Zombies Don’t Tweet:
316 FREE Social Media Tips for YA Authors
By Rusty Fischer, author of Zombies Don’t Cry
Now With A FREE BONUS EBOOK:
151 #Hash Tags for YA Authors
Copyright © 2011 by Rusty Fischer
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Cover credit: ©Dudarev Mikhail – Fotolia
Author’s Note
The following is a FREE “special report” designed to inform, enlighten, inspire and educate YA authors about using social media.
All the ideas are based on the author’s experience only; not science! Try at your own risk. (But they worked for me, so… I hope they work for you as well!)
It also wasn’t designed to win any special editing awards!
Therefore, any editing errors, typos or grammatical mistakes are all the fault of the author and will be cleaned-up prior to publication.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Five Ways to Promote Your YA Book on Facebook
Chapter 2: Five Ways to Promote Your YA Book on Twitter
Chapter 3: Lead, Follow or Fail – Three Reasons Why You’re Wasting Followers if You’re Not Reaching Out to Them
Chapter 4: Five “Types” You Should Be Following & Friend-ing
Chapter 5: Are You a Thread Killer? Finding the Right “Fit” in YA Social Media
Chapter 6: Ten Reasons Your YA Social Media Efforts Might Not Be Working
Chapter 7: Five Ways to Jump Start Your YA Social Media
Chapter 8: Five Signs It Might Be Time to Pull the Plug on a Social Media Site
Chapter 9: The Politics of YA Guest Blogging – Eleven Ways to Do it Right Every Time
Chapter 10: One Teen At a Time – An Individual Approach to YA Social Media
Chapter 11: Griping About Guidelines, Or Why Playing by the Rules is More Important Than Ever (Especially in YA)
Chapter 12: The Four Types of YA Rejection
Chapter 13: Three Steps to Finding Your Voice When Writing YA
Chapter 14: Three Ways to Transcend a Trend in YA
Chapter 15: Step Away from the Mouse – Five Signs You’re Doing Too MUCH YA Social Media
Chapter 16: Starting Over With Social Media – Five Ways to Do it Right the Second Time Around
Chapter 17: Who’s Your Database? Three Steps for Using Social Media to Personalize Your YA Publisher List
Chapter 18: Three Reasons Why I’m Not Ready to Self-Publish (Yet)
Chapter 19: Three Ways to Tell If Your YA Title Is Working (Or Just a Working Title)
Chapter 20: Three Writing Tips for Young Adult Authors
Chapter 21: Patience is Power – The Top-Three Reasons to Sleep on Your Next Submission
Chapter 22: Are You Committing Hash Tag Abuse? Five Questions to Ask Before You Use Your Next Hash Tag
Chapter 23: Hashing it Out With Hash Tags – Five Tips for Using YA Hash Tags Wisely
Chapter 24: Five Ways to Build Buzz Before Submitting to YA Publishers
Chapter 25: When Bad Reviews Actually Help You Use Social Media More Effectively
Chapter 26: Do Business Hours Apply to Social Media? Five Ways to Make Every Post Matter
Chapter 27: Have You Already Written Your Next Book? Five Tips for Turning Blog Posts Into Book Chapters
Chapter 28: Five Ways to Get Your EBook Reviewed
Chapter 29: When the Dust Settles, Or – Five Ways to Reignite Interest In Your YA Novel
Chapter 30: Three Quick Tricks for Jump Starting Your Story Using Social Media – Sight, Sound and Setting
Chapter 31: Say What? When Book Blind Spots Become Big Obstacles
Chapter 32: Where Do Your Followers Go? Five Places to Send a Captive Audience
Chapter 33: Ten Ways to Give a Great YA Blog Interview
Chapter 34: Five Ways to Promote Your YA Book on Scribd.com
Chapter 35: The Art Of Designing A Great YA Book Cover (To Use In Social Media) In Three Steps
Chapter 36: Three Social Media Opportunities for Young Adult Authors
Chapter 37: Five Ways to Do Social Media in 30 Minutes or Less – Or, How to Promote Yourself on a (Time) Budget
Chapter 38: The Overnight Effect (Or When Marketing Happens While You Were Sleeping)
Epilogue: Five Things NOT to Expect from Social Media (At Least, Not Right Away)
BONUS EBOOK: 151 #Hash Tags for YA Authors
About the Author: Rusty Fischer
Introduction
My name is Rusty Fischer and I promote my YA books online using a little thing called “social media.”
Far be it for me to define, analyze or even claim to have any kind of expertise about social media, but I do know what I’ve done, what’s worked, what hasn’t worked and what will hopefully work as I continue to promote my latest YA book, Zombies Don’t Cry, as well as several other YA novels – both in print and as EBooks – coming out this year and next.
In advance of several impending release dates, I have been experimenting with social media as it applies to YA for the last year, off and on, and have learned a thing or two. (Or, in this case, a thing or 316!)
Some of it was through failure, some through success, but all of it has been useful in my continuing social media education.
Everything you’ll find in this book is relatively quick, fairly simple and absolutely FREE.
There are no gimmicks or cons or come-ons, just dozens – and dozens and dozens – of quick tips on how to make social media faster, easier and more effective if you’re an author with a YA book to promote.
I hesitate to put this all in an actual “book,” because things happen so fast in the realm of social media that by the time you download or print something, zap, it’s evolved yet again.
Still, there is a lot of useful, basic information here that should work no matter what social media platform you’re using it on, be it Facebook and Twitter or even next year’s Facebook and Twitter!
For more up-to-the-minute content, FREE YA book excerpts, special reports, posts and social media advice, please visit me on my YA blog at www.zombiesdontblog.blogspot.com, where I’m always posting something new.
