Pinterest – A New Online Marketing Platform for eBook Writers

As authors rely on words and not images, Pinterest may not seem like the best online marketing platform for those who write for a living—at least, not at first glance. But if you give it a chance and take the time to fully explore its potential, you’ll realize just how helpful this social photo-sharing site can also be to your writing career.

Covers

You can use Pinterest to get readers to vote or comment on which of your uploaded pins would make the best cover illustration for your next book. No matter what the proverb suggests, people still often “judge a book by its covers.”

If you wish, you can also use Pinterest to get feedback on the best layouts for your book. All these can help generate interest in your upcoming release.

Behind-the-Scene Processes

Readers are always curious about the creative and practical process for creating an eBook. However, you should not just post any kind of photo about the work you’re doing to complete a book. It has to be unique – something that non-writers won’t know. Secondly, it should contribute to promoting your book. Here are some ways you can use behind-the-scene images to market your next book.

• Locations you have visited to serve as future setting for your book
• Photos of people you have interview for your nonfiction work
• Favorite spots at home where you write
• Photos which inspire you to write
• Devices and applications you use for creating eBooks
Characters

This is very important especially with works of fiction. Even if your book is plot-driven, characters will still remain an essential element in story writing. They may not make your story progress, but characters can still make your story extra special. Characters are even more important to use in your Pinterest marketing strategy when you are promoting a series rather than a stand-alone novel. For boards that focus on your eBook characters, you can try posting the following types of pins.

• Images of celebrities that remind you or your readers about characters in your photos
• Outfits that you or your readers feel would suit a character for an important occasion, e.g. first dates, weddings, coronation ceremonies

Plot

Boards which focus on the plot in your eBook should not tell everything there is about your story – fiction or otherwise. It must tease and tantalize but not to the point of giving everything away that no hidden surprises are left between the pages of your book. Pins in plot-oriented boards should always serve a purpose – such as the examples provided below.

• Help build the fictional universe in your eBook, especially if you are writing in the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, or horror
• Help explain unique or little-known processes or phenomena featured in your work, e.g. dynamite-making, spontaneous combustion
• Help illustrate pivotal points or settings in your book, e.g. a major crime scene.

Last but not the least, writers should always have boards dedicated primarily to their fans.