How to Write a 'Buy my Book' Post in a Facebook Group

Actual 'buy my book' post.

For many of us who use Facebook groups, forums, Yahoo groups and such, this post title probably makes you cringe. "Someone's encouraging people to post more bookspam in our groups!" you are exclaiming. "Awful! More spammed-to-death groups are sure to result!"

Don't worry, folks. Bookspam in groups is a pet peeve of mine, too. Not to mention a moral issue since our host, Facebook, also sells advertising at quite reasonable rates. Trying to get free advertising in the Facebook groups feels a bit like swiping a candy bar from the mini-mart.

But the one thing that strikes me about most bookspam self-promotion of books in groups and forums is how ineffective they are. If people would only take the time to learn how to be more effective before they post those self-promos, they would have a skill that they could use in more ethical self-promotion.

Here are some of the common flaws in buy-my-book posts:

1. Bare links, with no comment or intro. They are demanding that their potential book-buyer follow the link to discover what the book is about. Fix: always post a tagline--- a one-sentence summary of the book--- along with the link.
2. Abstract tagline. You know, as in 'This book is about the struggle of man vs nature.' What man? What nature? The tagline should read more like this: An accountant wakes up to discover he's been transformed into a cockroach, making it more difficult to get to work on time.'
3. Blatantly ignoring posted rules. If the group that is being exposed to the book promo has a sticky post at the top of the group's page stating no self-promotion allowed, or no off-topic posts, and the buy-my-booker self-promotes anyway, it shows contempt for the group and its members.
4. Promo and run. This is when a person joins the group, posts his promo, and then doesn't participate in the group until he feels it's time for his next promo. Fix: follow the rule of thumb by posting ten comments or posts on stuff that ISN'T related to you or your book before you even mention your book.
5. Miss Speling. If you misspell words in your self-promo, everyone who catches your mistake will presume you are a hopelessly bad amateur writer and warn their friends against buying your book. Fix: Learn. To. Spell. Spellcheck is not enough. If you want to call yourself a writer, you need to at least learn the most basic tools of the craft.
6. The Christian obligation ploy. Found in Christian fiction groups, this is when a writer insists that if group members are REAL Christians, they will show their Christian charity by allowing him to promote his book as often and as clumsily as he wants. Similar guilt trips can be inflicted by Amway or Avon sellers. The extreme is when it is insisted that the group members must show their Christian charity by actually making a purchase. Other groups, both religious and other, may suffer from similar unfair appeals to group loyalty. Fix: Never, ever do this. 
7. The hundred-group campaign. This is when the misguided would-be author joins and promos in a hundred or more different Facebook groups. With such large numbers it is impossible to participate in these groups in any meaningful way. So the buy-my-booker is essentially a stranger to the group who visits only to 'advertise'.
8. The aggressive group member. This is the person who makes a point of saying sarcastic or harsh things to other group members to get noticed. And then posts a book promo. Fix: don't alienate group members and then expect to sell them books.

Of course, all misuse of groups and forums is an amateurish mistake. When you read about using social media to build a writer-platform for yourself, this is NOT what they mean. Social media is useful when you use it to build up relationships with people. And the only was to build up a relationship is to take your focus OFF what the other person can do for you--- buy your book, review your book, promote your book--- and focus on what you can do for the other person.

If you participate in a group or forum, let it be because you are interested in the discussions that the group is about. Participate politely--- treat people as you would if you were there with them in person. In many forums, you can put a signature with your blog's link in it. In Facebook, every post leads to your personal Facebook page. In both of these instances, other group members are able to get more closely connected to you if they want to do so. You don't have to do any buy-my-book stuff that will just offend people.




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http://www.facebook.com/NissaAnnakindt

Will Blogging be Replaced by Facebook and Twitter?

 

Used to be when I posted stuff on my blog, things got pretty lively around here. Sometimes too lively as when a former blog follower got very angry because I, a gay woman, gave my opinion on gay 'marriage' and it didn't coincide with hers.

But as Facebook and Twitter have grown, the blog world, at least around here, has shrunk. I don't know, of course, if that is true for all bloggers, and I suspect the big blogs are doing better than ever.

I have given some thought myself to replacing my blog efforts with work on my Facebook author page (link below). It's a bit livelier even though my follower base is still small. But I think it would be sad if thoughtful blog posts get entirely replaced by tweets and Facebook status updates. It makes for a world that is ever more  trivial and ignorant.

