Are you using Facebook’s Author App? by Mae Clair

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I’m not usually a big fan of Facebook. Especially since the only way to realize any true benefit there as an author is to shell out $$$….but when I have paid for boosts or ads, I’ve always had good results. (Note to self: continue to use FB for ads).

On a side note—before I get to the main topic—if you are paying for boosts, make sure your next several posts don’t require a large reach. Rumor has it FB holds those posts back with the philosophy if you’ve paid once, you’ll pay again. Eventually, things will even out, but the posts that immediately follow any kind of paid ad or boost generally reach less of your fans. Time for filler and fluff.

But enough with FB bashing. I’m here to say they’ve done something pretty awesome for authors. Thanks to my dear friend Sandra Cox, I’ve discovered the Author App. Sandra has a fun website with daily posts that are sure to make you grin. She’s also got a wonderful collection of novels and novellas that range from mutants and vampires to cats, flower gardens and more. While you’re roaming the blogosphere, pop over and say hello. 🙂

And now back to the reason for this post:

I’m know I’m probably behind the times since Facebook and I co-exist as frenemies, but I wanted to share the Author App in the event some of you aren’t familiar with it either

It’s easy to install on your author page.

  • Click the link (provided below)
  • Select your page
  • Go to the app (it will most likely appear under the “More” tab at this point)
  • Add your profile
  • Add books
  • You can even add information on upcoming book signings!

screenshot of author app on Facebook page of Mae Clair, author

The screenshot above was captured from the app on my page.

Pretty nifty, huh? Each book gets its own little section, and the best part is all you have to do is add the AISN or ISBN and the app automatically grabs the related content. You can also arrange what order you want your books listed.

I did discover, however, that the app doesn’t like apostrophes or italics (basically anything that isn’t HTML compliant).

After my books uploaded, I went back and edited all of the apostrophes getting rid of the gobbly-gook. Now I’ve got a neatly streamlined page with books, purchase links, and star ratings. I added all seven of my novels, then rearranged the tabs on my author page so that the Author App is visible without click “more.”

screenshot of the Facebook fan page for author Mae Clair showing a spooky house with light streaming from the windows on a red background

See the Author App tab above? If you’d like to see how the whole thing works, visit my page and click on the Author App tab for the full effect of how your books appear. You also get an author profile. You can find my page at https://www.facebook.com/maeclairauthor/

If you haven’t visited my page before, I’d also be grateful for a “like.” 🙂 If you include the link to your page in the comments below, I will return the favor!

The whole thing is pretty cool, don’t you think? So where exactly can you get this awesome app? Just click this link, and you’ll be set to go: https://apps.facebook.com/authorapp/

Thanks again to Sandra Cox for sharing this with me. Authors, were you familiar with this app?

65 thoughts on “Are you using Facebook’s Author App? by Mae Clair”

  3. I have heard about this app, but I’ve been leery to use it. When you connect your Goodreads to Facebook and someone buys one of your books through that connection, Amazon considers you “friends” (in their warped sense of the word). So authors run the risk of having any reviews from those buyers taken down. It hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve heard so many horror stories. If this app used the ISBN number rather than the Amazon equivalent ASIN, I’d be less suspicious. That said, I’ll be interested in hearing how you make out. Your books look great!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks for the reminder about Goodreads, Sue. I meant to disconnect that app from Facebook ages ago. I finally did today!

      I know Amazon pulls from GR since they own them but I think (at least I’m hoping) I’ll be okay with this app because it’s on my business page which is designed to sell product–the same as if I would do an ad or a boost. I really don’t use my personal profile much at all, which is why I fly under the radar on a lot of things.

      If there is a problem with this app I’m sure you’ll hear a lot of people crying foul!

      Liked by 1 person

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    • It’s super easy, Craig. I set mine up in a matter of minutes. Just be sure to double check your blurbs after the app loads the info on each book for any weird symbols. If you’ve got apostrophes in your blurbs, they need to be corrected. Good luck!

