Social Media for Indie Authors

Social media has become part of our daily lives: we scroll through Twitter for the latest hot takes, cheque Instagram for our friends' Stories, click over to Facebook for more than updates, rinse and repeat. Naturally, it'due south one of the places to be if you're an author who wants to constitute your brand, promote your work, and connect with readers and fellow creatives!

In this all-inclusive guide to social media for writers, we'll cover everything yous need to know: how to cull which platform(s) to prioritize, build your following, and ultimately utilize social media to market your book. Allow's start with the question of which platform, then continue to provide detailed tips and instance studies from authors who have used each of them successfully.

Which platform(s) should y'all choose?

As Ricardo Fayet notes in his 2021 guide How to Market a Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market place , a key tenet of book marketing is non trying to do everything. Instead, focus on but one or ii effective marketing channels. This is especially relevant to social media, which offers then many platforms for different audiences.

Then how practice y'all option the all-time social platforms for yous equally a author? First and foremost, consider your target audience. Where are they near probable to "hang out" on the Net?

👍🏽 Facebook remains the most popular social network in the world, with nearly 200 million active users in the U.s.. Its cadre user base of operations is young, perhaps surprisingly and then (65% under 35), and skews male (57%). Information also suggests that virtually half of Facebook users vest to a Facebook Group, which is good for authors who wish to market place this fashion — and as nosotros hash out below, it'south also one of the best platforms for writer ads.

🤳 Instagram has 120 one thousand thousand active users in the The states, 70% of whom are under 35, with an even gender split. Perhaps most notably for those looking to build an enthusiastic following, Instagram engagement is through the roof — 1% across all industry brands (which might seem low, until yous compare it to Facebook's 0.25% and Twitter's 0.08%).

🖼 Pinterest, the other big image-sharing platform, has about 100 million users in the US. A whopping 30.4% of these users are women aged 25-34 — for context, this group makes up about 17% of Instagram users and thirteen% of Facebook users. If that's your target audience, do keep Pinterest in listen.

🐦 Twitter has fewer active users than the other major platforms here — 68 million in the US, about 62% male — as it's primarily meant for sharing news and ideas, rather than as a purely social app. But it boasts a dedicated user base and is very popular amongst writers, who tend to prefer platforms that focus on the written discussion.

Other factors to consider

All that said, numbers aren't everything. You should also think about which platform(s) would best serve your author "brand", too as how you like to connect with people online.

To get a sense of the old, look at writers and authors similar to you lot. Which platforms do they belong to, what kind of content do they mail service, and what is their appointment like? Be sure to follow them if you haven't already! Non just can they inspire your content, but interacting with them may help you increment your own follower count.

As for the 2d, the platforms you currently belong to are a adept clue. Do you like sharing photos and fun graphics on Instagram? Practice you enjoy spirited discourse on Twitter? See yourself getting involved in Facebook Groups to gain readers? Though personal preference isn't as important every bit access to your target audition, information technology could be the deciding bespeak if yous're stuck.

And so long equally you lot don't focus all your efforts on a platform that's totally incongruous to your work — for example, spending ten hours a 24-hour interval on Pinterest when you're written a dumbo history book for retired men — there are always means to optimize a platform for your purposes.

Which is exactly what nosotros'll be talking most adjacent! Feel free to skip ahead to your platform of choice using the tabular array of contents to your left. Otherwise, enjoy the social caricature 👩🏻‍💻

Past far the biggest social network in the game, Facebook is an excellent choice for writers who want all the spacious content of their own website without having to maintain it independently — or who already have plenty of friends on Facebook who they can channel into this new effort.

