Today I’m delighted to welcome Kim Nash, Publicity and Social Media Manager for Bookouture to the RNA Blog.

Hello and welcome Kim. Can you give us a few hints on how to promote our books using Social Media, please?

I think for me THE two most important things about social media are being authentic and being engaging.

Don’t try to be someone that you are not.  Just be yourself or you will find it really hard.   Express yourself on social media the same way as you would in life.  Find a way to enjoy using social media, or a platform that you enjoy.  Maybe pick one to start with and do it well rather than try to do everything.  There is only so much time you have to spend on social media, without it taking over your life and you need to write your books as well as promote them.  It’s hard to get the balance right.

With regards to engagement, you wouldn’t walk up to someone in the street and say “BUY MY BOOK!”  Well, hopefully you wouldn’t!  You’d meet someone new maybe, and get to know them, engage with them, chat to them and somewhere in all of that conversation, it will naturally come out that you are an author and are writing.  Then you can start the “here’s the link to my book if you are interested” conversation or they will automatically notice it.

This works in both groups and on your own author page and in groups.  Don’t just go in and drop a link and then go away! Get known in a group, ask questions, ask for or offer advice, talk to people, help others.  The more you help others to promote their books and writing, the more inclined they’ll be to help you too.  In general, be kind.  We all need more kindness in the world.

I would suggest setting up a separate author page on Facebook so that people who are interested in your writing, can follow you and that you don’t saturate your personal profile with book related posts all the time.  Keep your profile page for your personal and family interactions.  Readers are interested in you and your writing career, so tell them about where your inspiration comes from, what your writing space looks like (we all like a nosey into someone else’s life and home LOL!),  what you like to read.  Use photos where possible.

If you want somebody to do something on social media, DO ASK.   Don’t hint.  We live in a society where we read things quickly, so do say that you’d love people to share your cover, or you’d love them to retweet something.  We don’t pick up on hints very often!

Bloggers are an amazing group of people who can help to support you.  Most book bloggers that I know are totally incredible people who just totally love books and will do all they can to support authors.  But again, make friends with them.  They are giving up their time and energy to promote books for free.  Give them something back, even if all you can offer is your time.

And finally make it easy for people.  If you want them to pre-order your book, tell them that to pre-order your book, all they have to do is click the link and then give them the link.  If you don’t do that, people will rarely go away and look for your book.  You have to make it easy.

I hope that some of this helps.

Thanks so much for sharing that brilliant advice with us, Kim. Would you mind answering the following questions too.

You run a book blog called ‘Kim the Bookworm’ too, don’t you? What made you take the step of working full time for a publisher?

I have a very large number of years of sales/marketing experience behind me and was working for a PR company and then helping authors to promote their books in my spare time.   I realised that I began to love what I was doing in my spare time, more than I was loving my full time job, and knew I needed to make some changes in my own life, so I very cheekily, when Oliver Rhodes from Bookouture, sent me an email asking me to review a book he was publishing, asked him if he ever needed, or knew anyone that needed any PR/sales support.  We chatted and it was at a time that Bookouture was growing and I started working freelance for a while then was taken on full time.  Bookouture has grown dramatically over the years since I joined and it’s so amazing to have been here right from the start, when it was just a tiny baby, grow through the toddler and teenage times, and to watch it bloom and develop into an adult, and become a publisher of choice for many. I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the chance and I work with THE most bright, talented and brilliant team of people who are just awesome.  BEST! JOB! EVER!

What’s your favourite Social Media platform?

I love Facebook most and get more interaction there than anywhere else.  I think it helps me because I am a single parent with an 11 year old child, so I feel that I always have someone to talk to, if I need to.

Do you have a favourite genre that you like to read?

My favourite genre is women’s fiction but I do mix it up with some psychological and crime thrillers and I also love a bit of self-help/personal development too!

It sounds like you’re a very busy woman. What do you do to relax?

I am quite busy.  When I’m not standing on the sidelines watching my son train or play football, I can normally be found walking our bonkers English Setter on Cannock Chase which is the most stunning forest just up the road from where I live.   I do still read a lot although I’ve not been able to take on quite as many reviews as I used to.  I obviously write in my spare time and spend quite a lot of time procrastinating about writing too! Apart from that, I really do need a new hobby, something more creative and am open to suggestions.  Sensible ones of course!

I hear that you’ve turned writer, Kim, and that your debut book is coming out soon. Can you tell us something about it?

I have indeed! Still can’t believe it to be honest.  Amazing Grace, an uplifting romantic comedy is out on 10^th April.

The main character Grace, who thought she had it all, is now a single mom in need of a shake-up in her life.  When hot gardener Vinnie comes on the scene, her ex husband Mark begs her for another chance and she has the dilemma of does she reunite her family, or does she risk it for a new chance of happiness.

My publisher (Hera Books) describes it as a funny, feel good romance about finding your own path and changing your life for the better.

Thanks for talking to us, Kim. You can pre-order Kim’s book here:

https://amzn.to/2MIAM7k 

More about Bookouture and their submission guidelines can be found here: Bookouture

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Kim was talking to Karen King.  Karen writes sassy, heart-warming romance and edgy YA with a heart. You can find out more about her here: Website

And you can follow her on Twitter and Facebook