Tag: author life

Posted in resources, writer life, writing advice

Authors & Social Media

Posted on by Erin McKnight

Social media is one of the things I both love and hate in this world. Hours magically melt away when scrolling Instagram and TikTok, fueled by serotonin-boosting funny animal videos. On the other hand, nothing else in the world can make me rage face as hard as some of the comments I see on these platforms.

As infuriating as these apps and websites can be, they are vital in building your author platform. It’s one of those necessary evils like taking out the trash or doing laundry.

For every piece of advice for authors on handling social media, ten others say to do the opposite. It comes down to this; there is no one size fits all solution. You have to find what works for you. 

Even so, there are some things to consider before starting your social media journey.

Author Brand

As an author, you are more than an individual. You are a brand. Social media is all about selling yourself. Yes, you want to sell books, but people are far more likely to buy a book to support someone they feel connected to or to help support someone whose content they enjoy. So consider the image you want to portray and find the platform(s) that best help you do that.

Images vs. Videos vs. Text

Every platform is designed to deliver a specific kind of content. You don’t have to do all of them. In fact, trying to could lead to burnout. Instead, think about how you can best get your personality across. Can you make videos for TikTok or YouTube? Only want to do pictures? Instagram or Facebook sounds like a better fit. Twitter is good for short snippets of text. No matter how you want to communicate with your readers, find the platform designed to fit your comfort level and focus your efforts there.

Engagement

This one is tricky. It’s not platform-specific but can help you narrow your focus. One-on-one interaction can be achieved through polls, contests, and a million other things. Think about how you want to form that connection with your reader base before diving into creating content. The platform you pick should align with your preferred contact method.

Organic Reach or Paid Ads

Okay, this one is a little different. Organic reach is the people naturally finding your content when scrolling through their feeds. Paid ads are screen space you pay for to put your content in front of the audience. This doesn’t mean you have to spend money to gain an audience. Every platform has an algorithm to push content to people based on previous history. Research the platform and see if you can find a way to use that data to boost your presence without dipping into your pocketbook.

Keeping these things in mind, I’ve decided to stick mainly to Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. They let me use images to draw interest and keep me from rambling for days on end. I can show my personality and interests in a way that is comfortable for me while promoting my work.

There is a lot more I could go into regarding social media, but I think it’s better to leave that to the experts.

 If you want to learn more about social media and the writing world, read Social Media for Writers: A Complete Guide for tips and tricks on every major platform.

Posted in publishing, writing advice

Do I Need a Website?

Posted on by Erin McKnight

Having a website is an important part of becoming an author, but it’s one most people neglect. I know I’d never considered it before starting my publishing journey. My focus was on writing compelling stories that let people escape reality for a while, not learning to build webpages.

I drug my feet on building my website. It was a frustrating process that had me ready to punt my laptop down the street more than once. I found myself questioning why I was even putting myself through this. The answer was simple.

Because you need it. Having a website gives you key things you need as an author.

Instant credibility

What will happen if somebody googles you and finds a big ol’ goose egg? Maybe you’ll get lucky, and they’ll see social media. That’s great, but anybody can have an Instagram account. Having a website sets you apart as a professional.

Build your newsletter

You have to have a newsletter. Period. It helps build a dedicated audience to drive sales by promoting your novels and events on a more personal level. You can even find beta readers you know want to see you succeed!

Showcase your work

There are only so many times you can post a promo on social media before people stop looking and keep scrolling. It’s an excellent tool for a release. Don’t get me wrong, but a website lets you dive deep into your work with evergreen content. Social media has character limits. When is the last time you saw a website with one?

Now, I do not pretend to be a website design expert. I’m learning something new every day. If you want to learn more about how to build one that will work, check out A Comprehensive Guide to Creating an Effective Author Website. You won’t regret it.

Posted in writer life

Self-Care for Authors

Posted on by Erin McKnight

The term self-care didn’t exist when I was growing up. At least, nobody ever talked about it. I actually got an “I’m Third” award at a church camp for putting everyone else before myself. While serving others is good, there is a point that it turns into a detriment.

If you don’t care for yourself, you can’t take care of others.

Refilling your creative well is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the author community. I’ve touched on it before when discussing getting space from your work and vacationing. There is a reason this theme is preached with such rigor.

An author that is physically and mentally drained cannot create. 

While self-care looks different for everyone, I have found two primary themes prevailing over the landscape.

Simplify your life

Remove as many of the things that cause you stress as possible. That may require planning or purging, but the more “clutter” you can get out of your life, the less there will be to hold you down.

Reward yourself

You work hard. It’s okay to give yourself a little break. Eat some cake. Take a quick nap. Get a massage. Whatever that reward is for you, give yourself something to look forward to at the end of a grueling task.

Having your mind and body in top shape gives you more energy and makes finding motivation easier. When an author finds themself in a bad place in these areas, crafting stories can be nearly impossible.

Take a few minutes to check in with yourself and see if self-care needs to be put back on the menu.

Not sure where to start? Take a look at these articles for a few ideas.

Self-Care for Writers: 10 Ways to Avoid Burnout
Seriously, Take a Break: 12 Self-Care Tips for Writers

For me, it’s spending time resting. Lying on the couch with a good sheet mask and a cat to snuggle helps me recharge. What practices do you use to keep yourself in a space that is perfect to let your creative juices flow?

Posted in writer life

Two for ’22

Posted on by Erin McKnight

I know I’m a little late on this one, but New Year’s resolutions aren’t my thing. While I’m a big goals setter, I feel like waiting for the end of the year to decide to change something is a waste of time. That doesn’t mean that I don’t set goals for the new year. I do, but they are usually smaller pieces of a larger goal.

That being said, I set two main writing goals for 2022.

1. Complete content edit

Some of the edits for my first novel, Batter Days, came down to the wire. This made an already stressful situation a supernova of nerves and angst. I don’t want to live through that again. So I’m proactively setting early deadlines for myself to avoid it. One of the biggest pieces of this is the content edit.

A content edit is where a professional editor sits down and tells you where all the problems are in your novel. For me, this comes after my self-edits and beta reading edits. It’s the first time an editor will see my work and will likely be the most labor-intensive of my professional edits. Once complete, the story should be more or less set with only a good prose polishing needed.

2. Hold three author events/sales

Events are going to be a big part of my strategy moving forward. I want to spend time talking to readers. Maybe even hand out some free swag. Building a relationship with your audience is a sure-fire way to get your book in their hands. That’s why I plan on doing no less than three events this year. 

I already have one on set, a book signing at a library near where I grew up. The rest are still in the embryo stage. Getting through this first event will help me understand what I need to make future events more successful.

I’m curious. What are your goals for 2022? Did you make any? Better yet, what’s your game plan for getting there?