Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Authors: Use Interesting Content to Build Relationships on Social Media


Authors, Listen to the Chatter about Using Interesting Content to Increase Your Following and Build Relationships.

Interesting content is very important in increasing your following on Social Media and forming relationships. Here is what some of our Spotlight Authors have to say about networking.

1.     Use Interesting Content

Ellie Campbell @ecampbellbooks   
22300 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Ellie Campbell (Pam Burks and Lorraine Campbell, sisters) collaborate to write Contemporary Women's Fiction.

We’ve made good friends through Twitter and our following has definitely increased since we started retweeting favorite photos and interesting or useful articles from other writers and bloggers – we like to keep it fun as well as informative. At the start our Ellie Campbell Facebook page was mainly about us, our books, offers, promotions, giveaways, but these days we also share funny stories, animal videos, anything that makes us laugh or that we feel strongly about.

Downside is, there’s a huge amount of fascinating articles out there and it can suck up an enormous amount of time if you’re not careful.

Emma Jameson @msemmajameson   
1953 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Emma is the NYT bestselling author of the Lord & Lady Hetheridge series and the Dr. Benjamin Bones Mysteries.

I enjoy interacting with readers on Facebook, and I think many new readers have discovered me through my Facebook fan page. On Twitter, I’ve interacted with perhaps ten separate readers since day one. My hypothesis is, cozy mystery readers generally don’t use Twitter to discover new authors or fatten their TBR list. They use it to converse, have fun, and post reactions to current events. So now that’s how I use Twitter. I post pretty pictures, I live tweet my favorite shows, and I retweet fun stuff and interesting links.



 Robin Mahle @RobinMahle   
3106 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Robin is a bestselling Mystery and Suspense Author. She is an author of the Redwood Violet Suspense series.

Social media is certainly a challenge and I do struggle to stay on top of it. As far as building a following, I work very hard at the relationship aspect of Twitter. I think the best way to gain followers is to engage other users, talk to them, makes your posts informative and interesting. I rarely ever tweet about my books unless it’s to inform of a new release or a temporary sale. I’m not one to spam my followers with links to buy my books. I think that makes a difference. Sometimes I get annoyed when my timeline is filled with advertisements. I don’t think I’m quite as good at staying on top of my Facebook page posts, though. That is strictly fan-based and I only want to put interesting information on my wall and to be honest, the life of a writer isn’t all that interesting, right? Well, not my life, anyway? I do truly enjoy replying to the readers though. I get so excited when I get comments.


Cricket Rohman @CricketRohman   
5230 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Cricket is the author of the Lindsey Lark series. Cricket writes Fiction, Mystery and Romance novels.

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love being able to connect with so many wonderful people, but it takes time and focus away from writing. Having only a little over two years’ experience using social media, I learn something new every day with regard to how it all works. My debut novel launched in 2013, since then I’ve been striving to make my Internet communications interesting, informative and fun for my friends, my followers, my connections, my readers.





2.     Build Relationships and a Following

Vered Ehsani @VeredEhsani   
3642 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Vered is a Fantasy and Mystery Writer. She is the author of the Ghost Post Mysteries, Dragon & Myth and the Society for Paranormals series.

Social media is a funny business. I've been at it for a few years, and what I've learned is that people should be where they are comfortable. For example, I have far more interaction with readers on Facebook and on my website than on Twitter. And yet I never set out to use Facebook in that way. I just hang out there, find interesting articles, see cute cat photos etc. I think building a "following" is really about building sincere relationships.




Gary Haynes @GaryHaynesNovel   
76700 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Gary is a Thriller writer & lawyer.  His first series features Tom Dupree, a special agent in the US Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

If I just used it to push my book that wouldn’t work, so you have to tweet interesting content that attracts like-minded users. I tweet about geopolitics, terrorism and the writing life. I’ve also found my Facebook author page and Goodreads to be useful social media tools, as well as my website. I make a point of always replying to readers no matter how they contact me. It’s about building relationships and being honest. I don’t use forums or newsletters, because there is only so much time, but I do actively use social media on a daily basis, partly to stay visible and partly because I enjoy the interaction. 


