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What Should Authors Post On Their Facebook Page?

A guide for authors just starting out with a Facebook business page.


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Crissi Langwell

3 years ago | 3 min read

If you’re a newly published author, or striving to be one, congratulations! You’ve done the hard work of writing a book! Now it’s time to get word out about your book, which is where social media comes in.

But before you start spamming your friends with posts to buy your book, let’s take a step back and make a plan, starting specifically with Facebook.

I’ll assume you already have a Facebook business page. If you don’t, stop reading and go create one immediately. I’ll wait.

(not sure how? this tutorial will help)

Okay, now that you have a FB page, now what? I’m sure it’s daunting to look at that blank page, the status bar telling you to write something, but you don’t know what. It’s especially hard when you don’t have many fans (except one, hi Mom!) who will even read what you write.

Don’t give in before you’ve even started. Here’s a crash course on using your Facebook page as effectively as you can, even if you feel awkward in the beginning.

Show Them Who You Are

First things first, make sure you have a profile picture and a cover photo. Your profile can be you, or it can be your book. On my own author Facebook page, I like to use my own photo most of the time. But when I’m getting ready to release a new book, I’ll change it to show my book cover.

For the cover photo, you can choose scenery, a collage of your books, or anything that gives readers another clue as to who you are. But make sure the cover image is big enough to fit in that space. Nothing looks more unprofessional on a Facebook page than a pixelated image for the cover photo. The exact dimensions are 820 X 312 pixels.

Hint: Go to Canva.com and create your Facebook cover there. This is a design website that offers easy templates that make all your designs look fun and professional. Here’s an easy tutorial to learn how to use it.

Personalize Your Page

Next, make sure your Facebook page URL is the exact name you want it to be. In your “About” section, go to the “General” area and edit your Username. Otherwise, your URL will add a bunch of numbers to the address, making it look clunky.

Finally, fill out your “About” section with your bio, your website, and anything else you want readers to know about you. This section is checked more often than you think, and can be your readers’ first impression of you.

What to Post!

First, here are your posting rules.

  • Be authentic. Be yourself.
  • Don’t spam your readers with “buy my book” posts
  • Refrain from politics or hot button issues (unless your books are about politics or hot button issues)
  • Post at least once a day, if possible
  • But don’t over-post, or you’ll lose readers

With that out of the way, here are 10 things you can post about on your Facebook page:

  1. A blog post you’ve written
  2. A quote from your book
  3. What you’re reading now (NOT your own book)
  4. Something funny that happened today
  5. Something in current events or pop culture that your readers would be interested in
  6. A quote from another author or influential person. (hint: go to canva.com and create an image out of it!)
  7. A top 10 list of books your readers would enjoy if they like yours
  8. News of a book event you’ll be attending
  9. News about your book release, or a sale on your book
  10. A photo of you writing, living life, or just plain having fun

Please note, only two of these ten items are directly about your book. A good rule of thumb is to follow the 80–20 rule: 80% of your posts are NOT about your book, and 20% of your posts are.

Also, it’s a good idea, before you post anything, to think about what your readers are like. What kind of person would like to read the things you write? What other things would they like besides your books? Keep these things in mind with everything you post, because what you’re really trying to do is build an audience that is interested in YOU, because this will be part of your platform.

Another thing to note: your page views will be small in the beginning. Don’t stress about that number. Keep posting content that people will want to like, comment on, or share, and that number will go up. You just need to be consistent.

How do you use your Facebook page? Share in the comments!

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Crissi Langwell

Crissi Langwell writers books across several genres that include romance, magical realism, women’s fiction, and young adult. Her passion is the story of the underdog, and her novels tell stories of homeless teens, determined heroines, family issues, free spirits and more. crissilangwell.com


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