UPDATED VERSION MAY 2022 Do you hate marketing your book? Are you daunted by the task? Don't know where to start? Tired of hearing ALL the marketing you have to do to be a "real" author? Stop right here. You want to just write books. But you also want to sell books, quit your cube job, and be a full-time author. To do that, you absolutely must--no-way-around-it--market your book. But not the way you've been told. In this book, you will learn Why you need to be on social media - Who your reader really is - What an author platform is and how to build it - How to create compelling social media content - Which outlets and content work for you and which don't - How to plan your content and use a scheduler All of this to give you back more time in your day for writing. And you'll sell more books too. Jennifer Lovett Herbranson has been a communicator, marketer, teacher, and public relations professional since 2001. She has been quoted by top-tier media like the New York Times , CNN, FoxNews, NPR and Time Magazine . She has facilitated research opportunities for writers, professors, documentary filmmakers, and members of Congress. Since 2012, she has dedicated herself to learning, researching and testing book marketing methods and helped countless authors reexamine their efforts and become more successful. Consider these basic book marketing truths revealed in this book: You do not have to be on every social media outlet. - You do not have to post every single minute of every day. - You need a plan. Plans create efficiency. And effective plans grow your readership and give you time back in your day. Stop throwing spaghetti against the wall and wondering why nothing sticks. Let's get focused and develop your social media presence to build followers and turn them into readers. Social media is one strategy for book marketing, and this is the first book in the "For Writers Who Just Want to Write Series." Check out the rest, coming in 2019 and 2020 (on ads, email marketing, and more). "This book is for any writer looking to map their own journey to success." - Peggy Kageleiry, Public Relations and Online Marketing Specialist "Social Media for Authors must be in every author's back pocket! Not just a great resource but a new BEST friend! Writers at every level will take away new nuggets from this gem of a book." -- MK Meredith, bestselling author of the Cape Van Buren series and author of upcoming memoir "Not Your Usual Boob" I started Writer Nation because I envision of a world where every writer is an author first and a smart, savvy marketer second. Effective social media requires a defined, focused strategy, and I'm here to help you build it, starting with this book. INTRODUCTION Book marketing advice is available all over the internet, and most of it is so overwhelming that authors throw their hands up, scream, cry, give up, or just pay someone. You're on Facebook but not Twitter? - Post to Twitter six times a day! - Wait, Instagram is the place to be. - Why don't you have a blog or a YouTube channel or a podcast? - You must spend three hours a day marketing if you have a prayer of selling any books, because none of the Big Five publishers will take you without a platform. - Facebook Ads! Google Ads! Amazon Ads! - Get that email list up and running. - Your website must be revamped. - Do it all! Now! Are you tossing your papers and giving me the evil eye yet? If every author did everything on this list, no books would ever get written--or sold. Here's the deal: You do not have to do it all. You don't have to be on every platform, and you don't have to provide every type of content. What you do need to do is write a really good book (professionally edited with a professionally designed cover), build your platform, and find new followers or readers. You need to do the platform building quickly and efficiently. I'm here to help you market your book in an effective and focused way. You won't be spread out all over the place shooting darts. You'll focus your energy on a social media platform you enjoy, and develop the content you like. Why Listen to Me? Because I've spent my entire career in marketing and communications, and I care about your success. I want you to have the skills to market your books without wanting to die doing it. I wrote this book because I want to help writers feel less overwhelmed, and I have years of experience and education to back it up What Could You Possibly Get Here You Can't Get Elsewhere? Honestly, most of what you'll find in this book is scattered all over the internet. But do you have hours to comb through all that and figure out what really works? I know you'd rather be writing. So, I dug through the mountain of data, tested my own ideas, and applied what I know to design this book. It gives a new or struggling author a good foundation to establish a community on social media. This foundation will increase your followers, find your readers, an