Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to Amy Hutton about the value of an author profile on social media and how to catch a publisher’s eye.
Self-promotion through updating and managing an author profile on social media can feel daunting. Why is it important?
Whether traditionally published or independently published, your social accounts is one of the places you can connect with your community. This includes your readers and future readers, other authors, and other bookish accounts — which could be bookstores or podcasts or bookclubs, sometimes even agents and publishers will find you through your social accounts. All of these are vital relationships for authors. The more consistent you are with your posts, the more likely your community will see them, and engage with them, because they’ll start to get to know you. Having said that, the expectation that you must post every single day, sometimes multiple times a day is unrealistic for most people, which is why I say, nurture your social presence, but don’t obsess about it. The writing is where you should be obsessing! Having an authentic presence on social media is what’s important.
I sometimes think we forget the ‘social’ part of social media. Coming on once or twice a year for a couple of months to promote an upcoming book does not build community and relationships. Your content, while obviously promoting you as an author, should also be interesting, entertaining and engaging. The more captivating your content is, the more likely your followers will share it to their own social feeds, and other people sharing your posts means their followers see your content and may bring you a follow too. The book and author community are incredibly generous and supportive in how they share each other’s content. But the most important thing about social media is to be yourself and have fun.
At what point in the writing process should a writer start thinking about marketing and publicity?
When an author feels comfortable talking about a book varies from author to author. Some authors are restricted by their publisher as to when they can discuss a book and then how much they can say. There will often be a marketing schedule that the author must adhere to. In this situation, an author might start teasing a date for a cover reveal or teasing story elements as they’re writing it without giving too much away. This could be discussing the edit process, where they’re at in the process or their daily or weekly writing goals. Authors will often tease with mood boards, or playlists. These kinds of social posts can be a great and fun way to create buzz while not giving anything away.
But even if you aren’t actively marketing, you should be planning for it. Be open to ideas during the writing process. Look at what other authors are doing that you connect with. There might be something in your book you realise you can capitalise on as you get closer to launch. There could be merchandise ideas you want to produce that you can start designing now. So, keep note of campaign ideas or start those Canva projects so you can roll them out when you’re ready to go. Have those launch event dates pencilled in and start building lists of people you can reach out to for help with publicity.
But the first thing you need is a finished book. Never forget that the writing is the most important part.
Your three books have been published by a traditional publisher. What does it take to catch a publisher’s eye?
Getting a publishing contract is about having the right idea in front of the right set of eyes at exactly the right time. Yes you need a fresh idea well written, good presentation and a good pitch. But you also need a great big dollop of luck. I was lucky enough to have a face-to-face pitching opportunity with my publisher at the exact moment rom-coms were exploding. So, though, yes my rom-com was good, had a fresh and fun idea, was well written and had a catchy title, it also happened to be the genre of book that was currently popping and that my publisher was looking for. That was the luck part. When we came to discussing my third book, paranormal was in the zeitgeist again. A couple of big romance authors had embraced the spooky and come out with hugely successful paranormal romances. Lucky for me, I happened to have a good one finished and ready to go just when my publisher was looking for that genre and she loved it. There’s that luck part again. Luck and timing. There are a lot of great books and great writers that we may never see because of opportunity and timing. Publishing is a tough business and getting your book in front of the right set of eyes at the right time can take some luck. That being said, your book has to be good. Very good. A stand out idea. Luck only gets you so far. So, keep writing. Keep learning. Prepare a good pitch (super important). And don’t give up. Determination and perseverance are a big part of success too.
When building an author profile, what are some important considerations about tone, audience, etc?
Being authentic is the most important thing. Be yourself, represent your genre/s, find your vibe and stick with it. Decide how much of yourself you’re going to share. Keep it professional, but personal. It’s a balance. Connect with people interested in the same things as you and engage with them. Think about your brand. How do you want people to see you? Does that tie with your author offering? Does your ‘voice’ work with the genre/s you’re working in? Look at some of your favourite authors in the space you want to be in and see how they manage it. Just don’t try to be something you’re not. People will eventually see through it. And don’t freak out about it too much. You can tweak it as you go, because we all change and grow. That’s where the authentic thing comes in. And make sure you share your friend’s and fave’s content too. Be generous.
Should an author utilise all forms of self-promotion, from Tik Tok through to Substack, or is it better to home in on one or two of these avenues?
I think an author should use whichever platform they’re comfortable with. Yes, you need to see where your readers hangout. If you’re writing YA or Romantasy, and even romance, TikTok could be a good space for you. But if the idea of using TikTok makes you shudder, then don’t use it. If you don’t have time to blog on Substack, don’t. If that’s a space you enjoy, and you think blogging adds value to your brand, go for it. If you don’t have time to run a monthly newsletter don’t. If you think it will bolster your readership and sales (indies I’m looking at you) then give it a go (and be consistent). If you love the Instagram environment and the bookish community there, stick with Instagram. If Facebook is where you’re comfortable, engage with the bookclub community there. Yes I think it’s important to home in on where your readership is, but it’s more important to be comfortable in the social space. It comes back to the authenticity thing. You don’t need to be everywhere. Social media is all about being authentic to you and being part of a community.
Amy Hutton is a traditionally published award-winning author and former TV producer. Her debut rom-com Sit, Stay, Love was chosen as one of Kobo’s best romances of 2023, and her follow up Love from Scratch was an Editor’s Pick in the 2024 Spotify Wrapped. She is a Romance Writers of America prize winner and the recipient of several other honours from national and international writing organisations. Her third book, a spirited new romance titled Haunted Hearts, will be released through her publisher Simon & Schuster Australia on September 3. When not busy toying with her character’s emotions, she’s probably hanging with her rescue dog Buffy, or lost in the pages of her latest favourite read.
Join Amy Hutton’s course, Preparing for Publication: Tools for the Debut Author, Saturday 11 July 2026, 10am-4pm
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