Michael G. Munz @TheWriteMunz   
2898 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Michael is the Amazon bestselling sci-fi/fantasy author of Zeus Is Dead and The New Aeneid Cycle series.

As for how I built my following, I started with following some fellow geeks that I know in real life, and then doing searches on Twitter for various sci-fi/fantasy topics and following those people as well. I tried my best to actually engage with the people I followed—otherwise why are they going to spare some attention for me?—and eventually it snowballs. The most important thing that I try to remember is not to just tweet about my books. After all, if all I do is shout “Buy my books!” and don’t say anything else that isn’t funny, interesting, or otherwise engaging, then why would people want to follow me?

Maria Grazia Swan @scrittrice   
4405 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Maria is a Suspense and Mystery writer. She is the author of the Mina's Adventures and the Lella York series.

Oh, how I wish that was the case. I'm a social media virgin. No joke. My twitter account grows only because I tend to re-tweet things I find cute or sweet or interesting. I'm not sure how it works but it does. Some days I open my email to find that I have 10 new followers..again, I'm thankful. I post a blog on alternate Tuesdays and I try to talk about stories from my childhood.

Just to make sure you know that's all based on real life events, I even have lots of old pics, including the 3 story house I was born in.


J.T. Lewis @JTLewis_Books  
3244 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

JT is the bestselling author of The Adventures of Gabriel Celtic Series and the The Pepper and Longstreet Series.

I am a big believer in offering something of value to my readers however…value added content much as you do with here on your blog…something that isn’t necessarily pushing your writing at them constantly (see above). While I don’t do many interviews on my blog, I have been doing a ‘Quote Of The Day’ for a few years now, as well as posting funny or interesting information. I am also a big believer in using any automatic links available so that any post gets spread throughout as many other forums as possible.

It all comes down to being an entertainer…because after all…isn’t that the essence of why we write stories?

END
An important key to an indie author’s success is to increase your following on Social Media and forming relationships by using interesting content in your posts.

By James Moushon @jimhbs




Indie Author Chatter Posts




HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 900 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

Indie Author's Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ
The Corner is a collection of Author advice, ideas, experiences and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.





Authors: Improve Your Twitter Messaging and Control - http://bit.ly/1FHB1oR
Melissa Foster - Developing Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1qhhR3j
Troy Blackford - Using Social Media to Connect with Readers - http://bit.ly/1on7Nk8
Paul Western-Pittard - Importance of Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1p2ppTE
Laurel A. Rockefeller - Importance of Twitter and Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1B74epm

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around

Indie eBook Marketing: When You Get to the Fork in the Road, You Must Take It. - http://bit.ly/10TUstg

Your Book Launch: Marketing Methods and Ideas Used by Outstanding Authors – A Study - http://bit.ly/1luAbo3


Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Importance of Networking with Other Authors Using Social Media

Authors, Listen to the Chatter about Networking with Other Authors

Using Social Media to form relationships with other authors and exchanging information with them is one of the keys to indie author’s success. Here is what some of our Spotlight Authors have to say about networking.

1.     Relationships are Crucial to an Indie Author

Carolyn Arnold @Carolyn_Arnold   
28800 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Carolyn writes Mystery & Thrillers and Romance novels including the Brandon Fisher FBI Series, McKinley Mystery Series, Matthew Connor Adventure Series and the MADISON KNIGHT series.

Social media relationships to me are very important. These are primarily other writers who know what I’m going through, who struggle with the same challenges. I consider these people friends even though the majority I’ve never met face to face. There is an exchange of encouragement to keep going.





2.     Build a Community of Knowledge

Ruth Cardello @RuthieCardello   
4695 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Ruth is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Legacy Collection.

