As part of our ongoing blog series dedicated to marketing books, we'd like to talk this week about getting social! Once you've checked out all the available social media sites (see our previous post about getting started) it's time to start connecting and building an audience. This may seem simple, but it really does begin one connection at a time - one like, one follow, one direct message. It may take a bit of time to build a following but you can start by following the authors, film makers, singers, celebrities, and sports figures that interest you. You'll get a sense of the types of content that professionals (or the pro's that manage sites for them) feel is important and will grab the attention of their followers. 

The rule of three . . .
According to Wikipedia and numerous pundits and internet articles and lots of books on Amazon, the rule of three is a general writing principle that groups of three are generally more satisfying and easier to remember for readers or audience members. The same can be said of social media practices.

This principle is a lot simpler than it sounds – so don’t be scared off by it! Simply think of your posts as clusters of three. For one of the posts, you will promote yourself (things like your book, business, or brand). For another, you will promote someone else (things like their book, business, or brand). For the final post, you will post something unrelated to your book or business, but still connected to you and your brand (things like a hobby, vacation, family picture, etc.). Simply rotate through these three kinds of posts! It’s so simple, but it gives you a great starting place when it comes to knowing what kind of content to create. And we follow the rule . . . with three images below!

At the end of the day, when it comes to building your brand, you have to start somewhere! Don’t let fear or intimidation keep you from beginning. Do your research ahead of time when it comes to picking your lane and finding places like conferences and online forums. Spend the time upfront setting up your social media and becoming comfortable with how it works so that, as your brand begins to take off, you can focus less on the logistics and more on building relationships with your readers and other authors.

One more thing . . .
You don't have to do it alone! While it's important to make your voice and personality shine throughout your social media presences, you can get help. Take a tour through LinkedIn and search for virtual assistants. You can specify marketing assistants or social media assistants and hire someone to help build your brand, keep your sites fresh, and work with you on connecting to followers. 

​When it comes to marketing yourself an author, you don’t have to wait until your book is finished and published to begin. The earlier you connect and begin to build familiarity and relationships with your readers, the better.

This becomes possible when you realize that you are marketing yourself more than you are marketing your book. At the end of the day, your name is a more important brand than your book’s title. The key is to build your own personal brand through which you can promote your books. We're launching a new blog series in 2019, dedicated to helping authors build their platforms and their brand. Here's a few things to get you started . . . maybe one or two will make it to your New Year's Resolution list!

For authors with books already published, we strongly suggest creating and keeping fresh your Goodreads Profile and Amazon.com Author Central profiles. Be sure to keep them fresh with weekly posts or link them to your existing blog.

Read more about Goodreads setup here. It's a powerful tool with a great return on investment of your time and energy. 

We'll talk more in upcoming posts about creating a compelling social media presence but for now just make a start. Create a profile and bring the new YOU to the New Year!

​It’s that time of year again! With the holidays right around the corner, the odds are high that you have been thinking long and hard about what you’re going to buy for gifts this year.

We may be partial, of course, but it seems like you can never go wrong with a good book. Doesn’t it conjure up such a peaceful image – imagining yourself cozied up by the fire with a nice blanket and your nose in a book? It’s the perfect way to spend the holiday season and stay warm in the cooler weather.

IngramElliott's middle grade novel, Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream was awarded a SILVER AWARD for pre-teen fiction-mystery and a BRONZE AWARD for e-book preteen fiction in the 2018 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards. We are proud to be recognized for this award, which honors exemplary children's books and their creators, and celebrates children's books and life-long reading.
 
The 2018 Moonbeam Children's Book Award medalists were chose from 1,150 total entries representing 38 U.S. states, five Canadian provinces, and ten countries overseas. The awards honor those who create the books that help kids fall in love with reading, and I am very honored to be part of that journey. 
 
You can read the press release here and view a list of all the winners. The Moonbeam Awards honors those who create the books that help kids fall in love with reading, and start them on a path of life-long reading enjoyment. www.moonbeamawards.com/85/2018-winners

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Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream
by Tiffany Elaine
 
When Tabby Easterland wakes on her twelfth birthday to find herself magically transformed into the twenty-five-year-old "Ms. Mulligan," she must rely on her friends—the southern belle Dolly Hargrave and the urban detective wannabe Kat Dorsett—to help solve the mystery and restore Tabby to her true self before it’s too late.
 
Available in print and e-Book wherever books are sold. Learn more and follow the author at www.msmulligan.com. 

Check out the fun, new book trailer for the middle grade mystery novel, Mystery Muffin and Soda Pop Slooth: The Legend of Mr. Creepy. This video will give readers a sneak peak into the world of these two neighborhood detectives and leave them wanting more! Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth

Mystery Muffin and her best friend, Soda Pop Slooth, get a new neighbor—and strange things start to happen. A pack of wolves inhabits the small town of Whispering Hollow shortly after "Mr. Creepy" moves in. Rumors fly, everyone is whispering, and all believe that the new resident may actually be a werewolf!

Check out the book trailer!

Learn more about author Chad A. Webster on his website at www.chadawebster.com for all the latest interviews, videos, and special events!

You can also follow Chad at:
facebook.com/CAWebsterAuthor/
instagram.com/megan_mysterymuffin_mooney/
twitter.com/AuthorWebster

Megan Wong was welcomed warmly by her family, friends, and fans at her recent author event, held at Barnes & Noble Arboretum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Megan met with young readers to introduce her young adult novel, Island Whispers, and to encourage them to keeping reading and writing. Fans and passers by could sign up to win a gift basket of Island Whispers merchandise, including a hat, car magnet, water bottle, and signed copy of her book. IngramElliott and Megan send many thanks to Barnes and Noble Arboretum for supporting local authors in their store!

​Megan Wong was always a writer. Beginning in elementary school, she wrote stories and loved reading. As a freshman in high school, she began writing what would become her debut novel, Island Whispers. She loves creating worlds filled with magic and sharing stories that need to be told. She is currently an undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a minor in creative writing at North Carolina State University.

Connect with the author on Facebook @islandwhispersmw and follow her blog.

Read more about Island Whispers and shop merchandise!