StoryGraph for Authors

 

StoryGraph has some great opportunities for authors to connect with readers through community, giveaways, and challenges.

Their Giveaway program is still in beta. If you want to join their program, you need to sign up through a Google form. There are two levels—Standard and Premium. Standard allows giveaways in digital, prints, and audio formats, with up to 250 prizes. It also puts your contest on their Giveaway page, adds it to any reader’s “For You” page that has similar keywords, and gives you a dashboard to follow your progress. They include a link for sharing on social media. With Premium, you get everything above and a front-page advertising for the contest on the Home and Book page. Standard is $99 per giveaway and Premium is $499. If you catch a beta run, you can get a 50% discount.

Buddy Reads through the Community page allows you to read the same book with other readers. It’s a virtual book club! The app does not show who follows you, only who you follow. To begin a buddy read, follow your friends/fans through the community page. Add their email or username to find them.

Once you have a list, go to the book page of the title you plan to read. Click “start a buddy read.” Add a description such as “beta readers unite,” or “perusing my latest book together.” Add the names of the readers to be in the buddy read. The app also suggests readers. (As an author, I wouldn’t use this unless it was someone I thought would REALLY like to read my choice.) Be sure your readers have set their Preferences to allow other people to invite them to buddy read. (You can limit invites to those who follow you and/or friends. That way you won’t get random requests.)

Once invites have been sent and accepted, click on Buddy Reads to follow along. Each user can select the book to put it on their Currently Reading shelf. Then, as they read, they can click on the book again and add progress. The Buddy Read page has space for comments and discussion. There is also a space for ratings and reviews. It ends once the entire group finishes the book.

Another great connection opportunity is Challenges. StoryGraph has several challenges already uploaded. I found my PopSugar and the 52 Book Club challenges already set up for 2023. You can add a yearly reading goal for yourself as well. To find a list, click on the Browse button. There are many challenges listed, but you can also create your own.

Click on the Create New button. Give it a title and dates for the beginning and end. Enter the prompts for the challenge. You can even add Bonus prompts to challenge readers. The options are not required to finish the challenge. You can add specific books or generic prompts. Click Add Another to fill out the list. When finished, click the box to make it live. You can also make the challenge public. Add a category and keywords to find readers. Or send a note out on social media to invite fans to join you.

StoryGraph is an interesting alternative to Goodreads. Check it out and see if the app is for you. (If you do, I’m ginnyfrost on the app.)

 

 

How To StoryGraph

StoryGraph is an easy app to navigate. Once you set up your initial email for the account, you can get started building your bookshelves. They will ask some questions about your preferences. This will help the suggestions/recommendations on the Home page.

Start with your profile. Click on the person icon at the top of the screen and select the profile. The next screen will give you options to personalize your presence on the app. I’ve tinkered with the app a bit, so I had some info already added. My profile shows Currently Reading, Recently Reading, Reading Preferences, and To-Be-Read pile. As you add tags and challenges, they will be listed below.

Click on Reading Preferences and add info about books you like to read, books you’ve read, and what you don’t want to read. You can edit this data at any time. The info helps the app recommend books for you. It also shows the type of reader you are. Apparently, I like medium-paced books of about 350-400 pages. (The app only thinks that because I have added all my cozy mystery reads yet.)

Let’s add some books to your lists. Click on the “search all books” button at the top. Type in the name of any book and hit enter. Scroll through the list. Hit the “to read” button on any good prospects. Click on the down arrow for more options: Read, Currently Reading, and Did Not Finish. You can also add tags to books such as “Mom’s favorite” or “Sue hated this one.”

If you click on the book, you get a world of information. Of course, the author and title are there. But also, they have the pub date, number of pages, genre, and some descriptors. You can see right away if a book will hit your sweet spots. On the right are some trigger warnings generated by readers. Perfect if there’s something specific you need to be aware of. Below that are tags readers used to review the item such as “lighthearted,” “emotional,” or “challenging.” Readers can also put in pacing (how fast they read it) and answers to questions about the book. Last is the star review. (I think it’s great to bury that stat and let readers browse the other data first.) This page also can show similar reads, let you start a buddy read, and add missing information.

Once you’ve added some (read, to read, etc.) and set your preferences, your home page will have your to-be-read book covers and a list of recommended reads. You can click on any of the covers and learn about the books, change the category you assigned them, or browse. The large covers on the to-reads and recommendations are great. No one judges a book by its cover. Snort, yes, we do. It’s nice to view them large and readable.

Need to team up with other readers? Click on the community tab and search by username or email to find friends and family. Once you choose some other readers, you can peruse what they are reading or have read. You can also set up a buddy challenge. (More on that next week).

Checking your progress is easy. Click on the Stats tab. The app will show how many books you’ve read. It also gives the number of pages, mood, genre, pace, and more. You can get specific about your reading with these stats. You can also add or join challenges. More on that next week.

There’s more to StoryGraph, and not just for authors. Next week, I’ll discuss buddy reads, challenges, and more.