I see social media as a tool and have used it to connect with my readers and to network with other authors. I strongly believe that proper use of social media can help an author’s career. It’s not about spamming your readers and your friends, it’s about building a community with readers and other authors.






EM Kaplan @meilaan   
68100 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Emily is the Award-winning mystery and fantasy author of the snarky Josie Tucker mysteries. She writes Mystery, Fantasy, and Young Adult novels.

Twitter has been wonderful primarily for developing connections with other writers. I’ve been on Twitter since 2008—which is why my handle is my middle name and not my author name—but I started using it for books and writing only four years ago. Since then, I’ve met writers who’ve taught me about Twitter, marketing, Amazon ads, newsletters, promos, podcasts, and more. Without them, I might have given up by now. Instead, they’ve helped me connect with readers in a variety of ways.


Dan Pollock @danielpollock   30500 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Dan is the author of the thriller novels and a member of the International Thriller Writers.

Twitter is the only social media I spend time on. I don’t know how much it’s helped me sell books, but it has helped me relieve the isolation of my trade and enjoy the sympathetic company of writers all over the globe. I’ve learned a lot from these folks—most usefully about marketing. In growing my followers, I pursue those who follow other writers I admire.



M.J. Schiller @mjschiller   
3369 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Mary is the author of the Rocking Romance, Real Romance and Romantic Realms collections.

Through social media I’ve met a whole slew of other writers and they are some of the nicest people going, as proven by you. A lot of work went into this post, for someone you’ve never met. That’s pretty incredible! I’ve also been able to reconnect with some people, and let others I didn’t know as well come to know me better, and vice versa. Some people are down on social media, and, of course, nothing can replace that personal connection you get one on one. But it allows me to “talk” to people I wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to talk to.

Rob Sinclair @RSinclairAuthor   
53000 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Rob is the author of the Carl Logan Enemy Series.

Social media has been very important to me. It’s been a great way for me to connect with readers and other writers and it’s nice to have a very open forum where I can chat to readers rather than just being a name behind a book they read. It does take a lot of time though. In many ways it can be quite addictive so I have to try my best not to let social media get in the way of ‘real’ life. I’ve invested a lot of time in growing my following, both through posting interesting things and interacting with readers and potential readers and I think that’s very important -social media is about being social. Yes, it’s a good tool that I think has directly led to many book sales for me but it’s not just about selling, you have to be personable and sociable too.


3.     Spreading Information to Readers and Other Authors

Philip Catshill @PhilipCatshill   
24500 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Philip is an Artist, Poet and the author of the Mike Newman Mysteries series.

Social media provides an excellent platform for spreading instant information on a global scale, but information should not include advertising. Too many writers use it to say: "Buy my book" which is simply ineffective as it turns people away. The secret of my success is by using social media to offer free support, help, advice or guidance to other writers and artists. I also publicly thank reviewers whether the review is 1 star or 5.





Stacy Eaton @StacySEaton   
13300 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Stacy is a USA Today Best Selling author. She is the creator of the popular My Blood Runs Blue series and The Celebration Series.

I do try to stay in touch with fans. I communicate with them when I can on twitter and get on Facebook as often as my schedule allows, but some weeks that if hard, especially now that I have moved from patrol to full time investigations. I like to work with other authors and help them by doing interviews and posting them on my blog when I have time. I wish I had more time to spend with my fans and with other readers, but right now my minutes are very limited.



Devika Fernando @Author_Devika   
19400 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Devika is the author of the Romancing the Royals series, the FIRE Trilogy, The Forbidden series, and Romance Round the World series. She writes Romance Novels (Contemporary & Paranormal).

As I’m writing for an international readership, I always knew social media would play an important role. I rely on Facebook, Twitter and the internet in general for my book marketing. During the earlier stages, I concentrated on networking with other authors as well as joining groups and online book clubs. Once the first book was out, I began reaching out to bloggers and reviewers too, as well as specifically targeting readers. Now that I have more followers, I sometimes opt for giveaways or join multi-author promotions; nothing else has changed in my approach. I try to keep things visual and interactive instead of simply posting text.


