Monday, February 2

How to Create an Author Facebook Page




Creating a Facebook Page is a big step, because it says you’re ready to get more readers and engage with them. Every author has a different experience with each form of social media. The important thing is that we try them out and see what works best for us.

FYI #1: You don't need to be published to have a Facebook page. When I first created mine, the category was under "writer" because I'd only published flash fiction on ezines. After I published Hurricane Crimes, I changed the category to "author." You don't even need readers to create one. I didn't have any readers. Even if you have little sales, create a Facebook page. Your blog and social media sites can help you get sales. I say can because these places alone won't bring you sales.



How to Create a Facebook Page:

You will need to go to www.Facebook.com and click “Create a Page” for a celebrity, band or business at the bottom of the screen. (You will need a personal Facebook profile to do this, so you can be a moderator of your page.) Follow the prompts they ask you, and make sure you select “People” as your category and either Writer or Author. If possible, use your name/pen name for your Address. It would look like this: www.facebook.com/ChrysFey If your name is taken, try adding “Author” before or after your name like: facebook.com/YourNameAuthor

FYI #2: Facebook pages are FREE!

When you have your page, add a picture of yourself. See: Author Photo Tips

Then start filling in your information such as your bio, personal information, and personal interests. It’s always nice to include something for each of these because it lets your readers get to know you more. For my bio, I didn’t paste in the bio that you can find on my blog or website. Instead, I shared the story about how I started writing, the struggles I encounter, the origin of my pen name, and how I became an author. For the personal interests, I mentioned my hobbies and things I like.
TIP #1: Facebook pages have a new "Call-to-Action" button. Look for it where your cover photo goes. Insert a link with select an action such as "Shop" and follow the steps. It's really easy. I used the URL to my Amazon Author Page.
After you add all of your information and a cover photo, you can invite your friends and family. Just a little heads up: I quickly learned that people you think will support you don’t. So don’t be disappointed if not all your friends/family like your page.


How to get FB Likes:

1.    Invite your family and friends.
2.    Tell the bloggers/writers/authors you know personally, but make sure to like their page in return. Sending them a personal message is the best way to do this, not with a comment on their blog or a bulk email.
3.    Add your Facebook address to the signature of your emails.
4.    Add your Facebook address to all of you social media sites/groups.
5.    Add a Facebook Like Button to your blog or website. Go HERE.
TIP #2: But please don’t expect hundreds of likes right away. Just like with blog followers, it takes time. And after awhile, you'll notice some people will unlike your page. That's okay. Just tell yourself they aren't your target audience.
Now that you have a few likes, it’s time to consider what you’ll be posting on your page. Grab a notebook and jot down some ideas. You can even stalk a few bloggers/authors you admire to see that they post.

Many writers don’t know what to share or how personal to get on social media. Here’s a list of ideas for you. You could easily plan ahead with these and schedule posts a week in advance.

Facebook Post Ideas:

·         Anything writing/reading related
·         Take advantage of the hastags: #MondayMuse #ManCrushMonday #TranformationTuesday #WomanCrushWednesday #ThrowbackThursday #FlashbackFriday
·         Fun facts about your published works that readers wouldn’t know.
·         Updates about your writing, editing, and publishing.
·         Pictures of your desk, office/work space, and bookcase.
·         Talk about new books you’ve purchased/read.
·         Writing tips
·         Writing quotes
·         Share things other authors post.
·         Announce sales, giveaways, and contests.
·         Cute pictures of your pets.
·         Share your new blog posts.
·         Music videos for songs you write to.
·         Teasers from your books.
·         Scenery pictures from your vacations.
·         Jokes


How to Schedule Statuses:

1. After you type your status and add a picture (if one is needed), all you have to do is click the dropdown arrow that says "Share Now."