 

StoryGraph

StoryGraph is a book-tracking app available on all platforms. It has a web-based site that will sync with your mobile device. This program is similar to Goodreads, but not owned by a huge online store.

With StoryGraph, you can catalog, track, and get recommendations for books. Like Goodreads, you can have a list of books you wish to read, currently are reading, and want to read. You can also create a goal.

The app does not focus on the “social” aspect that Goodreads has. Your main screen has your books—reading, TBR, suggestions. It has titles that are popular on the app this week. Last, it has author giveaways. (This is in beta and may change.)

The app also collects stats to view the number of books, pages, genre, format, and ratings (how many stars you give a book.)

Most of the site is free. If you choose to do the paid premium option ($5 a month), you can additionally get better recommendations, receive priority support, and have a voice in deciding what new direction the software will explore. They also note you will be supporting a non-Amazon book-sharing app. (But I won’t say anything about that one. LOL)

Next week, we will create an account and fill in the categories. And we’ll do it in time for a new 2023 reading goal. (Psst, those who follow my reading blog, I’m changing things up. PopSugar and I are done for now. I figured if I’m changed challenges, I might as well change challenge-trackers.)

CounterSocial

I want to apologize about last week’s post. Apparently, on Wednesday, Hive Social shut down its servers. We aren’t the only ones looking for an alternative to Twitter. Based on the number of reads on my Twitter blog entry, people are looking everywhere.

I searched for more alternatives, but Post. is in beta and has a waitlist. Since I hadn’t heard much about the app (except that newshound hubby loves it), it might not be great for authors for marketing.

I came across CounterSocial and found it fun and different.

Check it out.

CounterSocial is a social media app that purports no ads, trolls, or fake news. In fact, on their first screen, you can scroll down to view the protections to keep you safe from nonsense. There’s a Deepfake detector, Botsentienel integration (to keep out “foreign influence operations”), identity breach alerts, and fact-layer integration (to detect political bias). Why bring this up? Because the foundation of the app is to prevent the pitfalls of other social media apps. The software designer wanted to cut through and eliminate some of the traps of apps like Twitter.

CounterSocial is easy to sign up for. Create a username and enter an email and password. Once you verify your email, the CounterSocial screen will appear. It looks like TweetDeck with columns of topics and users. My account started with a notification column, one for friends, and one called Community Firehouse. There are also news feeds around the columns. Mine had MSNBC across the top with a video box at the bottom left. Channels included CBS, ABC, BBC, Weather, Al Jazeera, and Bloomberg.

Adding content is similar to Twitter. Users have 500 characters to create a post. Options include emojis, media, polls, and a sanitizer (I’m totally looking into that one). New account posts start fully public. I wrote a “I’m new” post and received many welcoming responses. Responding to other people’s posts is also similar, with a star for like, reply, and repost. On the right, you see the lists of your current columns, plus some other options. You can change your settings, log out, see blocks, mutes, etc. Add to your follow list by using the search option on the first left column under the Sentiment monitor. Put in either a name, topic, or hashtag to find people and conversations.

Under your name on the left column is an option to change your profile. This will let you change the settings on your account. You can add pictures, bio, and preferred hashtags. Under Preferences, you can change your account to private or followers only. It also has a handy feature here called Ostrich mode. With this mode, you can tone down your screen to remove some distractors. The news will disappear as well as the graphs about the site. Under Followers, there is a list of followers and those you follow.

In the right corner, the page appears folded over. Click the fold to go to CounterRealms. This is another virtual space where users can create rooms for social interaction. You can join a random room or create your own. It’s a 3D virtual space. Create an avatar and explore the virtual space, chat with others, and share. Navigation can be done with either the WADS keys (like ancient video games LOL), or you can use VR goggles. To create your own room, you must upgrade to a $5-a-month paid account.

This app is a user-funded. It relies on users to help support it with donations and monthly fees. On the of the main screen is a chart of money needed to maintain the site for the month.

I hope some of these alternatives will work for our authors. I think Twitter will continue to change going forward. Best practice is to use an app that actually sells your books.

 

 

 

Hive Social

I know I said last week that I would delve into Mastodon and cover the how-to things. But on further consideration, it seemed better to give you more alternatives for Twitter. As these are social media apps and not technical writing or marketing apps, I think you can navigate them with ease. Hit me up if you get stuck, though.

Be aware there is also a project management app also named Hive. This might be a great resource for writers, but we are talking about social media today.

Hive Social is a social media app similar to Twitter. It allows users to post, make friends, and follow social trends. Reportedly, it does not have complicated algorithms to influence what you see or hear. It’s available at the Apple Store and Google Play. There is no desktop version currently.

Guidelines for the app ask users to be appropriate with their posts and keep things spam-free. They also have a strict privacy policy to protect you and your personal information, but like any app, it will collect some data.

Download the app to your mobile device and create an account. You can use your Google credentials or just an email. Once you verify your account, you need to make a display name and a unique username. Next, the app asks your interests. Now you are ready to go.