Toby Neal @tobywneal   
19800 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Toby is author of the Lei Crime Series.

While social media will NOT make up for a bad or even mediocre book, it’s a cheap and effective way to get word out about your work through relationship building. Is it EASY? Or instant? No. I said relationship building, didn’t I? *grin*

Twitter is a way that your message can potentially go around the world, almost instantly. It’s been a huge place to connect with other writers and potential readers for me. Once we get to liking each other, we continue the relationship building on Facebook, G+ or Instagram. It’s fun once you get the hang of it!




4.     Learning the Business From Other Authors

Sharon Saracino @SharonSaracino   
1895 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Sharon writes lightly humorous paranormal romance. She is the author of DEATH BENEFITS.

I think social media is a must for any author. Not only is it a platform for promotion, but it opens the door to networking and learning from other authors, as well as providing a means for fans to express their opinion.










D.V. Berkom @dvberkom   
3303 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Daphne is the bestselling author of two award-winning thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones).

Social media is the key to building a solid reader base, and is a great way to connect to other authors. I’ve also met some great book bloggers/reviewers, many of whom have become friends. The impact of social media on my success has been tremendous. The ability to connect with readers who enjoy my work is so important. I doubt the majority of an independent author’s success would be possible without the reach social media provides. My book launches are certainly more effective each time I do one, due in no small part to that same social media following.





END
An important key to an indie author’s success is networking with other authors, forming relationships, exchanging information, and learning the business of indie publishing.


By James Moushon @jimhbs



Indie Author Chatter




HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 900 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

Indie Author's Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ
The Corner is a collection of Author advice, ideas, experiences and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.




Authors: Improve Your Twitter Messaging and Control - http://bit.ly/1FHB1oR
Melissa Foster - Developing Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1qhhR3j
Troy Blackford - Using Social Media to Connect with Readers - http://bit.ly/1on7Nk8
Paul Western-Pittard - Importance of Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1p2ppTE
Laurel A. Rockefeller - Importance of Twitter and Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1B74epm

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around

Indie eBook Marketing: When You Get to the Fork in the Road, You Must Take It. - http://bit.ly/10TUstg

Your Book Launch: Marketing Methods and Ideas Used by Outstanding Authors – A Study - http://bit.ly/1luAbo3





Sunday, February 18, 2018

A Social Media Presence is a MUST for Indie Authors

Introduction:  Listen to the Author Chatter about the need for a Social Media Presence

Having a Social Media presence is a must for indie authors. It is a major part of any author's exposure to readers. Here is what some of our Spotlight Authors have to say.

1.     A Presence is Crucial




Jeanne Bannon @JeanneBannon   
8229 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Best-selling Author Jeanne Bannon writes YA, contemporary romance novels, all with a hint of the paranormal.

I’ve had to cultivate my social media presence over several years. It took approximately 7 years to gain a large following on all social media platforms. It’s crucial in order to get the word out about new releases and/or promotions.





2.     Developing a Presence




Luana Ehrlich @luanasbooks   
24800 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Author Luana Ehrlich is the author of the Titus Ray Thrillers series.

Social media was an excellent means of getting the word out about the series. I spent several weeks developing my online presence on Twitter, Pinterest, and Google, in addition to my Author pages on Facebook and Amazon. Then, as I began to tweet and post about my book, I gathered followers. I believe these are legitimate means of gaining readers, as long as your response to any contact is a personal one.





3.     It is all about Selling books




Catherine Bybee @catherinebybee   16900 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Author Catherine Bybee is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Romance Author.

I’m actually heading up a workshop at the Romantic Times Convention this year on this subject. I have always believed that a strong online presence is as important to selling a book and finding readers as writing the book and getting it published.








Helen Hanson @HelenHanson   38600 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Best-Selling Author Helen Hanson writes Mystery & Thrillers and Suspense novels. Helen is the author of The Masters CIA Thriller Series and The Cruise FBI Thriller Series.

