A guide to social media for authors

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From Nathan Bransford:

Let me tell you a story about how I joined Twitter.

I didn’t join it at all.

In 2008, someone created a fake profile for me, photo and all, and started tweeting out my blog posts! People were replying to me and everything. Once I got wind of what was happening, I wrested control of the account and I grumpily determined it was time to succumb to that whole social media thing.

So yes. I now have ~99,000 Twitter followers and social media has since become the foundation of my entire career, but I can also relate to the deep reluctance some authors have to engage with social media, especially during a time when some of the social media platforms are in the news for less than savory business practices.

But take it from me: It pays to be active on social media. Even if you don’t want to.

. . . .

“Sure,” you might say, “Someone who had social media foisted upon them involuntarily in 2008 might have benefitted from it, but people like you had a 10 year head start! How could I possibly catch up?”

It’s never too late.

In many ways, social media is still in its infancy and there are always new accounts catching fire and plenty more people who don’t have wildly successful accounts but who benefit from simply being active.

“But wait!!” you might be protesting (I treasure our imaginary conversations), “I’m not a published author. I have nothing of value to tweet about.”

Not true. There are many unpublished authors who gained traction on social media by being super smart and engaging.

Camryn Garrett is Exhibit A. Over the last few years she posted such smart things and engaged with authors in such a genuine way that she was soon on nearly everyone’s radar in the publishing industry. She now has a hot book deal and she’s still a teenager!

. . . .

One of the most under-appreciated elements of being active on social media is that it’s a terrific tool for learning more about the publishing industry.

Follow the agents who represent your favorite books. Follow your favorite authors. Follow publishing experts.  Participate in discussions.

You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll come across interesting articles about the business and how much you’ll learn through osmosis.

. . . .

You don’t have to join and be active on every social media platform. You’ll likely go crazy if you try to do that, or you might suddenly wake up and find you’ve morphed into a Kardashian.

Instead, focus on the social media platforms you actually enjoy.

. . . .

If you want the pulse of the publishing industry, Twitter is the place to go. It’s where many important conversations are happening, it’s where agents and editors are tweeting their manuscript wish lists, it’s where people get into spectacularly heated arguments that make the War of 1812 look like a stroll through the park.

Link to the rest at Nathan Bransford