NINC

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Nink: More Ways to Stay Creative

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the October 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

Even as a creativity coach, I can have days where I’m not feeling as creative as I would like. This led me to think of other ways I could boost my creativity. Based on what I discovered, I’ve listed more ways you can boost your creativity quotient.

Open up to random thoughts
Writers can sometimes unknowingly stifle their creativity. Remember when you were a kid and someone told you to stop daydreaming? You may be doing something similar to yourself and not realizing it. What if paying closer attention to your random thoughts and fantasies could generate fresh ideas?

We’ve all heard that we have a ton of thoughts pass through our minds each day, much of it useless chatter. As published authors, we often judge both the quality of our ideas and the validity of them. However, as creative people, our imaginations are an integral part of our ability to create story. Many writers who work on building book series have told me they sometimes feel as if they’re on an assembly line churning out the same ole same ole. This adherence to “expected” series parameters can be draining and can strangle creativity. Instead of allowing your imagination to go where it wants, you’re forcing it to go where you think it is supposed to go.

Granted, you can’t stop and write down every single thought or fantasy you have in your head, and you can’t necessarily take your series from the Wild West to outer space (well, maybe you can), but you can harness as many ideas as possible. Are there any story ideas you are dying to write but you’re ignoring them? Do you think the ideas are too far out of the lane you’ve been following for years? Consider how you can write more of what you long to write rather than constantly shoving down your creative desires.

Write down any wild thoughts that come into your head, even if they don’t seem to equate to an actual plot or story line at this time and even if they are completely nonsensical. If you remember your dreams, write them down as well. You never know where these ideas will lead in the future.

Imagine you’re somewhere else
Because of the pandemic, many writers haven’t been on vacation, much less left the house. So let your mind take you.

Find a quiet time where you won’t be disturbed. Put on soothing music. Close your eyes and imagine, in as much detail as possible, a place you long to be. This can be a place you’ve been to before or a new place you would like to visit.

If you want, write down as many details about that vacation fantasy as you can. Go hog wild and enjoy yourself. Why not? Not only is it fun, but you might even get an idea for a story in the process.

Watch more movies and television series
Many people proudly announce that they don’t watch television series or movies. Watching television rots your brain, right? While anything taken to an extreme could have a negative effect, TV and movies can give your brain a mental break. You can also use this time to analyze why you like or don’t like some movies and television programs. This can provide perspective into your own creativity and spark new ideas.

Start with the genre you write. Watch a few movies in that genre. How would you have written the story? If there’s a movie or television series you love, why do you love it? Be completely honest with yourself why you like it (or how you would have done it better). You aren’t showing your innermost thoughts to anyone else. Thinking about why you like or don’t like something can move your creative thinking in a new direction.

In this way, watching a movie or television series is like reading someone else’s book and recognizing why you enjoyed the book or would’ve written it differently. This perspective change can jumpstart the creative part of your brain.

Read screenplays and write screenplays
Writing a screenplay is, in many ways, completely different than writing a novel; it forces you to create differently. When writing a screenplay, a writer relies far more on dialogue and very little on description. It gives your brain a creative workout. How are you going to say, in the dialogue, what you may have left up to description alone?

When I decided to begin writing screenplays, I first read a few to obtain both an understanding of formatting and to get a general feel of how screenplays sound. (Beware, though. Screenwriting formatting has changed over the years, so modern screenplays have some different rules than screenplays written even a decade ago.) Reading and writing screenplays opens your mind to a different way of experiencing storytelling.

Make memes/graphics
Is there something you want to say? Making a meme in a program such as Canva or Book Brush can be a great way to enhance your social media presence and express yourself creatively. Making graphics requires both visuals and the words you want to say. If I want to take a break from writing, I often make a meme or a graphic for one of my published or soon-to-be-published books or some other random thing I want to express. It’s refreshing. After I’ve made a graphic, I am ready to start writing again.

Do nothing for fifteen minutes
I know what you’re going to say. “Denise, I have a busy life and don’t have 15 minutes to spare.” To that I would say, “Are you sure?”

