Getting Social: Creating an Online Presence for Your Book

GETTING SOCIAL: CREATING AN ONLINE PRESENCE FOR YOUR BOOK – AWC 2015
GETTING SOCIALCREATING AN ONLINE PRESENCE FORYOUR BOOK
July 18, 2015
MEGAN CARY
mcary@negativecapabilitypress.org

HELLOI’m Megan.

DESIGNER
10+ years as a professional
designer for a variety of
businesses – from small
presses to large corporations.
STRATEGIZER
Social media and online
marketing expert. Consults with
many clients on all types of
interactive marketing plans.
EDUCATOR
Earned MFA in Graphic Design.
Full-time design professor at the
University of Mobile.
WHO AM I?

BookMarketing
Why do I need an online presence?

American Internet usage per week
40 hours
Online adults who use social media
91%
Sales online vs. in-store (2016)
50%
ONLINE MARKETING FACTS
A CONNECTED WORLD
The internet has changed
the way we interact with
people, gather information
and purchase products.
*data via Hubspot

HARD
Making time is

CREATING THE PLAN
The building blocks of an online presence

1. DEFINEYOUR AUDIENCE
“One of the biggest mistakes authors make when starting to
market their books is believing that they will appeal to
‘everyone.’ In today’s society of copious information and
thousands of products in the marketplace, it’s imperative that
authors define who will likely notice, purchase, and pass along
the news of their products.” – Authorhouse

DEFINING READERS
Things to consider
• Authors and books within the same genre
• Television shows and movies that include similar themes
• Soundtracks from those TV shows and movies
• Décor, color-schemes, imagery from magazines that relate to the demographic

Joe Amanda

AGE
12–27 years old
Teens, New and Young Adults
GENDER
Female
Female protagonist/point of view
INTERESTS
Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance
Reader enjoys fantastical creatures
and characters, as well as romance.
AUTHORS
Popular authors within the genre
Melissa de la Cruz, Amelia Atwater Rhodes,
Claudia Gray, P.C. Cast, Neil Gaiman
MEDIA
Entertainment Influences
Vampire Diaries, Buffy, Being Human
Paramore, Christina Perry, Muse
COLORS
How would your reader
decorate their house?
Rich tones like black and red, gothic/
romantic influences like brocade, lace,
velvet, antique frames with quotes

2. MAKE A LIST OF EVERYONE
YOU KNOW.
Or want to know…
Your friends, family and colleagues will be your biggest
supporters in this venture – let them help you build your
fanbase.

MAKING THE LIST
Organization
This data should be stored in a table, preferably in a spreadsheet program like
Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers or Google Sheets. Include the following columns:
• First & Last Name
• Company Name
• Category (friends, family, colleagues, bookstores, reviewers)
• Email Address
• Physical Address
Maintain consistently for use in future online and print marketing efforts.

Example List

3. CREATE A WEBSITE

Content Management Systems
The easiest solution
Unless you are very familiar with web code (html & css) I highly recommend using
a Content Management System Solution or CMS:
• A CMS is a web-based software solution that lets you build & manage a website
without knowing code
• Usually allows you to choose from pre-built templates or “themes”
• Often allows for you to upload graphics or change colors/drag & drop
elements to create a somewhat personalized site
• Allows you to manage your own site, posts, updates and store

Wordpress.com
•  Most popular CMS
•  Most people associate it
with blogs
•  Hundreds of companies
like Toyota, Target and
The New Yorker use it
•  Free basic site (with
ads), no custom
domain: ex.
jimsmith.wordpress.com
•  Custom domain, no ads
for $99 per year: ex.
jimsmith.com

Weebly.com
•  Blog-based Wordpress
alternative
•  More modern templates,
very simple interface
•  Free basic site, no
custom domains, ex:
jimsmith.weebly.com
•  Custom sites for $8 per
month, includes domain,
ex: jimsmith.com

Squarespace.com
•  My preferred CMS
•  Modern, highly
customizable
•  Less associated with
traditional blogging
•  Drag & Drop interface
•  Cheapest package is $8
per month, custom
domains available, ex:
jimsmith.com

WEBSITE ELEMENTS
Essential things to include
• Author Bio
• Book List (published and upcoming, with dates)
• Blog
• Social Media Links
• Media Page (press kit, interview excerpts, photos, etc.)
• Email Newsletter Subscription Form
• Search Function
• Store or how to purchase your books
• Branding
Most importantly… keep it updated!

