by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
“I just want to write!”
It is true. That is exactly what authors want to do. But unfortunately, there is a lot more to being an author than typing words and creating story.
I heard once that even your ideal job is made up of 60% what you love and 40% of what you have to do. My husband is a hospice chaplain. He loves his job and finds the interactions with patients and family members rewarding but it is not his entire job. He has paperwork, paperwork, and oh yeah, more paperwork. He hates the paperwork, but it comes with the job. It comes with the 60% he loves.
So, what do writers love? We love to write and create.
What do writers not love? Learning another avenue for social media. We have Amazon follows, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and now. . . BookBub. That is right. It seems that there is always one more to learn.
You may think. I didn’t sign up for this. I just want to write.
And a doctor just wants to help sick patience, a teacher just wants to get kids excited about learning, and pastors just want to disciple their congregation.
But doctors still have paperwork, teachers still must adhere to the latest curriculum change, and pastors still have to scrub toilets on occasion.
It is time to put on your big girl/boy pants and learn a new avenue of social media.
My publisher contacted me recently with the importance of upping my BookBub numbers. Once an author reaches at least 1000 followers, authors can. . . okay, so I am not sure what, but it is a magic number for marketing.
Here are 9 things I did to up my BookBub numbers.
- I sent out an announcement in my newsletter. These are people who already follow me in email. There is a high chance they will want to follow me in other places as well.
- I added a BB icon to my website. This way when anyone goes to my website it is easy for them to follow me.
- I recommended books on BookBub and this will need to be an ongoing process. This will give my readers a reason to follow me—they will get to see what I have read lately and what I recommend.
- I made a post on my Facebook page, Twitter account and Instagram account with a link so my current followers can follow me there as well. Here is what it looked like:
- I joined with fellow authors in a BIG book giveaway. When people follow us on BookBub they are entered into the drawing to win 10 books plus a $50 Amazon card. (Check that out HERE) It starts today (2/6/2020) and goes through (2/17/2020)
- I added a link to my author bios and email signatures. Make it easy for them. Click HERE to follow me on BookBub. (See what I did there.)
- I added an option of a Click to tweet as a part of my author bio on Book Bub.
- I followed other authors I appreciate on BookBub. Now that I know the importance of follows, I am happy to follow my fellow authors to cheer them on in this way too.
- Finally, I wrote this blog. Just talking about platforms and your efforts to drive up numbers helps others see and recognize the need for it.
So that is what I came up with. What did I miss? All suggestions welcome! Let’s conquer the 40% of what we don’t like together.
What Secrets Are Hiding Behind the Doors of this Small Town?
Real estate agent Hannah Thornton loves the historic community of Heritage, Michigan. Unfortunately, selling houses is not one of her fortes. She sees each house and the larger town of Heritage as something to be valued, not sold-off to the highest bidder. When a business mogul arrives in town determined to exploit the land and build a new strip mall, Hannah is determined to stop him from bulldozing her town’s past. At first no one supports her efforts—not even her best friend, Luke. Can Hannah help the town of Heritage see that true value lies in the things you cannot put a price tag on?
Even though Luke Johnson has grown up in Heritage as a foster child, he never truly felt like he belonged. Anxious to earn his place in the town and in Hannah’s heart, Luke applies for the job of assistant fire chief. But Luke does not anticipate the interview process to unearth secrets from his past he has kept carefully hidden. Will the pain of being honest be worth the risk? Can he pull down the walls he’s erected around his bruised heart?
Tari Faris has been writing fiction for thirteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She signed with Revell for her debut novel – You Belong with Me – which will be released in September 2019. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also work for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and blog coordinator for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rock hounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com . Click HERE to follow me on BookBub.