Jeanette’s Note: I am excited to be a part of the virtual book tour from my good friend D’vorah Lansky. D’vorah has a community for authors and is well-known and highly respected in her field. And naturally, as you will see in this article, she writes well! So enjoy – and be sure to check out her newest book!
by D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed.
I’d like to thank Jeanette for graciously hosting me, as a guest blogger, in celebration of the launch of my newest book, 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour
Social networking is a powerful way to grow your business, reach, readership, and sales. As an author, you want to become known for your area of expertise and as the go-to person for your topic. The purpose of social networking is not to constantly promote your book, but rather to be seen as someone who interacts and offers value to the community.
Social networking is a fantastic way to get the word out about your virtual book tour. One effective strategy is to create a Facebook page for your book or for you as an author. Set this up weeks or months before your virtual book tour, and ask for “likes” from your blog as well as from your Facebook friends.
By taking the time to set up your profile on several of the key networks, you will benefit in many ways. You will meet and connect with more people and become known as an authority on your topic. You will also gain exposure to people who are looking for speakers or people to interview, as they will have greater access to you. You will also benefit from additional links to your blog, as you are able to list links on your social networking profiles and post messages inviting people to read your latest blog post.
I have found that I get more responses when I share something interesting but not too personal. For example, when I’ve share about a great book I read or course that I took, people generally comment back and join in the conversation. I also find that when I share something humorous or moving I get the most responses.
In addition to Facebook, another popular social network is called GoodReads (GoodReads.com.) GoodReads is the largest social network for readers in the world. They launched in January, 2007 and have more than 17 million members who have added more than 550 million books and 23 million reviews! GoodReads’ mission is to get people excited about reading.
In addition to being a social network for readers, GoodReads is a social network for authors. Authors are able to set up an author page and add their books and biography. You can also participate in or create groups and discussions and create a book giveaway event. A book giveaway on GoodReads is where you set the dates of the giveaway and decide how many winners you are willing to send print copies of your book to. At the end of your giveaway contest, GoodReads randomly selects the winners, and provides you with a list of people who entered your contest. My favorite GoodReads story is when I saw a tweet come across Twitter where one of the winners of my book giveaway was sharing her excitement for my book and the fact that I personally signed the book before mailing it to her. If you’d like to see an example of an author page on GoodReads, you can visit my profile at: http://www.goodreads.com/dvorahlansky
These activities allow you to expand your reach and connect with new readers. What is your favorite social network, or social networking tip for growing your reach and your business relationships? Scroll down to share your thoughts.
This post is being written in honor of a virtual book tour celebrating the publication of my third print book. You can enjoy the festivities by joining us on the tour to 21 blogs, in honor of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to access the virtual book tour schedule as well as a link to the book on Amazon. Thank you and enjoy!
D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., is the author of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. Visit her book blog and check out the full schedule for the virtual book tour, celebrating the launch of this exciting new book: www.VirtualBookTour21Ways.com
D’vorah offers virtual book tour workshops and courses for authors, entrepreneurs, and virtual professionals. She has taught hundreds of people, across the globe, how to conduct successful virtual book tours. You can purchase her newest book on Amazon at: 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour
Hi Jeanette! Thank you for hosting me for this virtual book tour! I look forward to interacting with your community and am happy to answer any questions.
D’vorah – always a pleasure sharing your good work with people. Enjoy your special Book Launch day!
Hi D’vorah and Jeanette, My favorite Social Network is Twitter and FB although I want to get more involved with GoodReads. I realize time is limited, but since engaging on these sites is good book promoting practice, I continue to go on these sites for that reason, and have met some wonderful people, in the process.
Have fun on the tour, both of you!
I agree, Kate, that Social Media can be good for marketing. But it’s a fine line between work and play. And I’ve seen a lot of marketers (and authors) go down that dark path to more social than marketing and therefore, less profitability. As with all things online (and probably offline as well), moderation is the key.
And yes – see you on Facebook! 🙂
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