While sitting in relative quiet outside among nature or inside with some soothing music or even no sound can make some people feel twitchy, it’s about balance. As an experiment, to see if it works for you, try doing absolutely nothing for 15 minutes a day for a least three days and see how you feel. The 15 minutes does not need to be formal meditation. Write down how you felt and if you received any creative ideas during that time. My guess is you will not only get ideas, you might feel physically and mentally refreshed because you’re not pushing so hard all the time.

Connect (even just virtually) with others
This pandemic has kept many of us inside, including missing NINC. Is there a dear friend, writer or not, who you used to sit down with in person and hash over creative issues? If you haven’t talked to them in ages, give them a call or set up a Skype or visual chat session. They’ll love it, you will too, and the creative ideas you generate could be some of the best you’ve ever designed.

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Denise A. Agnew is the award-winning author and screenwriter of over 69 novels and several optioned screenplays and television series. She’s written in a variety of genres including horror, romance and historical. Over the years she’s also enjoyed participating in archaeology and archery. Reading is a huge love! She was fortunate enough to live in England and Hawaii and travel throughout the UK and Ireland. Denise is also a producer, paranormal investigator, Certified Creativity Coach, Reiki Master, and evidential medium. She lives in Arizona with her husband and a mini schnauzer. You can find her at www.deniseagnew.com and www.agnewcreativemedium.com.

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Nink: Getting Started in Audiobook Production

This article by Steven Womack is from the October 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

When the Nink assistant editor asked me to write an article about DIY Audio Production, my first thought was why me? I’m a total newbie audiobook creator. I’ve produced and narrated a couple of podcasts and one short story that’s a freebie on my website. I’m working on producing audiobook versions of my rights-reverted backlist, but as one of the IT guys at the college where I taught for 25 years once marvelously said: I’m just starting to start.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I felt this might be exactly what this article needs: somebody who can demystify the process for beginners and point aspiring audiobook creators to resources that will be helpful when starting this journey.

So that’s where this is going. If you’re an experienced audiobook producer, feel free to pass this one by. But if you’re looking at the audiobook world and pondering how to get started, read on.

Here’s the best reason for taking the plunge: there’s an incredible demand for content. Jane Friedman, in her newsletter The Hot Sheet, predicts that audiobooks will overtake print by 2023. Even if she’s off just a little bit, this still represents a lucrative revenue stream and I want to wade in it.

When considering jumping into the indie audiobook business (especially self-narrating), there are two things most people find daunting: 1) the technical demands and skills needed and 2) what consumers really look for in an audiobook.

So if you’re looking to produce your own audiobooks, the two biggest anxieties are:

  • Can I handle the technical aspects?
  • Does my voice suck?

Handling the tech

Randy O’Brien is a Nashville-based novelist and a retired radio journalist with over 40 years of experience in broadcast journalism, voice-over acting and audio production. In 2008, he self-produced an audio version of his novel Judge Fogg. He’s also a huge audiobook consumer; he’s been reviewing audiobooks for Audiophile Magazine since 1997.

I asked him about the costs and expertise needed to create a home studio.

“A home studio,” he said, “that 10 years ago would have cost $100,000 can be built today for less than a thousand dollars. What was once a luxury for rich rock n’ rollers is now accessible to even a poor-assed novelist.”

The important thing, O’Brien added, is to have a good microphone and a computer with an adequate sound card.

Legendary voice-over actor/coach/audiobook producer and publisher Joe Loesch—whose website and YouTube channel are both invaluable resources—agrees.

“The heart of any studio is, of course, the microphone,” he said. And people think a good microphone costs thousands. I’ve seen $150 microphones that are as good a quality as the $3,600 microphone I have in my studio. What people have to remember is that every microphone is different and every voice is different. Your voice is like your fingerprint—totally unique. The trick is to find just the right combination of voice and microphone that works.”

Both O’Brien and Loesch agree that this means trying out multiple microphones. Retail audio equipment dealers are usually open to this.

The other key component of the audiobook recording process is the editing software and its accompanying learning curve. Even that’s gotten cheaper and simpler over the years.

“High-end software packages like Pro Tools and Adobe Audition are overkill for audiobook production. You don’t need multi-track recording and sophisticated music and sound effects,” Loesch said. “I use a simple program for Macs called Twisted Wave. It costs about $80 and is very intuitive.”