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Because it’s written in HTML the apostrophe needs to have the HTML code to display correctly. What you get is a string of gobbly-gook where the apostrophe should be. Just delete it and replace with an actual apostrophe, and for some reason that works.

        Also the code should already be there for breaks between paragraphs, but if you mess anything up or need to insert a line break just add the HTML code for that

        Liked by 1 person

    • Glad to help. Sandra Cox and I are always sharing promo info with each other and I’m always happy to pass on anything new I learn. This was a new one for me too, but it looks really nice on the page!

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  7. Thanks for sharing, Mae! And thanks to Sandra Cox, too. I didn’t know about this, but then, I’m not proficient with Facebook. I still struggle with “chats,” never seem to be able to find what everyone’s saying. I’ve got to plop my fanny in my chair and spend some time on it. For now, though, I’ll visit both of your pages and give this a try. And thanks again.

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    • I’m glad it was helpful, Judi. And honestly, when it comes to FB, I’m informed, but I rarely use it.Just not a fan, despite the benefits. It’s my least favorite form of social media, but I understand the benefits despite that!

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  9. I just added my author app. Thank you for the info., Mae. I always thought the Boost was a waste of money. I tried it twice. The first time it cost $5 and the second time I tried it, it had gone up to $20. But I thought I saw an ad for $5 today for the Boost. I wonder if the price has gone back down or if this is a special they’re running.

    I do plan to use the Facebook Ad which I hear can be pretty lucrative. From what I understand, using the Facebook Ad can cost quite a bit. I purchased a lifetime course with an expert to learn to use it properly before I jump into that. Problem is I haven’t found the time to start the course yet. I hope to this week.

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    • I think you might be referring to a page boost, Kim, and I agree with you that’s probably a waste of money. When I’ve boosted posts, however, I’ve had good returns. You can set your own amount on those…as low as five or as high as you want. I’ve paid different amounts depending on what I’m boosting and how important it is, anywhere from $5 to $20.

      I’ve done the ads too, and they do seem to be the way to go, because you’re able to better target your audience.The last one I did was more expensive then the boost, but still under the price of every blog tour I’ve ever done. I also paid for engagement rather than impressions. I’d like to learn more about FB ads. Right now, my experience comes from reading blog posts on how to do them and watching tutorials on YouTube. A course sounds great!

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    • Hi, Liz. Thanks for letting me know, I’m glad the directions were helpful. It’s pretty easy, isn’t it, and the end result is awesome. So glad I could help! I love how authors share and support each other!

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    • I hear you about Amazon, Amber, and it is a concern, but I hope this is outside of the boundaries. People who fan pages on FB are not necessarily “friends” but fans,and the pages are designed to sell products. If Amazon comes down on that I tend to think they’re going to run up against another Goliath–Facebook!

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  13. Thanks for the info! So the ASIN number works? When I looked at it, it says I have to do a 10 or 13 digit ISBN, and of course Amazon uses the ASIN. Since your post mentions the ASIN, I’m going to give it a try! I love it when people share this kind of info with each other. I had no idea!

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    • Lauralynn, the ASIN works. That’s what I used to pull in my books. You’ve got a lot of titles, so this will work wonderfully for you. I really like the end result and am delighted that FB finally did something I can get behind.

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  14. Thanks for the insight Mae. I will take a look at this app as I’ve not heard of it before. I also didn’t know about the link between Goodreads, Facebook and reviews. I will check that out too. Great blog post!

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    • Lizzie, Amazon owns GR so there is certainly some cross over there and that can cause problems with reviews if Amazon gets “itchy.” That aside, I like to think the FB app is outside of that reach and hope it will be helpful to authors. So glad you enjoyed my post!

