If you don’t already have a presence on Instagram, maybe you should — as of September 2015, Instagram hit 400 million monthly active users, more than Twitter’s 316 million monthly active users. Also, according to Socialbakers, the top brands on Instagram have a 50x higher average post engagement rate than on Twitter.
That being said, not every author will have a relevant audience using Instagram. 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35, so some genre authors might have a harder time building a fanbase on Instagram than a Young Adult or New Adult author. So just because a lot of people are using a particular social network doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth your time.
If you do think Instagram is worth testing out, though, here are some great examples of authors who’ve been able to successfully build an audience and publish content that has connected with many followers. We’ve included a variety of authors, both traditionally and independently published, who write in all different genres. Hopefully this will help give you inspiration for what kind of photos and content to publish on your own Instagram.
We also should note that we’ve chosen to show book-promotion-style Instagram posts for inspiration, but all of these authors also include a variety of personal photos on their Instagram feeds that provide insight into their lives and personalities. We encourage you to scroll through their feeds to see what other kinds of content they post!
1. Maggie Stiefvater – Young Adult
2. J. Daniels – Romance
3. Cheryl Strayed – Memoir
4. Jennifer Niven – Young Adult
5. Tahereh Mafi – Young Adult
6. R.S. Grey – Romance
7. Jon Krakauer – Narrative Nonfiction
8. Ransom Riggs – Young Adult
9. Rainbow Rowell – Young Adult
10. Karina Halle – Romance
11. Elizabeth Gilbert – Memoir
12. Sylvia Day – Romance
13. Dan Brown – Thriller
14. Jennifer L. Armentrout – New Adult & Romance
15. Abbi Glines – New Adult
As you can see by scrolling through these authors’ Instagram feeds, Instagram should be thought of as a way to build relationships with potential readers rather than simply being an advertising platform where you can spam followers with product page links.
Which other authors have a great presence on Instagram? Let us know in the comments below!
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