Time to set some writerly goals and fine-tune my publishing schedule. Time to review what worked and what didn’t work last year.
As an author, you never stop researching. There’s always a new way to get to know your readers. Things are always changing.
According to Google Analytics, traffic from Twitter and Facebook is in the negative while Pinterest has increased. I haven’t done anything different on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t know what’s going on. Anyway, I’ll probably put more focus on Instagram and Pinterest since I get more engagement from those sites. Facebook groups are pretty good when you find one that’s not just about promoting books.
I am having a bit of trouble with Pinterest. For awhile, my analytics were all in the positive. Now, most are in the negative. I have no idea what happened. I’m not using the site any more or less than I used to. Engagement is still going up, though
I need to take Pinterst and Instagram to the next level. I’ve seen some good engagement with my book photography on Instagram.
What is Bookstagram?
“It’s the bookish community on Instagram, much like booktube on YouTube and booklr on Tumblr. On Instagram we share anything book-related from our current reads to book hauls to bookish events. The focus is on sharing photos, though captions and comments propel the conversations forward.” (Word Revel: Bookstagram 101: Introduction)
I share photos of books, my workspace, architectures and landscapes. Some of those do pretty well.
As authors, we read often. Why not take pictures of those books and share them? You can also share photos of your own books, even teasers, as long as that’s not the focus of your account.
I’m not really starting a bookstagram because I post different kinds of photos but the tips on the below sites would help us take better book pics.
Bookstagram Tips & Tricks
How to Fabulously get Started on #Bookstagram
How I Bookstagram + How YOU Can Too!
A Brief Guide to Bookstagram
I’m already studying photography so I have a good idea about composition. Also, photography makes you more observant. You know how has a writer, you see stories in almost everything? As a photographer, I look at almost every scene and think how can I come at that to make it into an interesting shot. Take a lot of photos, study other pictures and you’ll get better at it.
Seasonal
For fall, I thought it would be pretty to take pictures of books among the leaves.
For Christmas, I decorated my shelf and took pictures of books among the ornaments.
Mostly, I check out #bookstagram often to get inspiration.
I walk around my apartment or neighbor and see which spots would be best for a book photo shoot. Then I take many, many pictures and chose the ones I like best.
It’s still difficult to tell which photos will get high engagement. For instance, the above picture was pretty popular. I hadn’t expected that.
I keep hitting a wall, though. I buy more ebooks than paperbacks. I’ve done some shots of my kindle but those don’t do as good as the print books. This is why I share other types of photos. I’m still working on a theme to tie them all together.
Find me on Instagram!
Do you follow any bookstagrammers? Comment your favorite account.
