header image showing a Black woman with her face on the desk in front of a computer looking defeated and bombarded by social media icons

Webinar: Authors and Social Media… What the HECK do we do NOW??

Registration just opened for my new webinar and you are all invited to join!

When: Sunday, June 18 · 8am – 2pm Pacific (check to see when this is in your time zone)
Where: Online in Zoom
Live Webinar Registration: $40
Can’t Attend? Recording Only Registration: $30
Scholarships Are Available

Click here to register

 

The current social media landscape is quicksand right now. Every week someone at Twitter makes a change that impacts how the site works, the tools we all use to stay safe and manage how we interact, who sees (or, truly, who doesn’t see) our posts, and dozens of other important functionalities.

This has a ripple effect across all social networks. Some are now more desirable, others are experiencing a resurgence, and some seem determined to follow Twitter’s bad example right down into the lake of fire. Plus, there are new Twitter clones popping up all the time and sometimes dying as quickly as they came to everyone’s attention.

And then there’s you, an author who just wants to write their books and do what they can to help readers find said books. An author who might have been told that they have to have a social media presence and they have to post and post to sell the book and have to get the attention of Bookstagram or BookTok or BookTube or Book[insert truncated social network name yet to be discovered but will surely be the next big thing here]. Don’t forget to buy a ring light!

In this webinar, author K. Tempest Bradford (that’s me!) will help you sort through this mess by offering advice on deciding which social networks to use or ignore based on your goals, tips for setting up a system of auto posting and scheduling that will allow you to maintain an appropriate presence on them, focus on meaningful engagements (if that’s what you want), ignore the aspects of social media that have a negative impact on mental health, and reclaim your writing time.

Learn More and Register or Apply for a Scholarship

The Author's Web Toolkit

Webinar Weekend: The Author’s Web Toolkit

I’ve teamed up with my fellow Debut22 author Lisa Stringfellow to bring you two webinars for writers, pre- and post-published. We both feel strongly that authors should have a web presence, even a basic one. We’ll give you the tools to create and maintain a website and a social media presence even if you aren’t tech-savvy or trained in digital marketing. Join us for:

Build It Better: Essentials of an Author Website
with Lisa Stringfellow

When: Saturday, July 24, 2021, 1-3PM Eastern

What are the essential elements of a great author’s website? Whether you are pre-published or published, there are key elements everyone should include on their websites.

In this workshop, Lisa Stringfellow will share her experience as an author and technology instructor to discuss elements of good website design and how to establish a web presence that will help your readers connect with you. She’ll discuss platforms and tools, branding, accessibility, and the nuts and bolts of building and updating your site. Learn how to make sure your author website has the essentials it needs to make an impact!

And/Or

Spend Less Time Tweeting and More Time Writing
Social Media Strategies for Authors
with K. Tempest Bradford

When: Sunday, July 25, 2021, 1-3PM Eastern

Authors need to use social media for publicity, audience building, and community connection. And yet, social networks are undoubtedly time sinks, distractions, and can sometimes be bad for our mental health. All of which can eat into writing time.

Maintaining a balance between time on and off social media is important, especially for authors who want to lean more toward being OFF it. In this webinar, K. Tempest Bradford will offer tips for how to limit your time on social media without having to delete your account and how to set up a system of auto posting and scheduling that will allow you to maintain an appropriate presence without annoying your friends and followers.

Each webinar is $40. Register for both at the same time and get $10 off.

Can’t afford the price? No worries. We have scholarships. Details on the registration page.

Social Media Resources for Sipping From The Firehose #WisCon36

Social Media Resources for Sipping From The Firehose #WisCon36

Just about to head into my next panel, “Sipping From the Firehose: Managing Writing and Social Media,” and wanted to get this list of resources up for those attending and those who are following along via Twitter. The hashtag for this panel is: #SocialMediaSFF.

This post will change slightly as the discussion goes along, and hopefully there will be a panel report or two from the audience I’ll link to.

Social Networks That Are Useful For Writers

These are in a roughly most useful to least useful configuration, but the relative usefulness also depends on what kind of writing and promoting you do. This is not a prescriptive list — every writer does not need to be on every network. This is just a list to consider. After the panel I’ll try to add context for which networks are good for what kinds of activities.

  • Facebook
  • GoodReads
  • LibraryThing
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • Dreamwidth
  • LinkedIn
  • LiveJournal
  • Delicious
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • DeviantArt
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Social Networking Tools

These are services, apps, and plugins that make dealing with social media a bit easier, especially if you have multiple accounts.

  • Hootsuite — A social media dashboard that puts several social networks in one place. See updates from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, Ping.fm and FourSquare from one window. Update multiple accounts at once. Schedule updates for the future. Accessible from any browser and via apps for Android, iPhone and iPad.
  • Tweetchat — Tool that lets you focus on one hashtag at a time. Good for participating in Twitter chats.
  • TweetBot — The best iPhone/iPad Twitter client.
  • TweetCaster — One of the better Twitter clients for Android.
  • RSS Graffiti — Facebook app that posts a status update whenever you update your blog.
  • JournalPress — A WordPress plugin that crossposts to LiveJournal and DreamWidth.