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  16. Pingback: Are you using Facebook’s Author App? by Mae Clair | jw's historical

    • Don’t consider yourself behind the times. Personally, I don’t care for FB and I haven’t used my profile page in months or more, but I do like my author page. Even that I don’t use that much, but this apps appears to work well with it. Kudos to FB….something I thought I’d never say!

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    • Hi, my friend! I’m so glad you found this useful. There is soooo much out there in the land of author/writers, it’s hard to discover it all, but I’m always happy to pass on what I share. Sandra Cox gave me a goldmine with this one! 🙂

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  22. Thank you for the information, Mae. There are so many things I’m not using – I guess my heart just isn’t in marketing or promotion. I’m an incorrigible introvert and determined dullard. I must somehow imagine my work will be ‘discovered’ one day long after I am dead, like Van Gough…

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    • Well, after reading your superb shorts it’s a shame that more people haven’t discovered them. I still have to delve into one of your novels. If they’re anything like your shorts, I know I’ll be riveted to the pages. You are an awesome storyteller!

      Personally, I hate doing the promo thing but I’ve convinced myself it’s part of the ride I’ve signed on for. And so I trudge through it, all the while wanting to slink into my writing cave and write.

      Have you ever thought of doing a book of short stories? You really excel at them. Plop them into a book and I would be one of the first in line to buy!

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      • Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I ought to ‘take up the cudgels’ I suppose, and a book of shorts might get me out of the doldrums caused by the last novel – which still lurks sinisterly around my hard drive, by the way. The great unfinished!

        Liked by 1 person

      • As well as you do with short fiction, I’d give serious thought to a collection of stories. They seemed to becoming more and more popular. Perfect timing 🙂

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  24. I saw this post on The Owl Lady’s blog. It interests me because I was on FB for a while solely to market my books. If they had this feature then (3 years ago), I didn’t know about it. I wasn’t getting much traction from my FB site for my books, but a lot of “noise” from people I supposedly knew who wanted me to know all about their lives. I also got feedback that using FB for marketing was “annoying” for lots of FB fans. That surprised me. I have since closed that account and stick exclusively to blogging. I also don’t sell any books! 😦 I’m a writer, not a salesperson!

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    • Hi, Lorna. Thanks for following the post back from my blog. I think the FB app is fairly new so I doubt it was around 3 years ago. I think the marketing part about “annoying” fans was why FB stopped feeding posts automatically to fans of pages, and started the pay ad/boost feature. I hate that they make us do that, but I guess it’s their way of counteracting the fact that they’ve stopped our newsfeed from reaching all the fans of our pages.

      As you probably guessed from my post, I’m not a fan of FB. I view it as a necessary evil. My publisher wants me there and I HAVE sold books when I shell out $$$. Like you, I would much rather write than promote myself, but that seems to be part of the game these days. I love to blog, but I don’t sell many books from here.

      Do you use Twitter at all? I’ve sold numerous books through there. If you are on Twitter and you’re active with it, you may want to consider Rave Reviews Book Club for promotion. It’s a network of authors who support other authors, mostly through Twitter, by purchasing, reading and reviewing books. I’ve written a few posts about it, but this is the initial one that explains how the club works if you think you might be interested

      https://maeclair.net/2016/03/17/lets-talk-book-clubs-by-mae-clair-rave-reviews-book-club-rrbc/

      In any event, thanks so much for visiting my blog! I’m delighted to meet you! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Hi, Mae! Thanks for all the info! I’m not on Twitter either. No wonder my books’ pages are yellowing from age! I’ll keep all of this mind should I write another book or decide to ramp up marketing on the two I’ve already written.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Sounds good. I know there’s a lot out there. It’s just finding the one that works best for you. I am a Twitter girl (couldn’t live without it, LOL) so that one is a good fit for me 🙂

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    • Hi, Bette! Thanks for dropping by. I’d never heard of the author app, but it seems like it could be a great tool. As for the ads, I think I’m learning more and getting a bit better each time I run one. They’ve always brought me results!

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