For now, onto the tips:
Chapter 1:
Five Ways to Promote Your Book on Facebook
The other day I bought a book from a YA author I’d just met.
Not at a bookstore or conference or signing, but on Facebook.
I’d “friend-ed” her weeks earlier and she’d responded with a personal reply.
Nothing major or time-consuming, just a quick, “Hi Rusty, thanks for friend-ing me.”
That was that.
The beauty of the relationship is that she never mentioned her book to me; once.
But I was so intrigued by the interaction and her regular posts that I eventually fiddled around on her wall, read her info, saw that she had a new YA book out, clicked on the Amazon.com link and, like that, pre-ordered her latest release.
I wouldn’t be writing this chapter if that was a unique experience.
In fact, it’s happened about a dozen times this year alone, and I’ve really only been active on Facebook for the last year or so.
The experience made me stop and think about how we buy YA books, in general, and why I bought that YA book, in particular.
I realized that there was something to learn here, and after careful analysis I realized that there were five main reasons I’d been buying so many books by my Facebook friends.
That analysis resulted in what I like to call the Five Ways to Promote Your Book on Facebook:
The First Way to Promote Your Book on Facebook: Always Use a Book Cover as Your Profile Picture
I like author photos, I like candid snapshots of families having fun, I even like your cute little kitten, but something “happens” the minute I see a YA book cover in a profile picture.
The writer in me, and the reader, just has to learn more.
Often by learning more, I get intrigued; typically once I get intrigued, I’ll want to find out more about the author, the book, and invariably I’ll wind up at the author’s blog, or website or, more typically, at Amazon.com.
Once I’m at a place where I can actually “buy” something in a few clicks or less, I’m much more likely to.
But none of that is likely to happen if I just see another smiling face – or a cute little kitten.
The Second Way to Promote Your Book on Facebook: Make it Easy for Me
If it’s going to happen at all, I have about a 10-click minimum for buying a book off a Facebook friend.
One click on his or her profile pic, one or two clicks on their wall or “info” page, one or two clicks more to visit their blog or website, one or two clicks more to link from there to Amazon and a click or two to seal the deal with my credit card handy.
If I waste 10 clicks just trying to find the book on your blog or website, I’m sorry; that’s it for me.
I’ve passed my expiration date; I’ll move on.
It’s nothing personal, but I figure if you want me to buy your book you’ll make it really, really easy for me.
For that matter, your book cover shouldn’t just be your profile picture on Facebook, it should be VERY visible on your blog or website, and every time it appears it should link to Amazon.com or Bn.com or Bamm.com or your publisher’s website; somewhere I can actually purchase it in a few clicks, smile and move on.
The Third Way to Promote Your Book on Facebook: Don’t “Sell” Me
I have to be honest: I’m not really on Facebook to buy anything.
(Admit it: are you?)
I’m there to interact, to learn, to share, to be made aware, to experience and, frankly, to kill some time.
Those times when I am actually moved to purchase a YA book from a Facebook “friend,” it’s because they’ve made their presence known, because they’ve said something funny or wise to get my attention, or reached out to me personally in a non-sales way, or consistently posted really interesting articles or simply impressed me as someone who’s got their act together.
In short, I don’t like to be sold; nobody does.
The more an author “sells” him- or herself, the less likely I am to buy from them.
Heck, the less likely I am to be their “friend,” period.
Some of my Facebook friends literally post every single day about a new promotion, contest, sale, blog post, etc.
It gets so I expect to see a message from them every morning, until I’m finally motivated to act and “un-friend” them.
And I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite of what they wanted.
The Fourth Way to Promote Your Book on Facebook: Less is More
As a companion tip to the previous one, when it comes to promoting on Facebook, for me anyway, less is more.
That’s why using your book cover as your profile picture is so crucial; every time you post, it’s like a mini-banner ad.
So even if you’re sharing a recipe, or that your kids are gearing up for winter break, or that you just stubbed your toe, I’m seeing your book cover on my wall.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
Maybe not the first time I see it, or the second, or the third, but one time I’ll see it at just the right time and, bam, buy it!
More often, though, what sells me on a book is the author.
I get excited by watching authors live their lives, when they share tips on technology, or let me know they just got a new book deal, or their edits are done, etc.
I don’t want to hear every detail of their lives, but I enjoy the rare snippet and become a quiet cheerleader on the sidelines; I think all YA readers/writers do that.
So instead of selling me, instead of bombarding me with how great your book is, how it’s on sale – again – or hasn’t sold very well lately (really?), post something that will let me get to know you a little better as a YA author, as a writer, as an entrepreneur, as someone creative and professional.
I’m much more sold by the author on Facebook than I am the book.
The Fifth Way to Promote Your Book on Facebook: Treat Me Like a Friend
At the end of the day, selling a YA book happens one reader at a time.
I don’t often buy an author’s book the first day it’s out, the same way I rarely see a movie on opening day – or even opening weekend – anymore.
More often than not I kind of ease into buying a book over a period of time by getting to know the author more; his or her style, personality, book cover, contacts, likes, dislikes, etc.
I’m not particularly “friendly” with my author friends, mostly because I don’t want to be too intrusive, but I often support them with a positive comment or by “liking” some new development in their lives or careers.
It’s a weird time.
Never before have I been so “friendly” with so many authors, and I guess that’s the real crux of the issue here: I want to be treated like a friend.
Not intimately or intrusively but with the same respect, grace and TLC with which you’d treat a “real” friend.
So next time you go to promote yourself, or post this or tout that, ask yourself, “Would I share this with my real friends? And if I did, would I share it in the same way?”
There are thousands of ways to sell a book; these are just five.
And while I’m no expert, I am an expert in what prods me to buy a YA book – and these five work (almost) every time!
Chapter 2:
Five Ways to Promote Your Book on Twitter
It’s always amazing to me when an author I know and love decides to “follow” me on Twitter.
