Why Writers Should Use Instagram

Facebook shmacebook. Move over Pinterest. Tweeting? Yeah. Been there, done that, and honestly still do. But even so . . . Instagram is the hip-hop happening place to be. It's way more than stupid cat pictures or selfies in a mirror. I'm still a relative newbie to this venue, but hot dang! I'm having a wingding of a time over there, posting pix of my England trip and other randomosities of my life. Click HERE to sample the wares.

But my followers are nothing compared to 18 year old Emily Ables. This chick has close to 54,000 followers. Why? Because she posts beautiful pictures of books. Check out her readerly pix HERE.

I hear ya, though, "Seriously? I don't have time to make dinner or plow the back forty let alone add one more social media time waster to my schedule. Why in the world should I cave in to peer pressure? What good is being on Instagram?" You do where this is headed, right? You got it, grasshopper . . .

5 Reasons To Use Instagram

1. Connects you with a new audience.
Looking to garner new readers? The Instagram population is generally a younger group of users, which is a great way to broaden your fan base with minimal time spent posting. When you attract this population to your pictures, they'll become interested in you as a persona, visit your website -- and hopefully even toodle over to your Amazon page.

2. Gives you a break from words.
I know. Words are your life. Can't live without 'em. Yada. Yada. Whatever. But the thing is that writers have a love/hate relationship with words. Sometimes you just need to take a break from them in order to appreciate them more. Instagram lets you create without the "hassle" of words, and honestly, everyone needs a sabbatical every now and then.

3. Opens your eyes to the beautiful mundane.
Sure, writing is art, but so is life. Capturing moments via picture causes you to slow down and really look at the things around you, the pile of books next to your bed on the floor, the way the sunlight slants in through the window, creating a halo around that pile, the zillion zinging dust-motes dancing in that golden ray. Then transfer that new perspective over to your writing.

4. Promotion.
No, not the beat-the-poor-slob-over-the-head-with-your-latest-book kind of marketing. Instagram provides a kinder, gentler sort of tooting your own horn. Case in point, I post pictures of historical places and items, tying in to my latest historical fiction release.

5. It satisfies your inner artist.
As writers, we paint with words, wishing we could master other mediums. Instagram is easy to use, with filters and photo enhancements that are so intuitive even a 3 year old (or me) can use them, that you can create a beautiful picture in less than a minute. Now that's satisfaction, folks!

Now that you know why to use Instagram, want to see how other authors use it? Here are a few for you to follow so you can have a daily dose of inspiration . . .

Michelle Griep

Laura Frantz

Lisa Tawn Bergren

Amy Tan

Amanda Torroni

And those are just a few. If you've got a favorite author you like on Instagram, or you're on there yourself and want to share your link, go for it in the comments.