Both O’Brien and Loesch agree that if you’re on a PC, the go-to app is a free shareware program called Audacity. There’s a huge community of developers and users who have taken this app a long way in the last twenty years. There are tons of resources for learning Audacity on YouTube, Lynda.com, and a variety of other places. It’s not hard to find tutorials and help.

I’ve found the Audacity learning curve very manageable. There are a dozens of plug-ins and add-ons that are more than sufficient to get a good product out.

The last big hurdle is your recording space. The physics of sound is way beyond the scope of this article, but the key thing to remember is that sound bounces off flat surfaces. Almost any good microphone is going to pick that up. So just recording in your home office with flat walls is problematic.

The other issue is ambient sound. A car going by outside, the hiss of your HVAC system as it kicks on, the phone ringing or the kids getting in an argument, are all going to cause problems.

To complicate this even further, you don’t want an environment that is too dead. This creates a hollow, empty room sound that doesn’t work well in audio production.

The most innovative solution I’ve seen, and one that I’m using now: a walk-in closet, preferably one without an HVAC vent. Clothes hanging in a walk-in closet are natural sound baffles.

Now here’s the art part

You may wonder if you have the right kind of voice for audiobook narration. Or even worse, like me you may hate the sound of your own recorded voice.

The key thing to remember, Loesch says, is that listeners don’t want to be read to.

“I don’t want you to read me a story,” he said, “I want you to tell me a story. There’s a difference.”

Loesch adds that for anyone interested in really pursuing this industry, it’s extremely helpful to take voice-over classes and acting lessons.

“That’s why they call it voice-over acting,” he maintains.

O’Brien adds that the kind of voice that works depends on the book and the genre. A mystery or suspense thriller will require a different voice from a romance (although gender is pertinent only in that the gender of the audiobook narrator generally should match the gender of the narrator or protagonist in the book).

“What the listener wants is authenticity,” he maintains.

One important thing to remember, both Loesch and O’Brien agree, is that audiobook narration is hard work. A nine-hour audio book requires 30-40 hours of raw recording. You’ll need stamina, breath control, and preparation. You’ll need to stay hydrated and lubricated with whatever works for you.

There are many resources available online if, after reading this, you still want to wade into that stream:

  • Los Angeles-based author and audiobook producer Derek Doepker has a marvelous beginner’s course that I took at a discount after watching one of his webinars.
  • AudibleACX’s YouTube channel has almost 100 videos that cover everything from the beginning technical aspects to the business itself.
  • Aliso Creek has a series of videos on YouTube that cover many aspects of voice-over audio production. Just search for her.

Like any other aspect of the indie book industry, producing audiobooks is a journey. It doesn’t require a lot of money. The investment is almost all sweat equity and time. Doing it right, though, will be very rewarding, not just in terms of that revenue stream, but in finding yet another way to connect with readers.

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Former Novelists, Inc. president Steven Womack is the Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author of the Harry James Denton mystery series, as well as a few other books. A screenwriter as well, he co-wrote a couple of television movies a long time ago. For 25 years, he taught screenwriting in the film program at Watkins College Of Art in Nashville, Tennessee. When the college went out of business in May, Womack ecstatically went back to full-time writing.

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Nink: The Devil Is In the Detail ~ The Details That Can Undermine Your Carefully Constructed Characters

This article by Joanne Grant is from the September 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

Excellent characterization is the backbone to every good story. So much goes into creating believable, three-dimensional strong characters—solid back stories, clear motivations, compelling conflicts and vivid physical descriptions—but small details can be the undoing of all that good work. A misplaced ‘out of character’ moment or action can take the reader out the story, undermine the consistency of the character, and shake the foundations of believability.

To ensure that your characters are as real and unique to the reader as they are to you, in this article I’ll highlight three key areas of mindfulness when writing and self-editing your work.

Out of character behavior

This seems like an obvious one, but I’m not talking about the fun out of character behaviors that demonstrate there’s been a key shift in character development. As long as the behavior is well-motivated, the reader will love these moments as they are often the key turning points for the story—you’ve been building to them, the reader understands them and revels in the character’s unusual behavior.