(Hear that, Judy Blume?!? Judy???)
I’m never too far from being a huge fan and getting star struck, even though I’ve published books – and even have “followers” – of my own.
But what inspires me most about having real, live, actual people who choose to take the time – and clicks – to “follow” me is the responsibility I feel to make the effort worth their time.
Yes, I’m a YA author; yes, I’m there to promote my YA books and, yes, I wouldn’t mind if I made a little money in the process.
But before every tweet, I always stop and think, “Is this going to make someone un-follow me? And will it eventually want to make them buy my book(s)?”
That question, and the subsequent answers I’ve learned in the few months I’ve been on Twitter, resulted in what I like to call the Five Ways to Promote Your Book on Twitter:
The First Way to Promote Your Book on Twitter: Graphics Matter
One of the first ways to promote your book on Twitter is to pay attention to graphics.
Look, I’m no webmaster or cyber guru or tech wizard, but even I know how to upload my book cover as my profile picture and tile it as my Twitter background.
If you are a YA author promoting a book on Twitter, why hide it?
I’m all for making your Twitter page a comfy, cozy, attractive place to spend some time, but if your profile page is your first impression, why not make it count when it comes to book sales as well?
A good book cover says a lot; you and/or your publisher worked hard to design and create something special, magical even, so why not share it with your readers?
There are thousands of cool, neat, awesome backgrounds to use on Twitter; and everybody’s using them!
But there’s only one YA book cover that looks just like yours; and that makes it unique to you.
It also makes it a great, big billboard!
Imagine Twitter to be like a highway, with people speeding by and not having too much time to stop and look.
If you throw up just another flower or puppy background, they might smile and stay awhile; if you use your book cover as your background – and they read YA – chances are they’ll stick around longer and be more inclined to actually buy that book, or at least come back for more – and buy it the next time, or the next.
The Second Way to Promote Your Book on Twitter: Make it Informative
Believe it or not, most people don’t come to Twitter to buy books.
(I know, I know; the nerve!)
They’re there, mostly, because their friends are there, or their coworkers, boyfriend/girlfriends, spouses or family members are there.
But once there, most folks are hooked – and that’s where you come in.
If you’re a YA author with a book to promote on Twitter, don’t just write “buy my book” and post a link day after day after day.
Yes, the law of averages states that eventually someone will buy it if they simply keep seeing it enough, but along the way you’re going to tick off a lot of people and lose a lot of followers – and potential book sales.
Instead, give folks a reason to read your tweets.
Link to interesting articles about writing, or about the genre you write in, or about publishing – or reading – in general.
Re-tweet valuable information that pertains to all of the above, or simply make observations or comments about writing and publishing in general.
If you have a blog, let people know about it on Twitter and keep your followers in mind when you link to it.
If you’re on Facebook AND Twitter, chances are you follow the same people at both – and the same people follow you; so… vary it up a bit.
Don’t post the EXACT same thing on Twitter and Facebook every time; people get tired of that.
Instead, try to make unique and stand alone pages at both Facebook and Twitter and elsewhere on social media.
In all things, provide, share or create content that is on point to the genre you write in and will be interesting to the people who follow you.
The Third Way to Promote Your Book on Twitter: Keep a Schedule
A lot of people get on Twitter, get all hot and heavy, post 1,000 tweets in their first two weeks and then… nothing.
Nada; their site grows cold and all those witty, fun, informative tweets just… stop.
Or, just as painfully, those people continue to post at the rate of 1,000 tweets every two weeks and lose all the goodwill they gained by becoming nothing short of a nuisance!
The key on sites like Twitter and Facebook is to post intelligently, post carefully but above all post regularly; not too much and not too little.
I like to post between 5 and 10 times per day, all day; not all at once.
So I might hop on in the morning, post a link I found in one of my publishing websites, then post a comment about writing or publishing in general.
I’ll stop by again around mid-morning and re-tweet a few targeted, intelligent, quotable or just plain witty posts; then do the same at lunch.
Once again in mid-afternoon I’ll drop in, read for a while, write something new, post a link or re-tweet a couple great posts, then once more at night and… that’s it.
Whatever you do, have a schedule and keep to it.
If all you do is re-tweet, but the re-tweets are targeted and witty and entertaining and on point, great; but re-tweet with a purpose – and a schedule – in mind.
If you tweet what you do all day, and your followers like that, great; just make sure to keep them happy by posting regularly about what you do all day!
The Fourth Way to Promote Your Book on Twitter: Have Something to Say
Most tweets fall into one of three categories:
Something original you have to say;
A link to a resource (such as a news story, statistic, interview or book review);
Or a re-tweet.
All are valid, all can be entertaining or informative, but not all will help promote your YA book.
So before you post a link, or a review, or re-tweet or say something original, ask yourself one simple question, “How is this helping to promote my book?”
Hey, if people enjoy your funny comments on writing in a coffee shop and that helps brand you as a known YA author to them, great; that’s promoting your book!
Remember, a tweet doesn’t have to actually say “buy my book” to help promote it.
Anything you’re doing to brand yourself, create relationships, connect with other YA writers and/or interact in a real, meaningful, entertaining or informative way that builds honest, genuine online relationships can help promote your book.
The Fifth Way to Promote Your Book on Twitter: Say it Well
Finally, remember that as a writer – particularly as an author – every tweet must represent you in your best light.
For instance, if you write for children, posting risqué links or using adult language in your tweets might not be the best idea for promoting your latest book for kids.
Likewise, if you write erotica, make sure that your Twitter personality reflects your erotica author personality.
That doesn’t mean you have to talk like a sailor or write the raciest tweets on the block, but remember your audience and tweet accordingly.
