In this course, I discuss questions often asked by writers entering the author level: What is a platform, and do I need one? Why do I need social media? Do I need to be on all social media? How do I get started? What and when do I post? How often do I need to post? And what the heck is a hashtag?

Authors use social media to create a buzz around their brand, which in the case of an author is their persona and their books. The aim is to connect with potential readers, book bloggers, book reviewers, and other authors (our tribe) to expand our audience.

Facebook and Instagram revolve around thought-provoking headlines, short personal stories, subject-related news, and outstanding images and videos. To create social media pages with substantial aesthetic value, we need to consider content, style, maintaining visual continuity and sharing while also abiding by the rule of thirds: promote our product, interact with others, and share.

By using genre-specific hashtags on posts, authors attract and create a community of followers. But how do we find relevant hashtags? How do we encourage readers, reviewers, and bloggers to follow us? Want answers? Sign up for this class and learn how to create eye-catching images, gain an understanding of how to build your author platform, and use Facebook and Instagram to widen your audience.