Read Around the World—Inspiration from Literary Cafes

During these unprecedented times, we’re all craving a little adventure. Even though we can’t pack up our bags and hop on a flight, we can follow in the footsteps of many adventurers from the comfort of the couch. Some of the greatest novels by infamous writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Nikolay Chernyshevsky, and Jack Kerouac were written with a hot cuppa at literary cafes around the world.

Expand your reading list with these 10 cafes across the globe. Grab the books that were inspired by the French doors of Parisian cafes, we see you The Great Gatsby. You can’t forget about the Scottish cafe that Rowling herself wrote the first of the Harry Potter series. You don’t need a travel authorization to take a literary trip inspired by these cafes. 

5 Ways to Promote Your Writing on Social Media

by Marie Barnes

Promoting your writing on social media has become so much easier now that we have plenty of tools and opportunities to do that. However, you need to realize that some social media platforms are more suitable for written material, some are less. In any case, with a smart approach and clear goalsetting, you will be able to get the most out of any social media channel. So, take a look at these 5 social media platforms and ways that you could use them for your writing’s promotion.

Twitter

This social media platform has been around for a while and still remains to be popular with people, and, what is even more important, relevant for writers and their promotional needs. Twitter is great for sharing links to your materials, for example. It provides great integration opportunities for WordPress users, allowing them to share even scheduled posts.

Twitter is an active platform where it is super convenient for authors to announce their new projects, talk to their fans, and create a supportive community. For those who are only starting with their writings, it is best to use popular hashtags, such as #writerslife, which allow you to find your target audience. 

Keep in mind that you should follow some rules to get noticed on Twitter:

●      Fill in you bio

●      Put a link to your personal website

●      Provide your real name or pseudonym you are known for as a writer

●      Avoid buying followers

●      Put up a real and clear photo of you

●      Be active and not too ‘promotional’

Instagram

While on Twitter, you have to focus on the written message mainly, Instagram is all about providing a nice picture. This is the first thing that a person will notice about your post. In order to make your image eye-catching, you can use Photza portrait retouching service. If the image is appealing enough, the person will move on to the text. The appealing text leads to a ‘follow’ and so on. 

When it comes to promoting your writings on Instagram, you should apply the same rule that has been discussed previously - provide as much information about you as possible. Your bio should clearly show who you are and what you do. Always put a link to your website or a platform where you publish your materials. Do not forget about Instagram’s‘ stories’ feature, while traditional posts might sometimes get lost in the feed, stories can still attract new people.

Another great idea you could use is to show people what stands behind your writings, show them what inspires you in pictures.

Goodreads

Unlike the previous two platforms, this one has been created specifically for writers and their needs. New users can sign up to it either as an author or a reader. The first option, however, is excellent for those who want to promote their writings. Goodreads has quite a few fantastic features, such as targeted ads, promo campaigns, and the option to arrange personalized sales.

This platform also provides its users to leave a ranking to any author they want, therefore, making it possible for authors to get more sales on Amazon, as Goodreads is one of Amazon’s many projects.

Being an author on Goodreads, you still can leave reviews for other authors’ books, expanding your reach, and making more people learn about your work. Obviously, for people to start following you, an organized and informative page is a must.

Finally, you could use Goodreads as your blog and tell stories about yourself or your works, making people know you not only as an author but also as a person.

Facebook

Currently, Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms that is a wonderful place to reach your target audience by, promote yourself and the thing you do. Considering how many people are actually its users, ‘no matter what you write about - you will definitely be able to reach your target audience’ - says Ann, one of the writers from The Adsy. 

There are three ways that you could promote your writings on Facebook. The first one would be to do that using your personal page, for example, you could share links to your works on your feed or post your writings directly into the feed if the size is appropriate. 

The next way is to create an official author’s page. This option will give you more control over the marketing side of your brand’s promotion, and you will avoid the common mistake of getting your business and personal life mixed. 

Finally, the third option is to create an author’s group or join the already existing one. It is a great way to communicate with your target audience personally and attract new fans.

Pinterest

Despite what many people may think of Pinterest, it is a great promotion platform for writers. However, keep in mind that it is a bit different from the ones that we have discussed previously. You see, when you post something viral on Facebook, you will get a huge increase in traffic right away, but in a couple of days, those numbers will eventually decrease. With Pinterest, it is different. Posting a pin will ensure you small but steady traffic, which you will be able to accumulate with increasing the number of your pins. You might even notice that your exposure on Pinterest has outgrown the one on Facebook or Instagram over time.

How could you present yourself as an author on Pinterest? First of all, you can use the function of ‘pinned products’ and actively sell on Pinterest. Or turn it into your own visual library so that newcomers will be able to see hardcovers of your books - the choice is yours.

Final Thoughts

As you see, each of these platforms can be in some way adjusted to the needs of a writer looking for self-promotion. Knowing each platform’s weak and strong sides, it is possible to build a strong marketing strategy around them and give your writings a significant boost on social media, attracting new followers and fans.

Regardless of which platform you will choose, the key moment here is to be genuine and consistent with your posts. 

Marie Barnes is a writer for Bestforacar. She is an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs. She shares her insights through blogging. Follow her on Medium.

Azzura Nox On Creating Compelling Swag

Most authors will agree that the creative part of the job is where we excel, the business and marketing side, slightly less. It’s lovely when the two can meet in the form of SWAG – Shit We All Generate. I’ve invited some published authors to share with us their secret to swag… little freebies that can sell a book longer after the author is no longer standing in front of a prospective reader. In order to create great swag, you have to be crafty – in more ways than one.

Today’s guest for the SWAG is Azzura Nox. Cut Here, her debut paranormal urban fantasy was inspired by a nightmare. Some of her favourite authors include Anne Rice, Oscar Wilde, Chuck Palahniuk, and Isabella Santacroce.

Finding something that represents your book and hasn’t been played out by a million authors before is difficult. What’s your swag?

I get creative when there are giveaways. I'll have limited edition one of a kind SWAG that is limited to only THAT book. Like when I had skull crocheted scarves for the launch of My American Nightmare. But usually, I find that bookmarks, postcards, or business cards are effective in getting the word out too.

How much money per piece did your swag cost out of pocket?

Nowadays getting things printed isn't so costly, especially if you use sites like Vistaprint who are always running promotions.

Do you find that swag helps you stand out at an event? (or) Does your swag draw people to your table at an event or conference?

When my first Women in Horror Anthology, My American Nightmare released, one of the authors from the anthology participated in a Halloween Con and I had a lot of different SWAG prepared to promote the release of the book. I had T-Shirts, bookmarks, candies, and posters. By far the candy and bookmarks were the most popular of the SWAG and what ended up selling out.

What do you think of big item swag pieces versus cheaper, yet more easily discarded swag like bookmarks?

I would say it's safe to invest in one or two bigger pieces so you can use for promotions or giveaways, but think that ultimately bookmarks or postcards are the quickest way to get your book noticed. Ultimately, you're trying to promote your book and have your book sell so the focus should always be the book. Bigger pieces are just perks, but I wouldn't advise going bankrupt trying to buy a ton of expensive swag.

What’s the most clever / best swag by another author?

I like it when authors have swag that pertains to the book within the story. Such as Erin Stewart who had wing pendants for her book launch of Scars Like Wings. The symbol of wings was very pertinent to her novel and so it was a clever way of promoting.

And the biggest question – do you think swag helps sell books?

Honestly? Good writing sells books, but awesome swag can help in getting the word out. But at the end of the day having a cool shirt and bad writing won't make your book sales rise. So it's best to invest in making your work the best it can be and cool swag is just the icing on the cake, but not pertinent to a book's success.