Also, the world of Facebook is dominated by some pretty vicious trolls. When I got opposition here on my blog, I was simply informed that I could not express that opinion since it offended the person complaining. When someone disagreed with essentially the same opinion expressed on Facebook, I was told I was a liar, a fraud, a hater, a moron, retarded and crazy--- pretty much in one sentence.

I am very inactive on Twitter though I have an account, but I got a taste of that kind of opposition there as well.

The blog world seems to me to have the potential of being more thoughtful and more kind than Facebook or Twitter. As a result I think I must spend more time on this blog and on visiting the blogs of others.

What do you think? How does the blog world compare with social media?

Continue the conversation on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/NissaAnnakindt

IWSG: From Insecure Writer to Insecure Facebook Author-Page Admin

This is my post for The Insecure Writer's Support Group, and the topic is how I went from being an insecure writer to being an insecure Facebook author-page admin.

We have all heard about how modern writers have to have a platform. And evidently that wooden platformy thing in my back yard does not count.

Many writers now have author Facebook pages in addition to their Facebook accounts. It's the kind of page a fan can 'like' rather that having to send in a friend request for. I knew I would make one some day. But I started a few other Facebook pages before I got the courage to make one for me-as-author.

One rule for Facebook page success was hard for me to learn: being controversial gets attention and so is good. My most successful Facebook page has the following title: We Support Traditional Marriage--- And We're Gay. Just listen to the sound of heads exploding over that one! And for all the controversy--- and the occasional hate troll who calls me a liar, moron and fraud and a few other words we won't get in to here--- I got some 545 'likes' on that page and a lot of supportive new friends.

An author Facebook page is harder especially if you don't have much published yet. I came up with the page-name: Nissa Annakindt, writer, Aspie, cat person. I decided that in addition to stuff about my writing, I would put up cat pictures--- I'm well supplied with cats--- and stuff about Doctor Who. And also stuff about Western fiction which is my current obsession.

One thing I do is post quotes from a book I'm reading, and then give the author and book title, and perhaps a bit of reaction. I thought that might be attractive to people who enjoy books and reading.

The hard thing about a new Facebook page is getting new 'likes'. It was SO frustrating at first! What I did was I 'used Facebook as' the page, and 'liked' a lot of pages I was interested in so I would have a good newsfeed. I then commented--- as the page--- on items of interest.

But it went so SLOW! I was stuck at 6 likes for the longest time. I complained that even my much-neglected Facebook page in Esperanto took off more quickly than that.

I keep working at it. I find new things to share, and comment on others' pages. I make memes--- like the one at the top of the page. I added my page to a list of author Facebook pages and blogs on a writer's group on Facebook. I'm up to 28 'likes' now.

But I've learned from my most successful Facebook page that it doesn't always start out quickly. You work at it for a long time, and it seems no one notices. And then, overnight, someone with clout does, and shares it with others, and things start to take off. And that can be scary, too. You have to learn to deal with trolls, among other things--- mentally troubled people who visit Facebook pages in order to hurl abuse at people. The first time that happened, I felt like crying. Now when I see the troll-fairy has left some hate-comments overnight, it's like taking out the trash--- just one more chore to deal with.

I would like to recommend, at this point, that when YOU have a Facebook page you set a strict troll policy--- when they resort to swearing and name calling and abuse, they are banned and the comment removed. The same with the persistently hostile. If people go to your page to disagree with you, expect them to be civil.

Anyway, that's what I have to say about my adventure into having a Facebook author page. I hope I've said something you can use. :)

Please consider 'liking' us on Facebook, so you can view our awesome kitten pictures and Doctor Who memes.
http://www.facebook.com/NissaAnnakindt

The 300-Blog Follow Limit on Blogger

Did you know that on Blogger, you are only allowed to 'follow' 300 blogs? You can have lots more blogs than that following yours, but you can only follow them back until you hit 300.

But there is a loophole, according to Carole's Chatter Blog Tips: You go to the blog in question, and if they have a Blogger 'Follow' widget, sign up there and it will not be held against you.

Of course, this only works for Blogger blogs, and ones that happen to have the widget displayed.

This is too bad. There are two ways I follow blogs--- one is through Facebook, when one of my Facebook friends or a Facebook page I like posts their blog posts on Facebook, often through Networked Blogs. The other is the blogs I follow through Blogger, displayed on my Blogger dashboard.

