Outreach online

What’s your social media strategy? Do you try to promote a brand or a reputation?

Although I participate, I’m no expert on social media. Since I got onboard, the idea’s been simple: to network and build relationships. On the personal side, these platforms keep me connected, and they’ve also allowed me to meet new friends, many who I’ve had a chance to get together with at a variety of writer events. 

On the business side, the idea is to gain attention and followers. For me, it means joining groups, chatting, commenting, posting images and clips of new books, upcoming events and so on. On Facebook, there are my personal and author’s pages, as well as various Writers’ groups I’ve joined. Business ads can be had and posts can be boosted. There’s also X which is good for real-time posts and ads can be bought here as well to help broaden the audience. Instagram’s another place to post images and videos. And Goodreads connects me with others who share the love of books. Aside from making connections, there are reviews and comments on just about everything that’s ever been published as well as letting me know about new releases. I like that it lets me keep track of the books I’ve read as well as the ones I want to put on my TBR pile. And it allows me to set up some giveaways of my own new releases.

Joining these sites is free, excerpt for the ads, post boosts, and giveaways, and they are all a great ways to drive attention to my website, here to the Criminal Minds site, and to my own blog site Off the Cuff.

And since we’re on the topic of promotion, I may as well tell you about my

next novel called Crooked. It’s published by ECW Press and launches on September 24th. 

Here’s the synopsis:

Notorious outlaws Alvin Karpis and Fred Barker meet the old-fashioned way: serving time in Kansas State Prison. After their release in 1931, the two reconnect and form the infamous Barker-Karpis Gang and begin a spree of robberies that leave a wake of terror in their path, including two dead cops. Now hunted in several states, the gang settles into hiding in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they thrive under the protection of a crooked police chief, who happily turns a blind eye to their activities — so long as they commit crimes outside of his jurisdiction. With increased security at banks, the Barker-Karpis Gang switches to kidnapping, catching the attention of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI and landing them at the top of the most-wanted list.

The cover’s being finalized, and as yet there are no planned events around the launch, but once it’s all finalized, the info will be posted — you guessed it — at the various social media sites.