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Setting up an author page on facebook
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I would also love to hear thoughts. I too have a pen name-the one I use here and a separate business in my real name. I haven't done a separate FB thing yet for author-me because I'm really not sure what to do with it.
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She set it up so that we can all comment as the author- so when she runs a Facebook party or a promotion, she can log in as one of us and respond to people. I am logged in to all their pages and respond as the author as well. If you want to build an audience, you have to respond to people right away. Since I have the time, I usually take care of it.
In answer to your question, Elina, Julie set it up where there is no link between our personal lives and our pen names. They are fully active pages and they do everything a personal page does. Michael has something like 16000 or 17000 followers. In truth, I don't know how she did it. I have I think somewhere in the 6000 range and his nonfiction has about the same. I experimented a lot in the beginning and saw sales when we advertised on Facebook. She'll place an ad and I boost it and we watch the sales spike.
I too have 2 facebook accounts, one private and one pen name. I set up my author PAGE on Facebook from my author profile so that there is no connection. It works for me... I second Carole but my numbers are still waaaaay low as it is all quite new. I can only dream of those kinds of numbers!! How on earth?? Or is it simply a matter of time?
Avery wrote: "Yeah, I just got finished setting up an FB account for my pen name. Made myself an admin of my own author page, an admin of my "Street Team" group, and got readded to an author group I belong in. A..."It feels crazy when doing it, but now I stay logged in to my author stuff on the computer and personal on the phone so that I don't have to think about it all the time LOL
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Julie wrote: "You may one day run into a problem having more than one account. It wasn't long ago that Facebook went on a spree removing accounts that were linked to the same person. It could happen again. You m..."This is true. The other business I have has a business page attached to my real name. (FB approved way of doing it) Colleagues have had things removed because they hadn't done the right thing according to FB. I think seeing as I have to maintain a business page for the other thing and a personal page because people will assume I'm dead if I don't-I'll probably end up having an author page in this pen name linked to my real name. It won't be at all confusing. Or more likely no-one will care.
Julie wrote: "You may one day run into a problem having more than one account. It wasn't long ago that Facebook went on a spree removing accounts that were linked to the same person. It could happen again. You m..."Thank you for this, Julie. I'm getting ready to set up an author page on Facebook and will now set up a personal page and link them together.
I have had 2 facebook accounts for a long time and one is private and the other under my pen name. The author page is made out of the author profile so that it doesn't connect with my private one. I have a friend who is also a full admin on my Author Page so if anything happens to any of my private accounts, there is someone who can add me back in. I did this because someone had their Facebook account compromised, which could happen to any of us on any day. They needed to delete their account (it was their only account and it was personal) but because their friend was an admin of the Page, they could add her new account back in. It is the Page that we build up over the years and need to protect, whether we have one or three accounts doesn't really matter :)
Thank you for your comments! So there are both sides represented here. And I'm still confused what I should do. I'm kind of leaning towards the pen name profile, but I don't want it to be compromised or taken down, of course.
Thanks Jennifer for the tip with the Page and setting up a friend as an admin. Didn't think of that. But to build the page on which account... well I have to think about it some more.
Thanks for the advice!
I'm still not sure either. I've had two FB accounts for years, one unused. One has the business page on it. I'm loathed to have many more. My daughter's account got hacked, couldn't get it back. So there's that risk-there are things in place to prevent that now. All things to consider. Most of it leaves me cold lol.
I just set up my fb accounts - one under my pen name and an author page for my pen name. I needed them separate from my personal fb page so two new accounts were the way to go. It was fairly easy and I don't foresee any problems.
This is a great question and I'm still learning FB lol (just got mine up and running a few months ago).I have a question: can you just create a page off of your personal FB page, so that the other page could be set up for only your fans? I don`t want to have both fans and friends communicating under the same FB timeline.
Yes you can do a separate page or a group on FB for that.
Erin Lee Daniels wrote: "I just set up my fb accounts - one under my pen name and an author page for my pen name. I needed them separate from my personal fb page so two new accounts were the way to go. It was fairly easy a..."I've read some stories on how Fb can shut the profile down if you can't prove it's really you. This is why I'm concerned. I want to have different profiles and create the page under my pen name profile and put my real profile as an admin to that page. But well, does that mean I have to handle three different sites? My personal fb, pen name profile, and the Page...
Part of the confusion is that Facebook (and the people who use it) call both personal accounts and PAGES, "Facebook Pages" which gets really confusing. I wrote a blog post in January on this topic and the difference as part of a series I wrote on social media (I'll add a link at the end of this). Here are some of the things to consider:If you use a pen name to write and it is around the place (on other sites that you have like your blog, email address etc), then that is still you, especially if the pen name is related to you semi-legally (ie it is a family name, your maiden name, your mother's maiden name etc). The problem is that nothing is set in concrete. A good friend has only one facebook account, has had it forever, never got into any trouble, but changed her name when she got married last week and Facebook would not accept her new name as it is also the name of a thing (like White, Wise etc) and she had to show ID to prove it, yet her husband had had no problem signing up using the exact same name.
