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.:)

********************************************************************************

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/

How to Grow your Blog Platform: Supercharge your Stats

I still remember the first time I saw the numbers. It was an article entitled "How Big Should a Writer's Platform Be?" by agent and social media expert Amanda Luedeke. She wrote:

"The cold, hard truth is that solid author platforms come in the tens or hundreds of thousands.
If you have a website or blog, your monthly unique visitor count should be at least 30,000.
If you have a Twitter account, your followers should be pushing 5,000.
If you have a Facebook page, your followers should be pushing 5,000."

In his post, "7 ways agents measure social media", Thomas Umstattd ups the ante even further with the statement, "Agents and editors really want to see Facebook pages with 10,000+ fans." 

Wow. I remember looking up from my computer screen, equally intimidated and stirred with an odd kind of excitement. I had no social media following whatsoever at the time, but having those numbers in front of me felt strangely motivating.

Up until then, social media had been a mystery to me, something I had little interest in. But suddenly I felt a new clarity. Those numbers looked near impossible from my vantage point, but they were a goal. Something to shoot for. No more stumbling around blindly, frittering away time on social media and wondering in an abstract sort of way if an editor would give my paltry efforts the nod of approval.

Now I knew. I knew the actual stats that an editor or agent would find impressive in a proposal.

I also knew it must be possible, because those figures came from real people.

Today I'll be giving you a list of actionable tips you can use to supercharge your stats.


1. Incent people to follow you
One of the quickest ways I saw growth in my stats is by using Rafflecopter giveaways - you know the ones where you can get extra entries by following your host on Twitter, Facebook, etcetera? Well, they work. Supercharge your growth by partnering with other bloggers to run a giveaway. Not only are you able to offer a more enticing prize when you pool your resources, but the giveaway gets promoted across a series of other blogs, thus multiplying the total number of entrants and followers. Which leads me to my next point...

2. Partner up
Partnerships are the quickest way to grow. Partner with other bloggers to run link parties and blog hops. If you host a link party with a small group of other bloggers, whoever links up at the party is required to follow each of the hosts. It's a great way of cross-sharing your followers and gaining new ones. You could also agree to feature each other on your blogs, with links to follow on social media - it helps each of you to grow your numbers together.

3. Grow your Twitter following
The most organic way to grow your following is to consistently share great tweets that people retweet. This, however, can take a long time before you get anywhere. If you want to give yourself a starting boost, here's the method I used: follow a set number of people each week (I went for 100) and then use the app JustUnfollow to unfollow those who don't follow you back.

Why should you unfollow? Your ratio of how many people you follow to how many are following you says something to anyone checking out your profile. Like it or not, it gives them an impression of whether you're worth following. If you're following 600 people but only 180 follow you back, most people will assume there's a reason for that, and they'll pass you over too. Of course, there'll be some people you want to follow regardless of whether they return the favour, such as "big-name" authors, celebrities or anyone whose content you take a particular interest in. The app allows you to "whitelist" those people so they don't constantly show up on your non-followers list.

A great place to start is to find a blogger in your niche and then follow their followers. You can just work your way through their list. Although a percentage will never follow you back, many will, and if you're consistent you'll begin to see your numbers rise steadily over time.

3. Pinterest Power
Using Pinterest effectively is a whole blog series in itself. 90% of my blog traffic comes via Pinterest - its power as a traffic driver can't be overestimated. For today, I'll share my top tip: get yourself on some group boards, and start sharing your content on them. I have 3,000+ followers on Pinterest, which is respectable but nothing earth-shattering, but the combined following on all my group boards exceeds 500,000. That means even with my modest personal following, I can get my content in front of potentially half a million people each time I write a new post. Powerful, huh?

Try looking up the Pinterest profiles of some bloggers in your niche, and if they are on any group boards (distinguished by the little people icon in the top corner), click on the board and take a look at the header blurb. If they're accepting new contributors, they will usually have guidelines here on how you can apply to join - often it's as simple as leaving a comment on a pin or sending the board owner an email.

I hope these tips give you some practical ideas for increasing your follower numbers. I feel like I'm just skimming the surface of many of these, so any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

This wraps up my series on How to Grow your Blog Platform. 

If you missed any of it, you can find the rest of the posts here:

How to Grow your Blog Platform
Essentials for your Success
Guerilla Facebook Marketing

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she mothers by day and transforms into a fearless blogger by night. Her popular creative home-making blog, A house full of sunshine, reaches over 150,000 readers a month. She's a Genesis finalist for women's fiction and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on Twitter, Google+, Facebook and Pinterest.

