Whatever genre you write, fiction, non-fiction or poetry, having a presence online is absolutely essential. Social media can increase your fanbase enormously. This follows that if you have a wide audience already, agents and publishers are more likely to take an interest in your work. They will see you have a proven track record of an established reader base to sell your work to. In such a competitive market, the more actions you can take to show agents and publishers that your work is marketable, the better your chances of being noticed. If you write non-fiction, particularly, social media is a perfect way to communicate to editors and build relationships with them. If a project comes up in your area of expertise, you are already on their radar. Even if you are in the process of writing your first novel or non-fiction book, you can still build your online presence.  

The question is, which social media platforms should you concentrate your time and effort on? The answer lies in what you write. Below are my recommendations. 

In fiction, Facebook has by far the largest audience of any other social media, which also means a large reader audience waiting to purchase your book. But that means a lot of other writers with the same idea, so your book is going to face some stiff competition. You have the option to run a Facebook Ad campaign where you can direct your book to those interested in your genre. Even if you decide not to use this facility, Facebook is a great way to communicate with your audience on all your new projects in the pipeline. Although your Facebook page is only normally seen by 2% of your followers, many authors have reported great success using this platform to build a network of fans. 

If you are a visual person and love to take pictures during your day, then Instagram is a great way of attracting your reader's attention, as the engagement percentage is far higher than any other social media platform. With hashtags on the platform such as #bookInstagram, you can instantly find like-minded people to network with and, who knows, they could become either great fans or a useful contact. 

YouTube videos are extremely popular and its audience is increasing at lightning speed. Again, this platform is visual and great to grab your potential reader's attention. But, as an author, what could you promote on your YouTube channel? Well, you could carry out a podcast with other authors, author interviews, ask for questions in the comments section, then record a new video answering that question, then rinse and repeat that process. You could promote your new book release and do a live book launch too. 

Poetry: If your poems are short, fast-paced and full of emotion, then Instagram has seen poets gain a great following, and even have their work published. Tumblr, although not the biggest platform, has seen posts go viral. People who share your interest in poetry can comment and share your posts. Anchor specialises in voice recordings and is a relatively new platform, but is perfect for poets who like to read their poetry aloud, but are not fans of facing a camera.   

Nonfiction: Google+ have groups called communities and if you discover one with like-minded people, who have an interest in your subject, then this can really build your reader base quickly.  Again, YouTube is a great platform to talk about a particular area of your expertise or create a tutorial and Q and A video. If you write blogs, then Twitter is a perfect platform, especially with popular hashtags such as #SundayBlogShare. 

In my opinion, the best way to network and find like-minded people to connect with has to be LinkedIn. Its aim is to connect people who want to improve their professional skills and reach out to others in the same industry.