Q & A with Social Media Expert, Beth Barany

I'm so excited to have you here today, Beth. Would you please share a short bio about yourself?

Rebecca, thanks for having me. I'm a fantasy author, teacher and speaker, and a creativity coach for writers. I live in Oakland, California, with my husband, also a writer, and our two cats. My newest book is Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers, available on Amazon, iTunes, and Nook.

Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person?

 

I do consider myself an introverted person, though not necessarily shy, since I have lots of extroverted qualities, too. I do like networking and meeting new people; I just need to be in the mood for that.

In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career?

I've had a hard time calling attention to my fiction writing, in other words, marketing it, because of my introverted nature. I could probably take more risks than I have. Just knowing this helps me take baby steps out of my comfort zone, little by little. 

In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career?

Being introverted has helped me spend a lot of time by myself writing, putting in the time to make my books as excellent as I can. Being introverted has also helped reach out via social media and communicate with lots of people that way. Social media has allowed me to be social and chatty in ways I never expected I could.

 

What’s the hardest part of this business for you?

Marketing my fiction and nonfiction books is hard for me, though I am getting better at it. I also have the challenge of comparing my marketing actions, or non actions, with other people. A bad habit, I know.

 

Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?

Taking acting and improv class and teaching/speaking classes definitely were outside my comfort zone and helped me get more comfortable being myself in front of people. Now, I actually like presenting to groups.

 

What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?

I think taking improv is a wonderful tool that has really helped me. Also what's helped me has been triathlon training with a group of like-minded women. So I'd recommend sports training or a workout class that you love. It helps to get out of the mind and into the body.

 

Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?

Sure!

Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers by Beth Barany

Social media book marketing is key to building your author platform and to selling more books. For many authors, the idea of sharing themselves with the world through Twitter and other social media platforms can be petrifying.  But in Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers, you will discover simple ways to connect with your audience and potential readers. 

In this easy-to-read guide, written by a shy writer, novelist and teacher, Beth Barany, you'll find the confidence and encouragement to step into social media and the how-to steps on what to say, how to find your followers, and how to present yourself in 140 characters or less.

Amazon (http://bit.ly/TwitterForAuthorsBarany)

 

Where can my readers find you on the web?

Here's a list of my social media locations and sites. Thanks for having me on your site, and for helping me take a step outside my comfort zone! :-)

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/HenriettaTheDragonSlayer

TWITTER      

http://www.twitter.com/beth_barany

PINTEREST  

http://pinterest.com/bethbarany/

GOODREADS          
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4169630.Beth_Barany

WEBSITE      

http://www.bethbarany.com/

WRITING BLOG     

http://www.writersfunzone.com/blog