2. Click “schedule” and change the date and time information.

3. When you’re done, click “schedule”. Now you don’t have to worry about staying current on FB when you’re busy writing or on vacation.
TIP #3: Schedule your posts to go up before 8:00am (EST) before people head out to work, around noon when people are on their lunch breaks, and around 5:00/6:00pm when people get off work.
Here is a timeline of my Facebook page’s major accomplishments to give you an idea of how long it took me to get to where I am today:

Created Page June 10th 2012
30 Likes December 1st 2012
First Random Like December 17th 2012
50 Likes February 19th 2013
100 likes September 4th 2013
150 likes December 26th 2013
200 likes March 7th 2014



FYI #3: Facebook is limiting how many people see your promotional posts that are all "buy, buy, buy." As long as you're creative with your posts about sales and book releases and avoid the word "buy," people should see it. It's true though that not as many followers are seeing posts from pages anymore and that's because those people don't actively engage in that page's posts, so that page's posts eventually drop off their news feed. You can combat this by being as engaging and interesting as you can.


SHARE your Facebook tips.

QUESTION: What do you like to post on Facebook? What do you like seeing other authors/writers post?


76 comments:

  1. Thank you! I have a Facebook page (more geared towards my speaking and book formatting) and outside of getting Likes, I haven;t done much with it.

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    1. You're welcome, L. Diane. Being active on Facebook is the trick.

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  2. So far I've managed to avoid Facebook.

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  3. fantastic tips. I need to get my FB author page going more. I only ever just post when I've blogged, but seeing as I hardly use my personal fb anymore I should start making it like that in a way and post pics of my kitten and snow lol. And just interact more! :)

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    1. I hardly use my personal page anymore either because my life revolves around writing, so anything writing related goes onto my author FB page. I also post pictures of my cats there. ;)

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  4. Great tips, Chrys. Although I hardly use my author Facebook because it never reaches everyone within my audience, not even those who have given me likes. I paid Facebook several times to boost my posts but this was a total disaster! Not only did I not make a dime but Facebook even charged my credit card for boosting post I never signed up to boost! If I could go without an author Facebook, I probably would but I know we need to put ourselves out there on social media.
    I imagine those who don't have author Facebooks will use your post today to create one=) I wish I read this before because it took me all day to figure it out!

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    1. Yes, that is the trouble with Facebook, but it's still a great tool to utilize. Any bit of exposure helps.

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  5. I find Facebook a waste of money for their ads and a waste of time, for me at least. Not saying it can't help. But never liked Facebook much and never will.

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    1. That's okay, Pat. I never pay for this ads, but I personally find it worthwhile.

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  6. I'm a hermit when it comes to social media (or anything social). I don't share much about my writing or my personal life (unless it's a cute picture of my kids). I guess I get more use out of my personal account where my kids pop up.

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    1. Figuring out what to share on a FB page is the trick. I hardly use my personal profile anymore because I share anything relevant on my author page.

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  7. I liked your "Post Ideas." Spending time on FB tends to drain me for some reason so I'm not there very often. I'm not saying I'll never have an author/writer page there, but right now, I'm a Twitter girl through and through. The more streamlined and focused platform is a lot more manageable and enjoyable for me. :)

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    1. I'm not on Twitter yet and I've been procrastinating about joining, but I will take the plunge sometime this year. ;)

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  8. Great tips, Chrys! I didn't know about the buy the book link. I'll add that to my page. One tip is add your page link to your personal facebook page. When someone or friends click on your page they'll see your link to your author page and an option to LIKE it without even leaving the page. 'Promote your page' ads are worthwhile. I paid $5 and got over 20 new likes. It's great exposure and if your target audience is there, then definitely worth a few dollars to reach them.

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    1. Yes, it's a new feature. And I think it's neat. :)

      That's a good idea. Anywhere you can add your FB link is a plus. I've never tried an ad to promote my page. I've heard both good and bad about it.

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  9. I have an Author's FB Page. And it seems to be doing well. But I don't know if it actually helps with Book Sales. I hope so, a least a little. But it does get me noticed as an author.

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    1. You're right that it's hard to tell if out FB pages helps with sales (by themselves they probably don't), but getting noticed as an author is a huge plus.