Instead, it’s the small, inconsistent details that can stand out to the reader and slowly chip away at their confidence in the character, and in turn the story. Here are some examples:

  • She is an edgy, top of her game businesswoman—but she leaves a meeting because she is about to cry
  • He only drinks black coffee for breakfast—but complains later he is hungry because he skipped breakfast
  • She’s never even been kissed—but is suddenly a sex kitten in the bedroom displaying a surprisingly encyclopedic knowledge of the Karma Sutra!

In each of these examples, the intention of this behavior may be to further the plot. If this is the case—as always—motivation is key! But if you can’t realistically motivate them to behave in this way, or there was no specific intent behind the behavior—the inconsistency should be eliminated.

Let’s take each example in turn:

  • You want to demonstrate that your steely businesswoman is so emotionally affected by this meeting she cries, so show why she has been moved to this extreme! But if her tears are not integral to the plot—the intention is just to show that the meeting has got to her—think about how she would react that is more in keeping with her character.
  • For our coffee drinking hero—this could just be a slip of continuity—if he never has breakfast, he can never miss it, so clear up this inconsistency. Believe me, readers do notice these things!
  • As for our sex kitten—on reflection you may realize you’ve written a sexually confident heroine because this is what comes naturally to you. Either give a realistic reason how she can be so knowledgeable (has she literally studied the Karma Sutra?!) or, re-write the scene with your inexperienced heroine in mind. But if her being a virgin isn’t integral to the plot, you may want to question whether the virgin heroine trope is right for you at all.

Out of character language

It takes time to develop and find your own author voice; however, once you do, it becomes your anchor for your readers who will want return to you time and time again. But when it comes to creating character voice—how can you make sure that their voice and the language they use is distinct from your voice and that of other characters? After all, this character came from you and whether you intend it or not and they may just accidentally share some of your verbal quirks.

Here are some examples where character language can trip you up:

  • Colloquial phrases: they hold meaning to you—based on your background and experiences—but probably have no place in your characters’ vocabulary based on their background.
  • Age appropriate phrases: using dated/old-fashioned phrases or too contemporary phrases for your character’s age can really jar and make readers’ question the authenticity of the character.
  • Culturally dissonant words/phrases: some phrases just do not translate across cultures even across shared languages, such as English. For example, Americanisms slipping into a British character’s vernacular and vice verso.

Just like a child learns from parents, and how close friends can pick-up certain phrases from each other and adopt them as their own—so can your characters—either from yourself or from other characters! This can happen in both thought and dialogue.

Being aware of this should help you spot any of these moments, and a helpful tip is to read your work out loud—or get someone else to read it to you—and carefully visualize your character as you do so. Can you picture your cultured, buttoned-up politician swearing like a trooper and complaining about the latest football scores, or a billionaire businessman exclaiming "oh, my goodness?"

Out of character physical movements

Human communication is heavily reliant on non-verbal cues.  Even though studies cannot agree on what percentage is verbal vs non-verbal, the consensus is that most of communication is non-verbal. If you know your characters inside out, you should be able to imagine how they move their body not just to get around, but to also communicate.

How do they walk, how much do they use their hands to express themselves and what about their facial expressions? Now check in on how you have described your characters physically moving about – does it match with their traits, such as age, physical ability, but also their personality? How does it match-up with their communication style?

Let’s look at some examples:

  • Your hero is in his thirties, a successful man who is fit and strong—do you think he would ever "wander" or "amble" into a room—or is he more likely to stride purposefully?
  • Your heroine is described as warm, friendly and open—but we rarely see her smile, or make physical contact with others, such as a hand on an arm, or a sympathetic look.
  • Your character is very prim and proper—would they use their hands to enthusiastically "hand talk" when they speak?

When it comes to physical movements, inconsistent or even lack of description, can undermine a character. Whereas, a little bit of detail here, can go a long way to adding a deeper dimension to your character and really bringing them off the page for your reader.