3 LIES hit the Kindle Top 100 because of my online
presence. But, I’m more comfortable with live humans than I am on social media. In real life I get to gauge expressions, body language, even the timbre of a voice. But I’ve met some fabulous people through the vines.






4.     Value is often indirect




Jade Kerrion @JadeKerrion   
39400 twitter followers - Spotlight Interview

Award-Winning Author Jade Kerrion writes the DOUBLE HELIX series. Also, she writes a great blog featuring authors and writing.

A social media
presence is necessary (which typically includes a website, Twitter, and Facebook). Quantifying the value of social media is much harder. The value is often indirect, and is frequently based on building online relationships as opposed to just blasting out marketing messages.




5.     A Marketing Tool




Caroline Fardig @carolinefardig   3927 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

B&N Humor Bestseller Author Caroline Fardig writes Mystery, Romance and Chick Lit. She is the author of the Java Jive Mysteries series and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries series.

I think social media plays a critical role in marketing books. My Twitter followers have been great about re-tweeting me and helping me get the word out about my book. I think having a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads has made a deep impact on my sales.






Paul D. Marks @PaulDMarks   1786 
twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Awarding-winning Author Paul D. Marks is an Author of noir, mysteries, satire & mainstream fiction.

I think it's more important than ever for a writer to have a good social media presence. Even if one has a major publisher, unless you're a huge name like John Grisham, Michael Connelly or Patricia Cornwell, you end up doing most of your PR yourself. So things like Twitter, Facebook and all the other usual suspects are great ways to get the word out and get word of mouth, which is what really sells books and gets attention for them and the author.



Vickie McKeehan @VickieMcKeehan   7769 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Bestselling Author Vickie McKeehan writes romantic suspense.

Social media is a must for marketing, especially if you’re a writer. Having a
presence on Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet in general, is essential for success. But like anything else, social media isn’t the sole relationship builder you need to establish yourself with readers.









Steven Montano @Daezarkian   73700 
twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Science Fiction & Fantasy Author Steven Montano is the creator of the BLOOD SKIES series.

Social media pretty much is my marketing. I don’t pay for advertising, so I rely on interaction to make people aware of my books. And while I do send out plenty of marketing Tweets, I more try to maintain a
presence on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads by chatting with people about whatever silliness might come up. 

6.     Social media is an important tool




AD Starrling @ADStarrling   2820 
twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

Author AD Starrling is the award-winning  author of the action thriller series Seventeen.

In this day and age, I believe the three important tools an author needs to establish an internet
presence is a website, a mailing list, and one or more social media profiles. Social media is a fantastic place to connect with other authors, influencers, and fans but it needs to be handled in a strategic and fun way so as not to become an unproductive, frustrating time sink. 




7.     Successful Career


Aleatha Romig @AleathaRomig   15100 twitter followers – Spotlight Interview

New York Times & USA Today Bestseller Author Aleatha Romig is the author of  the Consequences Series.

I feel my social media
presence and relationships have been essential to my writing career and success.








Conclusion:
A social media presence is crucial to an author's success.

By James Moushon @jimhbs



HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 900 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

Indie Author's Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ
The Corner is a collection of Author advice, ideas, experiences and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.

Authors: Improve Your Twitter Messaging and Control - http://bit.ly/1FHB1oR
Melissa Foster - Developing Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1qhhR3j
Troy Blackford - Using Social Media to Connect with Readers - http://bit.ly/1on7Nk8
Paul Western-Pittard - Importance of Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1p2ppTE
Laurel A. Rockefeller - Importance of Twitter and Social Media Relationships - http://bit.ly/1B74epm

eBook Marketing: What Goes Around Comes Around

Indie eBook Marketing: When You Get to the Fork in the Road, You Must Take It. - http://bit.ly/10TUstg

Your Book Launch: Marketing Methods and Ideas Used by Outstanding Authors – A Study - http://bit.ly/1luAbo3