Authors, like all other business owners, are constantly looking for new ways to use social media, find readers and, eventually, sell books.
I was recently reading a Fast Company article in which they discussed branding through Pinterest and it made me think of authors and some of the things you could be doing to build your brand through a social networking site like Pinterest.
A number of my own clients have helped expand their brand not by talking about their books, but by talking about the things their books have that make them stand out. A group of mystery writers, for example, got together and formed the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog where they share recipes and cooking tips. Another group of mystery writers formed The Nose for Trouble Facebook group for fans of pet related mysteries. Both of these are unique ways to take your book's hook and sell the book based on interests your readers might have, beyond the book's genre.
I'm on Pinterest primarily as a way to store all of the great things I see online. My latest pins have been motivational sayings, logo designs and shoes, because everyone loves shoes. If you're an active Pinner is there something you could do with your pins to help build a brand for yourself? What about design tips from your interior designing character? Food tips from the chef in your book or a wedding board from the character who dreams of some day finding Mr. Right?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that when building a brand on social media the trick is to find a way to go viral. I don't think you're going to do that simply by talking about your book. You might however go viral by creating something that links to your book and help potential readers find you in a completely different way.
--jhf
4 comments:
Thanks for this! I'm a freelance editor and novice author, so I started a Pinterest board called "Writers' and Editors' Toolbox" where I post any articles, blog posts, graphics, etc. that can benefit writers and/or editors. I wanted to offer colleagues, friends, and potential clients (and myself!) something valuable on a unique platform—I'm less likely to click on these types of things on Twitter, but the visual aesthetic of Pinterest makes things more clickable (to me, at least), and I'm more likely to return to things I collect there.
My board, for any interested: https://www.pinterest.com/cblarsen17/writers-and-editors-toolbox/
A timely post. I've got a pininterest account, and at the moment have 2 pages on it: birthday cakes (my attempts at creative baking for my 2 Barbarians' birthdays) and outback scenery which I refer to for scene setting in my ms.
I've been thinking of adding more (along the lines of what you suggest above), but as an unpublished author wonder whether it's worth spending the time? Or whether I should just create pages that interest me and worry about the branding side of things later?
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