I’ve noticed what appears to be a percolating trend out there on the Internet: fatigue with social media. From people letting their blogs slide to celebrities quitting Twitter to an entire university taking a week off, it seems like quite a few people out there are needing a break from the web.
Though, I suppose if you’re taking a break from the Internet it means you’re not reading this right now. Conundrum. WHAT IF I YELL OUT LOUD CAN YOU HEAR ME??!!
Anyway, according to my completely unscientific Pulse-of-the-Internet-Meter (patent pending I’ll sell it to you for seven billion dollars), it seems that a lot of people out there are having a collective “Wait, why am I doing this again?” moment when it comes to social media. So I thought I’d circle that back to books and a recent topic in the Forums:
Does social media work? Does it help sell books? Have you bought books because you heard of them through social media? Or do you simply follow the people whose books you’re already familiar with? Do you think the time spent is worthwhile or is it a glorified time-waster? Are certain activities more productive than others?
Poll below. If you’re reading via e-mail or an RSS feed you’ll need to click through to see it.
agirlandaboy says
I tweeted about a book review I did on my blog, and in the last three hours three people have told me they ordered the book. That's social media at work.
(It makes a difference, I think, whether the promotion is coming from a trusted individual versus a company promoting its own product, though. I can't speak to how well the latter is using social media.)
Douglas Morrison says
I think it's the number of social media "got to be there" sites. Blog, facebook, twitter, etc… When it becomes more like work than fun, taking a step back is a logical evolution.
JohnO says
Yes, unequivocally, social media helps sell books. I've bought and read at least a half-dozen books as a result of following authors on Twitter. Plus, sites like Goodreads are book-devoted social media sites, and I've built out my to-be-read list on the basis of interesting books my friends have recommended.
I think we've gone through the honeymoon phase with social media — just like being "green," it's currently passé. However (also like being environmentally conscious, I hope), people will eventually find a comfort level.
That said, I doubt social media is going to help you sell a very noticeable number of books, unless you have a mammoth social media platform — like @shitmydadsays, which has almost 1.7 million followers.
Deniz Kuypers says
I get an average of about 30-40 people who visit my site every day. This may not be much, but over the course of a year it adds up to about 10,000 visitors — and that's a heck of a lot more readers than if I circulated my writing only among my close friends.
I try not to spend too much time blogging, because ultimately my main focus should be on my novel writing (I write YA). But it's very gratifying to be in (virtual) contact with the rest of the world and to get good feedback when writing is otherwise such a lonely business.
Candyland says
IT's a fine between using social media to your advantage and overkill.
T.N. Tobias says
It's all about the signal to noise ratio. When everyone is screaming to be heard, all we get is noise. That said, if I hear from someone I trust that something is good, I'll check it out no matter where I heard about it.
I drive traffic to my site through twitter. I know of people who are selling books from people getting to know them on twitter. I know I've read things from people I wouldn't have known about if they weren't out there being part of the community.
Mandy Hubbard says
Well, leaving out the obvious (John Green, I'm looking at you) its difficult to know whether you're getting an equal trade– if all the work would have been better spent elsewhere.
That said, I do hear from people pretty frequently who "met" me via Facebook or twitter and went on to purchase my books.
most interesting, I think, is not when the author is 'selling' the books by being there, but seeing readers tweet/facebook about a book they are reading and seeing their friends pick up the book(s).
It's Word of Mouth 2.0
Stu Pitt says
Just an awful practice, hawking a book or bookish dreams online. Have a little humility.
Wouldn't it be much more rewarding to have readers find your work by themselves, rather than corralling them like cattle?
Social media has turned into obnoxious billboards.
Ronnie Russell says
I agree. All I want to do is write the best book I possibly can, not spend countless hours using an online bullhorn to shout my book above the noise.
Juice in LA says
I have a self published friend who has had great success with her social media work. The key is that she interacts through the social media- and connects with people. If you are willing to do the work, the readers (and buyers) will come!
