Monday, May 21, 2018

Author Platform: Accessibility on Social Media

I've noticed a lot of authors with Facebook pages and other forms of social media don't mention they're a writer or provide any helpful information that's easily accessible on their accounts, and this is a mistake. If your social media is intended to be part of your author platform or has anything to do with book advertising, etc., you should have information regarding yourself as an author readily available to those who might be seeking you out. What's the point in making it a mystery? You want to be accessible!

Here are a couple things you should have available for possible readers or even fellow authors:

Facebook
A lot of the friend requests I get are from people who have a bunch of mutual friends who are authors, but they have nothing written under their intro or on their "About" page. That's two strikes right there. If I'm in the right kind of mood, with a bit of time to kill, I'll scroll through their posts to see if I can identify whether this person is an author, book reviewer, or why it is they might be sending me a friend request. Many of them have their page locked down so thoroughly that I can't figure anything out from that, either, so how am I supposed to know if they're just spam accounts? Well, I don't, so I delete that friend request.

At the minimum, you should have something brief under the "intro" section, which shows up on the top left of your profile. Example: Mine says "Horror and fantasy short story author. Fan of all things creepy." It conveys what I do and what I'm interested in. No mysteries here!

You can also update your job on the "About" page, and you should link to any other social media you want people to see, such as your blog and/or website. I have links to my website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.

Consider making some of your posts public. If that's something you prefer to avoid, pick a couple that you feel will be representative of you (book release posts or updates on writing or anything random about writing) and just make those public. This means someone checking your page will see you're a writer/author.

Have cover images, author photos, etc.? It's a good idea to have those visible to the public, as well, either in your cover photo, profile photo, or visible on your timeline.

Twitter
This one's easier. Say something about being a writer or about your work in your profile information showing under your name. If your "handle" is not your name, be sure your actual name shows up on your profile somewhere so you're searchable. If you have a book cover, it's good to have it as your banner.




Website/Blog
This is where you really must have some personal information, and there are plenty of places to do it. It should be clear on the front page somewhere who you are. If your name is not in the title, be sure it's visible on the front page. Write a visible bio that includes any pertinent writing details. Make sure there is a visible way to find any books you may have out. Mine are listed along the side of my blog, as well as in a publications tab.

It's a good idea to have a few types of tabs with information. For instance, I have an about me with some random facts and pictures, a publications tab that lists all my available publications and where to buy them, a media kit tab where information about me can easily be grabbed (long bio, short bio, my social media links, headshots, and how to contact me), and an appearances tab so people know where I'll be signing and/or speaking. All of these hopefully make me more accessible and save people some legwork.

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See the IWSG blog for a brief post about GDPR that includes information on how the IWSG is dealing with it and a few links I found helpful in getting the IWSG newsletter GDPR compliant.

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Horror Addicts have put out another collection! Here's the press release below:



