Social Media Marketing For Authors - 5 Things You Can Do - Getting Started

Social Media Marketing for Authors

5 Things You Can Do

Getting Started

by Susannah Greenberg,CEO, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, A Book Publicity Firm for Publishers, Authors, and Book Industry Organizations

August 9, 2018

So many authors I work with have questions about social media marketing and how to get started, that I have decided to write down some of the advice I give them as well as offer social media coaching services.  

If you have been reluctant to get started for any reason, the first bit of advice I can give you is to get started one step at a time. Try breaking it down into actionable steps you can take daily.

In that spirit, here are 5 Things You Can Do. Try exploring just one of the five things to begin with.

1. Sign Up for Amazon Author Central.  Create your Author Page. Complete your author profile. Make sure to upload a book jacket image, author photo, and a book description. You can also include video and a link to your blog. This simple step will increase your visibility on this leading book selling site. There is no fee. You may think of Amazon as a shopping site, but it is also a social media site and go-to site for discovering what to read. Learn more at: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/

2. Create an Author Page on Facebook. This is different than your profile page.  It is a business page. On a business page you can connect with an audience rather than socialize with friends.  You can buy low-cost targeted Facebook advertising to promote your books or page. You cannot advertise on a personal profile page. I recommend you create an author page rather than a book page in case you write more than one book.  Be ready with author photo and book jacket images to upload.  Be sure to fill out the ‘About’ informational sections. Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/creation/?ref_type=universal_creation_hub

3. Get a Twitter Account.  Go to https://twitter.com/signup  Sign up. Start tweeting, retweeting, following, and searching. Use # hashtags. A tip: For a better Twitter experience, be selective about following accounts and don’t follow too many accounts.  It’s better to organize accounts into Twitter Lists rather than follow them. A List is a curated group of Twitter accounts. You can create your own Lists or subscribe to Lists created by others. Viewing a List timeline will show you a stream of Tweets from only the accounts on that List. More on how to use Twitter lists here: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-lists

4. Build an Author Website.  If you’ve been putting off getting yourself an author website, the good news is that it is easier and less expensive to build a website now than it has ever been.  Most DIY website services offer a free basic website with upgrades available for a fee. Your website will likely be the more static of your social media sites, a sort of home base which should provide basic information and link out to your other social media sites. Check out these services which can help you to build your website:

wix.com

weebly.com

wordpress.com

5. Start Blogging. Would you like to communicate with your audience at length, more than a tweet’s or a Facebook post’s length, and do so frequently? Then blogging might be for you. Blogging is another way to increase your visibility online, establish your expertise and promote your books. It’s free to set up a blog. Many blog sites are also website builders and allow you to incorporate your blog into your website. Top blogging sites include:

wordpress.org

blogger.com

weebly.com

There’s so much more to be said about all these social media sites and how to use them as well as more social media sites to explore; Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Google+, and more.  But this list of 5 Things You Can Do is a good place to start!

Now get started! You can do it! Use Social Media. Learn, Explore, Connect, and Share! Enhance your visibility and find your readers! Sell more books! 

In the News! BookExpo 2018 Panel on Children's Books, Organized by Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, is Covered in Publishers Weekly

BookExpo 2018: 

Connecting Children’s Books with Readers 

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/77173-bookexpo-2018-connecting-children-s-books-with-readers.html via 



Publishers Weekly, a leading book trade magazine, covered a panel on children's books which was organized and moderated by Susannah Greenberg of Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, and took place at BookExpo 2018 on Thursday, May 31, 2018, in New York, NY at the Javits Center.

Panelists included:

• Michelle F. Bayuk, Children's Book Marketing Consultant
• Yvonne Brooks, McNally Jackson Books
• Kristin Freda, Bank Street College of Education
• Sean Qualls, Award-Winning Author and Illustrator
• Lara Starr, Chronicle Books, Chronicle Kids

CONTACT:  Susannah Greenberg, Public Relations, 

publicity@bookbuzz.com

(646) 801-7477

BookExpo 2018: Connecting Children's Books with Kids - Slide Show Preview

BookExpo 2018 Panel to Focus on: 

Connecting Children's Books With Kids:
Community, Education, Awareness,
Bookselling, Marketing, and Public Relations

Thursday, May 31. 3:30 - 4:15. Room 1E10. Javits Center, New York, NY

Organized and moderated by Susannah Greenberg, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations. 