4. BUILD SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
“If an author is joining Twitter the day her book comes out, it’s
already too late. Authors should plan to implement a social
media strategy at least a year before the book's publication...”
– Publisher’s Weekly

BIG TWO
FOCUS ON THE

FACEBOOK
Essentials
• Create Author Pages instead of using personal profile pages
Positives:
- Author Pages open up paid advertising opportunities
- Allow for more followers
- Offer analytics/insight data
Negatives:
- Page posts can get buried in the newsfeed
• Avoid spammy language “BUY NOW, FREE, DEAL”
• Avoid excessive punctuation “???!!!OMG!!!???”
• Avoid ALL CAPS
• Post 1–3x per day
• Photos get more notice than long, text-based posts
• Link to longer content on your website or blog

TWITTER
Essentials
• Twitter is where the authors are (and the readers!)
• Follow 10–15 new people a day
– look at followers of authors within the same genre
• Stay active and follow people back regularly
• Thank people for following you
• Post frequently, 5–10x per day
• Retweet other authors, most likely they will return the favor
• Include hashtags (#fiction #novel #poetry #YA #scifi)

Quick Tips
Managing Multiple Accounts
Social Media Management tools:
- Allow you to post to multiple accounts at once
- Follow, unfollow, reply to and view analytics all in one place
- Examples include Hootsuite and Sprout

Quick Tips
Getting graphics for your pages
Social media graphics should be consistent with your site branding
- Use your author photo for your profile picture
- Ask your publisher for a pre-made cover image pr banner
- Indie author? Hire a freelance designer
- Elance and Upwork are great freelance sites
- Avoid sites like Fiverr and Tenrr

Quick Tips
What to post
Content should be interesting and relevant. Here are some sample ideas:
- Ask your readers questions
“What is your favorite scene in my new book and why?”
“What are you reading this summer?”
- Post photos and videos
Include some images from your daily life to create a personal
connection with your audience.
- Include links to relevant news and stories about your books
- Answer Q&A
- Run exclusive contests for followers
Free signed copies of books, promotional items, etc.
- Post writing tips, quotes, or interesting facts

PAID
ADVERTISING

Paid Ad Basics
• Allow authors to create highly targeted ads
- Remember that audience profile you created? Use it!
- Target:
• Age
• Sex
• Marital Status
• Location
• Interests
• People who like similar authors
• Ads are measured by impressions and clicks
• You can set daily or lifetime budgets
- Ex. $10 per day, ongoing
- Ex. $100 for 10 days
• Many CMS services like Wordpress include $100 of free
ad credit when you purchase an annual plan
Via Joanna Penn

5. SIGN UP WITH AN EMAIL
MARKETING SERVICE

GETTING THE WORD OUT
Now that you have your website and social media pages, its
time to get the word out to your friends, family and colleagues.

Email Marketing
Basics
• Popular email companies: Emma, Constant Contact and Mail Chimp
• Mail Chimp offers a Forever Free plan
• Import your emails list via the already completed contact spreadsheet
• Send out a monthly newsletter that includes a personal message, links to blog
content, interesting articles, contests, etc.
• Install newsletter subscription forms on your social media pages and website
• Don’t abuse the power! Spamming will get you no where.

6.MAKE A SCHEDULE
AND STICK TO IT!

Creating a Calendar
Implementation
• Begin 6–12 months before your book comes out
• Create a calendar, digital or analog:
- Google Calendar
- Spreadsheet
- Dayplanner
• If your schedule is digital, set reminders to push to your phone or email for blog
posts or sending email newsletters
• And one more thing…

Followthrough.Your online marketing success is directly connected to how well
you maintain your online content.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
•  Goodreads: social community for
book lovers. Claim your free author
profile, interact with fans, run
contests, etc.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/
program
•  Wattpad: social community that
focuses on content. Post chapters of
an upcoming book, one at a time, to
build interest.
https://www.wattpad.com/writers
•  Amazon Author Central: claim your
free author page, track sales, post
updates.
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/
•  BookBub: paid promotion for ebooks.
https://www.bookbub.com/partners/
overview
•  Indiebound: Promotes independent
bookstores. Create an affiliate
account, link to your books and earn
referral fees.
http://www.indiebound.org/affiliate
Download slides: negativecapabilitypress.org/awc2015

Q&A

THANK YOU.

Getting Social: Creating an Online Presence for Your Book

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Similar to Getting Social: Creating an Online Presence for Your Book

Similar to Getting Social: Creating an Online Presence for Your Book (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Getting Social: Creating an Online Presence for Your Book