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Social Media and Crowdfunding Authors: Twitter
Contributor
Written by
Pubslush
July 2013
Contributor
Written by
Pubslush
July 2013

Traditionally, authors have sought the assistance of publishing houses to produce, market and distribute their books. However, traditional publishing is an extremely difficult industry to break into and, as a result, many aspiring authors are choosing to self-publish. Self-publishing, although more work for the author, also provides the author with more freedom to produce the book they want. Many authors are choosing to self-publish for that reason, and with the recent developments of social media, now is the best time to be your own publisher. Social media provides authors with a direct connection to their audience and they can market themselves widely at no cost.

The ability to connect with so many people for free can help authors to more successfully self-publish their book, and now, with the introduction of crowdfunding for writers, social media can also help to mitigate the financial risk of self-publishing. Crowdfunding is a way for a writer’s personal and professional networks to financial back their book project, helping to eliminate the out-of-pocket expenses of self-publishing. The writer’s ability to develop a strong social network through social media can help their crowdfunding campaign and, ultimately, the overall success of their book.

Every facet of social media is important when looking to build your following as an author and it’s important to build that following before the launch of your crowdfunding campaign. With the ability to connect with readers, writers can market themselves on websites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Wordpress, and Tumblr…and we’ll tell you how!

Twitter: The Future of Authors and Crowdfunding

Twitter is the perfect way to begin the branding of yourself as an author and gain a following before you begin your crowdfunding campaign. Letting your personality shine through your tweets and the individual interactions you will have with your followers will help to build your audience organically. The best way to get your readers excited about your book is to develop a personal bond with your audience—then their interest in your book will grow from that bond.

Searching hashtags that are related to you as a writer and the subject of your book will help you connect with your audience. Searching relevant hashtags will provide you with an immediate pool of people who may be interested in you and your book. There are over 200 million users on Twitter today, just think of how many opportunities you have to make connections with your audience!

Twitter contests are also a great way to get your readers excited about your upcoming book. Offer up free book giveaways, or even something more creative, in exchange for retweets and you’ll organically develop new followers and potential future readers. Contests will help to create a conversation and maintain a buzz around your upcoming book.

Twitter provides an instant connection to your audience and the ability to forge relationships with potential readers, so it’s naturally also a great place to link to your other social media sites. For example, linking to your blog will give your followers access to longer posts and enjoy more of your writing instead of being limited to your Twitter personality.

All of these free tools available give writers the opportunity to produce something they might not have had the chance to, had they been forced to follow the route of the traditional publisher. Building your following through interactions on Twitter gives you the chance to create a readership all over the world. Seeking out your audience and connecting with them is crucial if you’re thinking of crowdfunding for your book project because crowdfunding requires having a strong personal and professional network. 

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