Social Media and Authors

If you spend any time reading about being an author, you’ve heard this over and over: you must have a social media presence or a publisher won’t touch you. Well, for starters, that simply isn’t true. If a publisher likes your work and thinks it can sell, then lack of a social media presence won’t kill the deal. But, yes, having a social media presence is important. The real question isn’t whether or not you should have a social media presences, it’t to what degree should you dedicate your time in doing so.

What will be your social media presence? Social media sites come and go. Remember My Space? It isn’t exactly the top of the heap like it used to be. Facebook is still a powerhouse, but younger people seem to be drawn to other sites instead, such as Twitter or Snapchat. Make sure your presence is on the social media sites that your target audience will likely be using, but be able to adapt to the changing times. It is also a good idea to have a presence on more than one site.

As far as your time, how much you spend on social media is a personal choice. However, keep in mind, every minute you are on social media, you are not writing. That can be a downside. Another big downside is social media is a time-sucker. Being plugged into your smartphone all day long it’s easy to check your Twitter feed or your Facebook status every few minutes. It only takes a few seconds, right? Add it up, and by the end of the day social media has sucked dozens of minutes (if not hours) from you.

It is important to balance the amount of time you put into social media with what you get out of it. If you spend an hour each day posting, tweeting, and blogging, but you’re still not getting any publishers to take notice, you might want to think about reducing your time commitment to social media. Social media isn’t for everyone. Maybe an author website that you update once a month coupled with either Facebook or Twitter that you post on every other day, or every third day, or once a week is a better use of your social media time. On the other side of the coin, if you have thousands of followers, social media can be a great tool for reaching out to your audience. In that case, maybe you should consider spending more time on social media. Look at your personal situation, and decide what is right for you and where your time is best spent.

Tin Whiskers Publisher is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). IBPA’s mission is “to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success.” IBPA is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community. Founded in 1983, it is the largest publishing trade organization in the United States. IBPA members pledge to uphold the organization’s code of ethics.