Quality is key, so remember that as an author you represent a particular brand.
Hopefully, quality is a part of that brand.
So before you post a tweet, edit it like you would a chapter in your book; check it for grammar, for spelling, for creativity and spark.
Remember: never tweet anything you wouldn’t write in one of your books.
Chapter 3:
Lead, Follow or Fail – Three Reasons Why You’re Wasting Followers if You’re Not Reaching Out to Them
The other day I got an objectionable tweet from one of my “followers” on Twitter and promptly un-followed him.
Hey, personally I’m no prude but I’m actually on Twitter promoting YA books for YA readers, and a lot of them, frankly, are actual young adults.
So, yeah, bye guy; consider yourself un-followed.
But… but… while I was scrolling through my followers to scrub it clean, so to speak, I realized something: there were a lot of people I’d never even bothered to check out before.
Most followers I reach out to them as they follow me, with a quick, personalized message or a short note saying I’m looking forward to their tweets or love their sites or congrats on their latest book cover leak, whatever.
But I’d been remiss in this, and I was paying the price.
Right then and there I committed to browsing my follower list every day/week, scoping out who might be a good connection, bookmarking lists of great YA reviewers or blogs, or generally just committing to reaching out to more YA authors as a rule.
It was a real education, and here are three things I learned:
The First Thing I Learned: Followers Are There Because They WANT to Be
Followers are actually… following… you.
In the words of Sally Field, that must mean they “really, really like” you!
Or are interested in you, or have something in common with you, or like your profile picture, or your book cover, or their friend likes you.
Who cares?
They’re following you!
Seriously, social media is all about trying to get folks to take action; read your book, review your book, follow you, like you, support you, friend you.
Here is a group of people who have already done that.
So why aren’t you reaching out to them?
The Second Thing I Learned: Followers Are, Like, FOLLOWING You
That means they get your tweets, your re-tweets, your news, your reviews, etc.
That means every time they get something from you, they get your profile pic, or book cover, or whatever you’re using and they start to remember you.
If you post often enough, but not too much, if you post cool stuff, or fun stuff, or educational stuff, or timely stuff, or stuff that matters to them, they actually start to look forward to what you have to say.
This is social media gold, people!
I don’t care if you have one follower, 100, 1,000 or 10,000 these are the people you should be speaking to, sharing with, propping up and asking for support.
If you can’t connect with your followers, well, who can you connect with?
The Third Thing I Learned: (Most) Followers Have Something in Common With You!
Sure, I know a lot of followers just click a button and follow you because they liked a recent post, or heard good things, or saw you because of a hash tag you used recently, or whatever, but MOST followers will have something in common with you.
Social media is all about putting like with like.
In other words, if you’re writing YA, have a YA book to promote and are using social media, chances are you are writing to, about, for and with YA folks.
YA authors.
YA publishers.
YA agents.
YA bloggers.
YA reviewers.
YA readers.
You get the picture.
My point is, these are targeted people who are all about what you do; tap into that and share the great energy, enthusiasm and creativity that YA people are known for.
I guess my point is, don’t just let followers “follow.”
Engage them, message them, re-tweet them, network with them, follow back!
Why Google “YA reviewers” and approach some random site for a review, guest post or interview when you probably have a dozen or more YA bloggers and reviewers who actually follow you, recognize your profile picture and would probably leap at the chance to have you participate on their site?
Instead, just look in your social media “backyard” and start to interact with people who are already following you.
They want you to; really, they do!
Chapter 4:
Five “Types” You Should Be Following & Friend-ing
When I first got on Facebook, it was all about the numbers.
How many “friends” can I get today?
I was like the Cookie Monster for friends; friends, friends, friends!
At first, I was all zombie people; zombie actresses, zombie writers, zombie fans, folks who participate in zombie walks, you name it, if a particular user name had “zombie” in it, I was going to add that friend.
But there are zombie people, and then there are ZOMBIE people.
You know what I mean?
Like any other genre, zombie people can get… political.
You know what I mean; you’ve got your doomsday zombie people, Zombieland zombie people, folks who dress up like zombies, or have funny, sexy zombie names or write zombie erotica, whatever.
And, frankly, a lot of them weren’t interested in YA zombies, or “book” zombies period.
Then I started friend requesting anybody with a book cover, or any publisher, or any agent… you get the picture.
It was the same with zombies all over again; romance writers tend not to dig zombie stuff, and nonfiction political Washington publishers probably won’t as well.
So, what was I thinking?
Well, I was thinking more is more when, really, more of what you’re looking for is more.
Now I’m a lot more targeted about how I friend on Facebook or Follow on Twitter and, likewise, who I invite to friend or follow.
Mostly I look for the following five “types” of people:
Type # 1: YA Publisher Types
I never knew how many great, quality, hardworking, caring, awesome YA publishers existed until I started following and friend-ing them on Facebook and Twitter.
And I’m not just talking the ones you know about, like Razorbill and HarperTeen; I’m talking about Quake and Flux and Echelon and Medallion and BelleBooks and Mundania and Decadent and Noble Romance YA and… need I go on?
Following YA publishers gives you the inside dope on what they’re looking for, the types of books they do, what their authors are like, when they’re open – or not – for submissions and 1,001 other ways to approach them carefully, creatively and in a way that is uniquely targeted because by now you’ve done so much than merely check out their website and/or submission guidelines.
Type # 2: YA Agent Types
Once upon a time I followed or friend-ed every agent on the planet, figuring they’d follow or friend me back, love my self-created book covers, read some of my free excerpts, check out some of Zombie Don’t Cry’s latest reviews and, blip-blap-boom, sign me up.
When that didn’t happen (big surprise), I realized I should be a little more realistic about the true value of those agents who choose to be active in social media: the exchange of information.
