Author Publishing Tips

Attract More Readers

We said it so often it seems like we are on continuous replay but we make no apology for saying it again. The days when an author could simply write for a living are over. It doesn’t if you write best-selling illustrated children’s books or Urban Thrillers authors are increasingly becoming publishing entrepreneurs and that means navigating the myriad of social platforms and knowing how to best maximise your valuable investment of time and increasingly money.

For authors, the metrics used to gauge success will be different across social platforms and it’s important to identify those metrics which are most meaningful. These are generally followers, click-throughs to their website, a point of sale for their title (on the likes of Amazon, I Tunes or Google books) or likes and follows specific to their genre. These are the baseline by which to measure success and ensure your time and money are being invested in the most advantageous way possible.

Utilizing Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are a time-proven way of attracting new readers and even more persuasive when paired with a blog, an engaging author website, newsletter and other lead generation tools but always remember that to really standout on social media platforms you first and foremost have to be authentic. Bestselling authors who excel at self-promotion on social media platforms accept that they are a brand and as such have to cultivate a distinctive voice or style to make them stand out and get noticed. More importantly the big social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram require slightly different approaches. We could write a tome on social media platforms but for this post, we will concentrate on Twitter and look at the other behemoths in coming posts.

It’s been our experience and the authors we work with that Twitter is the most expensive platform to advertise on so authors have to be a little savvy to ensure results. Twitter has its built-in advertising features, and if you are willing to invest your money, you can promote your content to a broader audience. Expect to spend £30 – £35 to get you started but don’t let Twitter dictate your cost per click and set a limit to keep control of your budget but it might well be worth the investment if your potential readers are more active there.

Other things you should try on Twitter to increase your readers include:

• Twitter chat: A beneficial tool for growing your audience and followers you need to ensure you are targeting the appropriate audience, and that you filter your content throughout. Engage quickly  as the success of Twitter is predicated on engagement and is, therefore, a hands-on activity.
• Lead generation cards: A recent addition to Twitter’s limited suite of promotional tools it is an easy way to engage users on the platform and outside. You can place a call to action button within your tweet, and a user would expand it, click the button, and be able to share their contact info — without leaving Twitter.

We said earlier that bestselling authors who excel at self-promotion on social media platforms accept that they are a brand and as such must cultivate a distinctive voice or style to make them stand out. How are you utilizing social media platforms to develop your author brand and could you be doing more?