Why do you need a Facebook author page?
If you want to sell it online, you need to create a Facebook page. Since you are a writer, you need it twice as bad as you have relationships to build with your readers.
Many authors are of the opinion that the Facebook page is just a waste of time. That’s completely wrong. In this age of internet and social media sites, having a Facebook page is absolutely necessary. This is the best way to promote your book. By creating an author page on Facebook, you cannot only reach a large audience, but you can even interact with them for the best interest of your book.
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. You will hardly come across any person nowadays, who doesn’t use Facebook. In such a situation, you simply cannot take the risk of not having an author page on the said platform. If you are negligent about this, you will only miss out on great opportunities. In this section, we will discuss everything that you need to know about having a Facebook author page. If you don’t have your Facebook page yet, you can find this write-up really useful.
Importance of Facebook author page
The question that many authors have is, “Why should I have an author page on Facebook?” With the majority of your readers engaged on Facebook, you simply cannot afford to not have an online presence. Facebook is an influential platform when it comes to product promotions.
If you want to reach more readers and form good relationships with them, having a Facebook page is a must. Here are a few benefits of having a Facebook author page:
- Without an author page, you won’t be able to promote your book effectively on online platforms. After all, Facebook is one of the social media giants.
- When you have a page of your own, your readers can follow you to learn more about you and your upcoming books. The more followers you get, the better it is for you.
- You can interact and get into conversations with your readers through your Facebook page. This way, you will get to know what your readers think about you and your book.
- Facebook, as a social media site, has great advertising capabilities that can benefit you in a lot of ways.
It is because of all these reasons that you should start a Facebook author page for yourself. This is particularly more important for writers who are new and need recognition in the industry.
How to Create a Facebook Author Page
You can use Facebook as an effective platform to promote your book online as it becomes much easier for you to reach your target readers. If you still don’t have a Facebook page, you should follow the steps below to create one:
1. Create your Author page
To create an author page, you will need a personal Facebook account. From your personal account, it is easy to create an author page. On the home page, click on the Create option. Then, select the Page option which will take you to a new screen.
On the new screen, you will see two options:
- Business or Brand
- Community or Public Figure
With the Facebook author page, it is always better if you choose the community or public figure option. When you choose that option, you will need to fill in the details like page name and category.
You can be creative with the page name but also make sure you keep it simple. It is easier for readers to remember and search when the page name is simple and not too long.
2. Upload a Profile Picture & Cover Photo
The first thing you need to do is set a profile picture. It’s better to put up your own picture than to set a picture of your book. Make sure that the picture is of HD quality.
The next step is to set the cover photo. This is where you can put up a picture of your book, most preferably the one that you are currently going to promote.
3. Personalize your Page
Once you are done with setting up your picture, it’s time to add a bio and write something in the ‘About section. This is where you need to show off your writing skills. Write something that will interest your audience.
You need to put up an interesting bio for your audience. You don’t have to reveal everything about yourself. Try to keep it short and constructive. The same applies to the description section. You need to be creative enough with your bio and description. Only then your audience will know how great and smart you are as a writer.
4. Upload Content
Before you make your Facebook author page public, you need to add some content to it. Since this is your author page, you can post stuff about your books.
The main aspect of your author page is to help promote yourself as a writer and also your books. You need to update regular posts in order to keep your audience interested in your page. If it’s a dull author page, people will straight away unfollow you.
Try to post relevant content, but at the same time, you need to keep your content interesting. The more creative you can get, the better it is for you. For ideas, you can check what your competitors are doing. That is always a good way of keeping yourself ahead of your competition.
Best Practices & Tips to Follow
You don’t always need professional help to manage your Facebook author page. If you know the right techniques and follow certain practices, you can handle the page on your own and get benefitted from it. Here are some of the amazing things you should practice on your Facebook page as an author:
1. Post Updates
You need to have a connection with your audience. Your page shouldn’t just focus on promoting your books alone. It is vital to share updates with your followers. For instance, share something about your daily routine or writing routine or just about how your day is going. Readers like it when the posts are personal and honest. They find it easier to connect and interact with the author.
You also need to decide the number of posts you are going to publish a day. You cannot upload post after post. You need to have a schedule for posting your content.
2. Collaborate with other authors
Collaborating with other authors on Facebook can increase your reach to a great extent. You can connect with your fellow authors and agree to share each other’s posts to get benefits from them. This may sound a little odd but it is worth it. You can even create a Facebook group for authors where you can share each other’s content and also chat with other authors.
3. Use Facebook Live
You already know that Facebook has a live streaming option. You can make use of this feature for your gain. You can go live in different places, especially when you are out to promote your books. This will allow you to directly connect with your audience and get instant feedback from them. Going live on Facebook once or twice in a month is just fine.
4. Post more videos
You should post more videos on your page. Long textual posts are mostly ignored by the audience. The best way to get their attention is through videos. This is why most businesses these days make use of video content for their promotion. If you are qualified enough to create your own videos, you can always take professional help. The more attention you get, the better it is for you.
5. Host Contests
It is one of the effective ways to engage your audience. Host simple contests on your page so that your readers become interested in it. Contests can be simple like answering a few questions or asking them to comment and give names for characters of your book, or use a photo relevant to your book, and ask them to give captions for it. You can also announce the prize like a free copy of your signed book. It will make your readers more invested with your page.
Since we are all aware of the power of social media platforms, more authors are opting for this method to express themselves. Most importantly, they are making use of these platforms to increase outreach. In today’s world, where the majority of your readers are engaged online, it is extremely important that you have an online presence. You should also know how to handle these resources smartly.
Creating an author page on Facebook isn’t a difficult job. Being an author, use your streaks of creativity here as well because it could be your biggest boon. Always remember the whole concept of social media platforms is to socialize. So, engage and interact with your readers often.
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