Whether for your own name or that of a pen name, as an indie author you need to get a Facebook fan page set up. Having a page on Facebook opens up many new possibilities to reach your audience and connect with them. The process is really quite easy, and in this short tutorial I will show you how.
If you have never set up a Facebook page here’s how…
You will need a Facebook account to follow through so if you are not yet a member of Facebook you will need to sign up. WE will not be using your personal profile to act as your author page though. There is a much better, more private and more efficient way to do so.
Create Your Page
On your personal Facebook profile Click the arrow in the far right corner and choose Create Page.
In my example I will be creating a page for the imaginary author, Ima Wrighter.
I then generally choose Artist, Band or Public Figure, and in the drop-down that appears choose Author.
You can then choose your pen name – some people I notice might even call the page something like ‘Pen name Author’ appending the name with the word author. It’s up to you.
Before I choose a pen name I always take a look around on Amazon and in Google and Facebook to check that no one else is using that name. It makes it much easier and saves confusion if you are not competing with someone else.
You then go through the process of setting things up. It’s basic step by step.
One IMPORTANT thing – choose your Facebook web address carefully. If you can just get the straight name grab that (facebook.com/imawrighter). If you discover it is already used, append with author, so facebook.com/imawrighterauthor
You also get to upload a profile picture. This is key too as it will be part of your branding. The image will show up on all of your ads.
You can add targeting info here to as part of the process so if you do have a specific audience you want to reach you can begin here, but it is not essential.
The page will then be up and live. Yes, as easy as that.
You may want to add a header image too (the dimensions you need are shown in the diagram below).
Here are some examples of header images as inspiration for your own Facebook header.
NOTE: These templates are part of the Indie Author IM Author Toolbox as layered PSD files ready for you to use with Photoshop (or to send to your designer). In the pack, along with a host of other useful resources, are 70 ready-to-edit and amend Kindle book covers and corresponding Facebook Fan page headers like these. This is just a tiny selection of what’s available in the pack.
I read recently that Facebook changed their suggested image size to 828 pixels wide instead of 851. I have had no trouble with the 851 dimensions, but if you have issues you could try changing it to 828 pixels and see if that makes any difference.
Here is my completed mock fan page with one of the header images added…
Note that there are buttons that appear in the bottom right, including one that says Add A Call To Action. This will be the subject of another lesson but that will come later. For now getting your first fan page up and running is a great achievement. Well done!
This page will now become your center of operations for Facebook ads leading people to your books, for audience interaction, for gathering Facebook page likes and reaching lookalike audiences – the scope of possibilities is wide.
Now you have your page set up, you can post interesting updates, book promos, tidbits and memes, as well as shoot out ads under this persona or brand to targeted Facebook audiences guaranteed to have an interest in what you have to offer.
If you have followed through, well done! Every step you take further builds your all-important author platform.