Christine Macdonald says
I can tell you that I was invited to read in New York as a direct result of Twitter – and I am still writing my manuscript. I do not have an agent – yet.
I agree that the talent must be there, but as us non-celebritites (I'm guessing) write away, why not use all the resources out there?
Anonymous says
Nice! And here I thought I was the only person in the world sick of social media. I suppose if I had been following some of those celebrities on twitter, or had fanned them on facebook, then I would have known sooner that I wasn't the only one…waitaminnut…
Mira says
Excellent topic – I'm so glad that you posted this. I'm really curious to see what people say.
I still don't know what to think, but I have a bunch of random thoughts about this.
Kiersten White is such a good example to discuss (I hope she doesn't mind!) Kiersten has a vivacious internet presence, which has lead to popularity on the net, and I imagine that helped her book debut on the NY Times list.
But on the other hand, she's a terrible example, because I just read her book and it's terrific. I love YA, and her book is fun, fast-paced, smoothly written and rather sexy. (Which means my ultimate conclusion is I want Keirsten to stop blogging and spend all her time writing because I want to read her next book.)
So, the reason she is now a terrible example is because her book would sell itself.
On the other hand, she's a good example, because I wouldn't have known about her book if I didn't hear about it on the net.
Then there are the concerns that not everyone is Kiersten White (I'm not)and not everyone can have a vivacious internet presence (I can't).
This is important, because I believe the absolutely worst thing you can do to any writer is to get them to be non-authentic. If you really want to kill someone's creative voice, tell them to fake pretend who they are all day long. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think so.
I also dislike intensely the maniuplative aspects of making friends in order to sell books. I hope no one ever does that to me!!! Becomes my friend so I'll buy their book – awful. That's sort of horrifying.
And the other part of social networking that I dislike is that huge amount of time it takes away from writing. And I sometimes think social networking is just the old referral system re-visited.
Also, having a platform is still a very important thing. Your book, for example, Nathan, will sell well in part from social networking, but mostly from having a powerful platform. BUT. Partly it's social networking too.
What we really need is hard data. We need data to find out if it works or not. Anectodotal evidence is not enough here. We need research.
Boy,those really were random thoughts, but this topic really twists me around.
Thanks for the discussion, Nathan, I was hoping you'd bring this up. 🙂
Mira says
Oh one last thought. Social networking is new. Not only how it's working now, but how it will work over time – that's to be determined.
reader says
I think GoodReads can have an impact, especially if there are thousands of reviews and ratings as opposed to the author's friends posting.
But Twitter lends itself to self-centeredness: I walked across the street! I ate some ice cream! Look, these are the shoes I'm wearing!
Does that make me want to read someone's book? Heck no.
But I find blogs are really much of the same thing. There's only so many industry-related posts one person can make before they resort to talking about the sandwich they had for lunch.
Maybe it's just me, but who cares?
Anonymous says
Okay, for starters… it seems like you already know the answer, because even your poll seems biased.
I don't know if social networking helps you sell books, but I do know that it does help you get a bigger advance if you're a debut author. 🙂
J says
I think Social Media might be a more effective marketing tool for authors than any other entitiy! I work in marketing and have been studying social from a marketing perspective for quite awhile now.
Facebook apps like WeRead make it very easy to share your reading list with others. And Twitter is an obvious way to connect with your fan base on a very individual level.
I think Brandon Sanderson and John Scalzi have done it about as well as I've seen it done. I have no doubt that their transparency and connection with their fans has created a more devoted advocacy for their product.
And even before Facebook, Twitter et al, Amazon was using a ton of social tools to promote and move books. Very few companies that are the size of Amazon manage to show the consistent growth that they do. The expertise with which they integrate a social, relevant experience into their shopping process is clearly a part of their success.
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
Which direction does the poll seem biased? I didn't intend for it to be biased, just pithy.
Anonymous says
Well, I plan on reading Jacob Wonderbar because I follow this blog. I don't know that I would've heard of it otherwise.
