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How To Interact On Facebook As An Author

By on January 26, 2017
How To Interact On Facebook As An Author - Writer's Life.org

Oh, Facebook - a handy communication tool or a confusing nightmare? For some authors, it can be a bit of both.

We all know that if we want to increase our audiences, communicate with our readers and find more opportunities to promote our work, then Facebook is a handy way to do so.

However promoting oneself and connecting with readers on any social media platform can be tricky. You want to say ‘hey everyone, read my book - it’s GREAT’  - without actually saying that at all.

Getting the balance right between talking about your work, giving little insights your personal life, and sharing useful or interesting pieces of information takes practice and a bit of trial and error to see what works best for you.

Your author page is a business

It’s important to make sure that you run your Facebook author page as a business, which means not in the same way you would run your personal Facebook profile. Be careful about what you comment on or like or share - your fans will be able to see this, and so will everyone else. Be professional but also warm and friendly, think about what you would genuinely like to see on an author page that you are interested in - look up some well-known authors and see what they have done for inspiration.

If you are going to run a Facebook ad, make it amazing

Facebook ads can be a useful way of reaching out to new audiences and promoting your work. If you are going to run a Facebook advert then really work hard to make it as useful as possible. Think about your target audience and message, and what you want people to do when they see your ad - make it obvious, have a clear aim and then think about how to make it as eye-catching and exciting as possible.

Make Facebook work for you

Some authors simply can’t get their heads around Facebook and find the whole thing entirely annoying. Try to make life easier for yourself and use the settings to help control what you see and get alerted to. You can create a list of SEE FIRST accounts to have more control over what you see on your feed. If you are careful about which links you click on you are less likely to get annoying Facebook ads popping up all over your page. Don’t invite controversy with your posts unless you are up for the debate and able to take the consequences!

Be human about it

Always answer any questions or comments you get (unless abusive in which case it is better just to ignore or report them). If someone shares something, you have written - thank them. People want to know that there is a face behind your ‘brand’ so make sure you show it from time to time. The more your popularity builds, the more readers will want to get to know the ‘real you’ so make sure you are willing to let them in.

Interacting on Facebook as an author can feel daunting, confusing or just a little annoying. However, doing right it can bring you new readers and build up your fanbase, so it is worth giving it a go, and hopefully these tips will help!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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