer is most often….It depends.

Having an event and not having enough product is frustrating, you loose out on sales. When you have to turn a customer away or encourage them to order a product instead of buying now, you increase the potential to not convert interest to a sale.

With that said, having to load products you didn’t sell back into a vehicle is extremely frustrating. Carrying the financial cost or products you have paid for an haven’t sold can be taxing on a business.

There will likely be a learning curve on what events work for your business and ones that don’t. Admittedly, I have participated in events with high expectations only to learn that in the future this event is not my audience. I keep track of sales, and events that aligned with my business goals and ones that didn’t. Try and research events, study the audience, and make inventory adjustments accordingly. Also, keep in mind your established budget. Be careful not to financially overextend yourself on product until your understand your sales metrics.

If you aren’t feeling prepared for the 2025 holiday season, don’t panic, take a deep breath and dive into planning, NOW.

Start planning and preparing to execute your holiday marketing campaigns. If you are in the Northern Virginia area, the Amaryllis Author Collective has a limited number of spots open for a few of our holiday events. Hold on tight, it’s going to be a busy four months!

What is your most successful holiday event?

Diversifying Income as an Author- September IWSG Post

Bookstores- What Do Self-Published Authors Need to Know?

Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!

Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE! You can also find my collection of bookish merchandise on Etsy.

Self Promotion and Why You Deserve It

As authors we constantly hear about marketing. But what about self promotion? What’s the difference?

What Exactly is Self Promotion?

We constantly hear about marketing and how important it is. But what about self promotion? What exactly is self promotion and why is it important? Join me below to discuss the differences and how authors can incorporate some simple self promotion examples into their tool belts.

Differences between Self Promotion and Marketing

Let’s start by defining marketing. Marketing’s defined as the activity of promoting and selling products or services. Simple enough, right? You want to sell your book- you need to market it. But, one of the biggest mistakes I see authors making is thinking their marketing should focus solely on their book. That’s where self promotion comes in.

Technically, self promotion is presenting yourself as an accomplished, skilled, capable person. But honestly it’s more about building a connection with your readers and building yourself as a brand that supersedes one individual book.

Why You Need an Author Brand

I recently had an intake coaching session with an author. While doing a website audit for her I discovered that her website name was not her own name, but her book’s name. When I asked her what she’d do when she wrote a new book, she was stumped by the question. “I hadn’t thought about that,” she admitted.

This is not uncommon for many authors. They’re understandably excited about launching their first book and all their efforts are on selling and marketing that book for success. However, you need to think about the long game. Hopefully, you WILL write more than one book and you’ll want readers to buy that book too. That’s where brand identity comes in.

Brand Identity

Brand identity is necessary for a business, it helps build loyalty and a trust in the style and quality of a book with your name on it. If you want to make being an author your JOB and your BUSINESS, you have to promote your brand – you have to commit to self promoting.

You can do this by first determining what is the common theme you want to write about or do you see in your current stories? For instance, I write historical fiction and I can see myself writing about different time periods and different kinds of people. But one thing I know my books will all have in common is they’ll all be about women. They will also all be about women fighting for change. So, my brand identity? “I write about women in history overcoming obstacles to fight for change.” This is what I tell people when they ask about my books and this is what I’ve built my website and social media platform messaging around. Therefore, when readers find and follow me, they know exactly what to expect when they pick up my books.

More Self Promotion Examples

The other important part of self promoting is selling yourself. We have to build relationships with our readers and allow them to see us as people. I know I probably have some of you authors shaking in your boots right now. The last thing most of us want to do is spotlight ourselves. That’s why we hide behind our books, right? But if we’re unwilling to open up and share, our books will languish and never get read. So, let’s see if we can find a comfortable way to work some of these self promotion examples into our regular routines.

Working Our Livelihood into Conversations

I tell people I’m an author. I’m not saying I walk around introducing myself that way. But I do seize on natural opportunities to bring it into the conversation. And luckily with Amazon there’s the immediate opportunity to make a sale once I do. I’ve sold books in the pediatrician’s office, in the dentist chair, on an airplane, on the sidelines at a soccer game etc. When there’s an opportunity to bring up what I do, I take it. But to make sure this feels natural and easy, I’ve made sure to perfect my elevator pitch synopsis of what my book is about.

Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been asked what your book is about and find yourself freezing or launching into a long winded explanation where you can see the person’s eyes glazing over? We’ve all been there at some point. That’s why it is crucial to master your elevator pitch synopsis. This is simply a two-three sentence max description of your book. For me I say- “I created a fictional character who escapes from Russia at the beginning of the revolution. She settles on the Lower East Side of New York and is involved in the 1909 Garment Worker’s Uprising. She’s then involved in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the aftermath.“

My elevator pitch immediately identifies my book’s genre- historical fiction. The time period I’m writing about- early 1900s. It also gives an overview of the main historical events and obstacles my character is facing.

Using this elevator pitch and being nervy enough to bring my book up in conversation is how I’ve not only gotten sales, it’s how I’ve landed speaking engagements, bookstore signings and other festivals and events. I’m constantly on the prowl. Both for selling opportunities, but also for chances to network and add to my Rolodex of contacts. You never know when they’ll come in handy.

Promoting Ourselves on Social Media

Ah, the dreaded word. But one of the reasons I find people have such apprehension about using social media to market is they don’t know what to post. For starters, you need to know going into it that it’s not where you’ll sell books. Social media will not translate to sales. It just doesn’t. So, then what’s the purpose and why waste your time?

To network and build a community of followers. If nurtured with a targeted purpose that follows your brand identity, social media will hopefully translate to an engaged audience who WILL sign up for your newsletter, like your posts, be your beta readers and early reviewers etc. And yes, some will also hopefully buy your books at some point. But more importantly, they’ll be loyal and feel like they know and care about YOU which will go way further than the person who buys one of your books from Amazon or off a shelf from the bookstore.

To sum up, think of it this way- you can market to sell one book once. This can be done with targeted ads, book promo newsletter features, virtual book tours etc. And this should and could be done as well. But if you self promote yourself- you’ll be nurturing a loyal base of readers who will buy every book you ever write. You do the math.

Author’s Purpose- What is your purpose for writing?

Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!

Author Business Plans

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Do you make an annual budget for your author career? You should.

Why Author Business Plans are essential

Creating Author Business Plans with an annual budget is a crucial practice that can significantly impact your writing career and financial stability. Here’s why they’re essential:

1. Author Business Plans and Stability

Creating a budget can help authors plan their finances for the year, ensuring they can cover all necessary expenses, deem what is, a true priority, so they can hopefully make a profit! By mapping out these costs, authors can avoid stress and focus more on their creative work.

2. Prioritizing Expenditures for Book Launches

If you’re launching a new book it can be easy to go wild with spending. But creating a budget helps you make informed decisions about where to allocate resources for the best return on investment.Authors should ensure that essential expenses, such as professional editing, cover design, and marketing, are covered first. Check out this estimate of potential self-publishing expenses.

3. Setting Goals and Sticking to Them!

Budgeting helps authors set realistic financial goals and focuses for their writing year. Whether it’s saving for a book launch, funding a marketing campaign, or attending a writing conference or retreat, a budget provides a clear roadmap for achieving these objectives. Don’t spend unless you have it! And don’t get distracted by the new craft book your friend recommended when you’re saving for a conference!

4. Managing Income Variability

Many authors experience fluctuating income throughout the year. An annual budget helps manage these variations by planning for periods of lower income by putting funds aside to help you remain afloat. It also helps you gauge how much you need to bring in per month to cover expenses. This is especially important for full-time authors who rely solely on their writing income.

5. Tracking Progress and Adjustments

A budget also allows authors to track their financial progress throughout the year. By regularly reviewing their budget, authors can see what efforts are working or not and adjust their strategies accordingly.

6. Maximizing Tax Benefits

Authors can take advantage of various tax deductions related to their writing business, such as home office expenses, travel for research, and professional development. Keeping a detailed budget and financial records makes it easier to claim these deductions accurately and maximize tax benefits.