Pinterest for Writers Part 2 with Guest Author Sarah Forgrave

I’m so excited to be back on the Alley today!

In my last post, I shared my newfound enthusiasm for Pinterest and included ideas of what authors can pin to connect with their intended audience. In this post, I’ll share specific tips to help you find that audience.

Here are some ways to get started:

1)      Follow people with similar interests and repin their posts. In my experience, this doesn’t always guarantee a follow back. (I still haven’t figured out Pinterest’s notification system, but I will say it doesn’t seem to be as effective as Facebook or other platforms in making people aware when I’ve followed them.) All that said, some will follow you back. And even if they don’t, it’s worth sticking with them if they post really great content that relates to your interests and platform. Which leads to my second tip…

 

2)      Focus on pinning really great content. Pins that link to excellent blog posts, words or ideas that move you – basically anything that is worth someone’s time to read or follow. The more value you bring to others, the more they’ll want to follow you.

 

3)      Find boards for book lovers and contribute your voice. In the Christian fiction world, there are a few large boards where hundreds of people can participate by sharing their favorite Christian fiction books. These are avid readers who have no vested interest in writing and just love to share books they love.

One way to find these boards is to check out authors you admire or know and look through their boards. (There is a small icon of three people at the top right of group boards.) Once you join or follow the board, interact with pinners who’ve pinned books you like or that are similar to yours. Comment on those pins by stating how much you loved the book and/or what you loved about it. Follow the reader pinners in those groups and repin their book posts. Not everyone will respond or follow back, but I’ve made some awesome connections with future readers who have no connection to the writing

world whatsoever. Hopefully when I’ve published a book in the future, those friends will be thrilled for the chance to be an influencer for an author they “know.”

 

4)      Pin a lot. Now, I say this with caution. Go back to Point #2 and make sure you run everything through that filter. But there is something to be said for higher volume. The more you pin great content and prove to be an expert on a topic, Pinterest takes note of that and starts including you in their “recommendations” emails. This takes time, so be patient with it. But just be aware that it does make a difference over the long haul.

 

5)      Take advantage of hashtags. Yep, just like Twitter and Facebook, Pinterest allows hashtags. I’m still figuring out the best hashtags to use on Pinterest, but when I post books I’ve read that would appeal to my future audience, I usually add the tag #ChristianFiction. I’m not sure how actively people seek out that particular tag, but I’ve had some repins and interaction as a result. Play around with this—do searches on Pinterest, etc.—until you’ve nailed down the hashtags that draw the most traffic for your topic of interest.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!

If Pinterest isn’t doing it for you, don’t force it. Don’t let yourself get paralyzed by these suggestions or think you can only post things related to your books. Like I said in my last post, people want to connect with you as a human being, so share who you are.

Connect with people in an authentic way. Truly care about what they like and who they are. By doing so, you’re building a solid foundation for success.

What are some ways you connect with readers online? In what ways do you see your favorite authors connecting with readers online? What tips can you add to my list?

****************************************************************************

Sarah Forgrave is a work-at-home mom who feels blessed to do what she loves – raise her two children while writing stories that inspire. Her work has been featured in Guideposts’ A Cup of Christmas Cheer, as well as the webzine Ungrind and the Pearl Girls™ book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith. When she’s not writing, she enjoys teaching fitness classes, shopping the produce section of her local grocery store, and hanging out with her family in their Midwest home. To connect with Sarah, you can find her online at her website, her Facebook page, and, of course, Pinterest.

----------

Bulletin board photo by pakorn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Book heart photo by patpitchaya/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How Writers Can Use Pinterest

Many writers shy away from Pinterest thinking it is just another social media platform to steal away their writing time, but I'm here to tell you that Pinterest can be a great way to collect and store research for your novel.

Before we get started in the practical ways you can use Pinterest for your writing, let me tell you about the basics. When you sign up for Pinterest, you put in a profile and begin creating Boards. Think of these boards as a bulletin board that you pin pictures or information you want to look at later. Or you can think of it as a file folder where you collect information.

You also have the option to install a PIN IT button in your toolbar...which you will want to do. This is how you collect your Pins (or information) on your Board. When you are surfing the web and find something you want to remember or read later, all you have to do is click the Pin Button on your toolbar and a small screen will appear. You can choose what Board you want to Pin to. Once you submit it,your picture is pinned onto your board, along with the link to the site the picture is from.

