Pages, or Fan Pages as some people call them, are one of the best ways to promote your book or cause on Facebook. They are often known as Public Timelines. Make sure you understand how they work for authors. Fan pages are much more flexible than groups and won’t dilute your profile with strangers. Here is how to create a page of your own.
In my experience, authors who “friend” people they don’t know soon hate Facebook.
My recommendation is to use Facebook to connect to friends and use pages to connect with strangers. You need to ask yourself if you want friends or fans on Facebook.
4 Reasons Facebook Pages are Better Than Facebook Groups
- Send messages to fans based on location. Speaking in Detroit? Send a message inviting your Detroit fans to come.
- Update a status. With each update Facebook puts more and more emphasis on status updates. Groups can’t have a status. Pages can.
- Have a username. You can’t get Facebook.com/BookName with a group but you can with a page. For instance Facebook.com/AuthorTechTips goes to our Facebook page. It’s easy to share and easy to use.
- Scale. Pages handle lots of people better than groups. If you plan on having 100,000 fans you will want a page for sure.
Tweetables
- I just learned how to set up my own Facebook page. Thanks, @AuthorMedia. – Click to tweet.
- So that’s how you set up a Facebook page! – Click to tweet.
- Friends don’t let friends recommend random Facebook pages to friends. – Click to tweet.
Step #1 Register the Page
To register the page visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and pick a category and a name for your group. It isn’t easy to change the name of the page, so choose carefully. You will also want to make sure that you have selected the appropriate category.
Step #2 Customize the Page
Once you have your page up you need to add a cover photo, description, and personality. Make sure the images are the correct dimension and of professional quality.
The description or “about page” is very important. Make sure it is short and you include a link back to your author website. Facebook should not be your main strategy. It should point people back to your main website.
Your page needs personality. Don’t let it become just another bland page on the internet. On the Author Media Facebook page, we are always asking questions, suggesting articles, or putting up encouraging quotes.
Step #3 Suggest the Page to Friends
Once you get your page ready to go click the “suggest to friends” link underneath your page’s image.
Generally, you only want to suggest your page to friends you think would get some benefit from the page. Why would someone join your Facebook group? What benefit is there to them? The benefits of joining the Author Media page is that you get notified of events in your area and get updates when new tips come out.
What do you think?
- Do you dislike pages because they are sometimes called “Fan Pages?”
- Did these tips work for you?
- Do you have any questions or need any help?
If this was helpful to you would you consider suggesting the Author Media page to your friends?
Well explained, helpful, practical.. In short, you rock.
To rename the page from the cryptic URL Facebook initially assigns, go to http://www.facebook.com/username/
The page needs 100 fans before you can rename it and the name you choose can't be changed later.
I am a writer whose debut book "Ammunition for Gods Soldiers" will be published in less than a month. Upon receipt of the new Writers digest magazine with the best websites for writers listed, authortechtips caught my attention because I definitely need help in this area. I have been on the site for a couple of days and it is extrememly informative and knowledgeable. I am responding to the facebook in 3 steps post. I have a regular facebook account. I have been trying to update it to a business facebook account and have been unsuccessful. They say you can only have one account with facebook. How do I convert my regular facebook page to a business page? Does what you wrote about 3 steps count for someone who has a regular facebook page already? Thanks, Patricia Hall
Hey Patricia,
A Facebook fan page is something you add to your existing account. The first step is to log in with your personal account and then go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to register your page.
Are you saying create an official page or a community page?
I'm talking about creating a Official Page in this post.
I dugg some of you post as I cogitated they were invaluable very beneficial
Can you create a fan page if you don’t have a book in waiting, but more of reserving a name/spot/page so to speak. I’m an MFA student and will graduate in a year, but I don’t want to wait a year to start connecting with potential readers.
Thanks.
Really love your blog. So helpful. 🙂
Thank you for the encouragement to create a page for my book series on Facebook.
My Laura Hile author page has posts from my blog, but the idea that a book page can give fans information on my characters, how the series came to be, etc., is intriguing.
Well. We live in exciting times for writers, or so I tell myself. I work as the production crew for my book — screenwriter, director, set designer, plus I act out all the parts. And now, thanks to the climate social media provides, I am the marketing crew. I’m promoting my books in ways that my (very small, very part-time) publisher cannot — or is unwilling to — do.
I’ve read your posts about using Pinterest, and will be taking that on. Eventually. Facebook might be a time robber, but Pinterest? That’s the writer’s intergalactic Black Hole time sink!
The choice of, a Facebook page, to boast the online traffic, to the website, convinces me as well.
The mention, of a Pinterest profile, is relevant as well, as things change, with the modern times.
I belief, the tips are quite relevant, for aspiring authors.
Good post.
Well, I think I did it correctly. I am stuck about the ad option though. Do I want this? What would I do with it? I feel pretty green here… thanks for your help!
No, you don’t need to buy ads. That is just Facebook trying to make some $.
Thanks Thomas. I have a children’s book publishing in about 10 days and my stomach is turning around in knots! This may be a way of easing my book into the world. Thank you!
Just put up my facebook page this week, so great timing!
So what is the best way to get more fans without ads, and without being invasive to your friends? My first book is about to come out.
I am trying to send out a Facebook message for my friends on my personal fb to like my professional fb page. Everyone says it is so easy, I read your post and still couldn’t find it. My writers fb page has been set up for over a month but am now ready to start inviting people to like since I now have some blog posts. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have a few fb pages known and want to make a group message where we can all talk about the pages in one spot. How do I create one?
How can I keep my profile private and my page public? Changing the settings on one appears to automatically set the same criteria for the other. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Good