Do Tweets Equal Sales?

Over at Murderati the wonderful Toni McGee Causey is doing a poll about how our book buying habits are or are not influenced by authors we follow or friend on Facebook or Twitter.

Authorbuzz did a rather extensive survey with some top market research folks and so I've weighed in on what I found out and my personal experience.

Toni asked us to respond to a list of suppositions. So here are the ones that I have some info on.

a) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after I've read their books, not before.

 

Most  independent studies show that is true of most people with not just books but music/film/actors etc.

The single greatest way to get someone to read your book is to get a reader to tell a friend about it. Or to get an "oprah" type bto tell her fans about it. (That "oprah" can be another author telling his fans... a bookclub memeber... or an author on her facebook/twitter feed.)

 

 c) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after someone else has mentioned them / tweeted about them / shared a link, but that's more out of curiosity, and does not mean I will be buying their books.

 

Most people don't follow author until they've read something the author has written or the author is some amazing personality. Personally, I follow people who are clever/smart in tweets or who post interestesting things at Facebook but I never assume either  of those criteria mean they'll write great fiction.

 

 If someone talks about someone's book - I will more likely look up the book than follow the author.

 

 

d)I follow authors on FB/Twitter, and in some cases (or all cases), have then subsequently bought their books.

 

 I just looked at my twitter feed and of authors who I had not read before I followed them and  I have only bought books written by less than 2% of any the authors I met via social networks. If fact a few of the authors I most faithfully follow I've never read and never intend to because I'm not interested at all in the kind of fiction they write. And conversely, three of my favorite authors are not at all that interesting  on Facebook and/or Twitter

 

 

g) I follow authors on FB/Twitter and ended up buying something they recommended. (Doesn't mean I bought that author's books, though.)

 

Yes, if someone I follow on twitter or facebook says something about a book that sounds interesting to me I will go look at it. But that's because the book sounds interesting. I do the same with ads and reviews. I care about what the book is about.

 

When it comes to using social networks or abusing them - authors need to think about it from a basic common sense point of view.

Readers don't buy books until  they pick up the book and read the first few pages - or go to an online store  to read an excerpt or the authors site.

Nothing will change that.

 

 Readers know they do not have to buy fiction blind.

 

 So all the social networking in the world won't change the fact that if they read the first few pages and don't like the book they won't buy it.

At the same time. No one can buy a book if they don't know it exists. So anything you can do to gain name recognition help. Remember. It's a fine line between social networking and screaming.

 

Sometimes you can get people to buy your book as a thank you for a year of great advice on Twitter but that doesn't mean they turn into readers. And as nice as those 100 thank you sales are - you want people who will buy the book, read it and thentell other readers.

I'd rather have one fan who takes me out of the library and talks about my books than 100 sales as thank yous from people who buy me but  put me on the shelf.

 

All our research that  says the real value of Facebook and Twitter is to keep in touch with people who have read you already.

 

Of course of anything is getting your name out there and your title and there is great. So yes, twitter and facebook.

 

But don't make the mistake of thinking that getting 10,000 fans to like your page before your book comes out - or getting 1000 followers who don''t know anything about you will solve your marketing problems.

 

 The most important rule is what really matters it a terrific book. Readers don't  buy fiction blind.

 

 

 

Comments

[Paul Elwork]

This supports all of my thoughts about FB and Twitter as marketing tools...

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawmib-pCQwfiSO0467D0o-ruTJdZbT78Mmg]

I've been seeing the same results on FB & Twitter but I have friends who are telling me publishers took them on because they had a big showing on FB, Twitter. Are we just a head of the analysis? Are publishers desperate?

[KindleClay]

It's not a good idea to let popular opinions sway you when it's about a book. I've found the best way is to wait for that special 'pocket' to be filled.