People use Pinterest to pin recipes, inspiration for decorating the home, landscaping, birthday party ideas, gift ideas, DIY projects, cool clothing and accessories, etc. The list is endless!

So how would a writer use Pinterest? I'm glad you asked! In the upper left hand corner there is a search bar. If I start typing the word writer, even before I finish the word several options show up in a drop down list: writing prompts, writing inspiration, writing process, etc. If you click on writing inspiration look what shows up.

But what if you wanted to organize the research for your novel? You can create Boards for each category you want to research.

• Settings: Overseas, travel guides, city facts, etc. Below is a picture of what I found when I searched Scotland.

• Costumes: period dress, fashion show clothing, etc.  Below is a picture of what I found when I searched Regency dress.

• Characters: Pictures of people who make great heroes and heroines. Here is my board of people I've pinned for future character templates.

For a look at a writer who best utilizes Pinterest for writing is Kaye Dacus. Her Pinterest boards are chock full of boards for writing historical novels. There are many boards for period fashion organized by decades. There are boards that showcases History on screen for different time periods. There are also boards for various places around the world: New Zealand, Canada, Tennessee, etc. You may not be a historical writer, but her boards will spark your creativity and will get you thinking of what kinds of boards you might need for your research.

So if you are a Pinterest user, do you use it for writing? 
If you don't use Pinterest, why don't you? 
How do you organize the research for your novel?
What kind of categories are your boards for novel writing?
Any tips to share?

****************************************************************************

This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

The Best Hobbies for Writers

Many writers enjoy being alone with their computers, typing away new stories, filling the pages with adventure, heartbreak, love, and happy endings. But sometimes we need to crawl out of our holes and enjoy life. We need to be around people. We need to do something.

We need a hobby! (Other than reading, of course!)

So I've compiled a few hobbies with the writer in mind. Who knows, you may be a hobbiest already and don't even know it. 

1. People Watching:  Oh yes. You know you love to watch people. You walk through the mall and find yourself looking at a young couple and wonder what their story is. You see an old man sitting on a bench and wonder what kind of heartache he's known. This kind of people watching is what can stimulate your creative side and get the ball rolling for future plots.

2. Photography - This is not unlike People Watching, but takes it a step further. Put on a disguise and take pictures of people's expressions. Capturing a face filled with wonder will give you something to look at while writing the scene when your heroine sees the hero for the very first time. Catch a couple arguing and you will have just the right gestures to incorporate into a scene where your hero and heroine have a misunderstanding...you know, build the conflict! Photography is a great visual tool for writers.

3. Pinterest - I've just caught the Pinterest bug and think it may be a great way to gather visuals for your book. Pinterest is basically a bookmarking site. When you sign up, you create boards (think of them like cork boards) where you "pin" things that interest you. You download a button onto your toolbar and when you see pictures on the web that interest you, you "pin" the picture onto your board. A writer could collect pictures of houses, bedrooms, cars, and landscaping to help give depth to their description. One could also collect pictures of models or actors to base your characters on. Collect facial expressions, hair color, clothing...the categories are endless. Check it out and see for yourself.

4. Exercising - Yeah, it's not the most fun hobby out there, but we writers need to exercise and shrink our ever-expanding backsides. A great thing about walking is that you can people watch, dream about your WIP, and burn calories at the same time! I recently bought a recumbent bike for the sole purpose of getting exercise while I read. When I get home from work, I grab my Kindle and ride my bike for 30 minutes. I try to read Writing Books during this time and save the great fiction for my bedtime reading. There are ways to make exercise a little bit fun. You just have to find out what works for you.

This is not me on the bike.

5. Book Club - A hobby that all writers do is read. What better way to socialize than to get with other people and talk about books. The perfect hobby.

6. Metal Detecting - Grab a friend, get your metal detector out and go searching for metal. You get the benefit of exercise; you have someone to brainstorm plots with; you might find coins and valuables to fund your writing. (You do know that writers don't make a lot of money, don't you?) 

7. Massage Therapy - I don't know if this really qualifies as a hobby, but I think all writers should take up this activity. A monthly massage would do wonders to ease those aching shoulders and loosen those stiff legs. 

This is just a small compilation of hobbies that would benefit a writer. Well, maybe not number 6 -  that was a bit tongue in cheek.


What would you add to the list?