Avoid Social Media Time Suck Archives - Social Media Just for Writers

How to Sell More Books with Less Social Media with Chris Syme

September 18, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

Last week, Chris Syme of CKSyme Media Group was my guest on Conversations with Frances. The hour-long webinar was wide-ranging but mostly focused on Chris’s belief that social media needn’t be time consuming as long as you have goal-focused strategies.

Here are a few notes from the webinar. Be sure to watch the video to hear all of Chris’s advice and suggestions.

The best ways to use social media to sell books: Use social media wisely. Social media is just another tool; a community-based tool that has revolutionized everything. It is a powerful tool for both sales and engagement. It’s the only tool that does that.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – September 15, 2017

September 15, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update contains six posts that should kick your book marketing up a few notches. Notable posts are from Dave Chesson, Writer Unboxed, and Jane Friedman.

Well we are seeing summer come to a close. I feel for the people in the wake of hurricane Harvey and Irma. Locally, it can be sunny and hot one day and the next we have lightning, thunder, and rain. Summer is definitely ending on a tumultuous note.

Indie Author Update

Book Advertising – Free Amazon Marketing Services Course by Dave Chesson: “As many of you have heard, advertising your book on Amazon Marketing Services or AMS has become one the best ways for authors to get their book discovered and even thrive in a crowded Amazon market. Through AMS, you can now choose when and where you want your book to show up on Amazon – anywhere in search results or even next to another book on their own sales page.”

What’s More Important: Author Websites or Social Media? by Jane Friedman: “In 2013, I observed a conversation on Twitter where a publisher said they didn’t believe in author websites “for a lot of authors”—that social was a better place for authors to spend time from a marketing perspective. It bothered me, and I ended up writing a blog post about it, exploring why a publisher might think this—rightly or wrongly.”

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – August 25, 2017

August 25, 2017 By Frances Caballo 2 Comments

Today’s Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts from Jane Friedman, David Baer, Hugh Howey, Social Media Examiner, and the Alliance of Independent Authors. Topics range from Facebook to email marketing to tools for writers.

The eclipse is over and summer is nearing its end. What are your goals for the fall? Whatever they might be, I with you the best with your writing.

23 Powerful Ways To Connect With Your Audience on SocialMedia from David Baer: “Perhaps you’ve suffered from thinking “Who cares what I had for breakfast?” – or maybe you’ve just wanted to retain a sense of privacy and not share the small details of your life with the world.”

Writing Insights Part One: Becoming a Writer from Hugh Howey: “I started writing my first novel when I was twelve years old. I was thirty-three when I completed my first rough draft. That’s twenty years of wanting to do something and not knowing how. Twenty years of failure and frustrations and giving up. A big part of the problem is that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t know which questions to ask, much less who might have the answers.”

How to Set Up a Creative Facebook Cover Video from Social Media Examiner: “When users visit your page, your Facebook cover photo is one of the first things they’ll notice. For new visitors, your cover photo can help represent your brand and portray your story in just a few seconds. It only makes sense that a short video can accomplish this better than a still photo.”

Best Tools of the Self-Publishing Trade: Running An Author Business from Alliance of Independent Authors: “What tool is indispensable when it comes to running your author business? Jay Artale consulted with ALLi members to find out the writing and self-publishing tools they couldn’t do without. Here’s her roundup of the software, tools, and services they use and recommend.”

MailChimp Alternatives for Authors from Jane Friedman: “When authors ask me for marketing advice, one of my first questions for them is: “Do you have a mailing list?” Too often, the author will say no. So my first piece of advice tends to be: Sign up to MailChimp and set up your mailing list.”

5 Ways to Use Facebook Pinned Posts to Hook Fans from Chris Syme: “Facebook pinned posts are the most underused piece of real estate on your Facebook page. They have the ability to entice people to walk in your door. But let’s start with why. It’s all about the numbers.

Quote of the Week

Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.

Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web

Get a free copy of Avoid Social Media Time Suck from Smashwords!

SaveSave

Indie Author Weekly Update – August 18, 2017

August 18, 2017 By Frances Caballo 1 Comment

Today’s installment of the Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts on websites, discoverability, productivity, and SEO. I hope you enjoy the posts and the practical information below.

As the month inches to a close and can feel as though summer is slipping through our fingers. Where I live, at least, warm weather can surprise us in September or October and that’s what I’m hoping for. Let summer last as long as possible!

Indie Author Updates

Discoverability: Go Wide by Joel Friedlander: “We often talk about the absolute necessity of making our books discoverable to readers. I started writing about discoverability as a key to success in online bookstores in 2011. But what does it really mean? This question most often leads to a discussion about book metadata, a field all indie authors come to understand, if only when they go to upload their book files to a retailer and are faced with a long form to fill out.”

Online Author Etiquette: 12 Laws of the Amazon Jungle from Anne R. Allen: “After I wrote my post last month on cyberbullying in the publishing community, a lot of people asked if there’s any way to avoid these online terrorists. I wrote a post on the subject back in 2013, soon after my nightmare encounter with the Goodreads Mean Girls, who attacked me with everything from one-star “review” swarms to death threats that included pictures of my house.”