But I do feel internet exhaust from time to time, and I can't bring myself to read the Hunger Games even though it's a huge buzz on the net right now (Present tense? My tiny brain can't wrap around that one just yet!).
I didn't know how to vote so i tapped out a comment. So… much… energy… *pooped out*
j.leigh.bailey says
Well, I can name 4 books that I've read this month alone because of "hype" induced via social media outlets. Luckily, I loved all 4 books, so the hype was worth it. So, yes, I think social media help sell books. It helps if the social media presence is interactive, positive, and honest (i.e. worth the hype).
reader says
Mira — I LOVE this quote of yours. So true.
"…I believe the absolutely worst thing you can do to any writer is to get them to be non-authentic. If you really want to kill someone's creative voice, tell them to fake pretend who they are all day long…"
M.A.Leslie says
Nathan,
Great topic as usual and I must say that social media does help increase book sales. When your book is published I will be buying myself a copy. Not only because the storyline sounds like something that my children and I can cuddle up and read together, but because the cover art has caught both of their attention and they can't wait to read it.
Basically though, without this blog and my constant reading of your advice and tidbits of information, I would know nothing of your book. Eventually we would cross paths in a book store near me and my children would have been dying to read it just from the cover, but instead of that happening six months after it rolls out it is happening before the first edition is published.
Dare I say that social media may have just helped you sell one copy? I am a believer.
Anonymous says
Oh. I've gotta get some sort of ID. I was only the bottom part of the Anon-Nathan sandwich… not the top.
I can see how a slew of Anon's might get confusing…
Mira says
Oh. I hope I wasn't misunderstood. I didn't mean to imply that your book won't sell on its own merits, Nathan. I just meant it will get a push from your platform. But I'm sure you know that….and I'm equally sure it's a totally fun book.
And since I'm chattering away, I think the poll is fine.
author Scott Nicholson says
Works for some people who are good at selling themselves no matter what they are selling. Others are just walking into the room wearing lampshade and clown shoes.
And some are just whining, a few are pithy enough to be entertaining in 140 characters all the time. Look how fast "Sh*t my dad says" went from brilliant to self-conscious and phony and not worth following.
And, please, agents, making fun of query letters is no longer cool. Soon you're going to stop getting query letters altogether.
Scott Nicholson
Steph Sinkhorn says
Honestly, the majority of the books I buy these days are those I've heard about via blogs/Twitter. Not so much Facebook, but I keep Facebook pretty personal.
I generally don't buy books I know nothing about on a whim. Every once in a very, very long while, the cover or copy will interest me enough that I'll cold-buy, but it's very rare. I, like so many other consumers, purchase based on recommendation. If a friend or acquaintance whose opinion I respect finds a book compelling, I'm 100% more likely to take another look at it.
And these days, most of my friends/acquaintances are on social media, and that's where I get most of my day-to-day news and interaction.
I have no real qualms saying that I picked up Paranormalcy the day it was released because I've followed Kiersten White's journey via her blog. I purchased John Green's books because of VlogBrothers. I bought LIAR because of the kerfluffle about the whitewashed cover, which I heard about on blogs.
So is it a big deal? Yeah, I think so.
Shennandoah Diaz says
Social media, if managed well and used properly, is a cheap and effective way for authors to promote themselves. No matter which publishing route authors take, they are responsible for marketing their book. With close to 2,000 books being published every day and less than 10% of those selling more than 2,000 units (which means less than 10% are breaking even, much less making profit) authors need to use all of the tools available to them to be successful authors (and keep their publishers happy).
With that in mind, I don't think social media is the problem but instead its the ABUSE of social media. Too many people are treating it like a billboard and not a social tool–a way to communicate and engage with their audience on a deeply personal level. People will support and buy books from authors who are engaged, intriguing, personable, and of course are also good writers. They will ignore the sales pitch and narcissistic rants and steer clear of the pop up windows and "me-me-me" posts. Instead readers follow valuable and entertaining content, just like they've always done no matter if its being presented in a book, on television or online.