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  10. I'm not sure if I should create one FB page for both my pen names, or create two. I made two on Goodreads, since they don't let you have more than one pen name at the same author page. Every so often, I get a new "like" on the two pages I created for two of my books. They're mostly a collection of resources I used while writing the books, along with a couple of excerpts, table of contents, and character lists.

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    1. That;s a good question. Most authors create a FB page for all of their pen names, that way they can connect to the fans of each pen name.

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  11. I have an author page, and post a daily "Mom Thought of the Day.'' They're inspirational quotes. It's a way to give something useful to my followers, while occasionally giving updates related to my writing. I like all these tips, though. I recently added the shop button. I'm interested to see if it helps increase sales.

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    1. A "Mom Thought of the Day" is clever and prefect for your brand, Sherry!

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  12. I definitely need to use mine better. And THANKS for the heads up on the call to action. I think that wasn't there when I set mine up. But ALSO watch out for too much. I recently went through and set up "notifications" on pages of several author friends because I knew liking and sharing their posts increases their visibility, but I've quickly discovered a few of these folks over use and they've annoyed me... those notifications are going off again--important to keep the balance!

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    1. Yes, posting too much especially if it's self-promoting is annoying. I try to keep it to one post a day, with nothing on the weekends.

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  13. Great post. I already used the call-to-action on my FB page. Also, for another FB tip, you can download the "Invite Your Friends!" app so that followers can also invite their family and friends.

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    1. Awesome! I didn't know about the "Invite Your Friend" App. I'm going to have to check that out. Thanks, Lidy! :)

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  14. I've thought about making a Facebook author page, but I figured I'd wait until I have a few more small pieces published. Maybe someday...

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    1. It's never too early to start. The sooner you create one, the better actually so you have time to build it up.

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  15. Good info. And you're so right about not expecting likes from all the people you know.

    I love the idea of adding a shop button, but couldn't work out how to do it. Can you explain again? Or have Facebook changed that feature?

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    1. When you log into your FB page, a notification should pop up. It did for me. If nothing pops up, you should be able to see a "call-to-action" button where your cover picture is located (on the opposite side from your profile pic, next to the "share" button). If you don't see it at all, your page may not have been updated with it. This is a new feature.

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  16. Now I know how to do this! It's too bad FB's algorithms are making it tougher for business pages (and author pages) to be seen by those who like or follow them. I heard it's about to get worse, but I hope that's not the case...

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    1. I've done a lot of research on the newest change to FB pages that is limiting promotion, and from what I've read it only limits how many people see your posts that are all "buy, buy, buy." As long as you're creative with your posts about sales and book releases and avoid the word "buy" people should see it. It's true though that not as many followers are seeing posts from pages and that's because they don't actively engage in that page's posts, so they eventually drop off their news feed.

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  17. Great post as usual Chrys. I'm just discovering schedule a post.

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    1. Thanks, Kelly. Scheduling a post is a life-saver.

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  18. I've been on Facebook for a long time but I really don't do much with it. I've thought about starting afresh with an author page, but wondered what to post on it that I don't say on my blog. Your tips have given me food for thought, so I might actually do this!

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    1. I'm glad to give you ideas, Nick. :) Let me know when if you do get an author page, I'll follow you.

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  19. I have a facebook author page, but I don't think I use it particularly well. Should try harder!

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    1. It takes time and patience to figure out how to work an author page.

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  20. Okay, I have seen FB author pages, but still don't know why I would need one when I already have a regular page with lots of friends... but then I am not promoting a book, yet.

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    1. When you're promoting a book and looking for a way to engage readers, a Facebook author page (or Twitter page) is how to do it.

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  21. Great tips! I was advised by a digital strategist to keep one FB (my personal one) rather than split my audience. But then, my readers aren't legally allowed to join FB. I do get a lot of moms and fellow writers who friend me on there but my personal FB is pretty much made up of the same things I post on Twitter!

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    1. I had to think a moment about why your readers aren't legally allowed to join FB. Silly me. ;)

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  22. I've used FB for crafting and art, but I can't say that it did me a whole lotta good. I may be the minority.

