Switch it Off.

The internet and social media can be great tools to leverage when writing a new novel. However, today we will talk about the benefits of shutting down your devices and stepping outside of the box when it comes to getting ideas/information for your next novel.

I often catch myself scrolling for hours on end reading comments and looking at different social posts to pass the time, but I realize that in some cases it is doing more bad than good – and not just for the stress on my eyes.

I encourage you to go outside and clear your mind with a daily walk. Listen to your favorite songs, podcasts or even find a new podcast for whatever you are searching for. Are you writing a new crime thriller? Find a crime related podcast channel, or do you need daily motivation or need to start your day with a meditation find a podcast for that as well!

There is so much good you can do for yourself by unplugging and focusing on yourself. And if you truly care about keeping your followers on your social media updated schedule your Facebook and Instagram posts for free with Facebook Creator Studio! That way you can still enjoy your time to yourself.

Now, I understand I am recommending you to unplug but you will need a device to play music and listen to a podcast. But there are ways in which you can hide notifications and even delete apps on your homepage without deleting their contents. iPhones also have the ability to ‘Focus’ where you can silence certain notifications.

So once again take certain times in the day or designate a day to yourself to unplug and see the benefits for yourself! You might find it helpful for your lifestyle and it will become a habit in your everyday life!

Hashtags to Generate Book Buzz

Hashtags aren’t just a fun way to spice up your post, they have meaning! And can help your post get views with a certain audience. But for today’s purpose we will talk about hashtags for your upcoming book release, because believe me there’s hashtags for everything!

Now what’s important is choosing hashtags that are most active and somewhat active. Most active hashtags are the ones that people use over and over that get the most views, however when using them they could get lost in the sea of all those hashtags. So, sometimes it is good to pair most active and somewhat active hashtags together. 

When it comes time to choosing which ones to use, you can find help! There are many hashtag generators that you can use. One being best-hashtags.com. This one is great because their instagram algorithm constantly updates to see popular hashtags and you can search based on the topic of your post , for instance a book release. 

For this they would recommend using #bookrelease and #bookstagram along with others. 

So next time you want to post on instagram check to see what hashtags work best for you!

If you don’t like the way typical hashtags look in your post you can hide them! Instagram doesn’t care where the hashtags are in the post, they just have to be there. So, for example you can reply to your own post with a cute emoji then reply to that comment with hashtags. It will then appear like you put a smiley face in the comments but within that are all your hashtags! Even if someone comments their own hashtag it will still give your post recognition. Another way you can hide hashtags in your story is by covering them with a photo or sticker, its genius!

Happy Posting!

How to Work the Instagram Algorithm

In times like these Instagram can heavily influence your business. The algorithm can be updated frequently, so it’s important to stay on top of it for your content strategy.  

According to Instagram the 6 key factors that influence the Instagram algorithm are:

  1. Interest – How you interact on Instagram plays a role! Who you follow and what type of posts you like. That is why consistently showing up on Instagram is important.
  1. Relationship – Instagram uses your interactions to see who is closest to you (a little creepy but we all know it’s happening). As soon as you follow someone they will monitor how you engage with it.
  1. Timeliness – They care about when you posted, because they want to provide the latest most interesting posts. By finding your personalized best time to post on Instagram you can increase your reach!
  1. Frequency – If you open the app often your feed will be more chronological. However, if you check less often your feed will be based on what Instagram thinks you’ll like. 
  1. Following – If you follow a lot of people then Instagram has more options to choose from so you won’t see all of the posts from everyone’s account. 
  1. Usage – Depending on how often you open the app the more content you will see. 

Now, what do you do with all of this information to improve your engagement? The best thing you can do is drive as many interactions (likes, comments, DM, save, and share). Another way to increase engagement is to use all that Instagram has to offer, such as their newer Reels and Stories. 

Adding hashtags is the most effective way to reach people on Instagram and we want those views don’t we? Search what hashtags will work the best for your posts.

Another helpful tool is to keep track of your Instagram analytics. Use the “Insights” button to see what is working and what isn’t, what post got the most likes, and so forth. 

I know this is a lot of information, but once you have a better understanding on how to use the app you will get more out of it! Make it your focus for the next month if you want more followers or likes and get posting! Let us know how it goes. 

How To Use Tik Tok To Promote Your Work

The future of Tik Tok is unclear, however there is no denying the impact it has on small business owners and their work. So promote your work now, and let the people know who you are!

