Why An Author Should Try Pinterest

Social media plus platform is all the buzz these days. We, as aspiring authors and published authors, have many avenues to take in order to connect with a potential readership, gain knowledge, and "be known".
Right now, I am active on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The usefulness of Pinterest has been such a pleasant surprise when I once thought of it as a way to instill mommy guilt of all the crafts I was not doing with my kids.

For an author though, Pinterest is a great tool to have, and I will give you three reasons why you should get your own Pinterest account started today!

1. A "scrapbook" for research and brainstorming:

Whether you write Historical or Contemporary, SciFi or Romance, at some point in your writing you will need to look something up. Perhaps it might be the type of shoe a nurse might wear in your medical suspense novel, or the latest fashion trend for your young adult protagonist, or...the kind of fabric an 18th century woman would choose for her ball gown as she debuts into society. For me, my "Tudors" board has been the most popular as I collect information and research on the historical family centered in my current novel.

Pinterest is an amazing tool that gives you visual nuggets of articles, posts, and archives as you create your story world. And it gives potential readers a glimpse and anticipation for all the colorful things to come from your writing.

2. A "filing system" for writing craft/how to's:

The other day, I wanted to look up how to write a short story.  I know what the three act structure looks like for a novel, and I know the major parts for a story, but how does that look in a concise work of 5-7000 words? Pinterest is a fabulous place to look up a craft question and find dozens and dozens of links to blogs, websites, GRAPHICS (if you are a visual person, this is such a great thing...not only reading about the plot...but finding actual visual pieces that illustrate it is awesome). In our busy lifestyles, Pinterest gives you a quick and easy way to archive or "pin" your finds so you can return to them whenever you need that bit of knowledge to move forward in your writing craft.

3. A "bulletin" for building platform with different hooks about YOU:

The greatest thing that makes Pinterest a social endeavor, is that it gives you visibility in the eyes of potential readers. As an author, you can display images that give a sense of your stories, characters, and settings, like I mentioned above, as well as create boards to give an idea of what kind of person you are besides an author-- you become an ACTUAL person to a reader, allowing them a peek at your other interests. Basically, you are providing boards or pins that will hook a reader with that same interest as you...outside of the story world...and ultimately, they will feel connected to you in a realistic way. I am a stay-at-home mom and love finding pins and memes on parenting advice. Well, how cool is it to connect with other moms, like me, who might just also be interested in reading historical fiction...or even writing it? (Connecting to the writing community is just as important as connecting to a readership!) How great is it for a reader to know the story was written by someone who understands their season of life, or, for example, also likes to garden in their spare time? Pinterest can hook readers not just to your stories, but to your common interests, and they will see you as a person and not just as an author trying to sell a book.

Do you have any questions about Pinterest? Or maybe you already have a Pinterest account and have some great boards to share. If you do, let me know below! I would love to come browse your pins.:)

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written six historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken/