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Had a nice discussion with an author about social media posts amongst other topics. Her major pet peeve (Like many authors) is that her posts are not getting any traction let alone creating sales for her books. Here's what I explained her, hope this helps everyone:
Let the experts handle it - Find a good good social media expert. I suggest you go local for this, someone you can meet (A bit old school of me). Fiverr has good professionals but the only problem is that they might be sitting thousands of miles away in a different country and with increasing frauds its very difficult to trust someone online. I have been approached by many best selling author profiles claiming that they can help make my book a best seller and 100% of thgese profiles turned out to be fake. Do your due diligence before paying anyone online for a service. Alternatively, find a reputable social media company to do this for you.
There are no short cuts to book sales - Its a continuous effort and book sales might take years to pick up, keep at it. you can't expect sales if you create 1-2 posts in a month. Regular posts with the right keywords and tags will keep your book visible.
If anyone promises sure shot book sales in a very short time then in all probability they are fake. There are no short cuts in social media marketing or marketing in general.
Find out what is working in the amazing world of algorithms - Use the right keywords in your posts, find out which tags are trending. There are many free resources which can analyze keywords and trending tags for you.
Money attracts money - While many have found success in free social media marketing, sometimes for an added push you have spend some money for Push Marketing. Be very careful here because this is where majority of the frauds are taking place. Tall claims about creating a best seller is of the order here.
Create your reach on different platforms - Don't just stick to one or two platforms, create posts on as many platforms as possible to reach perspective readers.
Be consistent - Post regularly to stay visible.
An author website goes a long way - You can use Wix, Google, Canva and other platforms to create your own websites. I found Feverr to be extremely helpful, here you can find good freelancers.
Have a physical presence - This is very important, nothing like having your book physically displayed at a shop or a gathering or a festival. No matter how big ebooks or audio books are now, physical copies of a book are still preferred by many.
Use multiple formats - Make sure your book is available in all possible formats, hard cover, paperback, ebook, and audio book.
You and your book are same, brand both - Readers love to see the face behind a book. Keep yourself visible in your posts as much as your book (s). Videos can be posted on all social media platforms. Short videos talking about your work will go a long way to promote your book.
And, if it still doesn't work, don't lose heart because many have struggled to sell their work for years and found success much later. Just keep at it is all I would suggest to everyone struggling to sell their books.
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