Another thing to consider is that if you build your facebook PAGE from your personal one, they will be connected whether you like it or not. When you write on your PAGE it will appear on the newsfeeds of your friends, and you can't stop that. If you don't mind then that is absolutely fine, in fact heaps of people allow all their friends and family to see their business stuff because they are proud of it and because they can help to support it.
But some of us use pen names because of our stories and we need to keep the line between personal and private very strong.
The only way to keep them separate on Facebook is to have two totally unrelated Facebook accounts, each with their own email address, but they are both you. Many people have two, one for personal and one for professional. As mentioned above, there are all kinds of risks, whether real or imaginary, and new risks rise all the time. So having a backup of a second or even a third admin can protect the PAGE which will continue to exist even if the facebook account behind it is removed.
https://jenniferpeacocksmith.wordpres...
PS: If you want a Facebook AUTHOR PAGE to be successful, then you need to be active and interact with other people and groups. You also cannot do anything on your PAGE unless you are checked into Facebook using an account. You can only post as the author of your PAGE if you are signed in as the account behind it. So when you are sharing and liking and so on, on your PAGE, sometimes you will purposefully or accidently like or comment as the account. Some things can only be done as the account holder and not the PAGE. I am sorry if this doesn't make sense. However, when you do this activity, it appears on the Newsfeeds of your friends. Hence people often have 2 different accounts.
Jennifer, your blog post was very helpful - thank you!
Jennifer wrote: "Part of the confusion is that Facebook (and the people who use it) call both personal accounts and PAGES, "Facebook Pages" which gets really confusing. I wrote a blog post in January on this topic ..."Thank you, Jennifer! This was very enlightening and made me really sure what I want to do. So I need to get a new account for my pen name, set up an author Page under it and get two or three admins (including my personal Fb account?) to it to keep it safe in case something happens to my pen name account. I really don't want my personal account's friends to see all the time what I'm doing with my Page so this is my only option.
Thanks! :)
Christine wrote: "Jennifer, your blog post was very helpful - thank you!"Thank you! :)
Elina wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Part of the confusion is that Facebook (and the people who use it) call both personal accounts and PAGES, "Facebook Pages" which gets really confusing. I wrote a blog post in Janua..."I have thought about that a bit and I am not sure that I would have my personal account as an admin or even connected to it. A couple of trusted friends should do the trick. They don't even have to do anything, it is just that if anything happens to your personal Facebook account, you can start a new one and they can add you back in as admin of your own Page :) I hope that helps!
I don't know if this is even relevant to the discussion-just because you post something publicly on whatever part of FB you have set up-doesn't mean a load of people will see it. My other business page is limited to the local area of thousands of accounts (and has to be limited due to the nature of the business) yet my posts only ever reach a maximum of 50people. And only if I post at 7.30pm. Having that FB business page has done nothing to help my other business and it's probably the case that it's mainly my colleagues that see my posts rather than members of the public who may be interested in my services. You just don't see everything that's posted. (Another reason why I haven't rushed to set up another entity)
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You are correct that posting at different times may mean more views, but if you try posting more content that engages readers, asks for some response or posting messages that stir a response, you should see things pick up across the board as far as views. People post different memes between posts and things that make people laugh or create discussions. That should help boost your views overall and get people to come back to your page on their own. It takes time to build a following, but don't give up. I would suggest changing things up to see how it works out.
Anyone else notice the new setup and all the crap they keep adding for Facebook pages? Oh my goodness! So I remember making my Facebook page back in 2011 when the setup was simple and you could navigate through your page easily. Now they've added so many new features and changed so many compartments that I hardly go on there anymore. I am trying more and more to figure out how everything works and the placement of all the app features and what not but ugh.
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I have just set up an author page on FB. Yes it was tedious. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with it. Or if I'll have a lot of time to do it. I've now got author Twitter, FB, two blogs, FB for another business-that other business to run and a family.I'm having a bit of a "meh" attitude to filling in all the boxes. On personal information I said I had two arms and two legs and my noses itches. Probably not what they meant, but it's what they got.
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What do you do with it though? I've got one book out. I rarely mention that in my blog because I'd die of boredom let alone anyone else. I blog about twice a week due to the risk of committing terminal boredom there. All I can come up with on FB is sharing memes about animals.
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Carole wrote: "Julie handles facebook for me. I don't know how to load material. She keeps people engaged by constantly posting information related to the books. On mine, she'll put recipes or pretty pictures abo..."Thanks for the ideas.
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If you think that your goal is to attract people to your social media to buy your book, then in order to get noticed you have to post things they will find inviting. If someone who is into the same sort of stuff as you sees it and enjoys it, they will invite friends with similar interests. So, when picking things for Facebook, think about your genre, what will make some pause and think about it and if you are lucky, invite someone else to read it.
Content will be tricky with erotica on most platforms-rules.