In conclusion, even when you think you’ve got the big stuff nailed down for your characters the details and trip you up. Here some final thoughts on why is this and what can you do about it:

  • You don’t know your character as well as you thought—you need to spend some more time getting to know them!
  • You are writing against type and/or experience—you may need to consider whether this character is someone you can do justice to. More research into your character type is required to make sure they sound, act and behave authentically. Watch videos, documentaries, or better still—meet real-life people!
  • You’re subconsciously writing too much of yourself or the people you know in real-life into your characters because that’s what you know! Once you become aware you could be doing this, you open yourself up to see spot it happening.

"You must know your character as you know yourself" is a phrase I must’ve repeated hundreds of times over the years and it is worth repeating again here. And if you really know your characters, and pay attention to the details, your reader will thank you!

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Joanne Grant is an editorial coach with over 16 years of editorial expertise working for the global bestselling publisher Harlequin. Joanne has edited hundreds of romance novels over the years and understands how to coach authors of all genres to deliver their best work. If you’re interested in finding out how she can help you achieve your writing goals, get in touch – Joanne loves to chat! You can find Joanne on Twitter @JoanneMGrant and Facebook at JoanneGrantEditorialCoach.

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2020 Conference Speakers

Corey Alderin

Corey is the lead developer and co-founder at Book Brush. He is responsible for making the user experience exceptional, implementing new features that authors love, and making it easy for authors to create great graphics.  He has been developing websites for 10 years and enjoys the challenge of creating something that solves a user’s pain point but is also easy and fun to use. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and three kids where he enjoys golfing, listening to good podcasts, and watching his kids play softball.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Author and professor Jennifer Barnes has a Ph.D. in psychology from Yale and currently works as at the University of Oklahoma, where she is one of the world’s foremost experts on the cognitive science of fiction and the psychology of fandom. Jennifer is a Fulbright Scholar, emeritus member of the WGA, and the author of more than a dozen young adult novels, and her scientific expertise on the psychology of story has been tapped by outlets ranging from TV Guide to Time.

Eli Brewer

Eli has been an Account Executive at Amazon Advertising for over 3 years, with over half that time spent in the publishing space working with KDP authors and large publishing houses.

Dave Chesson

Dave Chesson is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book Marketing which even Amazon KDP acknowledge as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers.

Tara Cremin

Senior Manager, Author Experience

Tara is responsible for the overall author experience on Kobo Writing Life (KWL), from optimizing current features to looking for new avenues of growth. As a subject matter expert in all aspects of indie publishing, her aim is to make KWL the greatest and most user-friendly self-publishing platform available.

Sometimes featured as a guest-host on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast and regular host of KWL Live Takeover events. She loves talking to authors and using direct feedback to make improvements that benefit the whole user base.

 

Audrey Derobert

Audrey Derobert is an Account Manager on the Partner Relations team at BookBub, which provides support, education, and guidance to author and publisher partners around how to effectively use BookBub’s suite of marketing tools. She works closely with independent authors and small publishers, helping them use BookBub to reach millions of readers and achieve their marketing goals.

Tricia Gallagher

For the past 5 years, Tricia has moved around Amazon’s books teams learning the business so she can share it with authors. Prior to coming to Amazon, she worked as a graphic artist, project manager, and educator. She is privileged to take her prior knowledge to help authors make the most of their publishing journey.

Debra Lanning

Founder / Creative Director

Bringing big visions to life comes naturally to founder and creative director Debra Lanning. She delivers creative solutions and fully integrated brand plans. Debra’s keen sense of the tools that developers use helps her create designs tailored to the client’s unique system. Her web-based design work now represents clients across the country.

In 2014, Debra launched a web design and online marketing business called LaLa Projects. Backed by a degree in fine arts and nearly a decade of experience in web design and project management, Debra hit the ground running. In 2015, she completed a web developer certification through NMC. Today, Debra specializes in WordPress and Advanced Custom Fields. She uses the latest project management tools and design technology, such as Sketch and Invision, to bring fresh ideas to life.

Her love for Northern Michigan lends a sense of real connection and authenticity to locally produced projects. Debra followed her entrepreneurial spirit to Traverse City back in 2004—because home is where the heart is. Small town charm and the great outdoors keep her rooted Up North where competitive sail racing, hiking, and being at the lake are always close.