Seriously, the YA agents I’ve friend-ed or followed have really helped school me on all kinds of neat stuff, from trends to not following trends, to what’s hot to what’s not – and why I shouldn’t care!
There are some really great YA agent types out there, and following or friend-ing them is a great way to get a priceless education in all that agents do – for FREE.
Okay, maybe you won’t get “discovered” this way, but learning how to pitch, query and approach agents the right way is almost just as good.
Type # 3: YA Author Types
YA authors are the sharing-est group I’ve ever met, and I’m totally not just saying that to suck up.
I never knew there were that many YA authors out there until I started following most of them.
And lots of them have blogs, with lots of great advice, and they write to each other and comment and review and give advice and take it and comment some more and it’s just been a very pleasant, inspiring and collaborative experience, even if most of them don’t know who I am!
Type # 4: YA Blogger/Reviewer Types
As a former teacher, I can’t say enough about the network of sincere, dedicated, passionate and encouraging YA bloggers and reviewers out there today that are actually run by young adults.
I have to remind myself sometimes that these are actual kids, most of them, because they write so well and are so sophisticated in how they read and review YA books.
I mean, I guest posted on a 14-year-old’s blog the other day!
(I’m not entirely sure that’s even legal, come to think of it!)
But seriously, if you’re looking for the “types” that are truly jacked into the YA market and eager to share everything they know with everyone they can, look no further than your YA blogger/reviewer types.
They won’t steer you wrong…
Type # 5: Nice, Fun or Friendly Types (YA or Not)
Finally, there are some people who just look nice, or fun, or friendly, or smart, or nurturing, or giving, or wicked connected with the inside scoop, you know?
Even though they’re not YA, they often post stuff that helps, entertains, inspires or informs me; a link, a post, some tips or advice or a call for submissions or a new publisher opening up or… something that makes me perk up my ears and pay attention to them.
It’s not scientific, but it works for me.
Why?
I think it works mainly because I’m not sifting through any “clutter” anymore.
One thing about all these YA “types” is that they don’t have a ton of time to waste so if they do say something, or share a link, or write a blog post, it’s usually meaningful and right up my alley.
I like to think I’m returning the favor…
Chapter 5:
Co-Authors, Colleagues & Cheerleaders – The 3 Best Types of Facebook Friends for YA Writers
I don’t spend as much time on Facebook as I used to anymore. (And that’s a whole other post!) But I try to make the time I do spend there as valuable as possible by being pretty picky about who I virtually “hang out” with.
We all likely have lots of Facebook friends; some support us, some ignore us, some even stalk us! But if you’re reading this, you’re probably a YA author who wants to do more on Facebook than just “hang out.”
These days, that means being pretty careful about who you friend, why, and even how often.
To help you spend your time more wisely on Facebook, I’ve worked hard to identify The 3 Best Types of Facebook Friends for YA Writers:
The First Type of Facebook Friend: Co-Authors
What IS a co-author?
A co-author is someone who, in my humble opinion, is helping you “write” your own creative success story.
I love co-authors; I consider myself a co-author.
Co-authors buy each other’s books, “like” each other’s comments, share each other’s good reviews, review each other’s books, eagerly anticipate each other’s book release dates, applaud each other’s new book covers, get excited when you snap a photo of your ARCs and basically support OTHER AUTHORS.
It’s kind of neat because before Facebook, and later Twitter and Scribd, etc., I never really had many author “friends.” So even though I hardly know these people, I’m starting to know their work and, through their work, know them.
That’s a pretty good feeling for any YA author – YA reader, for that matter.
The Second Type of Facebook Friend: Colleagues
Colleagues are not quite the same as co-authors, though I like to think they are the same in spirit. Colleagues may be writers, agents, publishers, reviewers, publicists, YA bloggers, etc.
Colleagues are helpful because, like co-authors, they are typically on Facebook for the same kinds of things; promotion, interaction, networking, researching, identifying, reading, writing and connecting.
I like to think that, in my best moments, I try to be as good a colleague as I am a co-author.
I learn a lot from colleagues because so many of them are free and easy with information. Publishers sharing what they’re looking for this season, agents sharing tips about how to pitch to them, independent bookstore owners talking about what book buyers are really interested in, librarians sharing what covers appeal most to young adults.
That type of stuff is invaluable and, I would imagine, only available if you actively seek out, befriend and follow these very special, very helpful types of colleagues. Whatever its strengths and weaknesses, Facebook is still a great way to do just that.
The Third Type of Facebook Friend: Cheerleaders
Finally, can I just say, I love cheerleaders!
Cheerleaders are the real rock stars of social media, in general, and Facebook, in particular. They are occasionally YA authors themselves, but not always. They are sometimes agents and publishers, etc., but not quite as often.
In general, cheerleaders are just straight up fans of YA or zombies or vampires or YA authors or even, occasionally, YOU.
They live for books, usually, and often want to be writers themselves. They are often young adults as well, if not in chronological age then most definitely in spirit! They link and share and blog and like and post and spread and, basically, cheerlead!
So, which type of “friend” are you?
Chapter 6:
Are You a Thread Killer? Finding the Right “Fit” in YA Social Media
In social media as in life, there are cool kids, and… there is everybody else.
On a trip to Disney World my senior year of high school, the “cool kids” were doing sing-a-longs of their favorite TV sitcoms at the time: Greatest American Hero. All in the Family. That kind of thing. (Come to think of it, why would the “cool” kids know the Greatest American Hero theme song in the first place?!?)
Anywhatever, a friend of mine and I decided to get in on the action, and during the first lull we loudly – and proudly – sang out, “Fish don’t fry in the kitchen, beans don’t burn on the grill; took a whole lotta tryin’, just to get up that hill…”
Jeffersons theme song? Anybody? Bueller? Anyone?