Panelists: Michelle F. Bayuk, Children's Book Marketing Consultant; Yvonne Brooks, McNally Jackson Books, New York, NY; Kristin Freda, Bank Street College of Education; Sean Qualls, award-winning author and illustrator; and Lara Starr, Chronicle Books, Chronicle Kids.

Slide Show Preview:

CONTACT:

Susannah Greenberg, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations,

(646) 801-7477

publicity@bookbuzz.com

BookExpo 2018 Panel: Connecting Children's Books With Kids

BookExpo 2018

Connecting Children's Books With Kids

Thursday, May 31, 2018, 3:30-4:15, Room 1E10, Javits Center, New York, NY

BookExpo 2018 Panel to Focus on Children's Books: Featuring Experts in Marketing, Public Relations, Bookselling, Library Services and Award-Winning Author Illustrator Sean Qualls

Contact: Susannah Greenberg, Public Relations, (646) 801-7477, publicity@bookbuzz.com

BookExpo 2018

Educational Programming Highlight:

Panel to Focus on Children’s Books

CONNECTING CHILDREN'S BOOKS WITH KIDS: 

COMMUNITY, EDUCATION, AWARENESS, BOOKSELLING, MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Thursday May 31,2018, 3:30-4:15, 1E10

Javits Center, NY, NY

(Book Buzz News - May 31, 2018, NY, NY) Susannah Greenberg of Susannah Greenberg Public Relations  has organized and will be presenting an educational panel on children's books on how to connect books and kids. The panel will take place at BookExpo at the Javits Center in New York, NY on May 31, 2018. It will feature speakers from various aspects of the field including marketing, public relations, bookselling, library services, and an award-winning author and illustrator.  Panelists will include: Michelle Bayuk, Yvonne Brooks, Kristin Freda, Sean Qualls, and Lara Starr.

Panelists will discuss the importance of connecting kids and books, and how to create community and nurture readers. Topics will include: challenges, opportunities, trends and tactics - everything from special events, author appearances, awards, and activities, such as story time and game nights; to engaging via social media marketing and public relations.  The discussion will be followed by a question and answer period.

THE PANELISTS:

 

Michelle Bayuk, Children’s Books Marketing & Publicity.  Michelle Bayuk is a  marketing and publicity consultant for authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s trade books. She works with authors, illustrators, and in-house marketing and editorial contacts to create and execute marketing and publicity plans for new and backlist titles.  Formerly, she was Associate Director, Children's Book Marketing, Publicity and Social Media, The Quarto Group; Associate Director, of Sales and Marketing, Egmont USA; and Director of Marketing, Albert Whitman & Company.

Yvonne Brooks, McNally Jackson Books.Yvonne Brooks is an author, photographer, community advocate, Children’s Events Manager and Archivist at McNally Jackson Books whose work has appeared in international publications such as Madame Figaro, Condé Nast, CBS, Vogue Brazil, Publishers Weekly and more. At McNally Jackson, Yvonne’s innovative programming features opportunities for emerging and established authors and illustrators to interact directly with children and adults, facilitating dialogues that resonate through the years.

 

Kristin Freda, Director of Library Services,  Bank Street College of Education. Kristin Freda is the Director of Library Services, Bank Street College of Education in New York City. She holds a Masters of Library Science (MLS) from Simmons College.  As director, Kristin oversees the work of the Center for Children’s Literature, home of BookFest, The Children’s Book Committee, The Irma Black Award and Cook Prize, and the Bank Street Writers Lab.

When not immersed in children’s literature activities at Bank Street, Kristin works on the open access digital repository for the research, publications, and creative works of the Bank Street community, and she hosts book talks and informal gatherings called Library Salons. More generally, Kristin spends her days working to keep her staff and patrons happy.

