Dear Writers, Are You Connecting with Readers on Facebook?

If you are not familiar by now with the magnitude of the social media power of Facebook, please stop reading right here. Anyone? I didn't think so. You need look no further than your own personal use of the site to begin to understand how many hours the average pair of eyes spends gazing over the inspired (or maybe not) words of friends, family, etc.. Facebook has over 800 million users and over 50% of those users engage with the site at least once a day. (statistics here) As an author, i.e. a business with goods to sale, those numbers should get you excited.

So, how in the world do you get your name and your book in front of at least a portion of those eyes? Well, you certainly cannot friend all 800 million people (nor would you want to) and constantly promoting your book to your same few hundred friends is going to A. get you blocked for spam or B. leave you with a lot less friends over time. Neither of those is good. Might I offer a simple solution? GET HELP. I don't mean your friends and family who join you in posting your book to their feeds, although this is a good technique to use sparingly.

Get connected with writer/reader communities who have a presence on Facebook! There are several to consider and they vary in size, interest and reach, but they all have one thing in common: they devote hours a day to promoting authors and their books. If you're serious about gaining readers and getting your work out there, why not get involved with these groups? Like I said, there are MANY to choose from, but I have put together a short list of the ones that I have worked with and can provide a personal testimony for. Currently, my debut novella is #12 in AA Fiction and #64 in Women's Fiction thanks to the help of these wonderful FB promoters.

**Please read the Info section of these pages before getting involved; fan page reach accurate as of 01/07/12, 2:00pm est**

Ereader News Today
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/EreaderNewsToday
Fan Page Reach: 143,874
Promotions: Free e-books, Bargain e-books, Book of the Day

Ebook Lovers
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ebook-Lovers/215918805155738
Fan Page Reach: 19,152
Promotions: Free e-books, Bargain e-books

Kindle Nation Daily
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/KindleNation
Fan Page Reach: 43,656
Promotions: Kindle Deals, Sponsored Features

Please note that I am not associated with the administration of any of these pages and my mentioning them in this list is entirely voluntary. However, I am a volunteer with the WoMen's Literary Cafe and I encourage you to visit the website and get involved in order to access NUMEROUS avenues for marketing and promotion. http://www.womenslitcafe.com

Know of any other Facebook groups that you have had a great experience with? Feel free to share the information in the comments section!