Pinterest is the latest social media phenomenon. It is the online equivalent of an old school cork board. You can use it to organize and store your interests online, as well as to share your interests with other people who are following you. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, you can choose which aspects of a person’s interests you would like to follow. If you’re not interested in cooking, you don’t have to follow someone’s cooking or recipe board if you don’t want to. Since the site is largely a visual medium, it may seem like an odd place to go as an author, but if you learn how to use it to your advantage, it can be a really useful tool. Here are some tips for using your Pinterest account for self-promotion and book promotion.
1. Create a bulletin board with shots of all your favorite novels or novels that are similar to your work. Try using the theme “If you like my book, you will love these”, or something similar, and be sure to include an image of your book, because you will also attract fans of other books, who then become more curious about your work .
2. You can use your Pinterest to create visual representations of your novel and you can encourage your fans to participate and interact with you by doing the same. If you draw, you can share your character images, but if you don’t, you can always include photos of some of your work locations.
3. Share teasers about your latest job. Make sure the board is properly labeled so fans know there will be trailers, in case they don’t want to find any information. Never include anything that could spoil the end of the book. Teaser images that are more difficult to interpret are great, because they will get your fans talking about the meanings and will whet their appetites.
4. If your new book needs cover art, encourage fans to design and post images of their ideas for its cover. This is a good idea if your book is part of a series, as readers will already have good ideas about how they imagine the characters and setting. If your publisher already has cover ideas, you can post some alternate versions to find out which one is the most popular.
5. Run contests on Pinterest that require users to “re-paint” your book covers or something else associated with your work. You might consider a contest in which readers create a board based on their interpretations of their favorite book. Not only will this be a great free advertisement, but it can also be a great way to see exactly how your readers are interpreting your books.
6. Make sure there is a “pin” button on all your other websites, including your blog and your editors page. This encourages Pinterest users to pin and share their work, and makes it as easy as possible.
Using Pinterest as an author can be a great way to promote yourself and is another great medium to express your creativity.