I can’t speak for everyone, but I for one am definitely overwhelmed with the prospects and responsibilities of today’s growing social media. As an author, I have one of everything: Instagram, Twitter (I actually have 2!), Facebook, blog (again, more than 1), newsletter, and… *Amy sucks in deep breath.* Is it any wonder that a person spends 54.6% of their free time on social media? (Okay, so I totally just made up that statistic. I wanted to see if you were paying attention. Actually the average person spends two hours a day on social media. If you subtract out work/school and sleep time…well, you can do the math.) But if readers are spending all this time online and writers are spending all this time online, less books get read and less books get written! (GASP!)

But I have friends online, you cry. Me too! And I want to spend time with these friends and spread the word about my books, share a recipe or a funny quote, or just say hi. So I’ve decided to better streamline my social media presence. This doesn’t mean cutting out one of my blogs (though if you follow my @AmieLouellen twitter name, that will be disappearing soon.). No, I’m taking about better organizing my posts and what I post as well. There’s no need for me to post the same thing on all social media and there’s no reason for you to have to wade through the same thing on Facebook, Twitter, my newsletter, and more.

What do I sign up for? you ask. Well, here’s the outline of what you get where.

Facebook: Like the rest of America, I love Facebook. I have a strong and large Facebook presence. I have a personal page, a fan page, a readers’ group page, a quilt giveaway page, and more. So how do you know which one to follow? Check this out:

If you want to follow my #PunWar with Stacey, see what a smart aleck my baby sister is and find out what I’m messing in from time to time, ask to be my friend. https://www.facebook.com/AmyLillardAuthor (I don’t mind friends, but once I get to 5K Facebook won’t let me (well, for that matter, anyone) have any more. That’s why  authors, other public figures, and businesses have a fan page.

Amy Lillard Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/AmyLillard918/   is where I post inspirational memes, book quotes, and other book related news, as well as anything else I can think of that has to do with reading and writing (but no arithmetic. That’s Stacey’s department! LOL). New contract news and posts that you can share with friends. So if this is the news that you want, hit LIKE and make sure you’ve turned on the notifications for the page.

The Amy’s Amish Quilt Giveaway  https://www.facebook.com/groups/824715970905343/ page is just about that–the quilt giveaway I host each year for a one-of-a-kind Amish-made quilt. Check out the details here: https://amysamishadventures.wordpress.com/about-amy/the-amish-quilt-giveaway/

Facebook Readers’ Groups: I have two. One for my contemporary books https://www.facebook.com/groups/190439531145171/ and another for my Amish books https://www.facebook.com/groups/382127188560092/.  Join one, or join both, whatever suits your reading tastes. In the next few months I will be having book chats on these pages that focus on readers questions after they’ve read the book. But more about that later. If you like books, camaraderie and fun, feel free to click join!

A-Team Street Team is for readers who want to help support my books and are committed to sharing posts, leaving reviews, and otherwise spreading the word about my books. Street Teams members can qualify to receive ARCs (advanced reading copies) and special contests. Street Team members leave reviews and diligently share posts and other news. Because of this, they are offered special privileges and exclusive contests. If this sounds right up your alley, then send me an email (amylillard918@gmail.com), and I’ll get you out a welcome packet that explains what it’s all about.

My Blog: As I mentioned before I have three. (Technically I have more than that, but I’ll not go into that just yet.) How do you know which blog to follow? Do you follow all of them? That question is easily answered:

Are you a writer, planning to write a book, or want to know about writing, then sign up for my Amy and Writing Things Blog https://amyandwritingthings.wordpress.com/about/ . It’s in the baby stages, but I am working on inspirational pages for writers as well as advice from other authors and what it means to be a professional author in these changing times of publishing.

Do you love the Amish? Then follow my Amy’s Amish Adventures Blog https://amysamishadventures.wordpress.com/blog/ . All that you find here will be about the Amish people and customs, my Amish books, and anything else Amish related, like recipes and my Amish travels.

My Amy Writes Romance Blog is about that: Amy writing romance https://amywritesromance.com/blog/.  There will be blog posts about my books, both romance and mystery. But I am doing my best to corral all Amish to my Adventures site. From time to time some Amish will sneak over, but I’ll do my best to keep the posts different for the people who wish to follow both.

If you just want to know about new book releases, there are three main ways. Number 1 is the Newsletter http://bit.ly/2oTIvoR. I take the name seriously. It’s for news. If I have a new book out, I’ll send a newsletter. Or you can also sign up to follow my Amazon page http://amzn.to/2pP3Deg  and/or follow me on BookBub  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-lillard and you’ll get this same info. The choice is up to you if this is the info you wish to get, but from time to time I have special surprises set up for my newsletter subscribers. These include things like exclusive first looks at new books, ARC giveaways, and such.

Twitter: I don’t do a lot of tweeting, but I do some. Mainly I re-tweet for other authors, tell folks when I have a new blog up, and notify readers of the latest release or review. That sounds like a lot, but it’s not really. I may actually tweet three to five times a week on average, though sometimes all five can come in one day. Hard to say. https://twitter.com/AmyLillard918

Pinterest: I think most people will agree that Pinterest is just a fun-fun-fun way to waste time. But it can also be a great place to find out more about my books and the characters in each. I have a board for each book, all the many things I love, several dedicated to reading, and a few about me as a person. So if you’re on there wasting time, come waste some with me. :) https://www.pinterest.com/AmyLillard918/?eq=amy%20&etslf=4166

And don’t forget about Goodreads.  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5809947.Amy_Lillard

I also have a Tumblr http://amylillard918.tumblr.com/, a Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmyLillardAuthor ,  and an Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amylillardauthor/ . I post on these from time to time, so if you’re there and you want to follow along all the better. But I don’t spend a lot of time on these sites simply because I feel my reader is elsewhere on the web. However I am trying to build up my Instagram if you’d like to join me there.

Well, that about wraps up the longest blog post to date! LOL But I wanted everyone to know my personal social media habits and where to find me online. Hope you see you there!