By Kristy Tate //
In this article written in 2014, John Biggs claims, “In an interesting post, writer Claude Nougat estimated the total number of books on Amazon – about 3.4 million at last count (a number that could include apps as well) and then figured out how many books were added in a day. Nougat noticed that the number rose by 12 books in an hour, which suggests that one new book is added every five minutes. And, most likely, it’s probably an indie book.” Read the article here: https://techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/there-is-one-new-book-on-amazon-every-five-minutes/
Of course, in the passing years, things have only gotten more challenging. Publisher’s Weekly reported that the number of independently published books jumped by 40% in 2018.
So, in this vast and turbulent sea of stories, how do you keep your tales afloat? One way is to focus less on selling books and more on building a community of readers who know you, trust you, and want to read everything you write, whether it’s a laundry list or a seven-hundred-page novel. The best way to build a community is to keep them engaged between book releases either through your newsletter (see my article on newsletters: https://oc-writers.com/2020/06/01/marketing-mayhem-your-newsletter-is-like-a-spork/ ) or social media.
If you’re wondering what to write about in any of those places, I have 50 ideas.
- Remind people who you are and why you started writing
- Give a peek behind the curtain and tell where you got your story idea
- Share a personal story
- Share a joke
- Share a quote
- Host an #AMA (Ask Me Anything)
- Post a how to or tutorial
- Ask a question
- Run a poll
- Post a book review and tag the author
- Ask for recommendations in your genre (books, TV, apps, music)
- Host a giveaway
- Share industry news (add your thoughts)
- Post a sneak peek of your work in progress
- Revive an old blog post
- Share any press or PR features of you or your books
- Post a review from a reader
- Host a day only flash sale
- Share content from someone else (be sure to reference them.)
- Host a guest
- Share some personal wins
- Share a failure
- Highlight a holiday
- Write a thank you note to your readers
- Post a motivational Monday tip
- Post a Tuesday Tip
- Post a Wednesday Wisdom
- Post a Throwback Thursday
- Post a First line Friday
- Share a short video clip (yours or one you like)
- Share a podcast episode you love
- Share a YouTube video you love
- Share your favorite resources (Apps, Websites, Blogs)
- Share Your Morning Routine
- Post about events you’re hosting or going to
- Post where you’ll be speaking or where you’re making appearances
- Spotlight someone you hire, like your editor or cover designer
- Take pictures of people reading your book
- Shoutout other authors in your genre
- Shoutout or mention a reader
- Share a few of your favorite things
- Post a fill in the blank
- Talk about a mistake you’ve made
- Share a tweet
- Share a Pinterest pin
- Tell people how to find you on social media
- Post pictures of a trip
- Share info about a charity you admire
- Post about something on your bucket list
- Ask your readers how they found you
KRISTY TATE is the Social Media Director for O.C. Writers and a USA Today bestselling author. To date, her newsletter subscriber list is edging toward 15,000. www.KristyTate.com.