What Should Authors Post on Social Media?

Content pillars: a framework, not a formula

A content pillar is simply a recurring theme you can return to. Having several pillars, rather than one, means you are never entirely dependent on having "book news" to share, and it gives followers more than one reason to keep watching. Most author accounts work well with somewhere between four and eight pillars, used unevenly rather than in strict rotation.

The pillars below are a starting menu. Not every author will use all of them, and a business author’s mix will look quite different from a picture-book illustrator’s. The point is to have options, not to tick every box on every post.

Book content

This is the most obvious pillar and often the one authors overuse in isolation: cover reveals, blurbs, excerpts, themes explored in the book, questions the book raises, and posts that explain what kind of reader the book is for. Used well, book content answers a simple question for a browsing reader: is this something I would enjoy?

For example, a novelist might post a short passage that captures the book’s voice, with a line about why that particular scene mattered to write, rather than a generic "out now" graphic with no context.

Author content

This covers the writing process itself: how a first draft came together, research trips or reading that shaped the book, the state of the current manuscript, and the ordinary reality of being a working writer. Readers who follow an author, rather than just a book, tend to stay engaged between releases, which matters for anyone planning to publish more than one book.

Personal context can sit here too, at whatever level of disclosure feels comfortable. Some authors share a good deal of their daily life; others keep things strictly professional and still build a loyal following. Neither approach is required.

Educational content

Sharing genuine expertise, on the book’s subject matter, on writing itself, or on a related field the author has real knowledge of, gives non-fiction and business authors in particular a reason for people to follow who have not yet bought the book. A useful, standalone tip is valuable on its own terms, independent of any sale.

For example, a memoirist writing about grief might occasionally share something genuinely useful they learned about coping, separate from promoting the book, while a business author might share one practical framework at a time from their field.

Entertainment

Not every post needs to teach or sell anything. Humour, relatable observations about the writing life, or simply an enjoyable piece of content connected loosely to the book’s world can do more for an account’s reach and warmth than another promotional graphic.

Community

Responding to comments, resharing reader posts (with permission), asking genuine questions and taking part in conversations relevant to the book’s genre or subject all build a sense that there is a person, not a brand account, on the other end. This tends to matter more for long-term relationship building than any individual post.

Reader questions

Directly asking readers what they want to know, what they are currently reading, or what they thought of a particular scene turns a one-way broadcast into a conversation. It also tends to surface content ideas the author would not have thought of alone.

Reviews

Sharing genuine reader reviews, with permission where appropriate, gives social proof without the author having to make claims about the book themselves. This works best used occasionally rather than as the majority of an account’s content, since a constant stream of praise can start to read as advertising rather than conversation.

Behind the scenes

Cover design decisions, edits that changed a character, the messy first draft compared with the final version, or the practical steps of getting a book printed all give readers a sense of the work behind the finished product. This content tends to perform well precisely because it is not available anywhere else.

Launch content

Countdown posts, pre-order reminders, publication day announcements and early review round-ups belong to a distinct, time-limited phase around release. Launch content is useful and expected during this window, but treating every post as a launch post, indefinitely, is one of the fastest ways to exhaust an audience’s patience.

Evergreen content

Some posts remain relevant long after publication day: book themes, character introductions, favourite passages, the author’s writing process, and educational content connected to the book’s subject. Evergreen posts are worth keeping a running list of, since they can be reused or adapted months or years after the original launch push has passed.

Repurposing

A single idea, an excerpt, a piece of research, a reader question, can often be reshaped into a short caption, a longer post, a simple graphic and a spoken video, without starting from a blank page each time. This is one of the most practical ways to keep a content pillar going without needing a constant supply of brand-new ideas.

Privacy boundaries

Deciding in advance what is and is not shared, family, location, health, finances, income, makes it far easier to post consistently without later regretting a specific disclosure. There is no obligation to share more than feels comfortable; a professional, book-focused account with limited personal content can work perfectly well.

Avoiding repetitive "buy my book"

A feed that consists mostly of purchase links tends to be scrolled past rather than engaged with. Mixing promotional posts among the pillars above, rather than leading with them, generally keeps an account worth following for people who are not already committed to buying immediately.

For example, an author might follow a genuinely useful post about their research with a single, clearly signposted link to buy the book a few days later, rather than repeating the purchase link in every caption.

Examples by author type

A novelist might lean on book content, character material, entertainment and community. A memoirist might lean on personal context (within their own comfort boundaries), reader questions and reviews. A non-fiction or business author might lean heavily on educational content and expertise, with book content used more sparingly. A children’s author might lean on illustration process, behind-the-scenes material and content aimed as much at parents, teachers and librarians as at the child reader directly.

A 30-post idea bank

The following is a practical starting list, not a required schedule. Use whichever ideas suit the book and platform, and skip the rest.

1. The moment the idea for the book first arrived. 2. A short excerpt that captures the book’s voice. 3. A question the book explores, without giving away the answer. 4. A behind-the-scenes look at the cover design process. 5. A piece of research that shaped a scene or chapter. 6. A "day in the writing life" post. 7. The book’s opening line, with brief context. 8. A character introduction (for fiction). 9. A favourite line from the manuscript. 10. A reader review, shared with thanks.

11. A question for followers about their own reading habits. 12. A short explanation of who the book is for. 13. A comparison to two books or films readers might already know (used carefully, and only where genuinely apt). 14. A practical tip related to the book’s subject (for non-fiction). 15. A "what I’m reading now" post. 16. A note on what changed between an early draft and the final book. 17. A photo or image connected to the setting or subject. 18. A pre-order or publication-day reminder, during the launch window. 19. A thank-you post to early readers or an ARC team. 20. An answer to a question a reader has actually asked.

21. A short video reading a favourite passage aloud. 22. A post about a research trip or interview. 23. A milestone update, such as finishing a draft (without over-claiming its significance). 24. A "myth versus reality" post about the book’s subject or genre. 25. A recommendation of another author’s book in a similar space. 26. A note about where the book is available. 27. A seasonal or topical tie-in, where genuinely relevant. 28. A poll asking which of two covers, titles or excerpts readers prefer. 29. A reflection on what the writing process taught the author. 30. An invitation to join a newsletter for updates beyond social media.

Common mistakes

• Posting only promotional content. An account that only ever asks people to buy tends to be scrolled past; mixing in the other pillars keeps it worth following.
• Waiting for "book news" before posting anything. Treating book announcements as the only valid content leaves long silences between launches; the other pillars fill those gaps.
• Oversharing personal material under pressure to seem "relatable". Disclosure should be a deliberate choice, not something posted in the moment and regretted later.
• Copying another author’s content style wholesale. What works for one book, genre or personality does not automatically transfer; the pillars above are a starting point, not a script.
• Treating every post as equally important. Some posts are experiments; expecting every single one to perform strongly sets an unrealistic bar and discourages posting at all.

Frequently asked questions