The song went over like a dead (typo, but I’m keeping it!) balloon; I literally heard crickets and we never got past that first verse. Someone quickly followed up with the theme song from Laverne & Shirley (yeah, much cooler) and that was that.
In short, I’ve never been a “cool” kid. More often than not, even though it’s going on 25 years later by now, I feel the same way when I’m using social media.
I call myself a “thread killer,” because usually when I hop on a thread or try to comment or post something clever or cute or fun on Facebook or Twitter, it goes over like the Jeffersons theme song: flat, lifeless and that thread quickly, efficiently… dies.
Has this ever happened to you? I try not to take it too personally, but sometimes it sure feels pretty darn personal. Like the other day, an author “friend” on Facebook posted her brand new cover reveal.
She seemed so nice and excited and even though we don’t know each other personally, she “is” my Facebook friend so I hopped on the thread and congratulated her and said how pretty the cover was and… that’s that. A line or two; nothing “stalker”-ish or overbearing or asking her for anything. I wasn’t pitching or shilling or boasting or even necessarily looking for a reply; I was just generally happy for her and wanted to say so.
So I did.
Only, you know how whenever YOU comment on a thread, FB lets you know every time anyone else does, too? So, all day long I’m getting comments for this author’s cover and toward the end of the day I popped in and she had thanked everyone on that thread – we’re talking 12 to 15 people – except me.
It’s a little thing, really, and I know folks are busy but it seemed like she took time to thank everyone on that thread, by NAME, except little old me. Maybe I’m being hypersensitive. I know plenty of times when I try to be an active participant in an ongoing thread my comments ARE welcomed and received and… that’s fine.
But more often than not I remain… insert scary movie announcer’s voice here… the thread killer!
I guess my point is that for all the encouragement and gratitude and openness and friendliness I generally feel when using YA social media, it is still a rather cliquey place where, just like high school, you are either “cool”… or not.
What’s my solution? Generally I feel like that little girl in the bee costume from that great Blind Melon video for their song, “No Rain” (which I just watched again to fact check and LOVE): Just try your best to be yourself, and fit in where you can.
Not everyone will “get” it, or you, or your book or your rant or your jokes. But enough people will, and that’s where you should spend your time, energy and YA social media resources.
Chapter 7:
Ten Reasons Your YA Social Media Efforts Might Not Be Working
Social media, particularly in YA, is like a garden (stay with me here); it must be continually – and carefully – watered, tended, fed and nurtured.
Too often, we treat it like our Christmas decorations instead – we get all “warm and fuzzy” about it and go all out for awhile and then, after New Year’s, leave off and put social media back in the proverbial attic.
If you don’t have as many friends as you should, if you’re not getting the feedback you want, if you’re losing followers or have plateaued with your results, here are 10 Reasons Your YA Social Media Efforts Might Not Be Working:
The First Reason: Inconsistency
Social media requires consistency.
I’m not saying you have to go to social media “boot camp” and tweet at the same time every day, or “like” the same number of posts per hour, but in general you need to do this stuff at least a few times per day, EVERY day.
Folks like to see your profile pic a few times per day, or week, at different times of the day, throughout the week; it’s how familiarity is bred and identities are formed.
It’s up to you how long you can spend on social media per day, but it should be a few minutes on each site – preferably longer.
The Second Reason: Lack of Variety
It’s easy to get tempted to do the same thing, the same way, every day; spice it up!
If all you do on Facebook is “like” other people’s pictures, comments or links, post a few of your own – or share those of others.
If all you ever do is lurk around or “follow” other YA writers’ blogs, here’s a tip: leave a comment or just say “Hi.”
If you’re only re-tweeting on Twitter, think of something original to say or hunt down your own link to share or, better yet, share one of your own blog posts.
Whatever you’re doing, if it’s not really working for you, don’t be afraid to try something new.
The Third Reason: Not Playing Well With Others!
This one here is a biggie!
Remember, the key word in social media is “social.”
You have to play nice with others.
If you get a bad review on Goodreads, don’t go mouthing off to the whole world about it; eat a bar of chocolate, have a glass of wine, go see a movie and let it go.
If someone is snarky on Twitter or Facebook, chances are they’re like that to everybody and just want a rise out of you, a reaction or, worse still, a “flame” war; don’t give it to them.
If it’s you who’s being prickly, if you’re unnecessarily moody or intolerant or sarcastic or snarky or cold or blunt, consider how you interact on social media.
Better yet, “reconsider” how you act!
The Fourth Reason: Too Many of the “Wrong” Followers & Friends
For the longest time all the friends I had on my YA Facebook page were guys.
You know how Facebook will recommend friends for you?
Well, the first half-dozen or so “friends” I added were guy zombie writers and, man, after that, that’s all I got recommended; it was brutal.
Not that guys are necessarily “bad” on social media, but it’s never ideal to have just one segment of a particular group represented; and these weren’t even really YA guy zombie writers – these were some pretty hardcore dudes.
Again, nothing wrong with that, but they weren’t exactly receptive to my weekly cute, free, adorable holiday zombie poems, if you know what I mean.
Only when I got a little more targeted about who I was asking to be my friend, or allowing invites from, did things start to pick up around there!
The Fifth Reason: Not Enough of the “Right” Followers & Friends
Look, we’re all here for the same reason: we’ve got a YA book we’re writing, editing, querying, publishing or promoting.
So go where the YA writers, editors, agents, publishers and fellow promoters are.
But don’t stop there; go where the kids are, where YA bloggers hang out, where there is interaction, feedback, advice, excitement and enthusiasm about YA, period.
The more of the “right” followers and friends you have, the more of the “right” conversations you’ll be having – more often.
The Sixth Reason: You’re Too Obvious
Nothing kills a great online social media campaign like the following three words: BUY MY BOOK!
