I worked for a small Christian publishing company as the sole marketing department member, and because of this I wore many hats. I took care of our social media, ebook conversion and uploads, maintained our Amazon listings, created back cover copy for books, wrote cover briefs and hired designers, assisted with author launches... and much more. But one thing that soured me more than anything else was how we (and I really mean the non-writers I worked with) viewed writers we were looking to acquire.

Writers are the peanut butter and jelly that gets wedged between two slices of stale bread (the publisher). Without them, the whole sandwich is flavorless. And yet, in my experience, my team of editors and publishers couldn't see past one thing: a writer's platform.

No, it didn't matter if the writer had never published before and didn't have the platform that J.K. Rowling has. No, it didn't matter if their writing was fantastic and fit our brand. If they didn't have an Instagram following? Immediately, it goes into the trash bin. And folks, these manuscripts were agented. That is to say, they were already picked up by an agent (which I'm sure many of you are aware... is NOT easy to do, nor quick!). And we rejected them based on the author's follower count. Seriously, what is our world coming to?

Instead of rebelling and raging (been there, done that) it's an unfortunate reality we all must face, as authors. I know many of us would much rather curl up and never speak to the world unless absolutely necessary, but if you want any luck getting book sales in either the trad or self-publishing worlds, you need people to be aware of you. At least a little bit.

I'm going to break this down into some very easy to digest tips/places to begin. Whether you're working on your first novel, have already published and have seen lackluster results (no reviews, low ratings etc) or you are simply curious what looms down the road in your publishing future, do check these out. Let me know if you have tried, will try, or haven't thought of trying any of these!

Threads & Instagram

Young readers and writers are obsessed with these two, interweaving sites. Threads is much more useful, similar to Twitter (X) in that your content has a word count limit, and the content is generally quippy quotes or questions asked to your target audience. And you can also participate in follow threads, which help you gain your community and audience quickly. I highly recommend going this route. BUT:

Thread is inevitably tied to Instagram, which is a solely image/video based platform, and is moving toward the video side more and more, until

And if you're anything like me, who is no good with a camera and worse when talking via video, this is kind of bad news. Instagram is a much harder platform to get attention on, especially since the engagement is much lower unless you are a huge celebrity already. This doesn't mean it isn't worth trying to get something started anyway! Publishers will be looking for a start to social media growth, and if you can show them a convincing curve, there is a possibility they will see your determination (if they're nice).

I started my Instagram by posting reviews, some life things, writing updates, etc. And I also posted a LOT of stories, basically reposting others' quotes and posts. Lifting other authors. It may not be the best, but it is getting some engagement. I get about one DM a day reacting to a post or asking me a question about it, and that's already great progress!

Facebook

This is more challenging. The audience on Facebook is different, and if you're starting absolutely fresh with zero page followers, you may have to start by asking mutual friends (eek!) to follow your page. And that's just nerve-wracking.

Once you've established yourself on a social platform, then move to this option. People who have Facebook may be interested in floating over and supporting you, but only after you've made the connections needed. Facebook is usually good for launches, book discussions, etc. Not so much for generic posting; at least, not unless you're a bigger name.

As a general rule of thumb: get good at one social media site, then slowly integrate another until it's great, and then explore others. Social media is a full time, unpaid job for writers. It's mentally draining and exhausting, so give yourself the time to get used to the demands.

Twitter (X)?

I used Twitter (X) for a while, and found that a lot of it is #writerslifts and no one engaged beyond a blind follow. As writers, we don't want that. Engagement is SO much more important.

Over the course of the last few years, Twitter (X) has changed a lot, too. I'm not sure what the climate is there, but so far Threads has been a great, more engaging alternative from what I've experienced.

It's frustrating that our "platforms" are now a part of what sells us. Not only do we have to write well, but we also have to be social butterflies. Publishers don't generally help you connect with others, so it's important to get started as soon as possible and show that you have the marketing chops to push your book the extra mile (so the publisher won't have to).

And if you're self-publishing... You're doing all of the work anyway. What's one more thing to add to your overflowing plate?