Tag: twitter

What to Like about Like-Fests

young buck by KSBrooks
Like-fests are fun and leave your breath minty fresh.

Each Wednesday morning at 5 a.m. Pacific time, we here at Indies Unlimited host a “like-fest.” Sometimes it will be for Amazon.com author or book pages, Facebook pages, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Goodreads or other social networking platforms. One thing is certain – every Wednesday a large community of authors, readers and reviewers stop by and a good time is had by all.

This past Wednesday, we ran an Amazon.com like-fest. The turn-out was great and we had lots of new participants and books. An interesting question was posed to me by an author: Maybe you can explain something to me about this amazon.com Building Your Empire-Fest. Why should I care about other writers following me or liking me on Amazon? I’m trying to get readers to read my work, not other writers.

Valid question. It’s debatable what technical purpose “likes” serve. There have been rumors that Amazon.com “pushes” books up in the search results if they have over a certain number of likes. I have not been able to corroborate this from an actual source, so as far as I know, it’s still a rumor. Continue reading “What to Like about Like-Fests”

Why I Won’t Follow You on Twitter

I’m on Twitter a lot these days, playing hashtag bingo with Kanye West promoting fellow indies and, well, even my own work once in a while. I love meeting new followers, and I want to follow you back. Really, I do.

But in the past five years or so I’ve been on the site, running three different accounts, I’ve learned how to parse out the good from the life’s-too-short.

Here are some “red flags” that tell me you might be the wrong person to follow (if indeed you ARE a person!): Continue reading “Why I Won’t Follow You on Twitter”

At Last … A Plan!

We all know that marketing ourselves can be a real pain in the you-know-what. Some people love it and others wish they would never have to look at another Tweet. Anecdotal evidence here on Indies Unlimited has suggested that if you do nothing, your book sales will not slip.

Planning and Scheduling = Success

My belief is that if you have a strong platform and multiple books on the marketplace, then that might be true. However, if you are a new author or just have a single book out, then you had better find a way for people to find you.

Today, I’m sharing with you a simple method to make sense of all of this. We are going to put together an “Editorial Calendar” (fancy terminology adopted in the social media marketing business) to help you stay on track with your plan. Continue reading “At Last … A Plan!”

Twitter Tutorial Tuesday – Don’t Be a Mystery

Author K. S. Brooks
Author K. S. Brooks

Yeah yeah, I know.  You’re on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, LibraryThing, Google+, LinkedIn, eHarmony and who knows what else.  If you’re like me, you’re wondering if these things are helping at all in the promotion of your book(s).

Sometimes it’s not about where you are, but “how” you are using those tools.  Here’s a tip on how you can use Twitter just a little bit better – and it’s something you only have to do once!

Now you’re saying “It’s 140 characters. Who cares?” Well, honestly, think about it – you probably get those emails all the time which say: “so and so is now following you on Twitter”. All it says under the person’s cryptic handle is “likes cake”. Sure, I like cake too, but who is this person? Do they write? Are they a reader? A publisher? A reviewer? Do I want to follow them back? Is that what people think when YOU follow THEM?

Stay with me here. This is very quick and very easy. All we’re going to do is “spruce up” your profile. It’s really about making yourself more accessible – and giving people the opportunity to find out more about you in a quick and convenient fashion. Continue reading “Twitter Tutorial Tuesday – Don’t Be a Mystery”