—What is Timeline? Check out our article explaining it.
One of my favorite features of the new Facebook Timeline profile is the cover image. It’s a great opportunity for anyone to feature their unique personality, but it’s an especially good opportunity for authors. Of course, I still recommend having a Facebook author page or book page, so you can keep your personal life and professional life separate. But even if you have a designated author page, you can still make good use of your main profile’s cover image.
This is a great opportunity to show off your personality. I think the easiest use for the cover image is display a travel photo—finally, an appropriate way to show of the places you’ve been without sacrificing your profile picture! But there are other ways to use your cover image.
As an author, there are basically two routes you can go to make the most of your cover image.
The first is to pick a picture from your collection that really captures your personality. Maybe a picture of you hiking, or wrestling with your puppy, or hugging your kid. Maybe even a picture of yourself as a teenager, if your readers are mostly teens. I really recommend this for unpublished authors. It’s good way to start building your image, even if you don’t have a product to show off yet.
The second involves actually showing off your book itself, and this is where things get a bit trickier. There’s a lot of potential here, but you have to be careful.
Facebook has the following message pop up when you change your cover image:
“Pick a unique photo from your life to feature at the top of your timeline.
“Note: This space is not meant for banner ads or other promotions. Please don’t use content that is commercial, promotional, copyright-infringing or already in use on other people’s covers.”
You can see from this that Facebook has a specific aim for what it wants from your cover image, and specific guidelines for what you can and cannot do. Basically, they want something that represents you, not something that represents a brand or product. This doesn’t mean you can’t show of your books, it just means you have to be careful about it.
Some publishers have started providing promotional pictures of their books for people to use on their timelines. While I expect a lot of readers to jump at this chance, I highly warn against authors using them. You want to be professional with your profile, especially if you’re using it instead of an author or book page. Time will tell if Facebook starts banning these images, since they seem to technically violate the terms outlined. Maybe Facebook won’t care. Either way, I’d recommend staying away from these images.
Instead, I recommend using an image of yourself posed with your books. If you’re a previously published author, you must have some pictures from events. Find one that’s flattering a fits your personality, and use it.
Facebook seems clear about wanting a “unique” image that is not “already in use on other people’s covers.” So you can’t just use your book’s cover image itself. However, you can use a picture of your book, maybe posed in front of a landmark or sitting next to your adorable puppy. Have fun with it. Grab your camera and see what you can come up with. After all, these cover images are supposed to represent you and your personality in a new and enhanced way, and your books are definitely part of what makes you, you.
—Lucy
Lucy Softich has worked as a Social Media Marketer for RainTown Press for two years, and received her Master in Writing / Publishing, with focuses in Young Adult Literature and Social Media, from Portland State University and Ooligan Press in 2011. She believes strongly in the role social media can play in the life of an author and their work, and is committed to teaching authors how to utilize this potential.
