In this century there does not seem to be enough social media . . .right? NOT. I don’t know about you, but I am overwhelmed by it all. Between blogging, tweeting, Facebook, Pinterist and who know what else, is there even time to write our novels? Still, we are told time and time again, we must socialize electronically if we ever hope to get a name for ourselves. So today’s topic is Facebook. Is it necessary to use Facebook to promote yourself and your books? I have to agree with the others . . . that the answer is yes.
I did some research to see what people had to say on this subject and I ran across a post by Chris Robley of the BookBaby Blog. I am condensing this to a few of his high points, but he says it so much better than I.
Please let me introduce Chris Robley:
Facebook dominates the social networking world. But how can authors use the Facebook platform to promote their books and find new readers? Naturally, you should be talking about your writing on your personal profile just as you talk about other aspects of your life, but there are some good reasons why you should make the leap and take the focused promotion efforts off of your personal Facebook profile and create a Facebook page dedicated to your literary pursuits.
First we need to clear up a little terminology. Facebook calls the typical individual profiles Personal Profiles and they refer to the profiles created by a brand, product, organization, musician, or writers as Profile Pages. It can get confusing as they can look similar, but there are some big distinctions in how they work. Also, you must have a Facebook personal profile first before you can create a profile page, so if you’re new to Facebook, you’ll have to create that first.
Note: Go to the site below to find step by step instructions for setting up your Author page.
Why not just use my Facebook personal profile?
As mentioned above, there are some key functionality differences that make a Facebook Profile page a better option for promoting your writing which we’ll detail in part 2 of this tutorial. But #1 on the list has to be the security for your personal information. Most people use their personal profiles as a way to share info, pictures and updates with their friends and family. So certain aspects of their life outside of their career are visible for all who are “friends” to see. Anyone who you grant access to your personal profile (Because they are a fan of your books) might have more info than you really want them to have. Making a Facebook page for your writing career allows anyone to be a fan without the worry that they’re getting to know you more than you like.
Fans, not Friends – An artist profile page allows anyone on Facebook the ability to become a “Fan.” This means they can choose to see your content in their live stream without having to get your approval. This is ideal for your readers.
Multiple Admins – You probably spend most of your extra time writing. The “multiple admins” feature allows anyone designated with “admin status” to post on your author Page. Admins also have the ability to make changes to the page details. This is great for the people on your team (agent, spouse, editor, etc.) to help out with your social networking efforts.
Facebook ads – Of course anyone on Facebook can run a Facebook ad, but one of the most effective ad campaigns for an artist is a campaign designed to increase the fan numbers on your artist page. This type of campaign can only be accomplished with a Facebook artist profile page. How is it different? With a normal ad, you might link to your official website where users might click through to find out more about your writing and then move on to other web browsing. With an ad geared towards increasing your Facebook fans, when a user clicks through they are becoming fans of your page. Your content will now show up in their Facebook stream, increasing the chance for interaction.
Page Insights – Also known as analytics, this section of the profile page gives you all the info you need to improve your Facebook marketing efforts by showing you info like impressions per post and a full demographic breakdown of your fans and page visitors.
A few more tips:
Once you reach a certain number of Fans (Some say it’s 100, but we’ve seen it work with fewer), you can set a username for your page. This creates an easy to remember Facebook URL http://facebook.com/YOUR-USERNAME. Just go to http://facebook.com/username to create the URL for your page.
A Facebook profile page always displays more info for anyone with admin status. It’s easy to get confused, but your Fans will not see the stats and admin links that show up on your page when you are viewing it as an admin.
To read Chris’ article in its entirety, go to http://blog.bookbaby.com/2011/06/facebook-for-authors-setting-up-an-author-page-pt-1/.
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Writing Under Fire 
I think social media — particularly blogging and Facebook have the chance to build your following in a way writers didn’t before. You have a chance to get people behind you! It’s awesome because then you have a whole bunch of fans ready to promote for you! I’ve been reading a book about this sort of thing if you are interested. It’s Think Like a Rockstar
I found you through A to Z. Nice meeting you.
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Thanks Janice. I will check it out. Are you doing A-Z? What is your blog address? I will follow along.
Joanne
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Mine is http://janiceperson.com and yes, I’m doing it. Thought my name would have linked over to the blog… hmmm…. anyway, I’m focusing on agriculture though my blog includes all sorts of stuff generally. 🙂
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I found it. Sometimes I can’t see where to sign up to be a follower when it is not a wordpress blog. Perhaps it is because I am reading most of the posts on my iphone. Nice photography Janice.
Sent from my iPhone
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I set up a Facebook author page last year and it really has helped elevate my blog. When I get ready to pitch my book, I’m hoping all the networking will pay off, even if in a small way. 🙂
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Thanks for your feedback C B. I just started my Author Page but am a little afraid to take the link to my blog off my personal page. That is where I get most of my views. Hmmm.
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Why remove the link. Put it in both places! 🙂
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I agree with CB — cultivate fans from your friends too!
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I think Facebook has become such an important aspect in our culture today. It is worldwide and you can connect with people from everywhere. I have an author page but what he said about posting things to that instead of your personal profile page is correct and good info to follow. Great post for the letter F.
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Who ever thought Facebook could have such depth. I spend little time on Facebook now as i devote most of my time to my blog and my writing.
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Hi what a very informative blog about FB. I am new to writing and I only set up my blog site yesterday, so still trying to get a feel for all of this. I subscribe to Writing magazine and they are always suggesting using all the new social networks to create a following. The next I suppose will be Twitter for me but one step at a time. It’s a wonder I will get any writing done at all.
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I was really resistant to using Facebook for a long time but now I’ve definitely changed my tune. I’m still not in love with it, but I’m learning to use it more. The ads are a fantastic tool. Great post!
I’m just stopping by from the A-Z, it’s nice to meet you!
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Thanks for stopping in Julie. My next big step will be Twitter. I have an account but no idea how to use it. Happy Writing.
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I think the social media aspect of being a writer is a bit of a bummer. Obviously networking is important but I’m not very tech savvy so I find it all a bit confusing. I have yet to touch twitter or pinterest and have my doubts I ever will. I envy the writers from the days of old sometimes. 🙂
Have fun with a-z. Thanks for the tips.
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I understand. I just spent 4 hours in a social media class for my real estate business. They showed us places I never heard of. The best tip I heard was to pick two and stick with those, don’t try to them all. So for my real estate business, it will be Facebook and LinkedIn and for my Author networking, it will be Facebook and Blogging. (and of course both websites I have). That is plenty to handle.
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I’ve found Facebook very disappointing, very difficult to make connections. I’ve had much more success on Google+, especially with their Communities where you can find people with similar interests. Still, I won’t give up on Facebook.
Faye at Destination: Fiction
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More useful information. I must look into Google +
Thanks, Faye. I will have a look at your page.
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Thank you so much for this. My author page is sitting there scaring me because I’m not sure what to do with it. You’ve inspired me and so has Chris. I will check him out.
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Like many writers, I’ve wondered about using social media for promoting my book. This was great information. Thanks for passing it along.
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I’m nominating you for a Versatile Blogger Award
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