Every Self-Published Author Needs a Facebook Fan Page: Here's Why

You’ve written your book. You’ve self-published it. And now you’re ready to put yourself out there to find some readers.

Now what?

Marketing for writers — especially those who are self-published — can be time-consuming at first. Even if this isn’t your first self-published business book, understanding how to successfully market your book on social media has a learning curve for most authors.

To help you get the most out of your book promotion, we’d recommend setting up a Facebook author page that will help you engage with your readers, learn more about your target audience, and build rapport with your fans. 

What is A Facebook Author Page?

A FB author page is a business page specifically available for users to like your profile, keep up to date on your author events, and engage with you online.

This differs from your personal Facebook page because others don’t need to be friends with you to see your timeline. It also allows you to post book- and author-specific news, pictures for your fans to engage with.

A Facebook author page can also establish professionalism and allow those that don’t know you personally to interact with you and become lifelong fans.

Do You Need A Facebook Author Page?

The short answer: Absolutely. A personal Facebook page is more for your friends and family, where you can post what you want, when you want. Your Facebook author page is specific to you as a writer and to your readers.

Anyone who likes your author page specifically wants to know more about your writing, upcoming readings, and anticipated release dates.

You can (and should) post about these on your personal page. But your author page is a streamlined platform specific to who you are as a writer and the foundation for making connections outside of your social circles.

A Facebook author page helps keep your branding as an author professional, consistent, and all in one place. You can engage with your readers by liking their comments, responding to questions about your book, or streaming a live video of a reading.

Pros of A Facebook Author Page

The benefits of a Facebook author page outweigh the cons. From getting to know your readers to networking within the writing community, creating a Facebook fan page is essential for successful authors.

Running Ads

In addition to being the best place for your readers to learn more about you and keep up with your writing, Facebook author pages also allow you to run ads through Facebook about your book. You can’t do that on a personal page.

Running ads will draw more awareness to your book and increase your number of followers by getting more eyes on your posts. You can also track your ad data to learn important marketing audience insights, which will help guide future ads, posts, and event opportunities.

Seeing engagement increase can be a reassuring indication that your writing is not only out in the world, but is being discovered by the right readers. And that’s a powerful feeling!

Audience Engagement

One of the best parts of creating an author Facebook page is the ability to engage with your readers and learn directly from your audience with analytics. This will help you understand exactly what your readers want to see from you.

While you always have control over the content you put out, paying attention to the insights of your audience will help shape your growth as an author. Facebook author pages allow you to make connections with venues to schedule readings, stream live author talks, and book other unique opportunities.

Marketing as a self-published author sometimes means you have to wear multiple hats at once — from accountant to public relations. But monitoring audience engagement on your Facebook page is a one-stop shop. You can post about events, upcoming releases, and build excitement for your work.

The best author Facebook pages show that you truly care about your readers.

Cons of A Facebook Author Page

The bad news is, you won’t be the first or the last author to have their own Facebook author page. You’re likely competing with other authors of your genre for placement on a potential reader’s feed.

But understanding the downsides of creating a Facebook page as a self-published author is an important part of the process. It takes time to learn how to use Facebook author pages and build rapport with your following.

Make it Easy for Readers to Find You

There are many self-published authors out there who use their personal Facebook pages as author pages. Others create separate author pages, or book-specific pages. The important thing is discoverability.

Unless someone is specifically looking for you, your Facebook author page may fall to the wayside. There are ways to market yourself, though, and get the word out there to make it easier for your fan base to find you:

-       Add your Facebook author page as a clickable button on your website and email signature

-       Direct followers on other social media platforms to follow your page (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)

-       Add your Facebook page link to your author bio anywhere it’s viewable online

-       Add your social handles to your business cards and in author presentations

It Takes Time

Creating and operating your own Facebook author page takes time and energy, just like self-publishing your own book. While you have control over what you publish and when, it also means you have to stay on top of your own social channels. You don’t necessarily have the support of a marketing team that a publishing house may provide.

You can always hire marketing assistants or a public relations company to help you, but that can get expensive.

So it’s up to you as the author to stay on top of what you post and engage with your readers to show them that you care.

What To Post On A Facebook Author Page

The good news is, Facebook author pages are easier to manage than an author website. Everything’s in one place and you can view insights, ads, and schedule posts directly on the Facebook platform.

To stay motivated, treat your page as a learning opportunity. At first you might not know what to post, how to manage ads, or how to reply to a bad review — but it’s all part of the process.

Consider what you want to share with your readers. Think of the images, colors, and motifs that you associate with your work, and how you can use them to your advantage for marketing yourself and your book. As a published author you’re also now a brand, so make sure what you share aligns with it.

If you have a self-published business book or history novel, it might not make sense to share flashy pop culture content as this doesn’t resonate with your audience. Instead, post content that’s relevant to your work as a writer and makes sense for you.

Consider your audience and follow through with the type of content they followed you for. This doesn’t mean you can’t put out new or unique content, but readers will definitely stay with you if you honor at least some of your roots.

If you have a new publication coming out, you can post about it on your page and create an ad well in advance of your release. This will get new eyes on your content, as well as grabbing the attention of your already established fans.

Why You Should Create a Facebook Author Page

When it comes to finding your readers, chances are a large percentage of them are on Facebook. So why not engage with them there on an author page?

As a self-published author you have the unique opportunity to control much of the process, from book cover design to what you share on your feed. By using Facebook pages, you can meet your readers where they are and build success as a self-published author.

Manage ads, share new blogs, and drum up excitement for your next release — all in one place. A Facebook author page shows others that you’re serious about your writing, and helps you take the next step forward as a self-published author.

Now that you’re ready to get your FB author page up and running, it’s time to funnel traffic to your page and sell more copies of your self-published book.

Discover how to find new fans and sell your book on Facebook >