FAQ 8: is it worth spending time on social media before I get a book deal?
Short answer: it depends. You'll have to read on for the long answer ;-)
This post is part of series where I answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked about social media. To browse or read the rest of the series click here. Next week’s FREE post is going to be about how you can use Instagram in the 12 months before you launch your book, and after that I’ll be sharing a post about how you can maintain momentum with your book promotion, on Instagram, once your book is out in the world. To receive both posts straight to your inbox, make sure you’re signed up as a FREE subscriber. If you’d like more tailored hand-holding, advice and ideas, you might also consider joining TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM as a paid subscriber.
There is no doubt that access to a ready-made audience for your book is a huge plus in the eyes of many publishers, so much so that there are occasions when a large social media following is enough to secure someone a book deal even if there is little evidence that the audience are book buyers.
That said, whether it is worth you being on social media before you get a book deal requires a careful balancing up of a number of different considerations.
Reasons it’s worth spending time on social media before you get a book deal
to practise. If being on social media for ‘business’ is new to you, starting in advance will give you the chance to test different things out. You might want to experiment with different topics for your posts and build up the skills to create different kinds of posts (e.g on Instagram it will be helpful if you know how to create reels, Stories, and carousel posts as well the traditional static image and caption you might be used to) while the stakes are low and you don’t NEED it to work. You’ll have time and space to test things and work out what connects with the audience you hope will one day read your book. This will play in your favour when you have something you want them to read.
to build a platform to launch yourself off (figuratively speaking ). This seems to be especially important for non-fiction writers. Memoir is notoriously difficult to sell to publishers without a platform of some kind, and if you’re writing non-fiction you need to be able to demonstrate that you are a credible voice on the issues or ideas you are writing about. Having a social media following who engage in conversations with you about the topic(s) in your book is one way to prove that you are trusted in that space, and to show publishers you are the right person to write this book.
to prove a concept. Again, this is more relevant to writers of non-fiction but when you’re writing about a topic that hasn’t hit the mainstream, a social media following can be used to prove that the conversation your book is beginning is something people are interested in.
to build relationships with other writers. Writing is LONELY and I’m sure there isn’t a writer alive who at some point hasn’t thought, ‘oh my god why am I doing this to myself’. Being able to connect with other writers who’re struggling with the same things you are can be enormously reassuring and motivational.
to build a network of people who can help you get the word out when your book is published. This might be people you have built relationships with through conversations you both care about, and who are ready to not only buy your book but to tell everyone they know about it too. It can also be other writers, bookstagrammers who are fans of the kind of book you’re writing, podcasters who talk about the themes or ideas that are in your book, or other bookish people who will be happy to help you get the word out when your book is published. Social media can be a great place to enter into the conversations you are interested in and to build relationships with people who are interested in similar things.
if your book (or proposal in the case of non-fiction) is out on submission and you have some time on your hands (!) this can be a good time to start playing around with your social media presence so you’re on the front foot when the book deal lands.
Reasons it’s not worth spending time on social media before you get a book deal
if you’re in it just for the numbers! The number of books by celebrities that grace the Bargain Bins of WHSmith is legion because even when their audience is huge it doesn’t necessarily translate to sales. What you need is an engaged, highly relevant audience so chasing views and follower counts is a waste of time. Be wary of getting sucked into thinking you need xxx number of followers on social media and end up spending lots of time chasing them through any means necessary. Your activity on social media should be guided by a clear understanding of who your reader is going to be, combined with what you are both interested in, not by what you think will get the most views or followers.
if the time it takes to create content or scrolling will mean you never actually write your book! This one speaks for itself but what I will also say is that you don’t need to dive neck deep into social media - for example, on Instagram you could aim to post once a week in order to get to know the platform and start to develop your skills which will leave plenty of time left to write.
if you’re a fiction writer. I am on somewhat shaky ground here as there are certainly authors who’ve received a book deal for their novels off the back of a large social media following, HOWEVER social media audiences are far less important for publishers of fiction than they are for non-fiction so this should form part of your considerations.
if you have a platform somewhere else. Social media is not the only place you can build an audience. If you have a podcast, are a regular contributor to print or broadcast media, have a successful blog, or are highly respected and renowned in your field these can also be an appealing form of platform for publishers. That said, you might want at some point to compliment these platforms with a relevant form of social media as this will help you connect with readers outside your existing eco-system.
if you haven’t yet finished (or started!) your book or non-fiction proposal. I LOVE social media - Instagram in particular - but without careful management it can become a massive time suck. If you know you’re the kind of person who will delay getting on with the hard work of writing, in favour of the quick hits of social media, perhaps I can gently suggest you get some writing done first. Social media isn’t going anywhere!
If you’re at the stage of your writing and audience building when you want to spend time, without wasting time, on Instagram then you might like to consider joining my monthly membership Too Much Instagram, hosted here on Substack. At the moment you can join on the Pilot Price of £8.40 per month/ £84 per year (a 30% saving on full price). Get a flavour of what you can expect from the membership here.
I loved this. I would be interested in reading about how to manage time with social media. I don't consider myself very competent with it, but as you said, I could see it being a huge time suck if I were ever to put more of an effort into building my platform there.
Really useful points here. The only one I'd add to the 'don't use it' side would be: don't use it if you hate it. That said, there are ways to learn to love it, which I'm sure everyone in your membership can attest to!!