social media

Sorry About Being MIA!

/ Marcia Meara / 34 Comments

I know I haven’t been able to share as many of my favorite bloggers’ posts as I’d like over the last week or two, but I’m just in a drastic time crunch, here. Between finishing the END of my WIP, while simultaneously working with my editor on the beginning of it, and the plethora of doctor’s appointments and other commitments I have scheduled, I need at least 30 hours in a day to keep up. (I know many of you can identify with this.)

Lemon Shark recently shared a post called “Without Apologies,” wherein she addressed the guilt we heap on ourselves when we can’t keep up with our social media. Following her lead (almost, since I actually AM apologizing, here), I’ve been forced to empty my Inbox of the kajillion post alerts, and start fresh. I will try my best to read and share as much as possible, but please understand, I’m not quite on top of it all right now, as I usually strive to be.

The good news is, I’m almost at the finish line, and will be able to regroup then. I’m looking forward to catching  up with you guys, and resuming my goal of sharing your posts as far and wide as I can. It won’t be long now, honest!!

Thanks so much for not writing me off as a real slacker. 🙂 Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Oh, and have a great Freya’s Day.

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New-release facebook posts

/ Aimee Easterling / 15 Comments

newreleaseI finally went over to the dark side — I joined facebook as an author. And I have to admit it’s worth the extra half hour per day! During an average week, I spend that time posting something personal to my page (often a book review), sharing something from a writing buddy, and commenting on a few posts. Then, during a launch week, I reap the rewards with lots of organic eyes on my launch posts.

I stole the format of my launch post from several much more savvy authors and thought I’d pass it along here in case you’re having trouble getting attention for your posts. Here are my tips:

  • Start with an awesome graphic. If you’re doing a big sale like the 99 cent sale I ran on my bundle in August, it’s worth making a different graphic for each day of the week to see which one gets the most likes and shares. Optimal size is 1200X628 pixels
  • Prime the pump with a header that asks for likes and shares while also cutting to the chase. Why should people care? Because it’s new? Because it’s cheap? Because it has a thousand 5-star reviews?
  • Next, use one short paragraph to sell your book. The tagline from your blurb is a good inclusion here along with perhaps a review or a paraphrased review. Be sure to keep this short enough so your link will be visible without requiring people to click “More”.
  • End with your link(s).
  • Finally, boost the post (assuming you made the post on a page rather than on a personal profile). It’s worth spending a dollar a day to get a little extra buzz going during launch…although I have to admit that the post above has reached more people organically due to the friendly shares of authors and readers than it has through the paid boost.

As I said, I’m new to facebook, so I’ll bet those of you who are more experienced have other tips to add. What do you do to ensure your new-release facebook posts get shown to your fans rather than hidden in the facebook sea?

(P.S. Yes, I have a new release! I hope you’ll check it out. 🙂 )