Well, you finally got your book published after years of work. Today is the day. You get your blog going, a twitter account up and running and a Facebook fan page going and wallah!!!! – nothing happens (Click for audio of crickets in the background…)
Below is a clip of Chris Brogan, a very great social marketing expert, talking about how authors can use social media to promote their books.
You need to wait for the right opportunity to introduce your book to people in social media just like in real life. You cannot just come out and say “I am the author of this great book!” Its like walking into a Starbucks and walking up to a table of three people you don’t know and without saying hi or anything else, you say “I am the author of this great book!” ummmmm – Security!
Take time to be in conversations, build relationships and trust. Then when your new contacts are interested in you, they will then ask, “Hey, what do you do?” – “Well, I am the author of this great book!” – “Oh yeah, tell me more….” – now doesn’t that seem like it will work a little better.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Very helpful advice to both authors and publishers in the ever changing publishing landscape. Buyers are getting smarter by the day. So, authors should not set out to canvass. They should rather converse. They need to attract and build meaningful conversations around their books.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you. This is especially helpful for new authors that do not have a following yet. Some publishers are requiring a solid social media presence be in place BEFORE the book goes to print to have an audience on day one.