Sean Qualls is an artist, illustrator and author of children’s books who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. His titles include the Coretta Scott-King Illustration Honor book Before John Was A Jazz Giant, The Schneider Family Award winning Emmanuel’s Dream and co-illustrated with his wife, Selina Alko, The Case For Loving , Why Am I Me? and Grandad Mandela (Grandad Mandela Hardcover – Illustrated, June 28, 2018. by Ambassador Zindzi Mandela (Author), Zazi and Ziwelene Mandela (Author), Sean Qualls (Illustrator). Frances Lincoln Children's Books / Quarto; Illustrated edition.)

 

Lara Starr, Senior Publicist for Children’s Books at Chronicle Books, Radio Producer at KGO-Am 810 San Francisco and writer of books about cookies and Star Wars. Books she’s worked on have been covered in almost every major media outlet, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Time and NPR. She’s collaborated on hundreds of author events, from bookstore readings to school visits to large-scale art projects at the Guggenheim Museum, to local and regional festivals and conferences. She executed publicity campaigns for the New York Times bestsellers Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Press Here, They All Saw a Cat, A Day in the life of Marlon Bundo and the Ivy & Bean series.

 

Moderator/Organizer: Susannah Greenberg is president of Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, a book publicity firm representing authors, publishers and book industry organizations. In children’s books, Greenberg has represented Roxie Munro, Pat Mora, KidLitTV, Albert Whitman & Company, the Pannell Awards for bookstores, What on Earth Books, and currently, an historical YA novel about a traveling theater troupe in the 1500s, I Was Cleopatra by Dennis Abrams.  Media placements by her firm have included Time for Kids, Scholastic Storyworks, Scholastic Teacher, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR. Other recent clients include Skyhorse Publishing, and hoopla (a digital media service for libraries). She is a past president of the Women’s National Book Association - NYC and currently a Women’s Media Group board member.

Link to BookExpo: https://tinyurl.com/BookExpoKidLitPanel

For further information, contact: Susannah Greenberg, Public Relations, (646) 801-7477, publicity@bookbuzz.com

BTW News Briefs - Book Industry Gathers at Sally Dedecker Memorial Event

BTW News Briefs






Book Industry Gathers at Sally Dedecker Memorial Event
Friends and colleagues of Sally Dedecker gathered on Thursday, February 1, at a memorial event in New York City held in remembrance of the longtime Book Industry Study Group (BISG) board member.

The event was organized by Sourcebooks founder and CEO Dominique Raccah and The Book Report Network co-founder and President Carol Fitzgerald, and hosted by Dedecker’s BookExpo colleagues Andrew Esposito and Brien McDonald. According to BISG, more than 30 industry influencers from such companies as the American Booksellers Association, BISG, Bowker, Overdrive, Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly, and more joined Dedecker’s family for the occasion at The Black Barn restaurant.

In addition to her role as a board member of BISG, Dedecker had also served as BookExpo’s director of programming and as a strategic consultant to publishers. She also had roots in bookselling and in sales and marketing at NAL, Simon & Schuster, and Ingram.

American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher was one of many who spoke at the event. Said Teicher, “When anyone needed someone to get something done, Sally was that go-to person. She knew everyone, and always knew the right person to call at the right time. She was extraordinary, and we’ll miss her a lot.”




February 1, 2018

Reblogged from BTW - Bookselling This Week News Briefs - A publication of the American Booksellers Association

A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker - Book Industry Study Group

A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker - Book Industry Study Group

