Keeping Social Media in Perspective when Choosing Books to Read

In some ways, social media is a beautiful monster. For every positive development of the various social media platforms, something negative followed. The endless cycle continues and will continue to do so for as long as social media exists. At least, that’s my estimate.

For the book-loving community, the same issue has come about, amazing positives and disappointing negatives war over the same community. Digging through the sludge can be difficult as well, but very much worth it to find a hidden treasure among the vast number of new books released each year.

Especially following the global pandemic of COVID-19, self-publishing took off; more and more books are being published each year by individuals instead of through an established publishing house. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of self-published books increased 7.2% (Albanese, A. and Milliot, J., 2024). The additional titles being published through self-publishing means is great news for aspiring authors and voracious readers alike.

For many of these self-published authors, social media plays a vital role in increasing readership, interest, and sales. But, how are these authors doing this successfully, and is it necessarily a good thing?

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2025 – There is no shortage of social media platforms for people to be involved with, though some of the more popular platforms continue to be Facebook and Instagram. Social media allows authors to establish a loyal fan base through interaction with consumers, creating a newsletter where fans can stay up to date with the author, their lives, and even receive free or discounted books. Newsletters act as a great avenue for authors to build a fan base quickly, spreading the word of their work to interested individuals.

I stay up to date with some of my favorite authors with their bi-weekly or monthly newsletters. Considering one of them is a rapid release author, reading her newsletters ensures I never miss a new release, and she has several each year (almost one per month).

Not only does social media connect authors and fans, but holy cow, the number of creatives that come out to show their love for their favorite series is insane! Artists, musicians, and other writers create works inspired by books and share that art with the world! The sheer number of art and songs, and fanfic I’ve seen inspired by books like ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, Gild, etc., is beautiful and amazing. Many of these artists are also independent, and so sharing through social media creates a unique opportunity for artists of various media to support each other publicly.

Social Media can introduce you to new authors that you end up loving! Some of my favorite authors I discovered through ads on Facebook, followed them to Amazon, and the rest is history. In fact, the majority of the books on my Kindle came from random ads or notices on social media. Some of those authors, I’ve purchased over 20 books from. Some of those authors, I’ve done interviews with.

These are authors who may never have books on the Walmart shelf or at any well-known, easily accessible location. Self-published authors aren’t as likely to have their books readily available to the public, but by utilizing social media to connect with other book-lovers and authors, you may open your eyes to an entire treasure trove of otherwise unknown authors and works.

Image by: Adrienne Andersen w/ Pexels

Now, the downside of social media. Sometimes, people just stink. Too many people find fascination and joy in trolling authors, sometimes leaving 1 star reviews on works they’ve never purchased or read. Negative reviews can be extremely detrimental to a self-published author’s work, especially since those reviews can affect ranking on different sales platforms and discourage new readers. Additionally, there is often very little that can be done about these reviews since it’s difficult to prove the legitimacy of the review. It’s a hard world out there, and not letting those few negative or false reviews get you down is important.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)’s involvement in the arts is a painful reality for artists, musicians, and writers. Unfortunately, AI’s influence on platforms such as Amazon has increased as more individuals create “books” for consumption, and those books create additional competition for legitimate authors.

Author profiles can also be hacked, adjusted, and eventually shut down if hacking occurs or low-quality products are released under an author’s name without consent. This has led to some authors having their profiles removed completely, shutting down an important avenue of revenue and connection with fans. Amazon, as well as any other social media accounts, are at risk for being taken advantage of, and authors may struggle to ward against this type of attack.

This one hurts, but in truth, it does happen. Sometimes, some books just don’t live up to the hype. Especially with the rise of self-published books, not every work is professionally written, professionally edited, and can leave a reader feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. With social media influencers now able to make an income from their suggestions, books supported by these influencers may not necessarily be the quality one would expect from a book that receives so much hype.

Read the reviews, read the blurbs and synopsis, and if it’s available, read the “look ahead” to see if this book is one that you’re interested in reading. By doing your research ahead of time, you may be able to determine if the book sounds like something you’d truly like to read. This can help reduce reader dissatisfaction and negative reviews overall, and help you, the reader, receive a great new read!

Reviews are the lifeblood of all authors, especially self-published authors. Your review means just as much, if not more, than your purchase, and by leaving an honest review, you’re not only showing your love to the author themselves, but also to other readers. The review doesn’t need to be long and detailed, even just a few words is awesome.

Love social media or hate it, it’s here to stay, and its impact on the book world is being seen and felt by readers and authors alike. Keep reading and showing love to your favorite authors, check out new ones, and share with anyone who will bother to listen.

Happy reading!

References

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96468-self-publishing-s-output-and-infuence-continue-to-grow.html