6 Common Sense Steps to Secure a WordPress Website from Jane Friedman: “I almost was that next victim. In 2012 I was targeted by a botnet that attacked WordPress sites. I never lost control of my site, but I did spend quite a few hours fighting them off. I had to learn the hard way that securing a site before you encounter a problem can prevent a lot of panic, but you don’t have to make my mistake.”

11 Top Tools To Monitor Your Social Media Presence In 2017 from Adam Connell at Blogging Wizard: “Been blogging for a while and not making any real impact? Even though you have the best of intentions, you seem to have no eyes on your blog, no subscribers, and very few social media followers. Starting a blog and growing your blog are two different things. When starting a blog you have to find your niche, research hosting plans, figure out WordPress, create content and finally get your theme and website up and running. But, then the next thing is getting people to your blog.”

The definitive guide to SEO for authors by Nathan Bransford: “What if there was a way to virtually guarantee your book hits all the bestseller lists without being a “big name” author or buying your way onto the lists? Sound impossible? People have done it. And here’s the secret… You need to build an AUDIENCE of people ready to pre-order your book. It’s the exact strategy that Tim Ferriss used to become a four-time New York Times best seller. In this article (NB note: written by SEO expert Michael Tesalona) we’ll break down exactly how it’s done. Spoiler alert: you’ll need to get very good at blogging and SEO.”

4 Social Media Productivity Tips for Authors by Frances Caballo from TheBookDesigner.com: “Every writer’s dream is to publish a book that soars in popularity and sells oodles of copies. And perhaps every writer’s nightmare is learning how to market a book and then doing the marketing. What’s a writer to do? It’s like the chicken and the egg quandary – which came first? Well, in the world of publishing, the marketing starts before the book is finished. The idea for the book comes first, followed by the simultaneous acts of marketing and writing, and finally the book appears on virtual shelves, followed by even more marketing.”

Quote of the Week

Practical tips for marketing your books on the social web

Save time with Avoid Social Media time Suck!

Have You Seen These Social Media Changes? Part II

July 31, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

Last week I wrote about several social media changes, namely to Facebook and Twitter. Today I continue the discussion.

Let’s start the discussion with Twitter Moments.

Changes to Twitter

Initially a feature for news organizations, Twitter Moments are now available for everyone to use.

This is how to get started:

Go to your Moments tab, located between Home and Notifications on the taskbar. (Look for the lightning symbol.) Give your Moment a title by clicking Title your Moment. Then add a description, and upload an image to set the cover. Then, select some tweets you’ve sent, liked, or retweeted. Once you’ve completed your moment, click Publish in the top left-hand corner. (Note: Be sure to crop your photos right on Twitter for mobile navigation.)

I created a simple moment that includes a tweet about book patches, the Hay Festival in Segovia, Spain, news about the Pulitzer Prize winning The Underground Railroad (read it and loved it!), and two more tweets.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Update – July 28, 2017

July 28, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Update includes posts from Chris Well, Penny Sansevieri, Buffer, Social Media Examiner, Book Riot, and Authority Pub. Topics range from email lists to using Facebook as a substitute for a book club to Amazon ads. The topics are diverse this week.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re enjoying the summer and finding pockets of inspiration wherever you are.

18 Experts: Why Every Author Needs an Email by Chris Well: “Despite all the tools available for promoting your books and building your author presence online, it would be a mistake to discount the value of a healthy email list. Building a list of email subscribers allows you to engage with your readers, drive new book sales, and insure your author platform against inevitable changes in search engines and social networks. Don’t believe me? Here are 18 influencers–including authors, bloggers, podcasters, and other online teachers–who explain why you need an email list.”

[Read more…]

Have you seen these changes on Facebook and Twitter?

July 24, 2017 By Frances Caballo 1 Comment

Social media is always evolving. It changes, retracts, expands, and moves on.

The only constant about social media is that it never stays the same. New features are added and redesigns occur. Keep reading to find out what’s new on Facebook and Twitter.

Remember when Facebook didn’t have a timeline? Instead it had five small images across what it now known as a timeline and small avatar off to the left. Before that, Facebook was known as Thefacebook and other than the brand color, the early version of Facebook is virtually unrecognizable.

[Read more…]

Indie Author Weekly Updates – June 21, 2017

July 21, 2017 By Frances Caballo Leave a Comment

This week’s Indie Author Weekly Update includes posts from Helen Sedwick, Jane Friedman, Penny Sansevieri, Joel Friedman, and Orna Ross. You’ll find posts about piracy, resources for authors, marketing, and top blog posts for the first half of 2017.

Why the picture of the Labrador retriever pup above? We’re now in the dog days of summer. How are you spending them? (I’m just trying to stay cool!)

Indie Author Update

Digital Piracy & Illegal Downloads: Author Options by Helen Sedwick from BookWorks: “Sooner or later, every author suffers that dreadful experience of finding websites offering free illegal downloads of her book. For most of us, our first reaction to such digital piracy is to send a nasty email or better yet, hire an attorney to write one for us. After all, someone is stealing our work! Wait! Before you pay hard-earned money to an attorney, let’s look at less expensive options.”

[Read more…]