7. Investing in Growth

A budget allows authors to allocate funds for professional development, such as attending writing conferences, workshops, and courses. These investments can enhance their skills, broaden their network, and ultimately lead to greater success in their writing career.

In summary, creating an annual budget in your Author Business Plans is a vital practice for authors. It not only ensures financial stability, but also supports the achievement of personal and professional goals. By budgeting wisely, authors can focus on their craft and build a sustainable writing career.

For more on this topic join me for a webinar sponsored by SCBWI on Tuesday September 24th, 2024 at 7 pm. You do NOT have to be a member to attend. Sign up Here!

Did this article interest you? Here are a few more Author Business blogs you may want to read.

Diversifying Income as an Author- September IWSG Post

Diversifying Income – The Way to Actually Make Money as an Author.

* This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Monthly Blog Hop. (click the link for details on what that means and how to join.) The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers. This is my September IWSG Post. To see the other authors participating, click HERE.

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September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I honestly don’t have much of an answer for this one. I’m back in the English classroom teaching so I guess I could say something I’ve changed my tune over in teaching my students. I used to believe that formulaic writing was inhibiting or potentially stifling. I steered away from templates or formulaic methods of storytelling. However, I’ve now found that to be the opposite of true.

I am now a die-hard outliner and I’ve also found since giving my students templates to help them structure their writing, it actually makes them more creative. It’s like it takes the pressure off so their creative juices can then take center-stage. What about you? Have any of you found this to be true?

Moving on to my other thoughts this month-

What does Diversifying Income Mean?

We, as authors, are ingrained to believe it’s next to impossible to make a living off our writing. And that’s true to an extent. We will most likely not, at least not off our book sales alone. Unless you’re pumping out a book a month or are one of the few isolated household names. But for the most of us, we’ll need to find other income streams besides book royalties. And that’s where Diversifying Income comes in. It’s establishing additional income sources.

Establishing Your Goals

I’ve said before, every author is different and has different expectations for their author career. Some people have a day job and are doing this as a side hustle, others are retirees just doing this to fulfill a lifetime dream. And then there are the folks who actually want to try and make a living from their writing. I fall into the latter category and want to share my personal experiences in hopes it will help others find their way.

I published my first book in 2021. I was still working another job at the time. But I decided to take the scary jump and walk off the cliff to write full-time. I’m not going to lie, it has been a HARD road since then. And I’m still finding my way. There are definite feast and famine times. But I have made money and the key to doing that has been by Diversifying Income Sources. By doing this, you can build a flexible patchwork quilt of income sources that together can provide security. Here are ideas for doing so.

1. Speaking Engagements

Everyone has a different comfort level with speaking in public. But it is one of the simplest ways to add to your author income. And depending on what your book is about, there could be a broad range of topics you can discuss. Children’s authors can do school visits, Genre authors can find audiences who will want to hear more about their expertise, Other authors might want to hear about your writing tips etc. It definitely is worth considering how you can add speaking engagements into your repertoire.

I’ve had decent success with this in doing speaking engagements with Historical Societies, Women’s Clubs, Book Clubs, Author Guilds, and museums etc. One additional word of advice, do NOT do a speaking event for free. I know it is tempting to accept to get the “experience” but your time is valuable. Many places will say they do not have the budget to pay you up front and will instead offer you the opportunity to sell your books at the event. This has backfired on me and not been worth it.

I booked a speaking engagement with a museum for Women’s History month. They promised to take care of all the advertising and to pay me by book sales. I spent hours preparing a detailed presentation and showed up to 4 people. There weren’t even posters up at the museum pointing to the event space. I now know I will only accept an engagement if I’m paid up front so my time is covered.

2. Freelance Writing & Content Creation

Evaluate your fields of expertise and see if there are places where you can freelance. For instance, children’s authors can expand into the Educational Market with Work for Hire projects. These could range from How To books to short historical or science based books on outlined topics. For more on this check out this fantastic book on Writing for the Educational Market by Laura Purdie Salas. There is also a great website by Evelyn B. Christensen about where to find publishers accepting Work for Hire writers.