Music has the power to soothe the soul, drive people to obsession, and soundtrack evil plots. Is music the instigator of madness, or the key that unhinges the psychosis within? From guitar lessons in a graveyard and a baby allergic to music, to an infectious homicidal demo and melancholy tunes in a haunted lighthouse, Crescendo of Darkness will quench your thirst for horrifying audio fiction.
HorrorAddicts.net is proud to present fourteen tales of murderous music, demonic performers, and cursed audiophiles.
Crescendo of Darkness includes:
“Audition” by Naching T. Kassa
This could be a guitarist's ticket to the big time, if he survives auditioning in a ghoul-protected graveyard.
“Circe’s Music Shop” by A. Craig Newman
A music store owner, who won’t be bullied into submission, teaches two hitmen the meaning of pain.
“Last Lullaby” by Emerian Rich
An opera diva is haunted by a dangerous secret which threatens to end her career and her life.
“Loved to Death” by Sam Morgan Phillips
Death explores his dream of being a rock star, but can’t avoid his purpose when a young woman forces him to live up to his destiny.
“The Music Box” by Daphne Strasert When a mom finds her childhood music box, she unleashes a tragic horror on her family, dooming them to repeat history.
“While My Guitar Gently Bleeds” by Benjamin Langley A rock musician is visited by an undead band member and forced to pay for his crimes against rock ‘n’ roll.
“Six String Bullets” by Cara Fox
The pull of a busker’s song becomes too much for a young woman to resist.
“Lighthouse Lamentation” by R.A. Goli
A lighthouse keeper helps a mysterious guest, but the stranger’s haunting sea shanty might drive him mad.
“Solomon’s Piano” by Jeremy Megargee
A grieving husband builds an unnatural piano, but can his music raise the dead?
“They Don’t Make Music Like That Anymore” by Kahramanah
A musician’s obsession with creating a masterpiece leads to him discover why they don't make music like that anymore.
“Become the Music” by H.E. Roulo
A cellist would do anything for her child, even give up music, but that might not be enough to stop a curse from consuming her baby.
“Keep the Beat” by Calvin Demmer
A young girl questions why her tribe plays the djembe drums every night and finds it may be more than just a tradition.
“The Legend of Crimson Ivory” by Sarah Gribble
An audiophile finds a legendarily sinister demo at a used record store and decides to play it, despite his friends' warnings.
“A Whisper in the Air” by Jeremiah Donaldson
Employees at a job find solace in playing music on break, but a haunted melody draws in more than just new musicians.
Crescendo of Darkness
Direct link: https://www.amazon.com/Crescendo-Darkness-Jeremiah-Donaldson/dp/1987708156
Edited by Jeremiah Donaldson
Cover by Carmen Masloski
HorrorAddicts.net Press

Let music unlock your fear within.

Have you maximized your social media? Do you have information that's readily accessible for those searching you out? Have you gotten your page and newsletter updated to be GDPR-compliant?

May you find your Muse.

15 comments:

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I'm not on Facebook or Twitter. My blog could probably use some sprucing up, but I think - hope! - I have all the relevant info readily available.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My accounts all mention right away that I'm an author. Sometimes I hit a blog that tells me the person is a writer but I can't find a name. That makes no sense.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Great post! Lots of helpful information. Will share for you! And thank you for including a link to info about GDPR.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon - thanks for this ... will be really helpful - cheers Hilary

Chrys Fey said...

Ah. For Facebook you’re talking about personal profiles. For mine, I state it’s a person account and direct them to my author page.

Unknown said...

Thank you for mentioning us! :)

Lisa Southard said...

My social media isn't too private, so I don't do too badly, but am guilty of neglecting to update the website. I have an author page for Facebook and a pseudonym for my personal page so they don't muddled. They get muddled anyway :-)

Unknown said...

This is such helpful information. I just published my first novel in KDP a few days ago and am feeling a little overwhelmed to say the least. I've done most of what you've suggested with the exception of my blog. I haven't had much success with it. But you've given such helpful info. I'm going to buy a book and figure out how to incorporate all your suggestions. You should consider a self help book for lost newbies like me, LOL. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to put this info out there. Also, I'm going to download your latest book and give her a read.

Will be back soon to see what other nuggets of gold you've left in the pan for us, LOL.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

If you're a writer, it should say so on all of your social site profiles.

Andrew Leon said...

I'm sure I need to do some work on my FB page. I haven't updated it in ages.

Mark said...

All good social media advice:) FB, Twitter, and website setup is a must:)

Loni Townsend said...

I should probably put that I'm a writer on my friendable Facebook profile. It says I'm a writer on my official page though!

Nick Wilford said...

This is all great, sound advice. I only recently set up an FB author page and to be honest, I'm still getting the hang of it.

Guilie Castillo said...

Oooohh, this anthology sounds excellent! I've been on a horror kick of late, so maybe I'm in the right mood for this :) Excellent reminders re social media details... I've had that problem, too, where someone adds me but I can't for the life of me figure out if they're writers or artists or just friends of friends (or maybe even spammers). And I've also had times when I see my own profile somewhere and realize it's so out of date it makes me sound like a different person :D You give some really good pointers here, Shannon. Thanks!
Guilie @ Life In Dogs

John Wiswell said...

I have a blast on Twitter. The short-form posting and easy chaining of messages leads to a lot of versatile expression. My friends are so much more eager to be silly there, too.