Can You See Me? Self-Publishers Need To Be Seen By Social Media

I have a self-published book.  I can share this as often as I want, and I still have people look at me in an odd way.  I’m not upset by those looks; I find it rather amusing that people don’t realize I am subtly promoting my book.  Making that statement gets the conversation going.  I think that it gets others talking.

I enjoy interacting with people, and I enjoy working with the written word.  Because of this and other reasons, I decided to self-publish my last book, and will be doing the same with the next one.  The one thing I learned about books is that you have to be seen.

I agree with another writer who said, “You don’t need to have a website, but you need to have a presence.”

They are correct in saying that you need a presence, and some luck, and a few books, but I disagree with their opinion that I ought not need to worry about social media.  It’s there, it’s needed and I need to have people see me and my work.

I don’t doubt that some self-publishers do not have the time to get “all into” the social media — there are so many platforms.  (Twitter, FaceBook and Google+ just begin that list.)  I’d rather speak in general terms about social media, and so I will include in the catch-all term online writing sites, or forums you can be a part of.  It’s a big world out there.

I know that by the act of writing on a blog and having some form of communication with my readers, I am “getting seen.” This is important if I want to increase my book sales to a better level.  It is also important that I am seen as a person and not as yet another writer.

I have a means to show myself to the world, and that way is using, and not abusing, social media.  I try to present myself a person and a reader, which means my readers see me as a writer and as a person — a delicate balancing act if there is such a thing.  I am a self-published author and as such I don’t have the name to make a million dollars in one year, but I do have the means to have readers and potential readers see me.

I believe that readers care about a writer because they connect with the writer.  I know that the more people know me the more likely they will make a purchase…. and the more likely it is that my readership will grow.  It is important to be seen.