REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Social Media Just for Writers
by Frances Caballo
Social Media Just for Writers by Frances Caballo is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
You wrote your book and sold copies to everyone you know. But you have goals that extend beyond a few dozen copies sold.
How do you achieve your dream of selling books around the world? With social media, you can build your platform and reach readers in locales you never imaged possible before.
In this book, you’ll learn how to:
• Create a Facebook fan page and actively engage with your readers.
• Optimize your LinkedIn profile.
• Tackle Instagram, Tumblr, and Snapchat.
• Build and optimize Pinterest pinboards for SEO to maximize exposure of your books, blog, and other landing pages.
• Improve your blogging.
• Excel on Twitter.
• Create images for your blog and social media posts.
The second edition of Social Media Just for Writers is both a primer for authors new to social media and an advanced study of platforms that weren’t widely known four years ago. Whether you write romance, historical fiction, young adult, or steam punk novels, you’ll find help in reaching your online audience of new and dedicated readers.
Excerpt
Introduction
This handbook is for you. You’ve spent more days than you can count working on your novel, memoir, or anthology of poems. You wrote, rewrote, corrected, edited, developed new scenes, twisted the plot, and returned to make additional edits. Finally, your book was ready for the world to see.
You celebrated your achievement. You invited friends to your book launch, welcomed them with glasses of sparkling wine and cheese, and scheduled readings at local bookstores. Then you wondered, “How can I reach more readers?” Selling books to your friends, colleagues, and family members was easy, but how do you reach people you don’t even know?
By promoting your book online with social media, you can sell your books up and down your state, across the nation, and to people you have no idea how to reach. How, you ask? This book will explore and explain strategies for maximizing your online sales efforts. As a bonus, in the last chapter you will find tips for offline promotion too.
By the time you finish reading this book, you will know how to:
• Use Facebook effectively and efficiently to market your book.
• Tap into Twitter to create your tribe.
• Use virtual pinboards to expand the reach of your brand.
• Be more successful at blogging so you can reach new readers.
• Use LinkedIn with renewed confidence.
• Get started on Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat to reach younger audiences.
• Learn how to incorporate more visual marketing into your social media use.
I wrote this book because authors like you asked me to write it. Like you, they wanted to feel more grounded in social media, learn to spend their time more resourcefully, and discover some of the secrets to social media marketing. They wanted a handbook they could take home to use as a reference.
Social media is a dynamic field, and networks are constantly updating features to improve the user’s experience. While writing this book, I frequently rewrote portions and updated my screenshots so that you would have the most recent and relevant information possible.
To keep informed of the newest updates to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr, and to learn about new social media channels as they surface, visit my blog and website at www.SocialMediaJustforWriters.com.
This edition of Social Media Just for Writers deleted the chapter on Google+ due to changes on the social media landscape including the in the number of people using that platform.
You are about to begin your social media marketing journey now. Enjoy your time meeting and engaging with your readers.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"A must-read book for all writers and bloggers! This book is such an excellent book to have in your writing toolbox! I don’t write books, but I am a blogger and pretty much have just learned how to blog on the fly. [...] I know there was still a lot that I was missing with my blogging and this book has helped fill in some of those holes. There is so much I learned from this book that I am so excited to start practicing and incorporating into my blogging. There is always room for learning and whether you are a writer or a blogger and have been for years, this book can still help you!" ~ Ally Swanson
"It is a clearly written manual that will help you connect with your readers easily and efficiently. Well written, well researched – well thought out. This book is a must have!" ~ Ryshia Kennie
"Though this book is called Social Media Just for Writers, it is not just for writers. This book has incredible information that anyone who wants to use social media to promote their product or business should read this book. Some information is common sense, but most of it, I had never thought of. The Author Frances Caballo also has a website that has current marketing trends and tips, that is updated often. Highly recommend going to her website and reading her blog for so much more information." ~ Amazon Customer
"I'm a firm believer that writers should be on social media, and the earlier they start, the better. This book is very comprehensive and explains how writers can use each of the major social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Instagram. Frances Caballo has a very clear way of explaining how to do things. One thing about social media is that it is constantly changing, so it was good to see that the author has updated her book with the latest advice for 2017." ~ Gary McLaren
"I would not limit this book to the audience of only writers, it's a great resource for anyone that wants to take full advantage of the online platforms available. Social media is constantly evolving, this 2017 updated reference piece is extremely valuable and includes the major social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Instagram are prominently featured. Ms. Caballo writes in an easy, conversational style, and the advice contained in this book is clear and easy to apply. It's a great reference piece to have in your toolkit!" ~ Janet
My Review
In this informative guide, the author provides a comprehensive overview of the social media platforms every new and established writer should join: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Goodreads. She also covers the topic of blogging.
The key takeaways: balance information with entertainment; know the audience of each social media platform; market yourself appropriately on each platform; think about branding; engage with other users.
Things I learned: how to access Twitter analytics; Pablo by Buffer; how to access Pinterest analytics; use ALT text when adding images to your blog or website; Goodreads tools; adding your local library link to Goodreads to find books; Goodreads deals (US only); the Advanced Marketing Institute’s test for analyzing blog headlines; end your blog posts with a question to elicit feedback. You're bound to learn something you didn't know, too!
At the beginning of the book, the author states: "This book will explore and explain strategies for maximizing your online sales efforts. As a bonus, in the last chapter you will find tips for offline promotion too." While the first part is certainly true, unfortunately, I couldn't find the tips for offline promotion.
There is a handy Resources section at the end of the book, including information on how to create passwords, image dimensions for the different platforms, social media post ideas, and Twitter etiquette.
Keep up to date with these ever-changing social media platforms by visiting the author's website. While you're there, you can even sign up for the author's free email social media course and receive a bonus ebook.
About the Author
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win some a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card.
Plus, download a FREE copy of Avoid Social Media Time Suck by Frances Caballo on Smashwords.
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