Your freelancing also does not have to be limited to your book topics.There are magazines and online publications ranging on topics. Think of where you have “expert” knowledge.For instance, I write historical fiction, but I have celiac disease and was once employed at a hospital to educate others on the gluten-free lifestyle. I’ve used this experience and knowledge to freelance and publish a range of articles in publications nationwide.

3. Teaching, Coaching, Editing, Consulting etc.

Share your knowledge and expertise with others. There are so many flexible ways you can do this. For instance, I offer developmental editing services to authors.I also coach other authors about the self publishing process. I am also now a college adjunct teaching writing. But I also know authors who substitute teach, copy edit, offer graphic design and website design services and more.

These have been some of my most successful ways of Diversifying Income so far. Some other ideas I either want to try or know others have had success with are:

4. Online Courses & Educational Content

Creating an online course and some e-books on Author businesses is on my to-do list.Unfortunately, there is a large amount of prep and time that goes into creating this content. However, once it’s done it’s an “evergreen” source of income you can leave to earn money in your sleep. Once you figure out how to market it that is.

5. Merchandising

This is one I’ve started, but need to expand upon. I’ve created book themed merchandise and been very successful selling it in person at festivals and markets. Especially around the holidays. But, what I want to really work more towards is having it, again be an “evergreen” source, selling for me on Etsy. I have an Etsy store already, but I need to work towards getting more traffic to it.

6. Crowdfunding & Patronage

I have not had much success with this one. But I know other authors who swear by it. I know authors who have had great success monetizing their newsletters on Substack, others who have built VIP communities on Patreon and people who have funded their publishing expenses on Kickstarter. I’d say gauge what your goals are and see how you can market and garner interest to supporting them. The big question would be, what do your supporters get from you for it though?

7. Affiliate Marketing

This one is honestly over hyped in my opinion. But, I do take part in affiliate marketing and it does earn me some money. From my experience, unless you’re willing to go full-on influencer and put a decent amount of time into building up a ton of traffic to your website and social media accounts, you’re not going to make too much money from Affiliate Marketing. But, it’s still something and the point of this is the threads in the quilt right? So, make sure if you’re sharing links anywhere, they’re affiliate links. Never miss an opportunity to earn a commission off a shared link.

I hope this gave you some decent ideas to try. Do you have other effective income sources that I missed? Please share in the comments, I’m always open to learning and trying something new. Thanks!

Did you like this post? If so, be sure to check out my other Author Business Posts Here!

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What is your Author Brand?- April IWSG Post

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Welcome to IWSG Day. The goal of this blog hop is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. I hope this post accomplishes that for some. Here we go.

I’m an Author, Not a Brand.

Many writers shy away from establishing themselves as a brand. They associate branding simply as a means of tooting their own horn or worse yet, something that doesn’t apply to them. Instead of establishing an author brand, they ensure all focus is on a singular book. If your goal is to sell a book, is there anything wrong with that? Branding is about believing and establishing ourselves beyond your current book.

What Does it Mean to be a Brand?

We constantly hear about marketing and how important it is. But what about your author brand? What exactly is a brand and why is it important?

Let’s start by defining marketing. Marketing is defined as the activity of promoting and selling products or services. Simple enough, right? You want to sell your book- you need to market it. But one of the biggest mistakes I see authors make is thinking their marketing should focus solely on their book. That’s where your brand comes in.

Branding is how consumers identify you in the marketplace. Your brand supersedes one individual book. It’s a connection with your readers, a trust that when they see your name on a book there is a specific quality or experience that they expect from those books. In building your brand, you are establishing ALL of your books have a place on their bookshelf, not just one of them.

Why You Need an Author Brand

I recently had an intake coaching session with an author. While doing a website audit for her, I discovered that her website name was not her own name, but her book’s name. When I asked her what she’d do when she wrote a new book, she was stumped. “I hadn’t thought about that,” she admitted.