I have tried using NetworkedBlogs to follow blogs, but frankly, I just don't check in at NetworkedBlogs unless one of the blogs I myself has there needs a change in the syndication or something.

I am now syndicating this blog to my new Facebook page, Lina Lamont Fan Club by Nissa Annakindt. So if you go there and 'like' this page, you will be able to follow the posts of this blog through your Facebook. I also share Doctor Who-related posts, and of course cat pictures like the mama cat and kittens above. (The mama cat is Chachamaru, the same cat that's on the cover of my poetry book.)

I have been reading a book I downloaded by James Scott Bell, 'Self-Publishing Attack!', which gives, among other things, some very good tips for writers who want to use blogging and social media to build up a following and, in time, sell books. These things are recommended even before you are ready to publish your book!

I am inspired by this to create a plan of action for my blogging/social media life as well as for my writing. I am hoping to write to this blog more faithfully, to visit the blogs I follow more regularly and comment there, and in time build up my following base to greater numbers.

Have you been inspired anytime lately to do things to improve your blogging or social media life? What did you do? How did it work out?

Facebook Group for Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy

On PromoDay I've been learning more about using Facebook to promote your blog or book. Participation in appropriate Facebook groups was recommended.

I haven't done Facebook groups much, though I'm in one and active in it. I thought it might be good to start one up for Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers and readers, and so I did: Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Readers.

Hope we can get some good folks to join up to talk about good books, writing and the like. If it gets to be a significant and active group, it could be a real help to writers in promoting their books and blogs, and help readers find books they might like to read and authors they might like to interact with.

So--- check out the new group, join it, share it with your Facebook friends, blog about it, and before long we'll have conquered the galaxy! But in a good way.

Happy Land game: Crop Profit Table

I've been playing the Facebook game Happy Land which is a lot like Farmville (which I'm boycotting). I wasn't able to find any tricks and tips for the game online and so I'm making my own, which I probably shouldn't be posting here....

One of the things one does in Happy Land is plant crops to earn coins. Crops give different amounts of profit so it's wise to pick the most profitable crop. Love fruit is the most profitable crop I've grown so far.

Crops are listed in the order in which they become available in the game. Growth time is assuming no irrigation or greenhouse. There are also other crops in the game which are not yet available to me since I'm only level 33.

Crop	Growth Time	Seed Cost	Harvest Price	Crop Profit
Clover	4h	15	20	5
Lavender	6h	45	51	6
Grape	10h	105	116	11
Wheat	12h	35	48	13
Corn	20h	60	80	20
Pasture	1h	15	17	2
Cucumber	2h	42	45	3
Cactus	10h	60	69	9
Tomato	16h	20	37	17
Coffee Bean	6h	110	117	7
Carrot	8h	75	84	9
Nitraria	12h	125	137	12
Rye	16h	50	68	18
White Grapes	7h	65	73	8
Love Fruit	20h	210	240	30
Rice	14h	95	110	15
Daisy	6h	25	34	9
Pitaya	8h	100	110	10
Hops	10h	164	177	13
Blueberry	3h	85	91	6
Sweet Potato	8h	150	161	11
Rotala	4h	35	41	6
Cane	12h	105	120	15
Blackberry	6h	125	135	10
Barley	16h	55	74	19
Blue Rose	12h	115	129	14
Raspberry	5h	95	104	9
Watermelon	10h	255	267	12
Strawberry	9h	185	199	14
Bean	14h	370	383	13
Red Rose	15h	215	231	16
Potato	18h	115	135	20
Pineapple	1h	200	202	2

YES! I finally figured out how to do a table in my blog!!!

How I Joined Tencent Weibo, China's Facebook/Twitter

Step 1: Went to the Tencent Weibo home page, English version.

Step 2: Discovered that I needed a QQ account to log in to Tencent Weibo.

Step 3: Went to QQ homepage. There, discovered I needed to go to their English version. I clicked on the 'sign up' button on the right and followed directions.

Step 4: Went back to Tencent Weibo and logged in. Tried to create an account. Found that it seemed to want me to give a real name in Chinese characters.

Step 5: Searched for site to put my name in Chinese. Found lots. Most did not include a cut-and-paste version of the Chinese name. Found one that did. It did not have the name 'Nissa' but did have 'Nessa'. My Chinese name is: 内萨

Step 6: I put 内萨 as my real name. An account was created. http://t.qq.com/nissa_katoj If you start a Tencent Weibo account of your own, you can be my friend (or 'follower').