You tin certainly promote yourself and your work from your personal Facebook account, but Facebook makes it piece of cake to create a specialized Author Page or Facebook Group for your fans. To do this, click the + symbol in the upper-right corner of Facebook and select which one you want:

An Author Page is what most writers have. This allows yous to write posts, add together photos and videos, and create a sidebar that stays with users every bit they curl — basically, the Facebook equivalent of an Amazon Author Page. Fans can "like" and follow your page for updates, comment on posts, and even message y'all, just they can't post content on the page itself.
If you'd similar to foster more of a community spirit, consider creating a Facebook Group. With a Group, your followers can postal service their own content, which allows them to forge stronger connections with one another. The downside is that you'll have to moderate everything that'south posted, which tin be difficult to manage fifty-fifty with a pocket-size post-obit!

In short: we'd recommend creating an Author Page, but feel gratis to endeavor a Grouping if your followers are engaged enough to keep it agile (and yous have time to moderate information technology). Whichever style you get, here are some more tips to help you get the about out of Facebook as a writer.

Tips for authors on Facebook

🤔 Post thoughtful, long-ish content. Mixing blog-like posts with short condition updates seems to work well for about Facebook users. Talk about your 24-hour interval, your new projects, and and so on — keep it personal, interesting, and non too long (200-300 words is plenty).

Not quite certain how to approach writing for social media? Maybe these tips on how to write better can give y'all a head start.

🔗 Accept advantage of link sharing on Facebook. Unlike Instagram, Facebook lets you postal service clickable external links to your heart's content. Make certain to go on the most important links (like the link to purchase your volume, cough cough!) in that scrolling sidebar.

📲 Create vertical videos for better engagement. If y'all post your ain videos on Facebook, take them vertically on your phone, as vertical videos generate 40% more date than landscape ones.

🕑 Don't spend all your time on your own page! Be sure to follow other authors on Facebook and join writing groups to chat and commiserate. And while you shouldn't spam people to follow your page, you lot can brand it easier to observe; set it to "public" and add a link in your personal business relationship details.

Case study: Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult'southward Author Page is fix beautifully. It features colorful, professional profile and cover photos, the latter of which promotes Picoult's latest releases. She posts new feed content on a regular basis — a mix of interviews, personal updates, and reshared videos.

Picoult besides posts most exciting author events and giveaways, and asks questions to continue fans engaged. Two more clever touches on her Writer Page are the "Sign Up" push at the top, which takes you to her mailing list folio, and the "Rating" in the sidebar: v stars with over 500 reviews vouching for Picoult's work. Anyone who finds this folio can immediately tell she's an accomplished author, and will quickly figure out where to find her books.

Gratis form: Facebook Ads for Authors

Harness the single almost powerful advertising platform for authors and start selling more books today.

Twitter for authors

Twitter is the only social network to prioritize text over visuals, which obviously appeals to the majority of writers. If y'all're passionate about discussion, Twitter is the identify to be — though you'll want to make sure your readers are there too!

And if yous're not on Twitter already, at that place'south no amend time to join: the platform grew 27% from 2019 to 2020 alone. It's fairly intuitive and easy to discover your niche past looking upwards boyfriend writers and relevant keywords (subgenres, book titles, other authors' names, etc.). Read on for more than Twitter tips!

Tips for authors on Twitter

✍🏾 Participate in writing and author trends. Check out the #amwriting hashtag to see what others are working on, accept part in fun writer trends (like this one for describing your volume), and brand sure you're following the #pitchwars activity each summer — peculiarly if you're hoping to nab a literary agent at some signal!

🤹‍♀️ But don't exist afraid to juggle other topics. While it can be adept to specialize on some platforms, Twitter is not ane of them; it'southward designed for you to dip in and out of different spheres. Don't postal service about things that are totally disparate or inappropriate, merely feel gratuitous to talk near the news, pop civilisation, and fifty-fifty politics every bit y'all see fit.

👀 Do embrace reveals and sneak peeks. Twitter is great for spreading buzz about new releases, since others can not only similar and comment, just besides retweet your large announcements. And once again, different on Instagram, you can include direct links to pre-order or purchase your book.