A Woman of Valor: Celebrating Sally Dedecker by Charlotte Abbott Friends and colleagues of longtime Book Industry Study Group board member Sally Dedecker gathered on February 1, 2018 to warmly rekindle her spirit, at an event organized by her friends Dominique Raccah and Carol Fitzgerald and hosted by her Book Expo colleagues Andrew Esposito and Brien McDonald. More than 30 industry influencers from the American Booksellers Association, Book Industry Study Group, Bowker, Overdrive, Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly and other organizations joined Sally’s brother and sister-in-law and several close friends in the cozy wood-lined wine reserve at The Black Barn in New York City.  Their remembrances encompassed Sally’s years as a Book Industry Study Group board member, as Book Expo’s Director of Programming, and as a strategic consultant to publishers, as well as her roots in bookselling and in sales marketing at NAL, Simon & Schuster and Ingram.  Many saluted the depth of Sally’s book industry knowledge and the breadth of her rolodex, her skill and dedication as a problem-solver, and the joy she found in bringing people together and in driving initiatives forward. Yet as people kept stepping up to speak, what became even more salient was the wide range of men and women who deeply cherished Sally as a funny, blunt and wise friend, who was always ready for a laugh, and could always put her finger on what mattered most. American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher praised Sally for her ability to step forward when conversations became tense, and to create a bridge that enabled everyone at the table to come to an understanding. “When anyone needed someone to get something done, Sally was that go-to person. She knew everyone, and always knew the right person to call at the right time. She was extraordinary, and we’ll miss her a lot.” Sally’s brother George Dedecker emphasized how surprised and overwhelmed his sister had been when BISG awarded her a Lifetime Service Award in 2017 for her “tireless and persistent” and “often unseen” efforts for 22 years.  “We wanted to thank her for her incredible contributions,” responded Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah, who originally approached BISG Director Brian O’Leary about the award. “You would leave a meeting with her and have an incredibly long list of deliverables and no idea how you got that list. She was always creating something so much larger than you envisioned at the outset.” O’Leary acknowledged that it hadn’t been easy to surprise Sally with the award, since she always had her ear to the ground. Yet “the chance to recognize someone who truly gave to BISG makes my job worthwhile. We wouldn’t be the organization we are today without Sally,” he said. Carol Fitzgerald, founder of TheBookReportNetwork.com, who served with Sally as a Book Expo advisory board member, marveled at the fine balance of empathy, toughness and support Sally offered her friends and colleagues, and her habit of putting others first. “She would tell me when an idea was not solid. She would come back to me with suggestions, even months later as a project evolved. She would cheer accomplishments and send lovely notes,” Fitzgerald said. Even during Sally’s final illness, “her goal was to get to medical appointments without dropping a call.” Other speakers, including Overdrive business development executive Steven Rosato, independent consultant Seth Gershel, and IDPF conference organizer Wendy Erman Wels, elaborated on the idea that Sally’s open ear, big heart and high standards “made us better people.” Independent book publicist Susannah Greenberg, who knew Sally for 30 years, spoke of a visit last summer to Sally’s house in Catskill, NY, where she had been living alone since the 2014 death of Mike Reed, her husband of 27 years.  “She lived in a idyllic place. We sat on her front porch and she didn’t talk about her illness. We talked about the flowers, the weather and the trees.” Sally’s longtime BISG colleague Peter Balis -- who bonded with Sally over their shared frustration with a Catskills grocery store they both frequented -- saluted Sally with a reading from the Book of Proverbs, verse 31. “Translated it means a Woman of Valor or a Woman of Strength,” Balis said.  “In many Jewish families, we read these words when a great woman leaves our lives.”   A Woman of Valor A good woman, so hard to find She is more precious than rubies Her circle cast with friendships deep, Full of love and graceful ease–      She is a woman of valor. She opens her hands to the poor She does not fear the other, Extends her heart to those in need, Encourages her friends to succeed–      She is a woman of valor. Praise her, love her, hold her with your eyes  Be the safety that she needs to unlock all that she can be And let her goodness rise. Credit is hers for the fruit of her labors Optimism is her might; Surrenders to God, she does not despair Knows how to wrap you in her care–      She is a woman of valor. Trust in her with your secret fears Know that she'll hold you gently; When she speaks wisdom's spread around Her depth of compassion, so profound–      She is a woman of valor. She counts herself vital in the world And revels in its wonders; In others she sees the Divine, Holds on dearly to her lifeline      She is a woman of valor.  Amen.