Get ready because this week’s Book Marketing Update is a super whopper!
I took last week off and during that time, I rediscovered TikTok.
A few years ago, I opened an account and after a few months closed it.
With time on my hands, I decided to reopen my account. Man, was I surprised by what I found.
You won’t find any vitriolic posts — at least I couldn’t find them. (Such a relief!)
Plus, #BookTok is a huge thing right now. Previously published authors are being rediscovered and new authors are finding success on this little, positive, and vastly popular social media platform.
I’ve included a few posts about TikTok in this update. Be sure to check them out. Personally, I find TikTok dangerously addictive.
So, beware!
Book Marketing
QR Code Generator for Authors from Kindlepreneur: “A QR Code is a small square image that is scannable using smart devices like your iPhone or Android phone. The ‘QR stands for quick response … With our QR codes generator for authors, you can not only create QR codes that link to your books, but you can also include your author logo or a book cover, to help keep track of what QR codes you have.”
Hive: Hive Index is a directory of online communities. Use it to find communities interested in the genre of your books.
TikTok – #BookTok
TikTok is taking the book industry by storm, and retailers are taking notice from NBC News: ” ‘BookTok’ has sent old books back to the top of bestseller lists and helped launch the careers of new authors. Videos with the BookTok hashtag have been viewed a collective 12.6 billion times.”
The rise of BookTok: meet the teen influencers pushing books up the charts from The Guardian: “Young TikTok users are sharing their passion for books with millions – bringing titles they love to life online and reshaping the publishing world, all in under a minute.”
BookTok Is The Last Wholesome Place on the Internet from Refinery29 UK and by Alicia Lansom: “If you were starting to think that social media was filled purely with angry people shouting at one another for no reason, you wouldn’t exactly be wrong. But thankfully, in the depths of TikTok, there is a wholesome place reigniting faith in the internet.”
How TikTok Makes Backlist Books into Bestsellers from Publishers Weekly: “BookTok’s power to promote books relies on its grassroots nature. Through self-made content, users create the sort of literary publicity that, in its sincerity, money literally cannot buy.”
Publishing
Every publishing strategy should start with Amazon and Ingram – The Idea Logical Company/Mike Shatzkin: “What has happened since the pre-21st Century publishing world I — and so many of the executives now running things in our industry — grew up in is that book sales have shifted and fragmented.
Take A Look-See Here Too
You Are A Writer – You Create And License Intellectual Property Assets from Joanna Penn: “You have to understand IP and rights licensing in order to make a living as an author for the long-term, whether you work with an agent or you’re entirely independent.”
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) offers a free webinar on how authors can get the most out of Amazon ads: Optimize your ads with the help of Bryan Cohen.
What To Do When “Someone Published a Book Just Like Mine”? Lisa delves into the positive side and extracts lessons for writers working on a book that someone else just published.
Quote of the Week
Hey, I’m Frances Caballo and I’m a social media expert for writers, building and managing author platforms to enhance book sales. A writer all of my life, I also provide content writing and email marketing services. If all you need is some training, I enjoy offering one-on-one training sessions as well. Of course, check out my free, email-based social media training course (you’ll get a free, 64-page Twitter ebook with it). Or, sign up for one of my social media audits to find out how you’re really doing.