🤝 Appoint, engage, engage. It'south essential on any platform, only peculiarly on Twitter, where dialogue is everything. Answer to other people's Tweets, compliment their piece of work, and claiming things you don't hold with (while remaining every bit civil as possible). Finally, encourage your own followers to engage with yous! Post polls and other "grabby" content, and endeavor to respond to all questions and comments.

Instance study: Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert, author of multiple bestselling romance novels, does a fantastic job of promoting their work and engaging with their followers in an authentic way. In terms of presentation, Hibbert'southward contour picture is a grin shut-up, their header features the heart-catching cover of their newest release, and their bio is the perfect blend of playful and informative:

NYT & USAT bestselling author of 17 sexy diverse romances. Cookie enthusiast. She/he/they. Repped by @millercallihan. Contact talia@taliahibbert.com 🏳️‍🌈 🥄 🦓

Looking through their Tweets, you'll run into they clearly love their readers and express joyous appreciation for compliments and fanworks (such as these Spotify playlists made by a fan for each of the Brown Sisters romances). Nevertheless, Hibbert doesn't limit themselves to reader interactions and book talk, also posting thoughtfully virtually social issues — such as how to combat racism and ableism — also equally the occasional funny video, exemplifying just the right rest for any 21st century author.

Instagram for authors

For writers looking to stay hip with the youths (nosotros hope the irony of this sentence is self-evident), a advisedly cultivated Instagram account is a must. The good news is that Instagram is really pretty easy to access and use, and you definitely don't need to be posting on all of Instagram'southward different channels constantly.

For those who are hazy on these features, hither's a quick rundown:

Posts are the good old-fashioned content Instagram'southward ever had. Most accounts publish 2-3 posts per calendar week, which appear on the main Instagram feed and their profiles.
Stories are temporary pieces of content that announced for but 24 hours. In addition to images and videos, authors can also post interactive content similar polls, quizzes, and countdowns (to your book launch, for example). You can likewise create Story Highlights that remain on your profile permanently, for important topics where yous take more than 10 pieces of content to share (10 is the limit for regular posts).
Reels are a contempo addition to Instagram, allowing users to create snappy videos upward to 30 seconds each, in the vein of TikTok.
IGTV is for longer, more thoughtfully produced video content — Q&As, in-depth commentary, etc. — that runs i-15 minutes long. These videos appear under the IGTV tab on your profile, and yous can even add them to an ongoing series on a topic.
Finally, Guides are lengthy Story-like content that users can tap through to become data on a topic. Guide Types include Places, Products, and Posts — so for example, if you had washed setting research for a volume, you might promote it by posting a Identify Guide to that surface area.

Now that you (hopefully) understand the v major forms of Instagram content, let'southward talk specific tactics for writers.

Tips for authors on Instagram

🤓 Remember reader-first. Instagram is a reader's paradise, #bookstagram beingness the massive subculture that it is. And so while you can connect with fellow authors on IG, yous'll want to tailor your strategy more to readers. Consider creating videos, Story Highlights, Guides that tie into literary content, and relate them dorsum to your own work in a fun way!

🎁 Host giveaways. On a similar note, Instagram is the perfect place to do giveaways: people get a clear visual sense of what you're offering, and you lot'll likely gain quite a few followers and comments because engagement is so high. Try offer up a free copy of your book, another author's book, or whatever your followers are interested in.

📖 Make the about of Stories. Many people underestimate Stories, just they're the best way to build a rapport with your followers! Once more, whatsoever kind of interactive content is expert for this. Consider creating Story templates so your Stories have an immediately recognizable brand, and remember to save your best ones equally Story Highlights.

💯 Higher up all, keep it existent. Instagram has a reputation for existence "false" — what with all the heavily edited photos, ghostwritten captions, etc. — so it's best to sidestep the label, unilateral and untrue though it is, by being every bit hostage as possible. Give your followers what they really want: to get to know the existent y'all!