Mark Lefebvre

Mark’s experience in publishing and bookselling spans more than three decades and includes creating Kobo Writing Life for Rakuten Kobo, Inc, running one of the world’s first Espresso Book Machine (POD) operations at McMaster University, and President of the Canadian Booksellers Association. Mark is the Director of Business Development for the world’s premier author-first indie publishing platform Draft2Digital (Ask him how NINC 2018 played a role in that). He thrives on innovation in relation to digital publishing opportunities, and loves to continue learning and sharing insights about writing and publishing via his weekly podcast Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing.

Alex Newton

Alex Newton is the founder of K-lytics.com, a leading provider of book market research. His Genre Reports and Amazon category performance database have brought the power of “Big Data” to the indie publishing world. Alex’s research from analyzing millions of books over the last five years has helped thousands of authors to spot opportunities, sell books in attractive market niches, and optimize their book marketing.

Alex spent more than 20-years in top management consulting for Fortune 500 companies.  He lives in Switzerland with his wife and daughter and looks forward to joining us to share his latest market insights.

Learn more about genre trends, book market analytics, and Alex’s tools at: => https://k-lytics.com and https://k-lytics.com/blog

Carlyn Robertson

Carlyn Robertson is responsible for product marketing and education at BookBub and Chirp. She’s an expert on BookBub’s ebook and audiobook promotion tools, and works to ensure that authors and book marketers know how to use those tools to accomplish their marketing goals and sell more books.

Becca Syme

Becca Syme has coached 2500+ authors and creatives through her Write Better-Faster and Strengths for Writers programs: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. She holds master’s degree in transformational leadership and has been a success coach (utilizing the CliftonStrengths® program, certified by Gallup, Inc.) for fourteen years. Becca is the co-host of the Digital-Book-World-award-nominated Smartypants Book Marketing Podcast and the host of the QuitCast YouTube channel, specializing in author success alignment. She’s also a NINC member and a fiction author, and lives with her wine-drinking cat in the mountains of Montana.

Alessandra Torre

Alessandra Torre is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author and the president of Authors A.I. She’s written more than 20 romance and suspense novels. Three of her books have been optioned for film, and her books have been translated into 10 different languages in more than 26 countries. In 2019, Alessandra became president and co-founder of Authors A.I., an innovative startup that uses artificial intelligence to help authors improve their novels. You can learn more about Alessandra at authors.ai/alessandra or you can find her on social media.

Kevin Tumlinson

Kevin Tumlinson is a bestselling and award-winning thriller author, Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital, and Host of the Wordslinger Podcast. He has worked with thousands of authors worldwide, from newcomers to seasons pros, to empower them in building and growing a successful author career.

Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance with over one million books sold. Her author business started as a five-figure struggle with long hours and a constant fear she wouldn’t make enough to pay the mortgage. Investing in marketing and advertising is what transformed her business into a seven figure business working four hours per day. It’s her goal to empower authors to sell more of the books they work so hard to write. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Brad West

Brad West is one of the creators of Vellum, which has been used by thousands of authors to create beautiful books.

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Nink: Social Media Promotion, Part 2 ~ Best Practices for 2020

This article, written by Mindy Klasky  is from the September 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

Author Note: Social media remain a linchpin for many authors’ promotional efforts. This article outlines current best practices for five relatively under-utilized social media networks: LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, WeChat, and WhatsApp. (It also includes a brief update about Tumblr.) Last month, we looked at some of the more established players in the field: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. Please note, paid advertising on social media platforms is beyond the scope of this article.

Editor’s Note: As of Aug. 6, President Donald Trump issued an executive order which will ban any US companies or citizens from making transactions with ByteDance, the parent company of the video-sharing social networking service TikTok, in 45 days. Trump also issued an order taking similar action against Tencent, the Chinese company that owns WeChat. On Aug. 5, Instagram debuted Reels, its version of TikTok.

