Hi,
I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. I'm back today, though. Late, but technically, it's still the 13th. :) I've been thinking about marketing and branding and "discoverability" and all of that stuff as I have a book coming out next month. And so I've decided to do a (short) post on social media concerning these things.
I see book recommendations fly across Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and the like all of the time. I'm wondering how often those recommendations actually lead to sales. I've discovered quite a few new authors through social media, but that doesn't necessarily mean I've bought their books. First of all, if it's genre fiction (and most of it that I see on social media is for some reason), it has to be a genre I'm interested in. Second of all, the book itself still has to grab me. In short, just because I know about it doesn't mean I'm going to like it enough to buy it. I feel similarly about $0.99 books and free books. It might be free or cheap up front to buy (or "buy") the book, but it's going to cost me in time later on to read it. After all, I still have a full-time job, writing to do, and generally a life to live. And I'm sure you all have similar demands on your time. So, I've bought maybe two books tops that were recommended to me through social media. And I've been on social media type things (not counting Facebook which I've had since 2004 but never really used for anything all that much) since about 2007.
How about you? Does social media influence your book buying decisions? How many books have you bought because of social media if any? Would you buy a book because you saw a tweet or a pin or something about it? Would you at least click on a link to learn more about the book?
4 comments:
I've never bought a book from a facebook post or tweet or pin. I have bought many from blogs I've visited. There I can learn a little about the author and read the blurb and excerpt. I prefer new authors to old favorites. Their writing is more crisp and inventive. Many old favorites are writing in the same style they've used for decades.
I've never bought a book because of something I've read on ANY social media bit with one exception...excerpts posted on various Yahoo loops. One thing that will turn me OFF without fail is someone urging me to buy their book so they can "buy groceries, pay their mortgage, or any other hokey reason."
Hello. We all have bills.
Personally, I buy because an excerpt catches my interest. Most blurbs don't because either they ramble/are confusing. OR they're too short. Yeah, I know that's not always in the author's control. That's why I prefer to read a couple excerpts from the book. If the writing style is rambling or confusing or fails to capture my interest, then I consider that a fair chance.
I use social media to meet other authors and occasionally announce book release information. That's it. And I still haven't found a good reason to mess with Twitter. Mostly, I find it a crashing bore.
I'm guilty. I have bought books (free) from various sources, but I have a good reason. I like to pick them apart and find out what I really like about a style, or really don't like. Its a phase I'm going through, sort of an educational journey to immerse myself in writing. I have read some books that I really enjoyed and became a fan of that author, so its not a complete waste for authors. And I have read some that I wondered how they ever found a publisher! Also, I never waste my time on genre's that I have no interest in. And I agree, Twitter is a waste of time.
Great post Nicole! Something to really think about!
Probably not, and isn't that embarrassing since I'm another author.
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