Instance study: Jia Tolentino

One person you should definitely be following on Instagram is Jia Tolentino. For those who don't know, she literally wrote the book on the pitfalls of digital self-delusion, and so it makes sense that her online presence would exist refreshingly genuine and lovely.

Indeed, though Tolentino posts her fair share of impressive photos, her feed and Stories never feel overly polished or pretentious. She balances professional news and topical content with personal updates, allowing readers to feel informed on both popular culture and her actual life.

Observant 'grammers volition also note that Tolentino doesn't use IGTV or Reels — proof that you don't need to use every feature on a social platform in society to succeed. If you'd rather focus on day-to-day snapshots and eloquent captions, you lot have our permission to stick to your strengths.

Pinterest for authors

Ah, Pinterest: a haven for the craft- and literature-obsessed akin. This platform, which allows you to create your own themed virtual corkboards, has been described as a "non-social" social network: most users just brand their boards and add to them independently, without needing to interact with other users.

As a result, Pinterest is the ideal platform for authors who want to tap into readers' cravings for visual content — as they might on Instagram — but without the force per unit area of having to constantly engage. And as y'all might look, Pinterest works best for writers whose works have a distinctive artful, especially science fiction and fantasy stories. It's a marvelous platform for bringing your vision to life, allowing yous to choose from a vast ocean of possibilities.

If that sounds correct up your aisle, hither are some tips to give you lot the Pinterest assist!

Tips for authors on Pinterest

💼 Get a Business business relationship. It'southward complimentary to convert your regular Pinterest account into a Business organisation business relationship, and it offers many useful features: analytics, advertizement direction, and more than. Fifty-fifty if you only intend to use Pinterest casually, it'south even so worth getting the free Business organization business relationship, as it allows you to have a cover photo.

📌 Utilise Rich Pins for products and articles. Rich Pins are Pins with information attached that click through to an external page, like the sales page for your volume or a weblog post you've written. Rich Pins are great for previewing content you lot've posted elsewhere, and many authors employ them to promote their free and discounted books!

📥 Pay attending to your inbox. Though Pinterest isn't nearly as demanding as other social platforms, users are able to message you and ship you Pins. Check your inbox (Pinbox?) one time a week, but to be sure you're non missing anything.

🎉 Have fun with it! Business organisation features notwithstanding, every bit an author you probably won't practise almost of your business on Pinterest — so have fun experimenting with different Pins, and don't exist shy about adding new content to your boards. Fifty-fifty if you tin't articulate why you similar a sure Pivot, better to save information technology now so you can find it again later.

Case report: Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is conspicuously on meridian of her Pinterest game, and anyone who's read her "Tsarpunk" Grishaverse books will recognize their aesthetics, settings, and themes in these Pins. From bespoke boards for her stories The Demon in the Forest and The Language of Thorns to boards for Russian-inspired clothing and places, Bardugo's Pinterest content provides both inspiration for her as an author and insight for readers into her process.

Note, however, that she doesn't force herself to stick solely to literary aesthetics, and has an extensive board of dwelling house decor ideas also. Like Twitter, Pinterest is a great place to attempt new things; take your cue from Bardugo and pivot whatever strikes your fancy. Even if information technology's not related to your writing, readers will enjoy the sneak peek into your personal life.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are the biggest author-friendly social media platforms, but they're not the just ones out there. Here are 5 more slightly "niche" platforms you might consider and what they accept to offer writers.

🧭 Reedsy Discovery

Reedsy Discovery is a book review, recommendation, and discussion platform that'south perfect for the literary-minded. As an writer, you tin submit your book for review and receive a customizable author page to assistance promote your book, mail service personal updates (including reader polls and book recommendations), and keep runway of who you collaborate with on the platform.