This is not uncommon for new authors. They’re understandably excited about launching their first book and all their efforts are on selling and marketing that book for success. However, you need to think about the long game. Hopefully, you WILL write more than one book and you’ll want readers to buy that book too. That’s where brand identity comes in.

What’s Brand Identity?

Brand identity is necessary for a business. It helps build loyalty and a trust in the style and quality of a book with your name on it. As a published author who has invested time and money into creating a product, you have launched your sales driven business. The identity you create for that business is in your hands.

You can do this by first determining what is the common theme in your current stories and what you want to write about in the future. For instance, I write historical fiction. I can see myself writing about different time periods and different kinds of people. But one thing I know my books will all have in common is that they’ll all be about women. And those women will be fighting for change. So, my brand identity? I write about women in history overcoming obstacles to fight for change. This is what I tell people when they ask about my books. It’s what I’ve built my website and social media platform messaging around. When readers find and follow me, they know exactly what to expect from my books.

Communicating Your Author Brand

Brand communication happens every time a consumer interacts with your brand. We need to build relationships with our readers and allow them to see our intended brand identity. I know some of you authors are shaking in your boots right now. The last thing most of us want to do is spotlight ourselves. That’s why we hide behind our books, right? But if we’re unwilling to open up and share who we are as an author, our books will languish and never get read. So, let’s see if we can find a comfortable way to normalize branding into how we communicate.

Work Your Livelihood into Conversations

I tell people I’m an author. I’m not saying I walk around introducing myself that way. But I do seize on natural opportunities to bring it into conversation. However, I don’t stop there, I am specific in that I am a historical fiction author, that I write about women in history overcoming obstacles to fight for change. Strong brand communication is intentional and constant. I do not want any reader to feel vague or confused about my products.

But if I am only focusing on branding, what about selling? The ultimate goal is that brand awareness converts to sales. With my books on Amazon, there’s an immediate opportunity to make a sale once I have communicated my brand. And as brand communication happens every time a consumer interacts with your brand, I ensure my Amazon products are branded. They are clearly identified as historical fiction in the product title and categories. When there’s an opportunity to communicate my brand, I take it. I’ve also made sure to perfect an elevator pitch of my products that of course references my brand.

Perfect Your Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been asked what your book is about and find yourself freezing or launching into a long-winded explanation where you can see the person’s eyes glazing over? We’ve all been there. That’s why it is crucial to master your elevator pitch synopsis. This is simply a two or three sentence description of your book. For me, I say- “I created a fictional character who escapes from Russia at the beginning of the revolution. She settles on the Lower East Side of New York and is involved in the 1909 Garment Worker’s Uprising. She’s then involved in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and its aftermath.“

My elevator pitch immediately ties in with my brand–historical fiction–and women overcoming obstacles. Using this elevator pitch and being nervy enough to bring my book up in conversation, I’ve not only gotten sales, I’ve landed speaking engagements, bookstore signings and invitations to and festivals other events. And furthermore, it helps me ensure the engagements I am booking align my author brand and put me in front of a relevant audience.

Branding Ourselves on Social Media

Ah, social media: the dreaded word. I find that one reason people have such apprehension about using social media to market is they don’t know what to post. For starters, you need to know that social media is not where you’ll sell books. Social media does not translate to sales. So why waste your time? What’s the purpose?

I will say it again: Brand communication happens every time a consumer interacts with your brand. If your social media is nurtured with a targeted purpose that follows your brand identity, social media can translate to an engaged audience who WILL sign up for your newsletter, like your posts, be your beta readers and early reviewers–and yes, some will also buy your books. But more importantly, they’ll be loyal because they feel like they know and care about your author brand.

Social media not only gives YOU the opportunity to communicate your brand, it gives others the opportunity to easily share your brand.That will go a lot further than one person who buys one of your books from Amazon or a shelf in a bookstore.

If you identify and communicate your author brand—you’ll be nurturing a loyal base of readers who will buy every book you ever write. You do the math.

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