Books & Things Thursday - Feliza Casano 'Social Media Networking for Writers'
Today's Guest Post is by Feliza Casano and she's going to tell us about using social media as a benefit to writers.
Welcome Feliza!!
There are lots of ways to promote your work when you get published. In our current market, staying connected to your readers can be incredibly important!
Here, we’ll discuss social networking, which can really change your writing platform and your audience in a number of ways.
Facebook Pages
One way to really kick-start your readership, especially if you’re published in small or online presses, is to create a Facebook Page.
Using the Facebook Pages application is a great way for any writers to put themselves out in the public light. You can use the application to share content and news updates, especially when you are getting published in online sources.
It’s also a great way to build a community with your friends and fans. Another great aspect is that many, many publishers have Facebook Pages, which you can share and promote to your friends and fans.
I’d recommend Facebook pages to all writers, especially those who are established and publishing. You can find me as a Facebook Page, too, where I post updates about writing and local events.
Twitter and Tweeting
Twitter is an obvious way to network with other writers. Here, you want to create an account for you as a writer so you can meet and Tweet with other writers!
Let your family, friends, and fans know about your Twitter account and start following others as well. Once you have a number of followers, make sure you post links to your work that has been published by others or your own blog, depending on what you do.
Figure out what Tweeters are influential in your sphere – possibly with websites like Klout, which measures how much influence specific people are on Twitter and Facebook in terms of content sharing – and make sure you follow them.
Once you’re following them, remember that Twitter is a conversation tool, not an online diary. Read tweets from people you follow, click on their links, and make sure you Tweet them back. It’s a great way to start conversing – and conversations make networks.
YouTube – what?
There are several ways to gain an audience – so you can try starting with YouTube.
Apart from blogging, many writers use YouTube videos to gain attention for their brand (which we talked about in previous slides.) Use a YouTube channel to create Vlogs, or video blogs, to talk about whatever topics interest you. It doesn’t hurt if those topics are related to what you write about, either!
One great example is Kaleb Nation, the author of the Bran Hambric series and the creator of such sensations as the blog TwilightGuy. Nation uses his video blog to keep in touch with a small legion of fans – and, if you check out his site, he’s been mentioned in publications like the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, and more.
Nation is one example of a guy who knows his way around social media – and you should learn your way around it too!
Conclusion
Social media isn’t for all writers, but it can benefit many. If you’re interested in reaching the young adult or middle grade market, you definitely need to hit social media! Authors including Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson and the Olympians fame) use a variety of social media to promote and gain new readership.
Of course, you don’t have to be a YA/MG writer to utilize social media. Figure out what works best for you and use social networking to your greatest advantage.
Feliza Casano majors in Communication with a concentration in journalism at the University of Toledo
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| Photo by Nick Kneer Social Media Networking for Writers |
Here, we’ll discuss social networking, which can really change your writing platform and your audience in a number of ways.
Facebook Pages
One way to really kick-start your readership, especially if you’re published in small or online presses, is to create a Facebook Page.
Using the Facebook Pages application is a great way for any writers to put themselves out in the public light. You can use the application to share content and news updates, especially when you are getting published in online sources.
It’s also a great way to build a community with your friends and fans. Another great aspect is that many, many publishers have Facebook Pages, which you can share and promote to your friends and fans.
I’d recommend Facebook pages to all writers, especially those who are established and publishing. You can find me as a Facebook Page, too, where I post updates about writing and local events.
Twitter and Tweeting
Twitter is an obvious way to network with other writers. Here, you want to create an account for you as a writer so you can meet and Tweet with other writers!
Let your family, friends, and fans know about your Twitter account and start following others as well. Once you have a number of followers, make sure you post links to your work that has been published by others or your own blog, depending on what you do.
Figure out what Tweeters are influential in your sphere – possibly with websites like Klout, which measures how much influence specific people are on Twitter and Facebook in terms of content sharing – and make sure you follow them.
Once you’re following them, remember that Twitter is a conversation tool, not an online diary. Read tweets from people you follow, click on their links, and make sure you Tweet them back. It’s a great way to start conversing – and conversations make networks.
YouTube – what?
There are several ways to gain an audience – so you can try starting with YouTube.
Apart from blogging, many writers use YouTube videos to gain attention for their brand (which we talked about in previous slides.) Use a YouTube channel to create Vlogs, or video blogs, to talk about whatever topics interest you. It doesn’t hurt if those topics are related to what you write about, either!
One great example is Kaleb Nation, the author of the Bran Hambric series and the creator of such sensations as the blog TwilightGuy. Nation uses his video blog to keep in touch with a small legion of fans – and, if you check out his site, he’s been mentioned in publications like the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, and more.
Nation is one example of a guy who knows his way around social media – and you should learn your way around it too!
Conclusion
Social media isn’t for all writers, but it can benefit many. If you’re interested in reaching the young adult or middle grade market, you definitely need to hit social media! Authors including Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson and the Olympians fame) use a variety of social media to promote and gain new readership.
Of course, you don’t have to be a YA/MG writer to utilize social media. Figure out what works best for you and use social networking to your greatest advantage.
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| Photo by Nick Kneer |