Instagram for Authors

by Mark Dawson

The complete guide for authors on how to make the most of this fast growing social media platform. Instagram is the go-to social media for a wide range of readers and every author should be using the service to engage with fans and build bigger audiences.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

As has been said elsewhere, the first few chapters are very helpful even 4 years after publication. Little tips and tricks I hadn't thought of before.

I received this as a freebie that was promoted in IG in Jan 2021; however the content has not been updated since 2018, so is missing quite a few features and much of the info is out of date.

Also, I'm not not sure how I feel about reference to automation/buying followers without strong language to not do it. The response was a bit tepid. "we recommend you don't, but you can google services to check it out."

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know nothing of the platform, the first couple of chapters shows you step-by-step how to set up your account and how to use the app.

Something that had been bothering me, though I hadn’t yet Googled it, was not seeing all the new posts of people I follow in my home feed. Apparently Instagram has a silly 5% exposure rate and only shows you stuff other people had engaged with (which means not everyone is seeing your posts unless it has a high engagement rate). Frustrating! Useful to know, though.

I liked the tip of using different hashtags for posts even if they are similar as Instagram for penalise you for doing so and your reach will diminish. The way one should use hashtags is quite inventive and something that I will definitely apply in my next post!

As for all the techy stuff that can get confusing on Instagram, this book goes into all of it!

A great manual for using Instagram as an author.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this sitting in my saved e-mails for 4 years so I finally decided to download it since I need to boost my Instagram presence. The first few chapters are the basics for anyone who hasn't created an Instagram and how to get started so I skipped that. I did find some usual bits of information in the mid chapters such as how to touch up your bio, comment and like other people's stuff and follow and they'll likely reciprocate, and a casual more relaxed way to use hashtags. However, like many others who have read this have stated in their review, this book was written in 2018 and has not been updated so there's a good amount of information in here that is out of date. I've never heard of Instagram pods but it sounded like a way to get a group of people together and force each other to share everyone's content. These groups exist on Facebook and Telegram but I'm not interested in that type of tool.

Other out of date stuff are adding a shop button from your Facebook and bringing it to Instagram(can't do this because Facebook has changed the layout of their business page edits), linking your Tumblr to Instagram, the use of InstagramTV, and other things that no longer exist or would help you in 2025. I also didn't like the mention of paying for followers. Stuart Grant the author knows its bad and not condoned yet still felt the need to mention it which makes me wonder why. Overall, the book is good for those who for whatever reason still aren't on instagram, for touching up your page, and for getting a few little tips and tricks that you didn't think of that could help your page.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because of a Facebook ad about what authors post on Instagram. It was a disappointment overall for me, because there was a very short chapter on content to post and I didn't actually get anything out of it. It also hasn't been updated in many years and is out of date in several places.

I think if you are new to Instagram, this might be a helpful book. I've been on Instagram quite awhile and learned very little from the book. It felt mostly like a waste of time, though it was short.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always say the same thing when it comes to business books: take what you like and leave the rest. The same thing applies here.

The good news is that the common sense advice Mark Dawson provides about using Instagram is that I was already following it with my personal account. My key take-away here is to use a business account (which is free) as it gives you some additional analytic tools.

If you're new to the platform as an author, this book will put you on the right path.

[Monica T. Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for total newbies (like me) to Instagram, to get a handle on all the features available. Easy to read, screen shots to help you figure out what to click. Particularly focused on book marketing and authors, but this could be used by anyone, really.

[Jess Schira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good starting point for learning how to use Instagram. I liked the fact that it wasn't full of tricks but contained sound advice. One of the first things I'm going to do is change my Instagram account to a business account, something I didn't know was possible prior to reading this book.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely some helpful tips and absolutely worth signing up for the newsletter to get this free. The information is a little outdated (published in 2018), but there are some helpful tips that I believe withstand the test of time.

[AT Nartey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful guide for beginners on instagram

If you're interested in improving your histogram strategy this quick guide is very helpful. Although I've used the platform often I managed to learn some new things.

[Maisie West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical and actionable.

[Clarissa Gosling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful overview

[Jery Schober · Rating 5 out of 5]

From absolute beginner to pro in the course of one short book. Concise information, no fluff. Well done.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant for newbies.

[Patricia Morais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty basic. It doesn't explain how to grow a large audience of 50,000 followers like it says in the beginning but it has some okay advice and it's a free book!