Polenth says
I've found a number of books and authors through social media. The people it fails for are usually those who use it like advertising, rather than chatting to people. If someone chats, I'll check out their blog/website and get the book if I'm interested.
Melissa says
I have read books that I've seen discussed on blogs — particularly ones that show up frequently. Tweets? Not so much unless someone I know posts a recommendation of a book on a shared interest.
Most of my book buying, however, is not influenced by social media — particularly Twitter. Although… If someone is especially obnoxious in their promotion of something, I might mark it OFF my to-read/buy list.
Anonymous says
Um, read the comments on the John Mayer quits twitter link… scary and angry. If someone hates you to begin with, or thinks you're a hack, twitter's tiny tweets fuel that all the more, I think.
Also, interestingly, an agent currently has a requested partial of mine. She's had it for five months and despite despite my polite heads up email can't seem to find a moment to read it and/or give me an answer. Is she on twitter night and day, spewing silly tweets? Yes. Does she sound adorable and fun? Yes. Would I like her as a friend if I met her? Probably. Do I want her to be my agent anymore? Ef no.
B.E.T. says
I have to say this couldn't be timed better, because I was just wondering about this exact thing. I've been reading a lot of places that say use your facebook like crazy, blog, tweet, all that.
Trouble is, I can't think of one book I read because of social networking or something. I found my favorite authors and became more interested in them through that avenue, however…so it's still a toss up.
K. E. Carson says
I think it depeends. We all know word of mouth is the best way to boost book sales, and social media is just a different way of communicating that word of mouth. If you tell your friends how great a book is, they'll buy it whether you told them over facebook or over coffee.
It depends on the people. Do you trust the blogger you're following? Do they raise good points about this book? Does it interest you? If so, then you'll be more likely to buy it.
It's no different than if you were talking to them in person. Social media just opens up different ways of communicating about books. It's word of mouth at work.
Byrd Leavell says
Shit My Dad Says has sold 500K copies in 4 months, due largely to the initial push social media provided. So I'd say yes.
Anonymous says
No. And neither do book trailers. Let's just kill that little myth right now.
Sue Campbell says
I am truly tired of "social" media. It's not social. It's media. I keep up with facebook mainly to follow my family and close friends. I don't think it's an effective way to SELL anything. (I'm not there to BUY anything that's for sure.) I don;'t friend a lot of people I don't know—and I would not do it in an effort to sell them anything. To me the word FRIEND is too valuable to bandy around as a marketing tool. It's distasteful to me.
I have blog mainly for my book design business (but of course I also write). I post new work and items that I am interested in re: the book business. This is a more informational effort and to keep my name out there (to a miniscule group of readers). If I really had to depend on it to get me work, I'd starve. I don't blog as regularly as I could or should, but I am burnt out!
I'm so over the internet. What I want in my life is human interaction. In person, with living breathing beings. I get that from friends, family, and my writer's groups. Speaking of writers groups I bet we buy and sell more books as a result of book groups than most other media. (For those of us not promoted by a big six pub., which is darn near everyone.)
I love your blog Nathan, but I don't see this as social media either. You don't know me, I don't know you = not social. That doesn't mean I don't value what you do. If ever you and I meet I'm sure we'd like each other and maybe be friends. I see this blog as an informational tool, same as mine. I like it for that.
Twitter isn't even worth mentioning. (Yeah I twitter sometimes, who cares?!)
All this blogging, Tweeting and FBing keeps me from writing. Real writing. Enuf is enuf. I'm there.
Nicole Zoltack says
Social media can definitely help to sell books… but I think it's best used when you try to sell yourself. Your platform is more important than just one book. Unless you plan on selling only one book. And I sure as heck want to sell a lot more than one.
