Last year, my Facebook (FB) account was hacked, and FB closed my account, which meant I also lost access to my Instagram account. I was bereft and felt lost. I appealed to FB but made no progress. It made me ask the question: Do I really need social media to promote my work and discuss my writing? It made me turn to other social media sites like TikTok and Tumblr.
Social media is not dead for writers, but the easy version of it probably is. Posting “buy my book” every few days and hoping the algorithm delivers readers now feels like shouting into a storm. Reach is unreliable, platforms change without warning, and many writers feel exhausted before they see results.
Yet readers still discover books through online conversation. They see a line from a novel, a recommendation from another reader, or a short post that sparks their curiosity. The question is no longer whether writers should use social media. The better question is how much weight it should carry in a book promotion plan. Book promotion still starts with the work itself.
The old promise of social media has weakened
For years, writers were told to build a following, and the sales would follow. That advice sounded simple, but it left out a hard truth. Followers are not the same as readers, and likes are not the same as purchases.
A writer can spend hours creating content and still struggle to move a single copy. Worse, the platforms reward constant activity. That can push writers away from the deeper work of writing, editing, pitching, and connecting with potential readers.
Social media still helps with discovery
Even with its flaws, social media still gives writers something valuable: visibility beyond their immediate circle. A debut author can share progress, talk about research, show their reading taste, or join conversations in a genre community. Readers often discover books through everyday recommendations.
The strongest use of social media for books is often indirect. It builds familiarity. It gives readers a reason to remember a name. It lets reviewers, booksellers, librarians, podcasters, and other writers see the author as active and approachable.
The platform should not be the plan
The danger comes when social media becomes the whole strategy. A writer does not own their followers in any secure sense. An account can lose reach overnight. A platform can fade. A format that worked last year can stop working with no clear reason.
That is why writers need a home base outside the feed. This could be:
- A simple author website
- An email newsletter
- A reader group
- A blog or resource page
- A regular presence at events, bookshops, festivals, or libraries
An email list may grow slowly, but it gives a writer a more direct line to interested readers. A website can hold book details, reviews, sample chapters, event dates, and media information in one place. Social media can point people there, but it should not replace it.
What works now feels more human
The writers who use social media well tend to treat it less like a sales channel and more like a conversation. They show up with a clear identity, but they do not turn every post into a pitch.
Useful posts might include:
- A short note about why a scene was difficult to write
- A quote from a current read
- A recommendation of another author’s book
- A launch update with a clear, modest ask
The key is balance. If every post sells, readers tune out. If no post ever mentions the book, people may not know it exists. A good rhythm mixes personality, value, community, and clear book news.
Writers also need to choose platforms with care. The best platform is not always the biggest one. It is the place where the writer can be consistent without resenting the work, and where their likely readers already spend time.
So, is it still powerful?
Yes, but not in the way many writers were promised. Social media can still support awareness, relationships, launches, reviews, event attendance, and long-term name recognition. It can help a book travel further than it would through private networks alone.
But it is not magic. It rarely saves a weak launch on its own. It cannot replace a good book, a clear pitch, a decent cover, trusted recommendations, or the slow work of building reader loyalty. Promotion works best when online attention leads to real readers.
For writers, the healthiest answer is to use social media as one tool, not the toolbox. Post with purpose. Be findable. Share enough of the writing life to create interest. Then guide people towards places you control, such as a website, mailing list, events, or the next book.
Has losing my FB and Instagram accounts had a detrimental effect on my visibility and book sales? It's hard to say; however, I wish I still had access to them. Losing my FB and Instagram accounts cost me many hours of lost writing as I tried to build up my presence elsewhere.
Of course, social media is not dead. However, the lazy strategy is. My belief is that the writers who benefit most are those who stop chasing the algorithm and start building real paths between their books and the readers who are most likely to care.
