Three Reasons Book Publishers are Perfect for Social Media

Yes. I admit that I may be biased. My life-long interest in book publishing, my background in the industry, and my general love for books, may make me an unsuitable person to declare a particular industry most-suited to participate in the world of social media. I’ll make my quick points and leave it up to you to determine whether or not I’m out of my gourd.

And so I humbly present the following list:

Jesse (WHIZZ BANG) McDougall’s Three ¡Wicked! Reasons Why ***Book Publishers*** are the Most-Perfectly-Suited Businesses to Participate in the Exciting World of Social Media POW! (Yes, the POW! is part of the list’s title…as is this.)

Reason #1: Books are social.

When was the last time you asked a co-worker, “So…read anything good lately?” to pass the time on an awkward car ride? There’s no denying it, books are social objects. People have read, shared, and reveled in talking about their favorite books since the days of papyrus. The digital platforms available to book lovers today only make those discussions (and the ability to share content) easier, faster, and more public. With the right tools and approach, book publishers will be able to bring those private book discussions that are happening out in the real-world online and into the arena of social media where everybody can watch.

Reason #2: Publishers are content producers.

The world of social media thrives on new content. Book publishers are in the business of producing content every day. This book content is original, edited, and expert—which is rare and valuable to folks looking to post new and trust-worthy content online (…aka everybody). By placing book material into this content vacuum, book publishers will watch their high-quality content spread out into targeted crowds of new readers.

Reason #3: Content is a targeted sales pitch.

People purchase books for the content they contain. (Well, that and sweet covers with killer titles.) Therefore, by releasing examples of book content out into the digital wild—when and where it is appropriate and valued—publishers can launch a word-of-mouth campaign that pushes book content out into targeted crowds of new readers. If a person finds the content they’ve found (and hopefully forwarded) to be compelling, he or she will buy the rest in paperback form to place on the shelf.