As authors, we hope to connect with readers
through our books, through the characters we create. Increasingly important,
however, is to connect with readers on a more personal level. But how do we do this?
One of the best and worst creations for
authors is social media. Why do I say that? Because it is a fantastic platform to reach out
to new and existing readers. BUT it is also an ever-changing landscape, a
minefield of new updates and tools, an almost impossible challenge to conquer.
As well as social media, there are a few
other platforms we can use to keep in touch with readers, such as book
signings.
How do we know what works best? What do our
readers prefer?
Recently, I undertook a small survey to
understand how my readers like to keep in touch with their favourite authors. I
thought it might be useful to share the results with you.
I must qualify the outcome of this survey by telling
you it was a small poll, run through my Facebook reader group. As such, it is
likely to favour Facebook over other social media outlets. However, the reason
for me running the poll in my Facebook reader group is that I get more
interaction from that group than via other platforms.
So, here are my findings…
The question I put to my reader group was: How do you stay connected with your favourite authors?
(Please tick all that apply)
The options provided were:
Facebook author page (Rank 1)
Facebook reader group (Rank 1)
Instagram (Rank 2)
Goodreads (Rank 3)
BookBub (Rank 4)
Other (e.g. book stores) (Rank 4)
Twitter (Rank 5)
Book signings (Rank 6)
Snapchat (Rank 7)
Author blog/website (Rank 7)
The
results:
An
overwhelming majority of readers preferred to connect with authors via Facebook.
There was no difference between the number of readers who preferred a Facebook
author page or a Facebook reader group. Although, I will note that visibility
within reader groups tends to be higher than the visibility of posts placed on
professional pages (this is due to Facebook’s settings).
The
second most popular way to connect was Instagram. This was around half as
popular as Facebook.
The
third preferred method was Goodreads, with 25% of readers saying they use the
tool to keep abreast of author updates.
Tied,
in fourth position were BookBub and Other. Those who selected 'other' preferred
book stores and recommendations (options which are less tailored to specific
authors).
Fifth
position was taken by Twitter. I found this a surprising but useful insight, as
Twitter is a forum I have always tried to work with but have never found much
success.
Sixth
position was taken by book signings.
Hanging
in the bottom were Snapchat and Author’s own blog/website.
My
take away from this is to concentrate more on Facebook, Instagram and
Goodreads, and relax a little when it comes to the other forums. (Both for
reason of sanity and efficiency. We can’t do it all!)
I don’t profess to be a scientist but I hope this is helpful for some of you.
I don’t profess to be a scientist but I hope this is helpful for some of you.
Laura x
If
you are considering setting up a Facebook reader group, or would be interested
in joining one, please feel free to check out my group, Laura Carter’s Chic
Cats (www.facebook.com/groups/carterschiccats).
I do give readers insight into my WIP, as well as sneak peeks and giveaways,
but more often we discuss other books that we are reading.
3 comments:
Thank you for sharing your results with us! I've found that, for my own sanity, I have to limit my social media to 2-3 platforms. It helps that I like Facebook more than the others, and can link my author page posts to Twitter, so I'm tweeting at the same time. ;)
I had just scribbled down earlier today that I need to do more on Instagram. I set up an account, loaded a picture, and haven't done much since. ;)
I also enjoy Pinterest. An author friend recently mentioned she does a secret board for her book projects, and then makes them public when the book is out, so everyone can see her inspirations for setting and characters. Loved that idea!
Thanks for sharing this information, Laura. I guess that means I should really set up a FB author page...
Anne Marie Becker, yes! I also love that accounts can be linked. Instagram links to both Twitter and Facebook (you can have it linked to you FB timeline or your author page) and I use that tool a lot. I have actually played with Pinterest but I get nervous about pinning celebs and faces - in case readers don't agree with the image in their minds. I also found I didn't use it as often as other tools so I had to ditch it, rather than doing a half-hearted job.
Marcelle Dube, please don't take it for red! Like I say, I carried out the poll via Facebook but in my own experience Facebook is definitely where I get most interaction.
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