Tik Tok Do’s and Don’ts

Do keep it fun! Tik Tok is a great way to show the fun and humorous side of your brand. So be creative and try to make the viewers smile:)

Do use music. Music is a big part of Tik Tok, especially since the beginning. Viewers are more inclined to finish a video if it is paired with audio…especially when the audio is very popular. 

Do shoot vertical. If you shoot horizontal you will get unflattering black bars on the side of your video. 

Do use a challenge. There is almost always a popular challenge going around Tik Tok and with the appropriate use of hashtags your video will more likely be viewed.

Do mimic content that’s trending. This doesn’t mean don’t be creative, but by mimicking a popular trend viewers will be drawn to it and continue to watch. 

Don’t make an average ad. Viewers are not here necessarily to be sold to. They want to have fun and be inspired. Push the business/product in a fun way without being directly sold to.

Tik Tok is a great way to drive your business. Try and get in contact with influencers or creators that are doing well on Tik Tok in a like-minded way to your business/product. The more humorous and entertaining you are the more likely your video will be shared and liked. 

This is not going to say that creating is easy. It takes time and effort just like everything else. So do your research! Look up businesses/products like your own and see what trends are going around. Now more than ever is a perfect time to self promote on digital platforms. Remember, it only takes one video to go viral.

Good luck!

TikTok for Book Lovers

You may have thought this popular app was just full of dances, but there is so much more! Especially for book lovers and literature enthusiasts. So next time you find yourself scrolling through the app, check out these bookish accounts!

@Berrybookpages

Her bio reads “CEO of falling in-love with emotionally unavailable book characters” which sums up her presence on the app. Every book lover won’t help but be able to relate to her!

@penguin_teen

Penguin Random House brings all the fun to literature in videos centered around books and publishing. If you want to see the humorous real life creation of book memes..look no further. 

@BEARCUB79

If you want to take a step back from book recommendations and quirky videos, check out @bearcub79’s account for awesome book binding demonstrations! If you want a closer look into the process and get restoration tips this is a good place to start. 

@Epic_reads

This account captures feelings and thoughts booklovers have without them truly noticing! Each video will bring you a constant “oh that’s me” moment. 

@24hourlibrarian

That’s right! A librarian right at your fingertips! Follow this account for fun craft ideas, library tips and a good laugh!

Believe me when I say..there are so many literary focused tiktok accounts out there! And you will be caught in a constant video frenzy! 

Happy Scrolling!

Marketing on Goodreads

I am sure most writers, readers, and authors alike are aware of the Goodreads universe. An endless summer reading list is just waiting to be created. But, do you know how to properly use your account as an author, especially to market yourself? 

Goodreads is a perfect platform for authors to engage with readers and fans, and here is how you can make the most of it!

Make sure you are on the Goodreads Author Program.

This will allow you to gain access to special marketing tools to promote your books and interact with readers. Read more about this program here

Customize your bio.

Your bio is the first thing a reader sees when going to your page. It is your job to make sure you put the best information out there. Make sure your profile picture is clear, give a good description of yourself, and attach your other socials so they can follow you! Goodreads gives some of their own very helpful tips here.

Share your love of reading.

Don’t forget this website was created so people could share their love for reading, so make sure you do the same! Write your own reviews and add books to your “Want to Read” list. You can also shelve books that have inspired your own writing, or you can customize your own shelves.

Create Kindle notes and Highlights.

Goodreads has a special opportunity to allow annotators to provide thoughts and insights on books. This is a great way for authors to engage deeper with their readers and let them in on why you chose a specific word, or go deeper into what a character is thinking. The opportunities are endless, and everyone loves an exact background story. https://f.gr-assets.com/misc/1564523884-1564523884_goodreads_misc.pdf

Turn on the “Ask the Author” feature.

 Allowing readers to ask questions specifically to the author is great for engagement. The questions will not be visible until the author answers. However, by posting a few standard questions allows readers to see them when they reach your page. Learn more about this feature here. 

Goodreads is a great platform for authors to connect to a specific community of readers. Don’t forget the power of communication!

Let’s Hashtag

We’ve all seen them, now it’s time to know how to properly use them. Hashtags aren’t just used to take up space on your posts, they all have a meaning and help to enhance the post and its reach.

It’s a good idea to use hashtags to help promote your personal or business social media accounts. It will give your posts a better chance of exposure on that specific hashtags page, especially for the people who follow that hashtag. 

At HRM we use a lot of books, writing, and reading related hashtags to help boost our posts. Here are some of the ones we use throughout all of our social media accounts.

