Should an Author Use Social Media and Still Publish?

Transylvania is a hard topic to keep publishing material about, but that doesn't mean there isn't a market for it.  


Social networking sites are becoming the go-to platform to get people to read your book, and most authors know or understand that they should have an author page on Facebook and a Twitter account so that people will find them and find their writing.  This is even more true when it comes to Transylvania, which is a niche market at best when publishing a book.

Since 2012, my author page on Facebook is one of the many author platforms I should improve on, but I also need to build an audience who will either buy my work or talk about what I I write.  In this case, my focus is to get more readers interacting with me so that I can continue to grow.  With a niche market such as this topic, updating is a must.  The fact that Google often takes into account how many "likes" or "shares" a page has to promote it a bit more means that my author page needs to be more active.

Social media platforms like Facebook, are important, especially when it comes to Transylvania, Romania, and working with this small community, as the market is only so large, but that doesn't mean it has a glass ceiling.   I would estimate that the reach of the people who love Transylvania is a lot stronger when it is combined with other social media sites and worked on as a business.  This means it needs to be done correctly.  I admit that, so far, I haven't taken social media as seriously as I should have.  It is partly because there is always something new to learn about, but also because it is overwhelming.

Has this particular brand of social media helped my book sales in any way?  I am sure if I was a bit more famous, or updated my author page more, I am sure that there would be more people who would know about Transylvania and my book.  However, I can admittedly say that I am not using my page to its fullest potential.  I plan to change this soon, since I will be publishing another book on Transylvania.  Without a strong author page, the chances of continued success are low.

Twitter is an entirely different beast in terms of audience and "voice". I've been tweeting for about a little over a year.  Internet social media seems to be the place for every author to go and promote their book — or themselves — and that's not a bad thing, but it does take time away from what authors are really about: writing.

In short, Twitter also is a good platform, but I have found that it takes time away from my writing.  Social media is a black hole for many new writers if they don't focus.  It isn't something that goes away, and in a niche market such as writing about Transylvania, it is a necessary promotional tool.

This doesn't mean it should be the only focus.  Part of becoming a successful author in a niche market, and earning respect, is writing and publishing another book.  On that note, the first draft of anything is easy, and it usually doesn't take much time or effort.  It is the subsequent drafts which take more time to create and refine.

Writers in niche markets must continue to use social media, but they also need to publish another book to work with the momentum that this style of interacting with readers can bring.

Comments

Amy said…
a very interesting topic, publishing and social networking. Well done.
Great to know you like this topic and I will do more, should the need arise, would be be interested in it?
Amy said…
thanks for the reply! I'd love to know if focusing on Transylvania is a good thing on social media.
Amy-- then I shall work on it.