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    1. It takes a lot of time and work to get a response out of FB, but the effort you put in can be worth it.

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  23. FB has been a tool that grew the slowest for me. I don't get much happening on there no matter what or how much or little I post. I keep it going because there are a few faithful readers, but my blog is my most powerful social media tool with Twitter close behind.

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    1. Every author has a different experience with each form of social media, the good things is that we try to see what works best for us. :)

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    2. Christine, if you want to jumpstart your Facebook author actions, my Task 6 in the Small Steps Plan deals with some ideas to do that. You can get a free copy of the Small Steps Plan template by subscribing for my emails by filling in the sign up form on the right hand side of my author blog. You do not have any obligations if you join and you can unsubscribe at any time. Once you have joined, one of the several bonus gifts sent to you by me is the template. If you have any comments in the template, feel free to email them to me at smallsp@telus.net

      I hope you enjoy the template and wish you much success with your future FB activities!

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  24. Helpful pointers and guidance, Chrys. Thank you.
    For now, I have one fb page for all of it (personal and professional). It seems to work alright, because a lot of my facebook friends are interested in my writing, so I link to my blog on fb. I may branch out at some point with an author page. I'll come back to this post if I do.

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    1. Awesome! I'm glad it worked out for you to combine your personal and professional stuff into one page.

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  25. I suffer from the belief that no one would be interested :(

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    1. Are you kidding? Your blog is VERY interesting so your Facebook page would be equally interesting! :)

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    2. I'm only speaking the truth. :)

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  26. Terrific tips, Chrys! I currently have a 'group' associated with my personal page - only because I understand that there's a fee for actual author pages. Can you enlighten me?

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    1. There are NO fees for author pages. It's completely free. The only thing that costs money on FB is if you buy ads to promote your page, but you don't have to do that. I never have.

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    2. Well now it sounds painless as well as easy - thanks Chrys!

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  27. Lots of useful tips here, Chrys. I've moved to a group on there because less than 10% of those who liked my page see anything I post.

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    1. Yes, it really stinks that FB is lowering how much our fans see.

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  28. Thanks for the tips. I have a FB author page, but I'm really bad about using it. I like the new Call to Action button, though! I don't think we're friends on FB, Chris. I'm going to find you!

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    1. The call-to-action button to neat, isn't it? :)

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  29. Doh! Sorry I misspelled your name, Chrys!

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  30. So if I created an author page on Facebook, wouldn't that mean I would have to check back quite often and answer any questions or reply to comments left there, much like I do for my blog? Because if that's so, how do writers find time to spend two hours answering blog comments and Facebook comments, or maybe more than two hours, and then have time left to write? The idea of adding more commitments to my day than I already have scares me to death. I might wait on the Facebook author page for a while. I'm on Facebook, but not with an author page. Just me, who visits once or twice a month on my page. :-)

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    1. Yes, you technically would, but if you log into her personal page once or twice a day you'll be able to see if there are notifications for your author page. If there are, you can easily pop over. I don't get that many comments on my FB page unless I post something. And even then it may just be 3-5 comments on average.

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  31. Wow! These are awesome tips! I didn't know how to schedule and I've had a facebook page for a while (embarrassment), so thank you!

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  32. I'm such a techie idiot. My friend created mine for me. I wish you lots of luck with yours. FB is changing a lot.

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    1. Facebook is changing a lot. That's the only downside.

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  33. I've deactivated my FB page but I'll keep these tips in mind.

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  34. Chris this was so helpful!!! Thanks for the great tips and insight.

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  35. Thank you for the information, I think this article is very useful for all who read it.
    .

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  36. Thank you for the info. I have a question. A few years ago I opened a Facebook page. I've used that personal page as an author page and friended lots of people. I now have an author page. How do I move the readers of my personal page to my author page. When new people want to be my friend, how do I make sure it's for my author page not my personal page?

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  37. Thanks for sharing about facebook page. The tutorials is very helpful.

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