 * * *

New social media networks seem to pop up every day, and as they do, authors might want to target these apps, even if there is no guarantee they will be around, for these networks attract users who are international and young. Each platform’s unique rules and configurations encourage users to develop new modes of engaging users. As with legacy social media, savvy promoters choose platforms that play to their strengths, keeping abreast of changes at those sites.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was created specifically to connect business partners (sometimes referred to as building “B2B leads”). According to LinkedIn, the network includes over 660 million users in more than 200 countries. While some authors use LinkedIn as yet another platform to correspond with readers, the network’s strength is in bringing together publishing professionals—authors, book designers, editors, publishers, etc.—to discuss matters specifically related to the publishing business. The following best practices, therefore, focus on that business mission, rather than on socializing with readers.

  1. Optimize your profile. LinkedIn’s algorithms favor profiles that list at least five relevant skills, include a professional profile picture with an appropriate background photo, and are complete with up-to-date information. LinkedIn recently added a “Services” feature helping members highlight their range of services; authors should complete that profile section. Users can endorse the skills of business colleagues, which frequently leads to reciprocal endorsements. They can also request recommendations (personal testimonials).
  2. Be engaged. LinkedIn’s algorithms reward engagement. Therefore, users should be active.  Follow industry influencers, comment, message, add connections, and otherwise interact with other members on the site.
  3. Create long-form content. The most successful content on LinkedIn solves members’ problems by providing specific answers to users’ questions. How-to information and lists result in the most popular posts. Individual entries can run up to 1300 characters; titles of 40-49 characters perform best.
  4. Build real relationships. LinkedIn users tend to be savvy business people who don’t respond well to spam, hard-sell messages, or general posts. But users who focus on building true business relationships through the system see responses. For example, LinkedIn claims that its in-system messages (“InMail”) are 300 times more likely to receive a reply than a standard email.
  5. Observe traditional business hours. Because LinkedIn is primarily a business tool, its users are most active during traditional business hours midweek—from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Thursday. Users tend to be less responsive on Mondays (when they’re catching up from a weekend off) or on Fridays (when they’re preparing to leave the office for the weekend.)

Snapchat

Snapchat is a social media network with more than 218 million daily users, the majority of whom are under 35. The mobile-phone app allows members to post “snaps”, photos and short videos that can be modified with filters, stickers, and text. Each snap has a timer, limiting how many seconds that snap can be viewed. “Stories” made of multiple snaps persist for 24 hours. (Snaps can also be saved as screenshots.) In 2019, rumors flourished that Snapchat was losing business; however, its parent company set a new record for quarterly revenue in the first quarter of 2020. Therefore, Snapchat seems likely to stick around, at least for a while.

  1. Be original. Snapchat users enjoy access to exclusive material that isn’t available on any other platform. Originality is more important than perfect photo composition, lighting, or other formatting.
  2. Show “behind the scenes” activities. Snapchat users love the impression of participating in everyday moments of one another’s lives. This makes the platform especially useful for teasing not-yet-released books, including pre-orders. Authors can also share live events, writing conferences, or one-off celebrations, such as selling the 10,000th copy of a book.
  3. Be succinct. Snapchat users are looking for fun, quick interactions. Users tend to be distracted easily; therefore, stories should be no longer than two minutes. Strip all unnecessary information from your posts.
  4. Post frequently. Since snaps disappear in 24 hours or less, frequent posting is vital to preserve your Snapchat presence. At a minimum, you should post 1-5 times each day.
  5. Partner with influencers. Like other social media network, Snapchat has established influencers who court numerous followers. Connect with influencers in your genre to spread information about your books.

TikTok

TikTok is a social media network offering short (15 seconds, by default) video content. It boasts 800 million active users, 41% of whom are 16-24 years old. The average user spends almost an hour a day on the mobile phone app. As of Aug. 5, Chinese tech company ByteDance owns TikTok.  Because of alleged national security concerns, some companies and the military have banned employees from putting the app on their phones.

