Tuesday Tutorial – Pinterest

Pinterest profile for KSBrooks

Pinterest profile for KSBrooksA few Wednesdays ago, our Valerie Douglas told you about Pinterest. If you missed it, you can read her article here.

Frankly, I don’t find Pinterest easy to use. Maybe it’s just one of those things I need to acclimate to and over time, it will become second nature. I can’t be sure yet. In any case, for me, I plan on using Pinterest for book promotion, and for getting my fellow Indie Authors’ books a little exposure as well.  Here’s how you can do that, too.

Once you’ve got a Pinterest account (if you don’t, you may have to have someone invite you), log in. Make sure to set up your profile. If you’re using Twitter to link to Pinterest, make sure you’ve formatted your Twitter profile using the tutorial methods here.  Setting up your boards is pretty easy. In the upper right-hand corner, go to Add, then from the drop down window, click on create a board. Name it and click create board. Done. I have two boards right now, which you can see in the photo above. They’re empty. I chose two topics I know about – Indie Authors and Travel.

Before we start pinning stuff – be aware – there are copyright issues at large here. If you post a photo you do NOT have permission to use – you may get sued. That’s why I chose two topics where I could supply either my own photos or public domain images.

Adding a Pin to Pinterest Bulletin Board
Keeping the Boss Happy - Adding his book to my Indie Author Pinterest Bulletin Board

Now, to pinning. Click on Add, then Pin. You can choose to upload from your own computer, which I did for my book covers because that was faster for me. You can also upload via URL. I found the ONLY way to do this successfully was to literally get the exact URL for the image (by right clicking on it) and paste it into the window. Then I clicked ‘find images.’ This window (depicted to the right) gives you the ability to choose which album the photos go into – or it allows you to create a new album. You also have the option to tweet whatever you pin by checking the box next to Twitter (aqua arrow). Pretty convenient. What’s not really convenient is if you want to change the order of your pins. You need to actually edit the photo and “repin” it. Then, you’ll have two – and if you don’t want two, you’ll need to delete the old one.

K.S. Brooks' Indie Book Bulletin Board on PinterestWhen you’re done, you’ll have bulletin boards loaded with photos and descriptions. Since Pinterest is the new “hot” thing, and it’s free, it can’t hurt. Miraculously, my Indie Book board already has 6 followers and three likes on Facebook.  I have no clue how that happened. It’s just proof, however, that Pinterest is another way to get your books in the public eye. I still don’t know my way around it very well, and I’m not sure I ever will. But at least my books are up there for others to find. Make sure to set your bulletin boards up today – because tomorrow we’re going to have a Pinterest Like-fest!

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K.S. Brooks is an award-winning author and photographer, and Co-Administrator of Indies Unlimited. For more information, please see the IU Bio page and her web site: http://www.ksbrooks.com/[subscribe2]

Author: K.S. Brooks

K.S. Brooks is an award-winning novelist, photographer, and photo-journalist, author of over 30 titles, and executive director and administrator of Indies Unlimited. Brooks is currently a photo-journalist and chief copy editor for two NE Washington newspapers.  She teaches self-publishing and writing topics for the Community Colleges of Spokane, and served on the Indie Author Day advisory board. For more about K.S. Brooks, visit her website and her Amazon author page.

20 thoughts on “Tuesday Tutorial – Pinterest”

  1. Thanks for coming back to Pinterest as a great way to interact with others, K.S.

    It becomes user-friendly, with a bit of practice. I have seven boards up now, one dedicated to the book, which includes the trailer Youtube clip.

    If you Google "how to pin videos on Pinterest" there are easy to follow instructions. I would put the link here for you, but I'm off to an appointment this morning.

    Although Pinterest I believe, discourages blatantly open advertising, there does not seem to be a problem with my "Joan of Arc: The Mystic Legacy" board. I actually pin more often on the other boards.

    http://pinterest.com/mquinnnoren/

    1. Marcia, thanks so much for the tip about videos! I'm still feeling my way around the place. Odds are, I'll probably maintain the bulletin board for my Indie Books and not do much else there. Don't forget to come back tomorrow when we have a Pinterest-fest! 🙂

  2. I've sent in my request for an invitation. Here I go, diving into another unknown. Life has been full of these since I began writing!

    Thanks for the info!

    1. Hey, I figure if it's one more place for folks to see our work, it's worth it. I'm not into scrapbooking or that kind of stuff, so I know I'll probably only visit that site each time a new book comes out LOL

  3. Thanks Kat!

    I like the idea of this, another way to show your interests with a soft-sell. I just wish I could turn the pics to collage them, like a real bulletin board.

    I'm interested in the copyright issues. If you just give credit, isn't it ok? I put up a pic of the Dali staircase and a whole bunch of people have re-pinned it.

    Because I connected it via FB, it required me to go to timeline. Another step in Mark Zuckerberg's plan for world domination.

    1. I have no idea. I guess it depends on how nasty someone wants to be. I never have an issue with someone posting my photos as long as they give me credit.

      1. When I find an image on Deviant Art, I always ask the artist if it's okay for me to share it on Pinterest and other sites (Facebook, for example.)

        So far, these artists are happy to have their work displayed, provided they are given credit (in the description of the photo.)I use their link as a means of adding the pin, and add the direct link to the original site where their art can be found on Facebook.

        If I share a photo that comes in from an unknown resource, I credit the person who shared the photo.

  4. Thank you for this! I've been following the buzz about Pinterest, but haven't had much time to check it out. Reading this tutorial is a great starter on how I can use it as an indie author — now if I can only find the time… hopefully soon!

  7. PBS Article, on PINTEREST Hot off the Press:

    How Educators Are Using Pinterest for Showcasing, Curation

    by A. Adam Glenn, March 20, 2012

    Tagged: copyright, curriculum, learning, pinterest, social media in the classroom, sxsw, teaching online journalism, technology, usc

    Pinterest is the "in" site of 2012, and its phenomenal growth has sparked interest among millions of users.

    It's also spread to journalism educators, who are increasingly experimenting with it in the classroom.

    The social network launched two years ago, but in recent months has drawn red-hot excitement for its unique visual, topic-based curation approach. While its 10 million users, especially women, are drawn to it almost obsessively, brands, media firms and news organizations have also planted flags on the network.

    Now J-school faculty are increasingly in on the act.

    FROM 'MOOD BOARDS' TO 'SURVIVAL BOARDS'

  8. I started mine JUST for my upcoming books as well as inspiration. I work well visually and love saving character faces, wardrobes & places for future use for inspiration.

    That then moved into sayings that I liked, a board for colors, one for fantasy, one for my future log cabin, one for my bucket list, one for recipes (yes, I finally gave in on that one). LOL!

    I don't visit daily but do pin new things daily (most days).

    http://pinterest.com/donnabmcnicol/

  10. Just when I think I'm getting my head around this social media world, and getting some idea of how to best use it, I'm introduced to yet another aspect. Here we go again; Pinterest, something else to get my head around.

    Thanks Kat

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