For years I have heard that a writer must participate in social media to be successful. By successful, the people meant to sell books. Well, I have tried social media for over five years now as a writer and have found a few things out.

I didn't have any luck selling books through LinkedIn, that I could confirm. However, I was able to give away a lot of books. I also got a lot of hits to my blog from LinkedIn. I have never sold a book or given one away through Pinterest. I tried what people suggested and just haven't gotten anywhere. I have deactivated my Pinterest account.

I have had some success with a Facebook fan page. I can tie the book sells back to posts that I have boosted. I have also gotten a lot of hits on my blog from Facebook. I have the same experience with Twitter. I have a lot of followers and get responses from my tweets. I have also had good results from Goodreads. I have used the giveaway program twice with limited success. I have gotten the most reviews from Goodreads. I have had good and bad results from my blog. Sometimes I get a lot of looks, but I can't say anyone has bought a book because of my blog.

That is my experience. I am sure it is different that yours. I can say that social media has helped me sell books. The books that I have sold were not financially worth the effort it takes to stay active in social media. Five years in and I am still trying to find my niche in social media. I am looking for a positive return on investment. I haven't found it. Do writers need to participate in social media to sell their books? I don't know the answer to that, but I still think trying social media is definitely a must.