Infographic 5 Social Media Tips for Authors

Infographic 5 Social Media Tips for Authors Infographic: 5 Actionable Social Media Tips for Authors Social media is the key to every self-publisher’s dream when it comes to marketing. Though complex, it’s the foreground to any successful book marketing strategy†¦ and it’s free! Being a self-published author means creating great content, but does it also mean you need to be an expert marketer? Thanks to the social web, no–though it certainly pays to be informed.We know engaging thousands of people on social media can feel like working in a black hole, but we’ve curated a list of actionable social media tips authors can utilize to market their books and themselves on social media without wasting time, breaking the bank, or turning into an angry-aggressive marketer who’s forgotten what their real job and passion is: writing.Tip #4. Stay optimistic or stay quietBeing a self-published author means you’re a professional; even though you may be accustomed to sharing personal opinions and experiences on your social media pages and comme nts, disassemble your internet armour and ignore the anti-fan comments. If you want a good counter-example, you can check this author’s reaction to a (slightly satirical) review of his book.Critique and criticism is inevitable. You will be much more appreciated as an author if you take reader feedback with a grain of salt and move on. Harping on the review will only hinder your credibility in the future and take away from the time you could have spent improving and creating content. If the same person keeps attacking your social media accounts, it’s perfectly acceptable to block them.Tip #5. Hashtags are your #friendsHashtags help categorize the rush of content constantly being posted by working as searchable tags and keywords. They’re a great feature to assist you in developing your online presence and reaching out to your audience. If used correctly, hashtags can connect you with readers all over the internet. If used incorrectly, they just clutter all of your wonderful content.Deciding which hashtags to use is one thing, but use too many, and your posts will look like spam. Search for hashtags like #amwriting, #amediting and #fridayreads to engage in community-wide topical posts, and don’t forget generic hashtags like #author, #pubtip, #writelife, #SFF, #YA, etc.Successful social media marketing really does just take time and patience–along with dedication, consistency, and a commitment to making your interactions personal. There is a very fine line between marketing yourself and harassing your readers, so make sure you fall on the right side of the fence by being transparent, friendly and personable. Who knows? You might just find that making friends online is just as fun as meeting people face-to-face!If you liked the post, do us a favour, and tweet the infographic! Just click here for that.How do you use social media as an author? Do you have any other tips to share with us?

4 Problems With the Goals Youre Setting

4 Problems With the Goals Youre Setting We all set goals. Some are big and juicy and inspiring. (I want to be an astronaut when I grow up!) Others are more mundane. (I want to floss!) But regardless of the size and scope, our goals will never be anything more than a source of guilt if we can’t make them happen. Whether you’re dreaming big or just trying to make steady progress, if you don’t set the right goals you’ll never get to the place you want to be. In order to do this, sometimes you have to admit that what you’re doing isn’t working and tackle the source of the issue. That being said, here are 4 problems with the goals you’re setting:1. Your motivation sucksDon’t just set a goal because you think it makes you look good on social media or because you’re trying to impress someone. Set goals that are meaningful to you and achievable with the right balance of sacrifice so you make sure to complete them.We all want to be cool, and we all struggle with wanting to do things we see other people do. But goals ought to be personal. Make sure you know why you’re doing what you’re doing and it will make your goal that much easier to achieve.2. You’re all talk and no actionIt doesn’t matter how good your goals look on paper if you never manage to reach  them. Don’t be one of those people who declares your intention and then doesn’t follow through. Nothing is more annoying or transparent. Everyone can tell if you’d rather get the credit than actually do the work. Set your goal, take steps to complete it, and then don’t solicit too much praise.3. You quit too oftenIf you’ve set your goals correctly- and you have the passion to persevere- then you should have a pretty clear idea what your goal is going to require. You’re prepared to struggle and to stare down doubt. You’ve seen the hard parts coming. Part of this means setting goals that matter to you enough to keep up your devotion to them when the going gets toughest.4. You’re intimidatedMaybe your goals aren’t grand enough. Are you too scared to try for what you really want? Does fear of failure (or success) hold you back from what you truly want to do? If so, take a lesson from the most fearless entrepreneurs and set off boldly into the unknown. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the what-ifs. Steer into the dizzying direction of your wildest dreams. Do what scares you most- it’s often exactly what you should be doing.