Hi Nice To Meet You Buy My Book
Social media has been a double-edged sword for self-published authors for a while now. On one hand, it’s a place where writers can connect, share tips, and support each other. On the other, it often devolves into a noisy marketplace where everyone is shouting about their latest book, hoping someone—anyone—will hear. The result is a strange, self-referential echo chamber where authors pitch their work almost exclusively to other authors. This begs the question: who exactly are we trying to connect with?
The heart of the issue lies in audience clarity. Many of us treat social media as a catch-all tool, lumping together readers and fellow authors in one nebulous glob. However, these groups have vastly different needs. Readers are looking for stories that captivate, entertain, or provoke thought. Fellow authors, while occasionally interested in your work, are primarily focused on their own creative endeavors. By constantly pitching to each other, we risk alienating both groups—peers grow weary of the relentless self-promotion, and readers are left wondering if they're part of a community or just a target demographic.
What kind of relationship do we really want with readers? If the only goal is to sell books, we might as well turn our social media into a wall of ads. But readers crave more than that. They want to connect with the person behind the stories, to see the thought process, the struggles, and the victories that go into crafting a book. That relationship, built on genuine interaction and shared passion, is far more likely to lead to loyal fans than a constant barrage of "Buy my book!" posts. (Not that I have any evidence of that.)
Similarly, our relationships with other authors should be about collaboration, not competition. Instead of seeing each other as rival brands in an oversaturated marketplace, we could focus on building a supportive network where success for one raises the profile of all. That might mean stepping back from the constant self-promotion to let others shine—or even shifting our marketing strategies entirely to engage with readers directly, in spaces where their attention isn’t already overwhelmed by similar pitches.
Ultimately, the challenge is one of balance: finding a way to separate the cacophony of peer-to-peer promotion from the authentic engagement readers crave. And if, like me, you can't seem to figure out how to do that, there's always good old-fashioned cynicism to fall back on. Sometimes you just have to throw your hands in the air, delete all the apps from your phone, and focus on writing books and tweaking Amazon Ads. Either success finds you, or it doesn't.
Who's with me? We've worked hard enough to make Zuck rich.
Let's make Bezos rich instead!
Anyway buy my books.
