Algorithm and Blues: Five Things We Can Learn From The App That Almost Wasn’t

Welcome to Five On Fridays, my weekly straight-no-chaser newsletter where I help demystify the publishing industry for new writers and early-career authors. Let’s jump right in.

The app responsible for changing the way authors and the publishing industry promote books is back in business. But the ultimate fate of TikTok is still up in the air, and the maybe, perhaps NSyncing of the app (🎶 baby, bye, bye, bye 🎶 ) is sending shock waves throughout an industry that has spent the last few years banking on BookTok. But whatever happens to TikTok moving forward, there are lessons writers and the publishing industry can learn from the turmoil.

Don’t plant seeds on land you don’t own

Even before I published my first novel, Free Falling, one lesson was continually being drummed into my head: start a newsletter. From Mark Dawson to Joanna Penn to Jane Friedman, the folks who really know publishing, have emphasized the importance of owning your list—your means of connecting with your readers. I tell every author I know––no matter the genre, no matter their desired path to publishing––to start a newsletter. But most authors don’t. Why? Newsletters can be time-consuming to put together (ask me how I know). And, to be honest, they just aren’t “my book went viral on BookTok” sexy. But what they are, is a means of collecting the email addresses of potential readers and fans, email addresses that aren’t dependent on an algorithm and won’t disappear if TikTok does an NSync or Meta decides facts just don’t matter anymore.

Relying on going viral is not a plan

I once saw a job posting for a social media manager at a publishing house, and I kid you not, one of the requirements was that the person needed to “create social media posts that go viral.” There are at least a couple of things wrong with this. For one, the expectation that anyone can predict virability in a way to make it happen consistently, demonstrates a deep misunderstanding about how social media works. For another, unless you’re a celebrity or content creator who already has millions of followers, there’s very little chance that one of your posts will go viral. Data suggests that a mere one percent of videos on social media go viral. Going viral is definitely not a plan, and it certainly isn’t something publishers should expect from their authors. And yet, they kind of do.

Publishers need to be honest with themselves and us

We’ve all heard the question from someone in publishing: what’s your social media like? Agents ask, editors ask, publishers ask. What’s your social media following? But even celebrities-turn-authors who have hundreds and thousands, even millions of followers, can end up with slower-than-expected book sales. Connecting with potential readers and creating a fan base is key to finding success as an author, and social media is absolutely one way to reach readers, but tweeting around the clock and posting on Facebook don’t necessarily sell books as well as some folks would have you believe. If they did, wouldn’t publishers have more robust and active social media accounts themselves? Yet, some publishers are now including clauses in publishing contracts specifying the “number of posts required before and after a book is published.” This seems to be something reserved for celebrities and people who already have a huge social media presence, but will it only be a matter of time before publishers start demanding this of less well-known authors? In the meantime, one thing we know helps sell books is building an email list.

There are now more ways than ever to build your list

From Mailerlite to Substack, Constant Contact to Beehiiv, now there are more ways than ever to reach readers, and many of these services offer free plans if you have fewer than a thousand subscribers. There’s going to be a learning curve no matter which service you choose, and it’s going to take time away from your writing (because, doesn’t everything), but it will be worth it in the end. There’s one last lesson for authors this week …

Get a website up. Today. Like, right now.

To illustrate why a website is so important, try to think of the various social media platforms as a friend’s home. You might visit them often, they love you, you love them. They have parties every night and invite all the cool people. Before you know it, you have a couple thousand “close” friends too. But then one day, your friend tells you they’re moving. Tomorrow. And taking all your new friends with them. Or, even worse, maybe you do something (unintentionally) that offends your friend, and the next thing you know, you are persona no grata, standing outside the gate at the cookout with an empty plate in your hand. That’s what relying on social media without having a website and an email list is like: it will leave you hungry and alone. If you don’t have one, do yourself a favor and get one soon. Wix, Squarespace, and Wordpress, are all companies that offer website services.

That wraps up this week's Five On Fridays. Thank you for subscribing and reading. If you found this newsletter helpful, please share it on social media and forward it to your writer friends. Happy writing!

-Grace