Publicity Tip #9 –

Pick and choose your social media connections wisely.

It’s easy to get bogged down in semantics when trying to reach the broadest fan-base possible.  There’s facebook, myspace, Google+, twitter, pinterest, youtube, LinkedIn, podcasting, blogging, Goodreads, Shelfari, Library Thing, Authors Den, tumblr, Wattpad… need I go on?

Promocave is the newest outlet for writers and readers on the block – it’s so new in fact that it’s still in its beta testing phase.  However, it’s worth mentioning as an alternative to Authors Den and Wattpad with over 3000 members and a highly active forum.

Goodreads competes directly with Shelfari & Library Thing; facebook with Google+ & myspace; twitter with tumblr… your options as authors are broadening and should not be ignored.

Here’s my playlist:

Facebook (it is the largest social media network out there, but people are being turned off and away by the ever increasing advertisements and are looking for alternatives – however, at least having an author page that you update once a week or once every two weeks is vital to stay connected.  LinkedIn’s forums are career-centric and you will be hard-pressed to connect with readers)

Google+ (while it has nowhere near the following of facebook and participants in forums need to watch out for trolls, it is the first alternative for most readers and writers – depending on which of the two accounts sees the most action is the one you should be devoting your quality time to)

Goodreads (hands down more readers and authors use this site and its resources as compared with Shelfari and Library Thing.  Wattpad has a similar platform but is more reader oriented and generally aimed at the younger market – however, having an author page or sample writing on all these sites is highly advisable in order to reach a variety of readers… just focus the bulk of your attention on your Goodreads followers)

Twitter (if you can give yourself time to learn how to best use twitter to your advantage then do it – tumblr and pinterest are great but if you need to focus then investigate them at a later time)

Authors Den, Authors Marketing Club, and now Promocave (among others I’m sure I’ve yet to discover)… if I had to choose one I’d pick…?

Here’s the shortlist of specks for each site:

AD– for author and reader: post, review, message, interact, tract, share, and more.  Discover and track authors, post comments, interact, read, save favourites and enjoy. Post your bio, books, articles, stories, poems, and blogs.

AMC– On the author side: Fiction & non-fiction authors welcome, boost book visibility with Amazon promotions, use easy online tools to find powerful reviewers, share book marketing tactics with other authors, learn how to sell more books & get more publicity, explore the latest resources & tools.  On the reader side: Get notified of new free Kindle books to download, access to fiction and non-fiction books of all kinds, fill your e-reader up to the brim with free books, build relationships with new authors & learn about books before they are published (and these are just the free options available).

 Pc– Is an online community where authors can market their work and readers can find great books and interact with their favorite writers. Marketing tools: Blog, website, book site, author bio & media Kit, marketing training, & author platform building. Writing Tools: Writing templates, video training, access to editors, topic webinars, & mentoring. Collaboration with: Readers, other authors, publishers, editors, artists, reporters & the media.

Look into all of them and then choose the one that fits your needs and your writing best.  It’s all about knowing your options and keeping your eyes and your pathways open.

Categories: Publicity

Tags: author platform, author publicity, Authors Den, Authors Marketing Club, comparison, decisions, marketing, options, Promocave, publicity, social media