Social media expectations for authors
how many hats are we expected to wear??
Phew! Launching your debut published novel out into the world is as exhausting as birthing a child. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating, because my book hasn’t woken me up to be fed. Yet. But it feels as vulnerable, exciting, and energy-zapping. And like having a child, it took months of preparation beforehand—this book didn’t publish nor market itself!
I spent over eight years writing, researching, learning, editing, and revising my manuscript. Wearing the “writer’s hat” became natural and very enjoyable to me. I made close friends that are fellow writers from my workshops and critique groups. I loved my online writing classes and especially relished the writing retreats. But these days, writing the manuscript is only a part of launching a novel. Once it was finished, I found I also had to wear a “salesperson’s hat” while querying agents and small presses. That took an entirely different set of skills, gumption, and creativity. And during this whole process, I was also expected to wear a “social media marketing hat.”—which was really lots of little hats since there are so many different platforms these days!
That one has been the most challenging for me. I, like many others, have a love-hate relationship with social media, ie. Instagram, Facebook or heaven forbid – TikTok! Before my book contract, I occasionally scrolled through others posts and infrequently posted when we traveled or I found something funny. Yet, I didn’t dive in—it was too easy to lose hours of precious time scrolling. It dulled my brain so I avoided it when I could.
But when you’re an aspiring author, you’re also expected to be a social media expert. Some agents and publishers only want authors (even debut ones) who have a high count of followers and/or an active social media life. At the very least, authors are expected to have professional websites. And having a newsletter, blogs, and a Substack account are strongly encouraged. These all take specific expertise or a healthy wallet and lots of time. How am I to find the time to build a social media following, website, blog and write, edit, revise my novel?! It’s overwhelming!
My answer came from my family—I’m so lucky! It turns out my adult kids are social media, web-page building, logo designing experts. And the timing worked perfectly for all of us. I needed help at the same time my middle child was in the offseason of their farming job. They led me through figuring out my mission, my goals, and my brand. We spent months thinking about what and who Melora Fern is. We chose brand colors, they designed my logos, and we started my professional social media accounts. And it hasn’t been easy or free. There’s no way I was going to let them assist me without being paid for their expertise and advice. (You can read more about this in my “Why Stay Curious?” blog here.)
Then just before my book’s release date, my youngest daughter, who is working towards her PhD in Communications and Social Media (talk about an expert!), found herself without her usual summer research assistant job. (because of the “changes” our current federal administration has caused—which is a blog I’m too angry to write right now) She asked if she could help me boost my social media accounts just when my other daughter and I were hitting our exhausted stage. So, I added another team member to my “author payroll.” Believe me, having a debut novel is not the best way to earn a quick million—LOL! Yet it’s all been worth every cent!
So “Team Melora Fern” has taken me on a social media whirlwind. I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to have two of the people I love most work with me to fulfill my dream! We have weekly Zoom meetings; we text back and forth about reels, posts and ideas. They have convinced me I can record any video—and if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you can attest that I’ve lost all modesty (or gained all the confidence!) It’s beyond rewarding to see how professional and accomplished my kids are on a daily basis. I’ve learned so much from them. And I know they’re proud of me too. It’s been win-win.
I realize not every writer is as fortunate as me to have family members that have the talent, expertise, and time to assist. Many writers hire marketing experts. There are thousands of coaches, advisors, and publicists specifically for authors on the internet—it’s an entire industry by itself. And it can be expensive and overwhelming.
What I’m trying to share in this blog is that it takes a lot of preparation to launch your book (or any big product.) I’m hoping that reading this will help you set realistic expectations. I knew that running the social media, blogging side of being an author would be challenging based on discussions with other published authors and my kids. However, I had no idea how much time it takes to learn about and do—it’s a daily task! And like when you’re expecting a child, there are many experts, from family members or professionals that can and will offer help and advice. And you never know how much time you spend caring for a child until you have one—it too is a daily task! So, if you’re writing a manuscript, dreaming of holding your book in your hands, you may want to spend some time now researching how to market yourself and your book. Believe me, it takes a village!
In next week’s blog, I will give you some tips and ideas that I’ve learned through my “author-as-an-amateur-social-media-promoter” journey. I promise no guarantees that what I’m suggesting will sell books nor help you gain millions of followers, I’ll just present what we’ve discovered along our way.
Until next time.
Stay curious and lose your modesty!
~Melora Fern
Like this article? Here are some of my others you might be interested in:
My book Whistling Women and Crowing Hens is out now! Check out different places you can purchase here!
This was also published on my blog at melorafern.com