Since I’ve been putting more effort into Facebook, I’m actually starting to build a network, something which has eluded me before.
The downside is that you have to be careful adding friends. I was asked personal information about my marriage by two different guys today who tried to chat me up. Seriously? Yuck. That doesn’t even count the ones who mostly posted stuff about scantily clad women who don’t look as though they’re putting much effort into their intellectual capacity. Those accounts didn’t get their requests approved. There are some extremely weird people out there. One guy had Hitler pics on his home page.
So don’t just blindly befriend people because you’re tired. Don’t add people who you can’t see their feed until after you’ve approved their request. I’m telling you this as a friend.
The good news is that Facebook can be trained. There’s a little arrow on the upper right of posts that show up on your feed. You can click on it to hide things you’d rather not see. I spent some time today trying to teach Facebook that I don’t want religion and politics on my feed. No offense meant to anyone, but that’s not what I do in my social and writing space.
In addition to this, I searched the internet and read many articles to find the most useful info on Facebook for authors. The first is by Jane Friedman: https://janefriedman.com/facebook-for-authors/. It discusses how to get likes and follows, the importance of not posting too often, and lists five behaviors to avoid: the overactive poster, the boring beggar, the constant event planner, the uninvited guest, and the private badgerer.
If you’re wondering how to set up a Facebook page to go with your profile, you can find out here: https://www.standoutbooks.com/professional-author-facebook-page/. It walks you through the process in seven easy steps and gives you examples of pages from famous authors like J.K. Rowling.
Joanna Penn discusses Facebook ads here: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2016/05/28/facebook-advertising/. I found it interesting that she considers the best use of Facebook ads is to increase your email newsletter list.
Author Media has an excellent post on avoiding shooting yourself in the foot on Facebook: http://www.authormedia.com/ways-writers-sabotage-themselves-on-facebook/. 
Covers why tweets look awkward on Facebook, improper uses of groups, creating too many pages, and bad manners.
There’s a lot more out there, but it tends to get repetitive, especially the stuff about what to avoid. And this is supposed to be a simple overview that won’t overwhelm you because we all have plenty to read already. I hope the above articles will help you on your way to using this powerful medium. 🙂
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Great post! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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My pleasure. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks, Chris–hope your readers enjoy it. 🙂
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They will Cathleen 👍😃
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Good article – thanks; shared on https://www.facebook.com/suzannenewnhamwriter/; Liked your facebook Cathleen. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Suzanne. ❤
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So helpful. Thank you!
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My pleasure. 🙂
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Thank you for the tips and recommended sites. I currently have my blog and a personal facebook account, but I have thought about adding a page for my writing.
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Pages are good if for no other reason, you can add them to your WordPress blog on the sidebar. (See my post Facebook–Profiles vs. Pages for more info.) A lot of people prefer to hear about your blog posts on Facebook.
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Useful, Cathleen. Thanks.
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Glad you like it, Mick. 🙂
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[…] Source: Helpful Facebook Tips for Authors […]
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I hope your readers find this helpful. 🙂
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Thanks, Cathleen. Sharing all around… 🙂
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Bless you, my friend. 🙂
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[…] Source: Helpful Facebook Tips for Authors […]
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Hope your readers enjoy this. 🙂
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I’m not marketing any books, but I do use Facebook to promote my blog. I have a personal Facebook page that I use to post a link to each new blog post. (I keep my personal posts “friends only” but make the blog links “friends of friends”). I have noticed that how many views a particular blog post gets is directly related to how many Facebook shares it gets. Usually, I get about 45 shares and about 150 views per post, but my most recent one had over 300 shares and over 1,000 views. So, as annoying as Facebook can be, I agree it is a good tool for writers.
And thanks for the tips on screening Facebook friends. I am very careful about that!
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Yeah, screening is one of those cautionary tips you learn in self-defense. And I agree about the Facebook referrals. My volume from that source has already doubled, just in the past couple weeks. 🙂
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Thanks for posting,I find it very useful.
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I’m so glad it’s useful, and thanks so much for the reblog! 🙂
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Reblogged this on The awakening of Intelligence.
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Thanks for the post!
As a social media manager, I have recently taken up the challenge of promoting my husband, Stel Pavlou’s, new book. We know a lot of authors and I am very aware of the challenges of being a creative individual and how that can complicate things when trying to promote yourself. So, I have started a new blog, walking authors through the day-to-day steps of how to use social media to sell your book and your brand. One thing I have not approached yet are the perils of having a personal Facebook page that you also use for your author business. It can definitely be a messy situation. I find it best to have an author page strictly for fans as well as your own personal page, where only real friends can follow. I’ve also started up a Facebook page dedicated to his book. There is a lot to discuss about all this! Thanks for the post and for reminding me that I too should approach this subject!
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Glad it can be helpful. I don’t have a personal Facebook profile–I don’t care enough about it to maintain one. But you need a profile to have a page, and the profile is where I go to like other writers’ stuff. And unfortunately, then you get a mix of their personal tastes on your home feed.
It’s okay. Once I figured out how to teach Facebook to leave off the stuff I don’t like, it worked out. 🙂
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I do get quite a few friend’s request but like you, tend to vet them first. If I don’t know them or how they linked through to me, I don’t friend them.
Good tips, Cathleen 😀
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Thanks for this, Cathleen!
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So sorry this comment slipped beneath my radar. I’m glad you found the article useful. 🙂
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[…] via Helpful Facebook Tips for Authors — The Beauty of Words […]
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Thanks for this post. Really helpful.
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You’re very welcome. So glad I could help. 🙂
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