Some authors have a different challenge — they write about multiple, unrelated topics. This used to be a challenge for me. My main area of expertise is technology, particularly anything related to the web or online marketing/PR. But I have a wide variety of interests and didn’t want to be pigeonholed. If this sounds like you, it’s still critical to develop a platform based on your main expertise. Having a platform doesn’t mean that you can never do anything else. But you should choose one area of focus, design all your communications vehicles (website, blog, etc.) about this focus.

What about fiction authors? Your platform, obviously, should focus on your genre. It’s even better to focus on a smaller niche. For example, get known for knitting mysteries, literary novels set in pre-WW II Europe, urban chick lit, etc. Even if you do write outside your niche from time to time, having one will help differentiate you from all the other novelists in your genre.

LinkedIn. MySpace. Facebook. YouTube. Shoutlife. Twitter. Digg.

And the list goes on. With so many options available today, it’s easy to experience social media overload.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big fan of social media and how it can help you develop your author platform and sell more books. But it can be overwhelming, even addictive for some.  With new social sites popping up every day, how do you make the most of the opportunities social media provides and still have time to write?

Here’s my advice:

1. Be choosy. You don’t have to participate actively on every available site. Pick a few sites that best match your goals and your target audience and invest your time there. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t have a presence on MySpace or Digg just because “everybody” else does.
2. Check your web analytics. Review your web stats to see where your traffic is coming from and focus on the social sites that bring the most traffic. A great free tool that helps you analyze your web traffic is Google Analytics. You may be surprised when you view your results. For example, I didn’t expect much when I created a MySpace profile, but I generate a lot of traffic from this site even though I update it infrequently.
3. Schedule time for social networking. Whether it’s every morning for 15 minutes or once a week for an hour, having a schedule helps you set limits. Your schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone, however. When you’re busy promoting a new book, you may spend more time on social networking sites. When you’re faced with a major deadline, you may spend far less time.
4. Categorize sites based on effectiveness. If you discover that your Facebook profile generates far better results than your MySpace profile, for example, you may want to invest time on Facebook on a weekly basis and update your MySpace site only once a month.
5. Consider automation. Using tools like Ping.fm enable you to update multiple social sites at once. Linking between your social site profiles, your blog, and your website also helps increase visibility with little effort.
6. Get focused to get results. Just because you spend an hour a week on social sites doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to generate the results you want. You need to understand the best ways to use each site so that you spend your time effectively. Fifteen means of strategic social networking can be worth far more than several hours of aimless social surfing.

Now, I understand the concern for privacy, and make sure that I don’t reveal too much personal information on the web myself. But authors who don’t make the most of everything the social web has to offer are really missing out on one of the best free promotional tools around. As an author, you need to connect with readers, develop your platform and audience, and get the word out about your books.

Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and the many other book and niche sites offer a great opportunity for doing just that. Think of your online profiles as extensions of your public website. If you want to connect only with people you know, do so in a private group. But make your public profiles as open and accessible as possible to develop those increasingly important connections with readers and peers.

And if you’re a fellow author wanting to connect with me on Facebook, go ahead and send a request. I won’t say no

This edition contains extensive updates plus lots of new content about the ever-changing world of online book promotion. I cover the basics, such as author websites and Amazon promotion, and then delve into blogging, podcasting, social media, virtual book tours, book trailers, and more.

• In June 2008, MySpace had 118 million unique visitors worldwide; Facebook had 132 million (an increase of 153 percent from the previous year).
• In December 2007, YouTube had 77.6 million viewers who watched 3.2 billion videos.
• Worldwide online social network ad spending is predicted to increase from $1.2 billion in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2008.
• Mobile social networking is predicted to rise from 50 million to 174 million users by 2011.
• The top search term for all of 2006 was MySpace.
• Social networking isn’t just for teens. The largest audience segment is between 35 and 54, comprising 40 percent of total users.

Looking for a way to get started? Connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, XING, and MySpace. Also look for niche sites that fit your target reader profile. There are social networking sites for dog lovers, moms, skiers, surfers, mystery lovers, romance readers, and dozens more. To find them, just Google “social networking.”

Remember to follow the required etiquette of each site in terms of promotion. In general, you’ll get better results as an active participant than you will as a mere promoter.

• Keep a detailed log of all your book promotion efforts. Track articles published online, posts on your blog and other blogs, press releases, ezine promotions, and anything else you do to promote your books.
• Track your sales statistics. Amazon and B&N sales ranks, royalty statements from publishers, and your own sales data (if you’re self-published) are all important.
• Track your web statistics. Use the web analytics tool your web host provides or a third-party tool such as the free Google Analytics to see where your traffic is coming from and when.

Using these three pieces of information, you should be able to get a clear idea of which promotional efforts are paying off in terms of sales, web traffic, or both.

If, like me, you were among the authors of one of those 411,422 books, you face stiff competition in getting your book noticed. All the more reason to launch a solid online book promotion campaign to help you stand out from the crowd.

Endorsed by numerous industry leaders, The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking offers both practical advice and real world scenarios to help you make the most of sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and MySpace for business purposes.

Purchase on Amazon
Purchase on Barnes & Noble