Showing posts with label writing hints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing hints. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

How to make your book stand out on social media 💻 (Updated)

Sometimes you have to be very creative when promoting your book. Depending on the subject matter, your resources, and the expected audience, you might want to consider various methods to capture some attention. Although the media is probably the best way to get noticed, it's sometimes easier said than done. Taking out ads, purchasing bookmarks (although I find this a great form of marketing), and giving away books in hopes of getting reviews can get very expensive.

The beauty of social media is that it's free. Sure, you can pay extra for ads, but that isn't necessary, and if you choose to do so, it's inexpensive. However, for today, let's focus on the free stuff, and I will throw a few ideas at you on ways to show off your book!

First of all, I'm not an expert. I'm just giving you advice from my own experience as an author. Most of what I do is just experiment and see what works. Here are a few things I do:

- Share images of the cover with quotes from the book. This quote could be a jarring comment by a character, a line that stands out, or even a portion of the synopsis. Essentially, you want to give the reader an idea of what they are in for if they get your book. 😉

- Share an image of a review. This shows potential readers what other people are saying about your book.

- Share a blog or YouTube video where you talk about your book. People want to learn why your book stands out.

- Share some images of your most recent newspaper articles (as well as the links) discussing the book.

- Take pictures of your books in various settings; someone reading it, you holding a copy, an animal staring at it with interest. Use your imagination. This is great for Instagram users.

- Answer people's questions. This could be inquiries about your book or a writing question. 

- Announce when your books are in local libraries, bookstores, etc. If you can, take a picture too.

- If you have an upcoming book signing, interview, etc, highlight this on your social media and build excitement about the event.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. Sometimes new authors may find themselves overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, so I hope this is helpful. 

Make sure to reply to people who take the time to comment on or share your posts. Last but not least, try to be consistent with social media. If you are too busy to post every day, you can usually find tools online to schedule ahead. 

Social media should be fun and interactive...so be cool! 😎


Monday, September 3, 2018

What is a 3 dimensional character and why do we need them? 🤔 (Updated)

I recently watched a show where a young actress was showing her outrage. Interestingly, she appeared the same as when she was sad or happy. The point is that her acting wasn't very three-dimensional. It fell flat.

Sometimes characters in books can also fall flat, so writers must be vigilant. There should be depth to characters. They should demonstrate a vast array of emotions and reactions, and most of all, readers should be able to see their many layers. Just like real people, (hopefully) characters have to have complexity because that is, after all, human nature. Sometimes we don't even understand ourselves, and characters are pretty much the same way. That's all part of the human struggle, and it's necessary for growth; whether it's your own life or a character's development, it matters.

I certainly make great efforts to show the many sides of each of my characters. For example, as much as Jorge Hernandez (the protagonist in the Hernandez series) is generally a very tough, alpha male, who can be abrupt, direct, and occasionally cruel, he also has a soft side when with family and especially his wife. He has much inner turmoil stemming from his childhood. Jorge fears being a bad father and worries about the future. For this reason, when asked to describe his character, I find it a bit difficult because there's no simple answer. Then again, when describing most people that I know, I run into the same problem.

Characters should grow throughout a book or series. It is fun to see where they will go and what will happen. You know, kind of like real life. Well, sometimes.