The app looks very much like Twitter. On the bottom, the menu items are Discover, Search, Post, Notifications, and Profile.

Under your profile, you can add your picture, a banner, other social media links, a bio, your pronouns, and even display your zodiac sign. There’s a button for music, but this option is under construction. There’s a question-and-answer section where users ask you questions. Click on the gear for options like turning off questions, allowing anonymous questions, and who is allowed to ask.

On your profile page, you can sort how you view your posts—linear, gallery, or something I can’t quite figure out yet. The Aa button doesn’t give me a hint, but I’m searching. If anyone knows, post in the comments!

Click the gear to add more info and settings to your account like phone number, and see posts you’ve liked. The security tab allows you to block certain words (like Instagram does with spam words), turn on mature content (under NSFW), choose who can comment, show muted, and blocked accounts. You can also change your colors, music, and questions here.

Note: Apparently, Hive Social is a newish startup. According to the articles I found, there are two, yes two, people running this app. Since the announcements about Twitter, they’ve had a deluge of users sign up. Please be patient with the app as it goes through some growing pains.

 

 

Mastodon

 

Is anyone else’s ears ringing with the advice every author receives about newsletters? Every successful author I know has told me, “Have a newsletter and maintain a copy of all the emails on it. You never know when social media sites will disappear.” This week that advice hit home. Twitter may be in trouble.

I’m no business nor social media expert, but I see some writing on the wall. If you have Twitter, I recommend you ask for an archive of your tweets. (Only if you want to keep those bad boys.) Also, you might want to jot down your followers and those who follow you. Twitter may not be long for this world, or it may be fine. Preventative action does nothing but help. Here’s a link to the Twitter help forum to ask for that archive.

Many users are turning to a new social media “microblogging” app called Mastodon. Here’s the skinny.

Mastodon is an app similar to Twitter, where users can post small messages. They used to be called “toots,” but apparently, they are now just posts. (snicker) The app works on the principle of servers. Users join a server. They can interact with others on other servers, but each has its own rules. It’s not one big app but a bunch of sites that can interact.

Posts are also different on Mastodon. Users can choose either public or private. Public posts (like tweets) are available to anyone and everyone. Private posts on Mastodon will only be seen by those who follow you. Posts are still short, up to five hundred characters (about 125 words), but the app lets users “thread” their thoughts easily by replying to their post.

The software is free and open-sourced, allowing users to add to the code. The level of security doesn’t change. Posts and accounts are secure. The open source allows users to set up their own community within the software (i.e., a server), and new users must be invited to the server. One of the popular servers is mastodon.social. If you need an in, Neil Gaiman put out an invitation to his server.

The app does not have paid verification. Users can verify their identities by linking their profile to an owned website (great for authors). You still get a nice blue check mark. But you can still be removed from the app for misbehavior. Because you are working on someone else’s server, if you violate their rules, you’re out.

I’m not recommending anyone abandon Twitter, nor am I predicting its complete downfall. But that advice about newsletters and controlling who sees my material rings in my head.

Next week, we’ll do a How-To on creating an account and navigating Mastodon.

 

 

KeePass for Authors

 

Successful authors are using a variety of apps to get their books in front of readers. We’ve talked about quite a few from Scrivener to Book Brush to Google Keep. Many require unique passwords or have complex purchase codes. An important part of the “author” business is keeping these organized and ready for use.

I’ve mentioned that my PC of ten years crashed. Luckily, I purchased a backup drive for the house, and most of my work was saved. But not my passwords. I used Chrome and Firefox as browsers and relied on them to keep track of my passwords. It wasn’t a good system when it broke down. I’ve been using KeePass since the crash, reloading my passwords, and realizing how many things I need to track. If we crash again, my data file is safely secured away, and I can get back up again quickly.

Needless to say, KeePass keeps everything organized and in one place. It’s important to keep your passwords complex as many are tied to your brand and your credit card. Perhaps you’ve made your Amazon Author Page with a complex logon, and it keeps that data secure. But what if your Instagram or Facebook account does not have that security? Those apps are your links to social media and your fans. No one wants to get hacked, lose face, or have their brand tarnished. Using KeePass, authors can create hard to hack passwords for all apps and still have easy access to those accounts.

The nice option about KeePass is you can make it as complex or simple as needed. Make a Master password and memorize it. Then you only need to remember one code and can tap into your database to grab the ones you need later. You can make the database simple with a list of each app and pass, or you can create groups. Separating household logins from your author brand is a great idea. KeePass lets you make as many groups as needed.

Again, there are other password keepers out there. KeePass is only one in the long list of useful apps for this function. Research what you need for your level of security for your home and business. Because writing is a business. Our author accounts are tied to our credit cards, bank accounts, and our social outlets. You are your brand, and no one wants to be the victim of identity theft.

Even if you don’t separate author items from personal, even if you don’t have pen names and multiple accounts to juggle, use some sort of password keeper beyond a black notebook on your computer desk.

Trust me.