Monday, February 10, 2020

Alternate Social Media Sites for Writers


 
Use Tumblr to Reach More Readers Online

Founded in 2007 by David Karp, Tumblr is a social media and microblogging website which can be used to host your poetry, short stories, images or even new blog posts.

A popular website for 18 to 29 year olds, 66% of the site is visited by under 35 year olds.

Even though Tumblr hasn't reached the dizzy height's of other major networking sites like Instagram or Twitter it's still a site worth checking out for any writer wanting to get the writing seen.

Authors of YA (Young Adult) books might want to use it to market their books, because of its popularity with young people.

Here are some familiar author names and services on Tumblr:

Malind Lo - Ash
Neil Gaiman - Fragile Things
Lang Laev - Poet
Jane Friedman - Publishing 101: A First-Time Author's Guide to Getting Published, Marketing and Promoting Your Book, and Building a Successful Career
Emma Straub - The Vacationers
Jami Attenberg - The Middlesteins
Rosecrans Baldwin - Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Leigh Stein - Dispatch from the Future
John Green - The Fault in Our Stars
Services
  • NaNoWriMo
  • Bublish
  • Bookworks
  • Readers Writers Journal
  • NPR Fresh Air 
 Publishing Houses
  • Scribner Books
  • Chronicle Books
  • Harper Collins
  • Random House
    How to Setup a Tumblr Profile

    Use your author name to start your Tumblr.com account, add your biography and the avatar you use on all of your other social media accounts.

    Brand your Tumblr profile just like you would any other social media account using the same colours and fonts.

    Just like Twitter you can search for people you're already following, or look for like-minded authors, writers and bloggers.

    Connecting Other Accounts to Tumblr

    You can add other social media accounts to your Tumblr profile, but this isn't really necessary when you already have a presence on these other sites.  

    Should I Use the 'Ask Me Anything' Feature


    Many Tumblr users use this feature to their own advantage, Jane Friedman is a good example of this and offers her own expertise on Tumblr.

    Settings on Tumblr

    If you have a blog make sure your blog is known to the general public on Tumblr.

    Posting on Tumblr

    As I mentioned in the beginning you can post everything from podcasts to blog post links, poetry to quotes, images.

    Like any other social media site image is everything, so customise your images using platforms such as Fotor or PicMonkey.

    Quick Tips for Tumblr

    • Create a book video
    • How to videos
    • Make it personal or tell stories
    • Tell people about what you do
    Goodreads the Bolt-hole for Readers Everywhere

    Original setup as a place people, both young and old can talk and share their thoughts about books.  Like most other social media sites users can link their accounts and blog to their Goodreads profile.

    Goodreads allows you to share:
    • Favourite quotes
    • Blog posts
    • Your thoughts about books you're currently reading
    • Write reviews on books you've read
    You don't even need to leave your home to find a book group, you'll discover plenty of them on Goodreads.  The platform isn't about propelling yourself forward as an author, but rather getting to know who reads your books.  Don't let that put you off joining Goodreads, especially if you're an avid reader.

    Where It All Started

    Goodreads was created by Otis and Elizabeth Chandler in 2007 that started as an epiphany, by simply building a website people could discover books in a more organic way, instead of from a bestseller list.

    It would enable people to see what like-minded readers were reading, and allow them to build their own virtual bookshelves that other readers could discover for themselves, and enable them to comment on other readers' reviews.  Discovering new genres as they go along.

    The success of being on Goodreads is writing a good book and being discovered.

    Quick Facts and Stats (2018)
    • 80 million users
    • Women read twice as many books as men
    • 2.3 billion books added
    • 80 million reviews
    • 50% of male author's audience will be women
    • 50 million monthly visitors
    • 430 million page views
    Most people sign up to Goodreads to find their next best read, and usually have a voracious appetite for the written word.

    Try Out Goodreads the Bolt-hole for Readers

    Simply create an account at Goodreads.com, entering your email and new password.

    Start Your Bookshelf

    Go to the search bar and start looking for the books you're reading, have read, or want to read.  If you're not sure you can also search by using the ISBN or author's name.

    You can create different kinds of bookshelves such as what you're currently reading or want to read.  You can edit your book at any time.

    Updating the status of your book:

    Simply go to Home and you'll discover what your friends are reading.
    Or go to the right column and you'll discover a widget for the book you're currently reading.  You can update the book you're reading or add new ones.

    Look and Compare What Other Authors Are Reading

    This is a unique opportunity to take a peek at what other authors are reading, and compare it to your own reading taste.

    Try the Goodreads Challenge

    You can find the Goodreads challenge on your Home tab, and add the number of books you want to read in a year.

    You can look at your friends reading challenge via the Reading Challenge Badge.

    I'd love to hear your thoughts on either of these social media sites, or any others that you've visited. 
     

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