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Amy wrote: "I have just set up an author page on FB. Yes it was tedious. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with it. Or if I'll have a lot of time to do it. I've now got author Twitter, FB, two blogs, FB f..."I have the same thoughts. I registered as author-me, didn't set up a page yet, though. I think I know what to do with it, (50% business 50% fun, make them interact etc. Post an ad once in a while...) but that's when I have someone to follow me and when I actually have something to say there. What do one say when nothing is out yet? I have to start somewhere, right? It kind of feels tricky, this you know, getting everything started.
Maybe I should I start a blog and share my blog posts there.
I've started being more active on my author Facebook account. They say for all social media the 8-/20 rule really helps to be seen as real and authentic and not plugging our own stuff. So the trick is (and this is another reason that having your profile your author one and not your personal one) is that you can spend a few days (over a week or in one or two sittings) and search all your favourite authors in your genre, publishers etc and like like like and follow. Then even if you never do that again, every time you open your newsfeed, it is filled with all the authory sites that you like (and each others). You can share and like stuff (bottom corner of everything in your newsfeed you get to choose whether you share, comment or like using your page or your profile, and then that goes on your own Author wall. That way people see you commenting and get to know you and then they sometimes check you out. If they like your contributions then they are even more likely to follow you... so even if none of your content is unique to you, you can still start to build up a following. :)
Elina: Got to start somewhere I guess. I blog-to myself and probably 2 other people. I share the blog posts to Twitter and FB. There's rarely anything book related in there because there's only one book read by a handful of people. I'll be sharing the blog on my author page which I've managed to get liked by more people than have read my book! There really isn't time to do any more. I haven't written anything all week because I've either been working, dealing with family or doing something promotional. You can only do your best with the time you have available. Give me your FB details-I'll follow you.Jennifer and everyone else: Thanks for all the advice. I think I'm playing the long game. Very long...
Avery wrote: "Amy, I don't know if you can or are able to spend money towards marketing (its difficult for me to, for example), but Facebook ads seem to be a pretty good ROI. For example, I targeted 2 posts (US ..."Nah, I'm hideously in debt. I can justify a fiver at a time at the moment. I have used FB boosts in the past for my other business. What I need to check is if they would actually allow it as my book is erotica. I've heard it's not allowed even though they keep asking me to boost a post.
Also right there with you-Thank you upcoming inheritance. You might be right about lack of body parts and sex acts. I may get away with it. There must be plenty of horror books that are advertised that contain copious sex scenes. (Certainly in the ones I used to read)
Avery wrote: "Hopefully, someone else with a bit more experience will be able to comment. My book is a sports romance, but it does have sex, it's just not expressly advertised that way."No neither is mine. Full of sex and in the erotica category, but has a Sci-Fi cover just because I set it in an office on a different planet!
Amy wrote: "Elina: Got to start somewhere I guess. I blog-to myself and probably 2 other people. I share the blog posts to Twitter and FB. There's rarely anything book related in there because there's only one..."Amy - You can add another to your list. Just followed you so I'll be looking forward to reading your blogs!
Thanks to everyone who has offered FB info on this thread. FB is definitely a weakness for me.
Thank you all! A very helpful thread as I have not set up an FB book or author page but will.
There's some very helpful information in this thread, it's been interesting to read, unfortunately I'm still terrified by Facebook and an author page there. The need to engage with visitors and update regularly without over-stuffing the page with buy me posts or things that are too in your face is a real problem for me. Someday I will learn the social side of this stuff, I hope, in the mean time, I'll keep following the discussion and pick up what tips I can.
Good morning - this is Joyce, I just published "Lines of Listening." Since that endeavor, I have been attending seminars dedicated to the subject of publishing and marketing. Yesterday at our local library, the presenters Jonathan Sturack and Roger Blanck, both published authors, gave focused information concerning dedicated authors. They related having 2 separate websites if you are using facebook. Also, on your author site their advice was to use a standard, current picture of yourself that is clean and professional. This same site should NOT contain any information of family activities or pictures of your family pet - keep it dedicated to business. They noted that each author should be ready to answer a key question, "What is your book about?" This is the first question that each and every person will ask you. You, as an author, should be able to answer this question at any time.
C.C. wrote: "Amy - You can add another to your list. Just followed you so I'll be looking forward to reading your blogs!."Thank you. I'll follow you back when it's all set up. Sometimes FB is a mystery to me, when you followed me I got an option to do nothing or ban you! So that's friendly then :) (I did nothing btw!)
After reading this thread with all the helpful information, I decided to set up a Facebook Author Page.Here is the link: https://facebook.com/ChristineRoneyAu...
It's new - not much on it yet!
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Carole, that's a great idea - thank you!
Could I get some advice about setting up an author fb page? I'm pretty sufficient with my social media skills, but I would like to ask your opinion on something.
I want to keep my personal fb and my author fb accounts separate. I have a pen name because my real name isn't suitable for international markets. But my question is, do you prefer Author Page in fb or just Author Profile?
If I set up an Author Page, can I comment on discussions with my author name or join groups? Is it easier just to have another profile with my pen name instead? (I naturally have a fb profile as real me)
I would love to hear your thoughts!