Bethany Brengan says
I'm sort on a "blog break" right now. I'm not on my blog, and I'm not following my blog RSS feeds (in part, because reading other people's blogs makes me feel guilty about not blogging). But I still check Facebook, and you're on Facebook. And then I think, "That post sounds interesting." Then I find myself on your blog muttering, "I want to read _Jacob Wonderbar_."
Clever, Nathan. Clever.
Amy says
I voted yes, social media helps sell books, but it's not blogging/tweeting by the author that convinces me to buy a book. It's word of mouth from my friends who read and make recommendations.
D.G. Hudson says
There's only so many hours in a day, so we each determine how to spend or waste those hours.
I don't see the value at this point of cutting into my writing time to follow everyone about everything (twitter & facebook). Not all the users of social media are experts, and not all the advice is going to be valuable. One has to pick and choose where you want to invest your efforts and your time.
My answer: social media may help sell books if you appeal to the type of audience that would check the social media before they make any decisions. I do think having your books advertised on your own site is a must whether it's a blog or a website.
Some of us think for ourselves.
Anonymous says
I've been watching writers think they HAVE to do social media and end up as would-be-published writers following/followed by would-be-published writers ad nauseam. Not only have they bemoaned the futility and exhaustion of the tasks of that, but they have neglected their writing.
Oh dear!
There is still HUGE respect for authors who do not twitter, facebook, etc. (Yann Martel, Thomas Pynchon, the late Salinger). Even Stephanie Meyer and JK Rowlings, who have HUGE internet presences (via their PEOPLE) don't seem to do it themselves.
For me, it has always felt like a tremendous waste of time.
And, as for book recommendations, the ONE pace I really take notes, go look up the books mentioned, and buy the books from: HERE! The books that writers here recommend is my favorite list, ever.
("What are your reading now?" What is your favorite book?" "who is the greatest villain in literature?")
Woah, pen and paper in hand!
BTW, the trend seems to have reversed as now even SNL comics are making fun of social networking.
All the hype and none of the reality.
Ramsey Hootman says
I've definitely checked out and then purchased books because some forum friends recommended them.
I think what's important in social media is just to focus. Don't try to hit it all… pick the outlets you're comfortable with and use them. Personally I hate twitter and think it's a waste of time, but I love facebook and blogging.
Amethyst says
For a time, social media did work for me. Author personalities and their passion for their works come through in their blogs. And because of this, I purchase their books. There are also those books that come recommended by many, many different people on the internet and I question whether I have been missing out on something. So…I purchase those books also.
But I have been disappointed too many times by these routes of choosing books to read. Maybe it is my fault because I cannot disassociate the author from the books, the stories, or I don't read the first couple of pages before I pick up a book. But I end up finding that the voice of a blog is sometimes more exciting than the story the author has written or the enthusiasm of others for a book does not help me see past what I don't like about it.
So I am back to my original way of finding books: stepping into the nearest bookstore, spending hours perusing the shelves, reading the back covers (or inside flaps of hardcovers), and reading the first couple of chapters before making my final purchase. Because in the end, choosing a book is subjective and sometimes what others recommend will not coincide with your own tastes.
Anonymous says
With a first novel about to go to agents, I dread the "How's your social media presence?" question. Because I honestly don't know how as a first-time novelist I can really be effective in social media to draw an audience. Were I established and published, sure, I might have some fans following me. Or if I were writing nonfiction I might have a blog about my area of expertise. But as a novelist, I really am stumped by all the expectation that my Facebook account is the way to achieve sales. I'd do book readings in Wassilea, Alaska, but please don't ask me to blog/tweet about the mostly boring life of a writer.
Steph Sinkhorn says
"Wouldn't it be much more rewarding to have readers find your work by themselves, rather than corralling them like cattle?"
Consumers don't react to being "corralled" anywhere. You can't force someone to purchase your product. And if they don't like your sales tactics, they make that known – by not buying. The only people who can force a sale do so by monopolizing the market (COMCAST, YOU BASTARDS).