It'due south a fantastic place to connect both with other authors (peculiarly indie authors!) and with readers, who enjoy the cutting-edge recommendations and meaningful engagement over what they love most: books. Discovery is definitely a boon for authors who want readers' optics and early on reviews, and for readers who require connection and smooth functionality in their social reading platforms (compared to, say, the next site on this list).

Sound intriguing? Click here to learn more well-nigh submitting your book to Reedsy Discovery.

📚 Goodreads

Every author should merits their contour and books on Goodreads for verification purposes, but y'all might consider using Goodreads for social media as well. Its primal advantage, like Discovery, is that it's tailored to authors and readers. Readers can also encounter when you add together any information nigh your upcoming volume(s), as well as any reviews you lot write.

The downside is that it takes a lot of work to build your following on Goodreads alone. Roxane Gay, for example, has managed information technology by releasing several books and writing tons of reviews… but her circumstances, past her ain admission, are unusually conducive to productivity.

This is why nosotros more often than not recommend having Goodreads as an author and posting occasional updates, only not making it one of your chief social platforms, every bit most authors volition find it's too much work. Withal, if you lot love writing book reviews, it could be worth a shot!

👩🏻‍💻 Tumblr

Tumblr is the classic "fandom" platform: a place where people have long congregated to celebrate their favorite Television shows, movies, and of class, books. Many well-known authors have maintained their own Tumblr accounts over the years, reblogging Pinterest-like aesthetic posts, talking virtually their writing, and responding to lucky fans (leading to occasional gems like this.)

Tumblr has recently fallen by the wayside but there's still a stiff fan presence on the site. If you already apply Tumblr, definitely try posting your ain work for your followers; it could exist the perfect opportunity to gain relevant readers. And even if you lot're starting fresh on Tumblr, you tin try getting involved in fandoms yourself — if nothing else, you'll meet a ton of people who are similarly passionate virtually books.

📺 YouTube

Y'all might think nosotros'd have mentioned YouTube before in this guide, given its substantial user base of operations. Just truth be told, it's non an ideal social network for about authors, mainly considering information technology's tough to churn out consistently engaging long-grade videos about your writing.

That said, information technology's keen for readers — by which we hateful BookTubers and the people who picket them. As on Goodreads, if you honey reviewing books, yous might endeavor to build a YouTube post-obit based on that. But you probably won't have much luck coming at information technology solely from a writer'southward perspective — non to mention that producing regular YouTube videos takes a ridiculous amount of work, much more than than just snapping a few Stories a day.

👯‍♀️ TikTok

If you're interested in creating videos to boost your brand, TikTok might be your all-time bet: information technology's the latest platform designed for artistic brusque-form video content, and it's diddled up over the past couple of years. While nigh pop content remains wacky and meme-based, BookTok is a steadily growing faction that could easily go the literary hub of the future.

For at present, TikTok remains in the same category as YouTube — good for readers, not and so much for writers — simply it's worth keeping an heart on, and could be fun to experiment with as an author. Past nature of its novelty, whatever you do as a writer on TikTok will exist breaking new ground; if you get it right, you could become 1 of the platform's pioneers.

Finally, if maintaining an organic social media presence of whatever kind feels similar a lot of work (which, to be fair, it is!), consider taking the "organic" function out of the equation and instead creating paid ads on social media to help new readers find your books.

Running ads on Facebook is one of the best ways for authors looking to acquire readers they otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. We recommend reading this guide to Facebook ads, which will take you through everything yous demand to know about the platform for ad-using authors. Or you tin can aggrandize your range past trying Amazon ads and BookBub ads for your book — both of which are excellent for targeted ads, every bit the people on those platforms are already looking for new things to read!

Whether you lot aim for organic growth or paid ads on social media, it'south going to take some work to succeed. Simply once you find the right platform(s), get situated within your niche, and perchance even beginning making some friends, you should find it's non so much a drag equally an exciting new claiming — and could even turn into a lifelong hobby. Here's to you and your book going viral! 🥂