Getting Social
In part three we are going to address getting social. There are numerous ways to "get social" but in this context, we are talking about using social media and other platforms to get feedback on the contents of your book. This can include anything from the design of your book cover, to the title, and snippets of your content. That is called Social Publishing. There is also Beta Publishing. We will discuss both below.
What is Social Publishing?
Social publishing is the art of publishing content in ways that allow people to respond and give feedback (think of the comments section of a blog). Implied is the social aspect involved in this type of sharing–the potential to build relationships based on responsiveness. It includes social media posting.
What is Beta Publishing?
Beta readers who sign up to read your book through a digital e-commerce platform provide their e-mail address as part of the process. Use these contacts to increase your e-mail marketing list and to ask for feedback.
Social and beta publishing or posting is a fantastic way to test how well your book will
resonate with readers before you publish it. Many authors are understandably eager
to get their books to publication, but you can learn a lot about who your audience is
before publishing your book by social or beta publishing it first. You may find out that
your actual audience isn’t who you first suspected.
Social and beta publishing offer risk opportunities to get help with design
problems, plot gaps, formatting issues, and any number of other concerns from
reader feedback.
You can upload your book in places that allow you to publish, remove, revise, and republish in just minutes. This enables you to perfect your manuscript before you commit to publication and grow your author platform as you perfect it, making for even better results in the long run.
All you have to do is start sharing stories and drafts of your book ahead of time.
Social and beta publishing should be fun.
It’s about:
- Creating a community around your interests and your work
- Aligning yourself with other writers
- Making friends and important connections
- Obtaining feedback
- Testing the market
your writing in front of readers and your future book buyers during your book
development phase.
1. Blogging
Blogging is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do. While your blog
serves the purpose of testing your subject matter, it also works as a built-in way to
market your book before it's published and to start to build traction for your author
website.
By the time your book actually is ready to publish, you’ll have an established
readership ready and waiting on your author website. Try to publish a few blog posts
a week, and track results with Google Analytics or another analytical platform.
Analytics will tell you how many unique visitors you're getting each day, and how
many people are engaged (i.e. commenting or sharing) on your blog. It will also tell
you where your readers are coming from so you can identify your most popular
market.
2. Wattpad
Wattpad is a popular sharing site that is growing at a phenomenal rate. It turns
reading into a social experience, tapping into a global audience of millions of readers.
There are also inline commenting capabilities that allow readers to share their thoughts
and interact with your story while they’re reading it, providing you with valuable
feedback.
3. Scribd
With Scribd you can upload your story to share and make it public or private. People
can rate it and comment on it, serving as a platform for a virtual writing group. You
can even sell your stories or completed books. Scribd also provides a document
preview widget that you can embed in your author website.
4. Social Media
Social Media is a powerful platform for sharing bits and pieces about your book with the goal in mind to build a tribe of followers.
5. Your Website and Author Landing Page
Be sure to create a page on your website where someone can read about your book. As you get ready to publish, be sure to add the correct link to the book, ie. Amazon or Ingram Spark.
Take a look at BookLaunch.io to quickly and easily build a very attractive landing page for your book. This platform simplifies email list building, sharing videos, easy social sharing as well as gain insight on those coming to your page.
6. Video
Video is a powerful way to share your knowledge and reach new audiences. Posted on social media, your website, blog, YouTube and more you expand your reach quickly, as well as create a conversation and get you noticed by bloggers, podcasters and others.
Expand your reach!
Welcome to the world of an...
Authorpreneur
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