We get it; you’re here to promote.
Well, so are we, and if I have to jump through a few hoops to be creative, subtle, giving, understanding, nurturing and patient with my YA book promotion, well… so should you.
So step back from what you’ve been posting, look at it critically, objectively, and see if it’s too blunt, obvious or mercenary.
If it is, just dial it back a little and remember that social media is about relationships, not ROI!
The Seventh Reason: You’re Too Needy
If you’re online to promote your YA book, don’t also treat it as a therapy session!
While it’s okay to occasionally reach out and say to a trusted group of online friends, “I’m hurting and here’s why, please help,” to do that every day, all the time, can come off as needy and, frankly, a turnoff.
I know we all go through hard times, but the place to find support isn’t “just” online; real friends, who can touch and hold you, are often needed if things get too bad.
I’m not trying to be unsympathetic or mercenary, but this IS a post about social media for YA and if you’re turning off friends and followers, being too need might be just the reason.
The Eight Reason: You’re Too Boring
Doing social media, particularly in YA, requires a certain amount of… energy.
I try never to do it too early in the morning or too late at night because I’m simply too pooped to pop.
You need to be enthusiastic for those you follow, and respond enthusiastically to those who follow you.
You need to be positive, uplifting, encouraging, nurturing and even occasionally get on your soapbox and rant; all of those things require energy and, frankly, personality.
Too many folks treat social media like a business; treat it more like a cocktail party, and see if you don’t get better results!
The Ninth Reason: You’re Too Official
Relax; it’s not rocket science – it’s social media!
That means you’re allowed to be “social.”
I’m not the kind to post every meal, movie, holiday or bathroom break I’ve just experienced, but from time to time I do get excited about something and share it with my online friends and followers.
And that’s… okay.
It’s okay to share pictures of your kid’s birthday cake.
It’s okay to let folks know you just signed a contract, or leak your new book cover, or brag about a great review!
Let your hair down, relax and truly interact with your social media friends and followers; it could just be the “voice” you’re looking for.
The Tenth Reason: You’re On The Wrong Social Media Site!
Hey, it happens; we get all hopped up about “the latest, greatest” thing without stopping to wonder: Is this site right for me?
So if you’re not finding the right type of followers, features, friends and benefits on that “hot, new” social media site you just joined, maybe it’s better if you go back and revisit some of the sites you know work and put your time, effort and energy there instead.
Remember, the best way to succeed with social media is to do more of the right stuff, more often – and less of the wrong stuff, more often.
Again, I don’t have a degree in social media for YA; I just know what has worked and, just as importantly, what hasn’t worked for ME.
The good thing about social media is it has a short memory; if what you’ve been doing isn’t working, the minute you start doing something that does work, you’ll see results almost immediately!
Chapter 8:
Five Ways to Jump Start Your YA Social Media
Last month my social media efforts definitely hit a plateau.
I felt tired, fatigued, frustrated and anxious.
Numbers had flat-lined, interaction was about what it always was, posts were being read, followers were following, but it all felt… stale.
I thought about what I was doing different, or new, or unique, or follow-worthy and that’s when it hit me: not much!
So I stepped back, mulled it over and came back stronger and harder this month with the following 5 Ways to Jump Start Your YA Social Media:
The First Way to Jump Start Your YA Social Media: Add Some New Friends or Followers
Lately I’ve been adding fewer friends or followers, but interacting with them much more personally.
Adding a friend or follower is a great way to jump start the social media interaction, and I don’t just mean that in a mercenary “what can you do for me today?” way.
I mean really interact.
Ask what they’re doing, inquire about their latest book, check out its cover art, leave a comment or re-tweet an old post they may have left last week.
Don’t just grab numbers any way you can but, instead, use adding a new follower as a great way to jump start a conversation with a potential friend.
The Second Way to Jump Start Your YA Social Media: Go Blog Fishing!
Every day I try to discover a new blog to explore, read, follow or comment on.
Facebook and Twitter make it easy, because most posts or tweets from author types, especially YA author types, are links back to a (usually great) blog post.
So rather than just blindly “liking” or re-tweeting them, here’s a thought: go visit them!
Following, or just finding, a new blog is a great way to discover something new about an author, learn something you didn’t know about YA writing or publishing or finding an agent, join a rant that lets off some steam or simply bond with a new friend.
The Third Way to Jump Start Your YA Social Media: Write Something New
One way to generate eyeballs, friends, followers and potential leads is to simply write something new.
A new tweet, a new Facebook share, a new article, a new comment or a new blog post.
It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we’re writers first, and social media participants second.
So if your social media efforts are floundering, go back to the well and write something new to post, share, inspire or educate.
I find that when I’m posting, sharing and tweeting something of my own, it doesn’t just get ME excited about what I’m doing, but others as well!
The Fourth Way to Jump Start Your YA Social Media: Give Something Away
Sometimes it can be months before your latest/next book comes out, or you have a cover to reveal or leak, or a “buy” link to share.
It’s easy to do social media when you have something active to promote, like a new book or Amazon.com link or review, but what about those in between months when nothing much is going on?
Here’s a thought: give something away.
A signed copy of your book on another YA author’s blog, a FREE online excerpt from your latest WIP, a “sneak peek” at your upcoming sequel or even a chance for a FREE critique of another writer’s query letter, synopsis or Prologue.
If you’re in the social media doldrums and nothing much is going on lately, don’t wait for something to happen – make it happen by giving something away and jump starting a whole new set of friends, followers or fans.
The Fifth Way to Jump Start Your YA Social Media: Step Away from the Mouse!
If you’re in the middle of a scene or a chapter that’s frustrating you, what’s your first instinct?
To get up and walk away, right?