  1. Complete your profile. At the moment, only select users are allowed to add a website link to their bio; however, all users can add Instagram and YouTube profiles to their TikTok profiles. (TikTok and Instagram seem to have a substantial affinity for identical or similar content; however, the feed post dimensions differ.  Instragram feed posts are 4:5; TikTok videos are 16:9.)
  2. Follow the trends. Music and dance are hugely popular, with many videos earning “copycat” viral spread. Other popular trends include lip syncs, fitness workouts, pranks, and a wide range of challenges.
  3. Make videos fun. Keep your posts humorous, and don’t attempt to engage in serious communication. TikTok’s short videos are intended to be “snacks,” not rigorous nutrition.
  4. Create unique content. TikTok users expect unique content, created and distributed within the app. Repurposed content is typically ignored; some users will call out repurposing and urge others to mock it.
  5. Unclear algorithms. TikTok is so new that no industry leaders have fully parsed its algorithms. Nevertheless, it seems as if those algorithms begin by spreading videos based on similar geo-locations. Using trending hashtags and sounds seems to boost discoverability as well. Videos (even older ones) can go viral in a flash, often because a hashtag or a sound spikes in popularity.

Tumblr

Tumblr is included on this list of  social media platforms, but its network has largely fallen into disuse. Extensive research on best practices revealed no articles more recent than 2018, with most of the articles substantially predating that. Current user data was virtually non-existent from any credible source. Therefore, authors are likely better served to focus on other platforms.

WeChat

WeChat is a social media network based in China. Its “Moments” platform allows users to post images, text, and short videos. Moments can be linked to Facebook and Twitter accounts. WeChat’s more than one billion monthly users are regularly tracked by Chinese authorities. The service censors topics it believes Chinese authorities will consider politically sensitive. At present, very little content at WeChat goes viral.

  1. Target Chinese citizens living overseas. Many Chinese citizens live abroad as students or as residents. They’re prime contacts for this evolving social media network.
  2. KOL v. KOC. WeChat doesn’t have “influencers” like those found on US-based sites. Rather, there are Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOC). KOLs build up large numbers of followers, and they accept money to promote goods or services. They don’t, however, yet have the social legitimacy to make posts go viral. Instead, KOCs are perceived by many users to be less cynical and less likely to have their opinions purchased by outsiders. Even though KOCs have smaller groups of followers than KOLs, they might actually have greater influence. Focus on finding KOCs who communicate with people likely to read your books.
  3. Follow the format. WeChat posts resemble blog posts. When crafting posts, maintain user interest by getting to your main point quickly. Finish strongly, in hopes of getting users to click the “Wow” button.
  4. Hone content. WeChat posts aren’t likely to be seen by a large community of users. Therefore, it’s very important to have a specific goal for each post—provide book launch information, inform readers about sales, etc.
  5. Harness in-app search. WeChat has an internal search feature designed to help users find specific content amid the huge number of posts made on the platform. Standard SEO practices (e.g., including strong keywords in titles and headings) is important to make the best use of this feature.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a social media network with two billion users located primarily in India, Brazil, and other non-US countries. (WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014, but it has been maintained as a separate platform.) While it began as a messaging service, allowing users to send text messages to other users’ telephone numbers, it now permits users to share media. Its simplicity, encryption of files, and refusal to share information with third parties have proven attractive to younger users. Users have a median age of 36, and 71% of all users are in the age bracket 18-44.

  1. Get permission. WhatsApp terms of service prohibit you from searching for or buying contacts. Instead, you must ask users to share their phone numbers with you or to message you first. This restriction results in an audience that is highly motivated to hear what you have to say.
  2. Engage with your contacts. WhatsApp messages enjoy extremely high engagement rates. According to HootSuite, 98% of WhatsApp mobile messages are opened and read, and 90% of those messages receive a response within three seconds of receipt. Harness this engagement by actively communicating with your WhatsApp contacts.
  3. Keep it short. One marketing firm found that its WhatsApp messages enjoyed the most engagement when they were 15 words or shorter.
  4. Do not share newsletters. Mass-mailing users is strictly forbidden by WhatsApp’s terms of service. The app reserves the right to sue any user who distributes newsletters or similar communications through the service.
  5. Consider doing consumer research. WhatsApp Business (a separate, pay-to-play service that runs on the WhatsApp platform) provides many tools for consumer research. Business users can ask direct questions, send surveys and polls, and respond to individual queries, such as customer-service complaints.

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USA Today bestselling author Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere through stories. As a writer, Mindy has traveled through various genres, including romantic comedy, hot contemporary romance, and traditional fantasy. In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her to-be-read shelf.

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