“In the beginning. . .” are words that most of us recognize almost immediately, but few relate it to ourselves. But that is where you are if you have written a book – you are in the beginning of wondering about how you are going to market your book to get it out there to the reading population. To do that, you need to begin to think of yourself as a business owner and how, as such, you will get customers to come into your establishment without it costing you the fortune which few new writers have the privilege or luxury of enjoying.

Consider social media, the thing that we all love to hate but can’t live without. Social media is here to stay, and we need to learn how to use it to our advantage. Most of us have a Facebook page, but is it public? If not, then you need to consider changing it to public to be able to have a wider audience. Begin to search out writer’s groups, reader’s groups, critique groups – read their rules and be willing to comply before you jump in and join them. Read some of their post and comments to see if this is a group you belong in; if not, move on.

What about TikTok or Instagram, social media groups that are newer than Facebook and often times reach a totally different audience? Did you know there are such things as Book Tok, Author Tok, Reader Tok all under the TikTok umbrella? Or Instagram which utilizes #hashtags, first introduced by Twitter, which are now used in almost all social media platforms; they are beneficial in helping us to organize our connect-ability and outreach to others through social media venues. Basically, a hashtag is a phrase that is preceded by a sign/symbol (#) – for instance, #author, #writer, #artist – which highlights and draws attention to the topic you are interested in or wish to promote. You might want to keep a list of the #hashtags you use to facilitate your marketing adventure which will also track your growth in the use of social media.

It is important to understand that your audience will not grow in leaps and bounds overnight. The key to growth using social media is being consistent and patient. Don’t give up. Establish a time for you to utilize social media platforms even if it is only 5 or 10 or 15 minutes a day before breakfast or after lunch or before you go to bed. Set a time and a timer to post, to comment, to ‘love’ someone else’s post then forward it on. You were diligent in writing your book; that same diligence applied to social media will help you reach the success you desire.

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