Most authors know the basics of incorporating social media presence in their publishing strategy to increase readership. However, there are other things that authors can do apart from building websites, creating twitter accounts, and Facebook fan pages. The following are five strategies that authors can use to reap more rewards from their writing.

Blogging

Authors rarely run out of content. They should think about using their writing skills to create and maintain interesting blogs. An author’s blog can be his place to repurpose his book content. An author should make sure that he posts excerpts from his book on his blog. The blog can also be a place to put snippets of information about an author’s upcoming works. The blog should be frequently updated with new content. Authors should avoid using their blogs to post shortly before and after a book launches. If they don’t want to publish articles frequently, they can generate email lists from their readers and create email newsletters and send them to readers periodically.

Make meaningful connections with fans

Authors should be well aware that meaningless conversation with their fans does little to improve their writing careers. The best authors use their communication with potential readers to build robust fan bases. These authors leak chapter introductions of upcoming books and also offer downloadable teasers of upcoming books.

Authors should understand that sharing their content is just the first step. It provides them with an opportunity to start engaging fans in discussions regarding their books and other works. One way to find out who is tweeting about an author’s book is to set up a search in HootSuite or TweetDeck. People who use e-readers to read an author’s book usually have the ability to tweet about it. This increases the avenues for authors to receive feedback on their books.

Facebook and Twitter can bring an author’s work to life

An author’s social media channels can quickly be turned into extensions of his book and other works. For instance, fiction writers can bring the worlds they create in their books to their Facebook and Twitter pages. However, the author should make sure that characters he creates in his stories are consistent, no matter where they are ‘invited.’ Authors should also interact with their own characters in social media to give readers a deeper insight into the characters and what makes them unique and loveable.

Use other people to help you spread the word

One of the ways to spread the word about an author’s book is to create communities of effective advocates. This is a great way to not only increase his/her fan base but it also improves sales figures. Some of the best authors have successfully used their loyal followers to spread the word about their books and this ultimately increased the size of their general audience.

Creating a video trailer

Trailers are not only restricted to the film industry. In fact, many top authors make it a habit to create video trailers for their upcoming books. This creates a buzz for their books, particularly in electronic media. This is a great way to boost existing followers’ anticipation and it also wins new readers for an author in the process.