Most Popular

#bookstagram 

#EpicReads 

#BookNerd

#Books

#Bibliophile 

#BookAddict

#Bookshelf 

#bookcommunity

#writersofinstagram

#writersofinstagram

#booksofinstagram

#bookstagrammer

Specific genre

#Crime

#Historical

#Romantic

#NonFiction

#Mystery

And there are so much more! Keep in mind, Instagram only allows 30 hashtags per post, so pick & choose, and switch them around to your liking.

Don’t forget to follow us to see all of our hashtags in action!

Meet & Tweet

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Since 2006, Twitter has been a functioning website and application used by millions. There are accounts for everything: large businesses and businesses still in the process of starting up, notable figures/celebrities, and average people like you and me!

For everyone involved in publishing, whether you are the writer or work behind the scenes, it looks as though Twitter has become a way to keep these two worlds in touch.

Reaching out to fans is already relatively easy with Facebook or through an author’s website. But if reaching out to publishers, agents, editors, or any other publishing professional is your main objective – LinkedIn or regular e-mail might not be cutting it for you. If you are finding yourself at a standstill, you might want to consider putting Twitter to use.

Over the past 11 years, Twitter has deterred from being a platform to keep your friends updated with your latest pizza choice from Dominoes and more of a place to stay updated with  political views or some feisty celebrity feud. It’s quick, effective, and to the point – which makes it a perfect communication tool to really sell yourself and your work. You only have 140 characters which means you really need to think about what you want to get across and what you want the person at the other end to know. It forces you not to get bogged down in all the gritty details and really think about what sets you and your story apart from other authors and books already out there.

If you choose to give Twitter a twirl, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Follow the people who have helped make your books a reality!
  2. Post memes; everyone enjoys memes.
  3. Use hashtags to broaden your audience and fanbase.

Educational Waves in Writing

Writing is one of the oldest forms of expression. It allows us to communicate with people who might be hundreds of miles away or even a complete stranger. But, over the past ten to fifteen years writing has dramatically evolved.  Simply put, the act of writing in everyday life has drastically increased. Before the explosion of Facebook, Twitter, and blogging the available writing venues were very limited. If you didn’t need to write for your job, you might write an opinion piece or letter to your local newspaper or a birthday card to a friend or loved one. You might even write in your own journal or diary, but that was likely only seen by your own eyes.

With the onset of social media, people started making daily posting about what they were feeling and thinking about at that moment, what they were doing that weekend, what vacation they were going on next, or how they felt about current events and local happenings. Twitter thrives off thousands of people writing thousands of words each day. The accessibility of blogging websites enables anyone to write about whatever they want whenever they want to. Social media gives us an instant audience that we never before had. At the end of day, if you are actively using any form of social media, a large portion of your  free time is taken up by writing. Whether you are writing heart felt realizations or complaining that your coffee is too cold, you are writing and communicating in a way that our ancestors never have.

socialmedia

With the increase of the importance of writing in our daily lives, I have been interested in seeing how the education of writing will change. I recently came across an article in the Columbia Spectator about Barnard’s new first year writing program.  Changing a first year college course syllabi is a difficult thing to do because it has been so ingrained in the fabric of the school’s educational experience for years. You don’t want your students to miss out on essential lessons they will need to have a successful schooling experience, but each year the students are different, their experiences are different, and the world they are coming from is different than the last. As students adapt to the world in which they live, therefore our educational system must adapt as well. The course change made at Barnard is a big step, but a necessary one. Many people can’t go a few hours without at least writing a few sentences and Barnard is recognizing a need for a change in writing education in order to prepare their students for success out in the real world.

The first-year writing program will focus more on writing technique than the previous program. There will be fewer books and more of a focus on writing instruction. It always somewhat baffled me that in a first-year English course, there wasn’t much writing at all. You maybe had two to three essays throughout the semester with no real discussion revolving around the assignments. The professor would put a few marks on the paper and you would move on. Most of the time was spent reading and discussing what we had read. Why do we neglect such a large part of our everyday lives? Writing is hard to avoid, so why do we avoid it in the classroom? Is it our pure ignorance to the changing times or are we purposely trying to set our youth up to fail? A large part of an education is learning how to be a functioning part of society and having the appropriate skills to get us from one life stage to the next. Writing is one of those skill sets we all need to succeed in today’s world. If we aren’t learning how to write in the classroom, where do we turn to next? Kim Kardashian’s next tweet? I certainly hope not.

I am very happy to see advancement in the Academic world in response to what is happening in the real world.One cannot succeed without fully accepting the other. We can talk all day on this blog about how to write, when to write, and why we should write. But, if we aren’t practicing those skills in our day to day life then when we will ever truly succeed?

Write on.