Five Social Media Myths That Will Sabotage Your Book Marketing

We are bombarded with information and advice on a daily basis - it’s overwhelming! And sometimes it’s hard to differentiate the bad advice from the good. 

And let’s be honest, sometimes we function out of fear because we don’t want to do something wrong - and that’s not a good place to be! 

So I wanted to highlight the top five myths that I hear over and over again and what you should do instead.

Myth #1: You only need to post on social media when you have a book to talk about.

Social media is not a broadcasting network - it’s a social network. If we only post or interact on social media when it’s time to promote a book, you won’t see a response at all.

Think about it this way: If you had a group of “friends” that you only talked to when you needed something from them, how would that go? Not so hot, I’m afraid. 

Do this instead: Consistency is key to success on social media. When you show up daily, your audience will also show up. Remember, readers have thousands of options coming at them. For you to stand out, you have to step up.

It’s not as hard as you might think it is! Click here to find out how you can schedule a weeks worth of posts in 30 minutes.
 

Myth #2: If you talk about your unpublished book on social media, publishers won’t give you a book deal.

There are so many authors out there that dream of getting a book deal - it’s a huge accomplishment. But with that dream comes a lot of fear of what will turn a publisher on or off from publishing your book. 

Here’s the deal: publishers are looking for a sure thing. They aren’t in the position to take a lot of risks with the authors they sign. So they want to come alongside an author who already has a solid and growing audience, who knows what their readers want and what they respond to. You might have a great idea for a book, but if you don’t have an audience, it’s going to be a hard sell to any publisher. 

Do this instead: Do everything you can to start building a solid audience now - don’t base your decisions on what a publisher might do. Feel free to talk about what your working on, get feedback on your ideas, share the storyline and take your audience on the journey with you. Don’t let the fear of “what if” hold you back.
 

Myth #3: Publishers are mainly looking at the number of followers you have on social media.

A few years ago, this might have been the case. But as publishers have learned more about social media and the role it plays in book marketing, they understand that the number of followers you currently have isn’t the most important metric. 

Publishers that know what they are doing will be looking at your engagement and growth. Having a few hundred committed followers that respond to your consistent posts, and that are also growing by a few followers each week tells them a lot about you as an author.

I’ve met authors who boast hundreds of thousands of “followers” on social media and they struggle to sell even 1,000 books. 

Rest assured, if you have a small audience but they take action, that’s a win. If you’re growing consistently, that’s a win. 

Do this instead: Focus on interacting with your current audience. Even if you only have 100 people following you, comment on their posts, engage with them, and put 100% into them. Building a solid and engaged community starts there. If we are constantly looking ahead to just grow our numbers, we will miss building true engagement with our current audience. 

Myth #4: Your publisher will handle all of your social media and marketing, so you don’t need to worry about it. 

Several years ago an author who had subscribed to our newsletter messaged me that she was unsubscribing because she just signed with an agent so she didn’t need help with social media or marketing anymore. 

Over the years I have been so surprised to see so many authors who share that mindset - that once they have an agent or a publisher, everything will be handled for them. 

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact, social media and marketing is on the shoulders of authors now more than ever - even if your publisher has a marketing team. 

Do this instead: Arm yourself with information. Setting aside a little time each week to educate yourself on how you can build a loyal following yourself through your website and social media is an investment that you will see a big return on long term. 

If you’re looking for a good place to start, we’ve got you covered with The Author Circle. It provides you with everything that you need to grow a solid and thriving audience, and to successfully market your book.

Myth #5: You should only post book-related content on social media. 

I think this is one of the main reasons why authors don’t see success on social media. You and your readers are made up of many interests, hobbies, viewpoints, and perspectives that set you apart from everyone else out there. 

If you’re only posting about books, your online persona comes across as one-dimensional, which means you are missing out on reaching a broader audience. 

For example, an author that I work with is very involved in human rights activism in her community. She posted about an event she was participating in, which connected her to new people who weren’t aware that she had recently released her memoir. When they saw other posts about her book, they were so excited to check it out because they had connected with her on this important common interest they shared. They liked her so much as a person that they wanted to see what she had to offer in her book.  

Remember, social media isn’t a broadcasting tool for your book - it’s a communication platform where you as a person (who happens to be an author) have the opportunity to make a human connection with other people (your readers). But when we only focus on sharing one topic - like our book and our writing work - we are missing out on so many different ways to connect with people. 

Do this instead: Focus on talking to one person - your ideal reader. It’s a lot easier to think of ways to connect with one person rather than 1,000. By thinking of your ideal reader (the person who encapsulates exactly who you want to connect with online), you’ll be able think of multiple topics like hobbies, interests, causes, and organizations that you share an interest in. It will give you more depth to your posts and give your readers more to relate to, which will strengthen their bond with you as a person. 

And it will help you to connect with the right people that are more likely to actually buy your book when the time comes.

If you want to go a step further and get all of the tools, resources, and help that you need to market your book, grow on social media, and sell more books - join The Author Circle membership!