The Writing Edge for Business Writers: 3/31/17

Mar 31, 2017 | Resource Lists

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Every week I point you to articles and blog posts that I think will teach you something or spark an idea or two. Some weeks there are more pointers than others.

This week I’m pointing you to two pieces on how authors can use social media. Originally, I selected three posts, but when I reviewed them, I noticed that on expert author didn’t mention a social media handle in the post or in her bio. I thought, “How savvy can she be about social media if she doesn’t care enough to put her own social media information in or near her post?” Then I thought, “Maybe she doesn’t have a Twitter handle or Facebook page or anything.” And then I thought, “There’s no way I can publish this person’s recommendations as ‘expert advice.”

Below, you’ll find pointers to two posts about social media by authors who demonstrate that they use social media.

From Andrea Dunlop: Stop Focusing on Follower Count: 5 Better Approaches for Improving Social Media Use

“As an author and social media marketer, I spend a lot of time thinking about the intersection of books and social media. I also know intimately the fatigue and overwhelm that comes from feeling like you have to be not only creating great work, but forever seeking new and ingenious ways to promote it. The quickest way to tire yourself out in this process is to set your eye on the wrong target, creating a Sisyphean struggle that is more likely to leave you feeling defeated than accomplishing even the most modest of marketing goals.”

From Frances Caballo: 5 Tools Every Indie Author Should Use

“There are some applications that I know aren’t going to abandon me, and so today I am taking the risk of suggesting that there are five tools that indie authors can’t be without. Ready to see which ones they are?”

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writing Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

Frances Caballo

Jane Friedman

jeffbullas.com

Joel Friedlander

Joanna Penn

Melissa G. Wilson

Men with Pens

Merce Cardus

Problogger

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence