Writing a book is all fun and games until you realize you have to build a fanbase and market yourself as an author. Am I right?
If you are looking at your social media accounts wondering, “What in the world am I supposed to post?”
This blog post is for you! No matter what stage you are in, whether you’re plotting, drafting, or selling your finished book, you can use the content ideas in this post!
My name is Cortney L. Winn and I’m a fantasy/romance author, but I’m also a business marketing major! That means I know what it’s like to write a book, and I also know how to get that book in front of your ideal readers!
If you already have an author platform set up through Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, etc., great job! The sooner you start one, the better! A successful book launch begins way before your book hits the shelves, and honestly, there’s no such thing as too early to start marketing you or your book. If you haven’t made an author account, I suggest doing it today!
On to content ideas! “What do I post?”
People love to see your journey. When I started posting my 4AM selfies on my Instagram story, I thought, “Nobody is going to care about this,” but at the time, it was really all I had the energy to post. Let me tell you. People loved seeing it. Every day at 4:30 AM I’d post a selfie with my coffee along with my word count progress for the day. My friends got to watch me write my book! My point here is to let your friends watch your journey!
Content before your first draft is complete:
1.Word count update: People love to see you make progress so they can root for you!
2. Your author journey: What made you want to write? What have you written thus far?
3. What genre do you write: Let your friends know what genre you write! Tell them your favorite elements and styles within this genre, along with your biggest pet-peeves you see in this genre!
4. What are your favorite tropes: Do a post listing all your favorite tropes!
5. What are your least favorite tropes: Tell your friends your least favorite tropes!
6. Your promise to your readers: Example: “I promise to be inclusive with my stories, to use professional editorial services for my books, and always end a series with a HEA!”
7. Tropes (or elements) you will never see in my writing: We all have things we will not write. Inform your audience what your books will never have! (I will never write the cheating trope!)
8. Your writing schedule: Even if it is sporadic, share it! For me, I wake up at 4:30 every morning to write. I do this because I am a mom. Once my kids are awake for the day, my mental capacity is suddenly full! I’m also finishing my degree in marketing, so nights are dedicated to writing school papers, blah! So, if I don’t get my butt out of bed at 4AM, my dreams do not happen.
9. Mood boards: Find some pictures that feel like your manuscript and share them, or post your Pinterest board!
10. Writing playlists: What songs make you think of your WIP? Do you write or brainstorm with music?
11. Your writing process: Do you think it all out beforehand? Do you write it down in plot format? How do you design scenes, acts, chapters, character arcs? How do you tackle each part of the process? This can be turned into many posts!
12. About Me posts: Tell your friends about what makes you, YOU!
13. Something I learned since starting: What have you learned with this manuscript that you will apply to future manuscripts?
14. Something I will do differently on your next book: What is something that you want to try with your next book?
15. Your goals: What kind of goals do you have? Word count? Indie publishing? Traditional publishing? What are your hopes for you and your book?
16. Your favorite books to read: What books live rent free in your head?
17. Pantser or plotter: Which are you? Or, are you a mix of both?
18. What struggles are you facing in your WIP: Are you struggling to write that spice scene because your grandma just followed your author page? Tell us! We want to know! (And yes, this happened to me.)
19. My favorite character is (X) because…: Tell us about your favorite character and why you love them!
20. Share a writing prompt: Search “Writing prompt” on Google or Pinterest and find one worth posting!
21. A “journal entry” for how your writing session went: Do not underestimate the power of journal posts! What might seem boring to you can be extremely relatable to someone else. Put your thoughts out there so you can find your real friends who think and feel like you!
22. Literally, ANY QUESTION: Get to know your followers! Ask them if they like stand alone books or series, short chapters or long chapters, morally gray men or cinnamon rolls! Any bookish question you can think of is free game.
Share how you got the idea for your book: Was it a sudden spark of an idea or has it evolved over years?
Share how you combat writer’s block: Do you go for a walk? Listen to music? Drive in the rain with scream-o music? (I need to try that last one.)
23. Share your favorite reading/writing snack: If you follow me on Instagram or Tik Tok, you know that my favorite snack is Diet Coke, and that I express my love for it via ridiculous memes. I am not particularly proud of this, but I am in too deep to change my ways now.
24. Fun facts about your WIP: People love those! Share how many names you’ve had to change, how many words you’ve had to cut, mistakes you’ve made, or wins you’ve had!
25. Share what writing software you prefer and why: I have used Google Docs, Word, and Scrivener and am still trying to decide which is best for me. Tell people what you have used and liked!
26. Vlogs: I know it can be scary to share your face, but people LOVE to see your face and hear your voice. Hop on camera and talk about where you’re at with your WIP, what challenges you’re facing, or what goals you wish to reach!
27. Ask for help: I love this one, and I used it for the first line in Vesselless! I was struggling with the wording of a line, so I posted it on Instagram and asked for help! Thank you to everyone who helped shape it!
28. Tag a reader who likes (X): (*coughs Diet Coke)
29. Tag an author who likes (X): (*coughs Diet Coke with lime)
30. Ask for advice: If you are struggling with imposter syndrome or writer’s block, ask for advice on how to combat it! The amount of support you will find in these posts will help; I promise.
31. Random words from your WIP: They don’t even have to be full snippets! Pick some cool words and post them!
32. Help me name my character: If there’s a side character that you don’t mind having someone else help name, this is a cool one! Or, if you are trying to decide between two or three names, let your friends vote on their favorite!
33. Help me name a city: Robotron! Okay, that’s lame. Don’t use that name.
34. Today I feel: Literally, anything that is going through your head right now regarding your WIP can be made into a post.
35. Snippets: If you feel comfortable sharing your work, do it! It introduces your writing style and draws your readers in!
36. A gratitude Post: Tell your followers THANK YOU for their support!
37. Ask your followers for a reading check-in: Ask them what they are currently reading and how they are enjoying it.
If you liked this post and want to see more like it, follow my Instagram or, if you like romantasy books, sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this page. You'll get a snippet of Vesselless sent to your email! If you want to see what Vesselless is about head to My Books page!
Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey and supported me every step of the way! I am so grateful to each of you!
XOXO,
Cort
Comments