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Posts Tagged ‘social media’

You’re My Friend Now

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Hi everyone!

My name is Beau Swan (iykyk) and I am one of the new interns this Fall at Beaufort!

Do you guys know that TikTok trend where they use the “you’re my friend now, we’re having soft tacos later” audio? If not, click here for a link to my personal favorite example. Anyways, my point is you guys are my friends now, and while I can’t have soft tacos with you guys, I can (and will) share my most interesting facts, thoughts, and opinions (as unprovoked as they might be) with you for the next few months. My very fragile feelings will appreciate if you will put up with me for the short amount of time we have together. 

I just realized we don’t know anything about each other. In order to initiate this newfound friendship, I will tell you guys a little bit about myself…

It all started when my mom met my dad, and they fell in love, and they had me! Hi, I’m Beau Swan, and my life is kind of crazy. I’m just kidding, and for my friends that didn’t get it, that’s just another TikTok reference…I have a little bit of an addiction.

Back to me though, I live in Western New York where I was born and raised. While I may not have moved anywhere different in my lifetime, I do love to travel! I feel like that last sentence makes me sound old. I’m not…at least I hope not. I’m still in my early 20s, so you tell me if I’m old or not. In my defense however, I know how to work both my phone and computer, and I can put my credit card into a pin pad the correct way without a tutorial from the cashier. I just beg that you not ask me what rizz means or if I know a particular trendy dance. The only dance I know is the Cha Cha slide and that’s only because the song tells me exactly what to do. 

Ugh, I keep getting off topic. Some boring facts about myself are that I have my Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing. I was a double major during my undergrad, but I still [by some miracle] found the time to minor in Business. Right now, I’m working on getting my MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing at Emerson College. I love to write just as much as I enjoy reading what others write so it’s the perfect program for me! 

I’m so excited to be at Beaufort this Fall! I’m gonna be reading manuscripts, maybe sitting in on some meetings, working on social media stuff, all that good stuff that comes with working in the publishing industry. And occasionally, I will come to rant to you guys about anything that’s on my mind in relation to books. Hope none of my new friends mind!

Your friend,

Beau Swan

Top Five Instagram Posts Every Author Should Make

Tuesday, August 1st, 2023

As my time as an intern at Beaufort comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on everything I’ve done this summer. From book cover research to submissions and social media, I’ve gotten a taste for what this industry looks like from the professional side of things. (By the way, if you’re thinking about applying for an internship here, please, I beg, do it. We have Fall, Spring, and Summer internships, and they are all AMAZING!)

Out of everything that I’ve learned these past few months, making content for social media stuck out to me the most. As a college junior and member of Gen Z, I’ve always loved social media. So, you can imagine how excited I was to get to do it professionally. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited for that?

So, for my last blog as an intern, I’ve decided to compile a list of the Top Five Instagram Posts Every Author Should Make. 

1. An Introduction to Yourself

This one is pretty self explanatory, but make an introductory post! If you’re comfortable sharing a picture of yourself, awesome! If not, you can use something else like a picture of a pet, a cartoon of yourself, or the cover of your book. 

You can include some fun facts about yourself such as where you live, how many pets you have, your favorite hobbies, your favorite books, etc. If it’s something you would be interested in learning about someone else, put it on there!

Also, if (like me) you think that music is a good way of getting to know people, you can make a playlist and share it on there too. 

2. An Introduction to Your Book(s)

Similar to the previous post, this one should introduce what books you’re writing or have written. Make sure to include the cover and title of the book somewhere on the post so that people can look it up if they’re interested. 

I also found including the description of the book to be really helpful. You can do this by making a swipe post. This way, people can read about your book while still staying on your profile.

3. Video Content

Lately, Instagram has really been pushing video content, so if you want to reach a wider audience, reels are a great way to go. Being intentional about the audios you use also helps. Try out some trending audios or audios that you think have the potential to trend. 

You can get some inspiration for what exactly to post by researching other authors or Bookstagram accounts in similar genres to you. A few simple ideas could be to post the first line of your novel or to make a video-style moodboard for your book. 

You can find quick templates for video content on CapCut and Canva.

4. Book Reviews

Book reviews are the bread and butter of the Bookstagram community. By posting reviews of your own and interacting with other peoples’ reviews, you can begin to create a community of your own. 

Reading is awesome and talking to people about reading is even more awesome, so go support your fellow authors and post some reviews!

5. Stories

Instagram stories stay up for 24 hours, so this is a place for you to really have some fun. Repost memes, host a Q&A, post pictures of your delicious lunches, show what song you’ve got on repeat. Anything works here. You can also choose to save your stories into a Story Highlight so that people can watch them after the initial 24 hours have passed.

Most importantly, make sure to have fun! Instagram is a way to both connect with other members of the bookish community and to express yourself. By posting things that make you happy, you’ll begin to build an amazing community of support. 

I’m having a hard time wrapping up this post knowing that it will be my last, so I’ll stop here before I start to ramble some more. 

Read some good books, post what makes you happy, and give the next set of interns all my love.

DumBEAUledore 

Social Media for Books

When it comes to books, social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can serve as a marketing tool. Almost all users know to be careful on social media but a lot of people don’t know exactly why. Publishers should be cautious on which links they click on since they are representing their authors. Clicking on links will show audiences what the publisher has been looking at so publishers should be mindful. After all, publishers don’t want to be misrepresented so taking proper caution is key to success. When designing images for social media, publishers must first analyze the social media platform and fit images to proper sizes. Writing social media posts can be challenging but a good post can start with a question to engage readers in a book. Authors and publishers can work together to market their books through social media in addition to telling audiences about the book in person. Social media can be a tool to market book events such as launches, signings, and giveaways. Authors and publishers can take pictures of the physical book in natural environments, with readers, and after an event has occurred. This is a fun way to show audiences that this is a book they will want to read and that the author and publisher are dedicated to showing the world this story. When I write a social media post, I first consider the publisher I work for, and then the author. How do I want to represent the publisher and author? Is my post engaging? Does it fit the theme? When advertising fiction, a good social media post would be to design an image with a direct quote. Beaufort Books does this for many great titles but one recently posted was for the novel Buried Memories by Katie Beers. The image was designed in green and said “She needs to just be wrapped in love. The best thing for her right now is not be forced to talk about what happened, be able to discuss what happened in her own time.” When advertising books, it’s important to consider the audience and what they are interested in. With the publishing industry constantly changing, social media is just one important tool publishers can use. Beau Vader signing off!