Take a walk, meet a friend for lunch, see a movie or just get some fresh air.
Then you come back, refreshed and renewed, ready to pick up the battle again.
Usually, your mind is free and you’re in a new place and the writing comes much, much easier.
Why should social media be any different?
If your numbers are flat-lining or folks don’t seem interested in what you’re saying lately, here’s a fifth and final tip to jump start your social media: step away from the mouse.
Seriously, walk away and take a break.
Trust me, Twitter won’t collapse without you!
Spend a day offline, if you can, or at least half-a-day.
Let it go and perhaps a little time and perspective will help you figure out a way to reinvest in and reinvigorate what you’re doing with social media.
Sometimes, absence really does make the heart grow fonder!
I hope these five tips help; they certainly helped me!
Chapter 9:
Five Signs It Might Be Time to Pull the Plug on a Social Media Site
The other day I went to “share” someone’s great blog post on the usual suspects – Twitter, Facebook, etc. – and when I clicked on the share button, like, 400 “other” social media sites popped up and I had to scroll through 398 of them to get to the only two that mattered at that moment.
You know that pop-up list?
It made me wonder how many other social media opportunities I’m missing, but also kind of relieved me that as much time as I do spend on social media, I don’t have all of them to worry about, either.
The fact is, I’m a big proponent of doing more with less.
In other words, if I can focus on 4 or 5 things and do them (hopefully) really well, then to me that’s better than just making an appearance on 12 or 15 different social media sites and not making much of an impact on any of them.
What about you?
How many social media sites are you juggling and what would you give to not have to swing by one or two or more on your daily “social media junket”?
Well, I might have good news for you.
Here are Five Signs It Might Be Time to Pull the Plug on a Social Media Outlet:
The First Sign: It’s Too Difficult
I’m not saying that social media should be easy, it isn’t; but it should be simple.
In other words, the links should work, it should load quickly, features should be fast and plentiful.
If I’m on a site and it won’t let me load book covers, or accept reader comments without 15 fail safe measures including asking for their social security number, I’m out.
If it keeps telling me I’m formatting something wrong, or doesn’t look right when I’m done, or the links don’t work or it’s always, constantly, forever down – goodbye; I don’t have time for all that and the folks I’m connecting with don’t, either.
Don’t get me wrong; I know every social media site has its ups and downs, its benefits and drawbacks.
But you know what I mean: some just seem to go out of their way to make life difficult.
My life is difficult enough without adding more work to my work!
The Second Sign: It’s Not Paying Off
Are you making connections?
Are you leaning anything?
Have you met anyone nice or cool or helpful or fun or entertaining or influential?
Are people talking about your books?
Or just their books?
If you’re spending 10, 20, 30 or more minutes a day on a social media site with nothing to show for it, at all, why are you still there?
I’d rather spend ALL my social media time on a few sites where things are happening for me than just a little time on a ton of sites where not much is going on – ever.
Remember, every minute you spend on a lame social media site that’s not paying off is time you’re taking away from a site that could be helping your YA writing career really take off!
The Third Sign: None of Your “Fans” Are There
Okay, so “fans” may be the wrong word, but… you know what I mean.
When I’m using a social media site, I want it to be clicking.
I want re-tweets, I want “likes,” I want subscribers, followers, friends, mentions… I want ACTIVITY.
I want to see some friendly faces, I want to see the same old YA book covers, or hear news about some new ones, or see what “so and so” is up to and what about “what’s her name”?
A client once described social media to me as like a big cocktail party, where you can talk to a few or a lot of people and you all have something in common with each other; it could be publishing, YA, blogs, libraries, librarians, YA, books, YA… whatever.
If you log onto a site and nobody you know is there, or nobody you want to know is there, it’s like going to a really, really lame cocktail party; you just want to leave and go someplace you are wanted.
The good news is, unlike cocktail parties where you usually know the host and don’t want to be rude, you can ejection seat out of a social media site whenever you want!
So, what are you waiting for?
The Fourth Sign: It Doesn’t Have the Features You Want
I get that folks know the name “Smashwords” better, but I spend a lot more time on Scribd because it has the features I want, isn’t always hounding me to “reformat” my material, the site makes it easier for me to promote and share what I’ve just posted, etc.
That doesn’t mean I don’t put stuff on Smashwords, but it does mean I put a lot more on – and spend a lot more time on – Scribd.com; probably up to twice as much.
And, lately, I’ve been WAY more active on Twitter than Facebook for some reason, maybe because Facebook has been getting a lot more “promotional” lately, if you know what I mean.
Not the company, per se, but perhaps a very LOUD minority of my thousand or so “friends” over there.
So I’m on Scribd and Twitter more than Facebook and Smashwords; and that’s okay!
That’s the thing; it’s YOUR choice.
When you find a few great social media sites with all the features you like, all the bells and whistles you want and occasionally need, why go anywhere else?
The Fifth Sign: It’s Not for “Book” People
If you had all the spare time in the world, I’d say be on every social media site known to man, EVERY day; but you don’t.
You are a YA author, so you want to be on social media sites where books, in general, and YA authors, in particular, are not only welcome but a focal point of the daily activity.
When I hop on Facebook or Twitter for just a few minutes, I am literally bathed in the glow of hundreds of YA authors.
Why?
Because that’s who I’ve chosen to be “social” with.
If you’re on a social media site and it’s not very book or YA or author friendly, or just not friendly in general, maybe you don’t need to be there after all!
So there you have it; you’re officially “off the hook” from having to be on every social media site, every single day, all the time.
The fact is, not all of them will be right for you.
Not just as a YA writer, or even as a writer, but right for your personality, your style, your schedule or your publishing needs.
So take a breather, knock a few under-performing social media sites off your daily “to do” list and just… relax.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-51 show above.)