This attitude assumes that the main reason people (authors, in this case) are using social media is as a soapbox from which to scream, "HEY YOU WITH THE THING. BUY MY BOOK!" Which, yeah, some people do. And no one listens. The people who *do* get a following and people who care are those that are just people using social media for communication and silliness. Who can also say, "Oh, yeah, btw, I wrote a book. Check it out if you want."
dcamardo says
The past three books I've read (that weren't free) were all promoted by their agent's blog. However, I don't think I've ever bought a book promoted by its author (I mean to say that I don't remember buying a book BECAUSE it was promoted by the author). There's something to be said for someone else (other than the author) talking up a book–even if it's the agent.
So here's the deal Nathan. Who's your agent? Get him/her to blog about your book and I'll buy it (ebook format of course).
Marilyn Peake says
It depends. My mind tends to hop, skip and jump over blatant attempts to sell books unless I already know the author or am interested in a particular type of book. I follow The New York Times on Twitter. After they published a fascinating article about Paul Harding winning the Pulitzer Prize for TINKERS, I immediately purchased a copy of that book. Same thing regarding FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen. I loved BONESHAKER by Cherie Priest and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman, so I started following those authors on Twitter and I look for announcements about any new books they have published. I also sometimes purchase books written by people I meet on the Internet if I like their genre, in order to help them out by boosting their sales. I used to pay more attention to books on social media sites until there were just so many books on so many sites – I can’t possibly buy all those books.
I find it interesting that some of the most wildly popular literary authors don’t take part in social media at all. Jonathan Franzen actually takes the wireless card out of his computer while he’s writing, so that he has no access to the Internet and can concentrate solely on writing: Jonathan Franzen Takes the Long Road to 'Freedom'. Colson Whitehead said, "…marketing is boring and not what a writer should be asking about. Write the book. Make it the best book you can make it. All the other stuff is crap." in the following article: Colson Whitehead Responds to YA "Controversy". I've started thinking that maybe their intense approach to writing is the key to their success at the craft of writing.
S. Kyle Davis says
Point in case: Paranormalcy. How many books by debut authors do you know that start out on the bestseller list? Doesn't happen that often.
Steph Sinkhorn says
I guess I'm fundamentally different because I don't view the internet as "just the internet," and I don't think interacting over social media doesn't count as "human interaction." Some of the strongest, most lasting relationships I've made, I've made over the internet. And that's not to say I don't have a "real life," because, pft, of course I do. I have "real life" friends that I go out with, a "real life" boyfriend that I live with, and plenty of "real life" activities to fill my time.
But I think people forget that behind every post, Tweet, status update, whatever… is a real person. And that's cool! In what other time period EVER would I be able to talk in real time to people from Australia, Great Britain, France, China, etc. FOR FREE? That's AWESOME.
Not human interaction? O RLY.
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy says
I think social media sites are fueling a lot of activity in reading and writing these days. With my debut novel slated for July 2011 publication, I have been advised by my mentor (through my publisher) and others to use Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to prommote my upcoming novel as well as my other work. Another project, a high profile anthology that I am proud to be part of, is also using social media with outstanding results. The publicatin date is not until October 9 but the publisher is experiencing high volume orders pre-pub.
Marilyn Peake says
In regard to my own social media, I receive over 120,000 hits to my website per year and continue to sell my books published by indie press. Most of the hits come from websites where I wrote articles and did interviews back when social media was fairly new. I’m fairly active on the Internet: Twitter, etc., but right now I’m trying to concentrate on writing more than PR. It’s nice that my older PR is still paying off. 🙂
fakesteph says
Most of the books I've ordered lately have been Amazon pre-orders that I ordered because someone tweeted or blogged about them. My purchases also increased for books I was already planning on reading because I get way more excited about upcoming releases when social media outlets are involved. For example, I was already planning to read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, but I bought it instead of waiting to get it from the library because she kept tweeting questions and excerpts and I just got too excited to wait.