Does Social Media Help To Sell Books And Ebooks?

Everyone is on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and even TikTok. But can these social media channels help you sell more books?

I have been active on social media for years and accumulated reasonable followings. But I have to say that the answer to the question is no, not directly.

I don’t know how many times a day I see; check out my book, Like my Facebook Author Page, or download my ebook for free.

My reaction to messages like these is to ignore them. That’s probably what most people do, I guess.

Social platforms are tempting

For new or inexperienced authors, using social media to help sell books has a logical attraction.

After all, there is a whole world out there who don’t know about your book.

It is quick, simple and easy to keep sending messages saying, “Buy my book because I’m really a special author.”

In my experience, attempts at direct selling like this don’t work.

After many experiments, misadventures, and missteps, I can honestly say that sending out hundreds of messages with a buy link to your book on Amazon is a complete waste of time and will not sell books.

It is not digital marketing; it’s closer to old-fashioned spamming.

Not only that, but it is also a surefire way to create a negative image of yourself, which results in annoying people and, therefore, losing friends and followers.

Of course, I try to promote my books and would love to sell hundreds of copies each month.

But it’s not going to happen by merely posting thousands of messages on social media, saying, “Buy my fantastic books.”

There is much more work involved in marketing and promoting books.

What sells ebooks and books?

What does work, though, is the slower process of building your author name recognition and reputation.

You should become a provider of relevant, helpful, and perhaps entertaining information pertinent to your domain as an author.

A well-written and maintained blog linked or shared to social media is the logical means to do this.

Writing and publishing original and intelligent blog posts and articles is the best way to sell books indirectly on social media.

Commenting on other blogs is another great way of leveraging social media and building your profile.

For an author, being active on social platforms means sharing not only your blog posts but also your opinions or feedback.

Yes, it takes time and can be a lot of work. But it’s the only way to successfully engage with other users.

When you engage with users, there’s a good chance that they will find your blog and your books.

Share and share alike

Sharing your thoughts helps start a conversation, which is what social media is all about.

Also, sharing other users’ content helps you build your reputation.

But there are horses for courses on social networks.

You need to think about how you can best use each platform.

Platform choices

A Facebook Page, I believe, is a necessity.

The power of the Like button and two billion users means there is unlimited potential.

While building an audience on Facebook may seem slow at first, it is worth the effort.

My blog might get only a few Likes on each post, but now and then, one post will attract many more, and my following increases.

But again, this is a platform where trying to sell directly doesn’t work well at all.

It’s very much about building your reputation and profile and using your blog posts as a form of content marketing.

X (Twitter) is a bit of potluck, but it’s still worth posting occasionally.

Reddit is another good option. You can find many subreddits for writing and self-publishing, and some allow you to promote your book.

Flipboard and Pinterest are two useful platforms, but they don’t create a conversation. They can, however, help you gain exposure for your blog, books, and reviews.

For most platforms, you need to post a lot of interesting and informative content unrelated to your book. You definitely don’t want to appear to be merely flogging your books. Give people time and allow them to discover your books.

But some other networks, such as Goodreads, lend themselves to promoting your titles a little more directly.

Summary

You want to let the world know what you do and what you have to offer, and hopefully sell some copies of your book or books.

However, social media is more about marketing and reputation building than direct selling.

By all means, post the occasional buy link to your books on Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords or links to book reviews you receive.

But make sure there is a lot of informative information and intelligent conversation in between.

My advice is to start early, well before you publish your book, and be patient with social media.

As your author’s reputation and name become better known, people will find your books and ebooks when they are ready, and book sales will follow.

Related reading: Nine Book Promotion Ideas That Just Never Really Work At All