Thomas Nelson's place among publishing's social networking pioneers is highlighted in the latest issue of Book Business magazine.

Company CEO Michael Hyatt and director of marketing for non-fiction, Jeff Loper, are two of the publishing executives whose advice on how book companies can make the most of the likes of Twitter and Facebook is featured in the publication.

Loper's recommendations include building communities around authors, rather than their books. "People ultimately want to be closer to the author, and their books are an extension of them," he said. "The closer we can get them to the author, the more effective and engaged the community will be."

That means establishing a destination site to which people can be directed from social networks, he added. "The publisher's Web site can work on occasion, but if you're constantly thinking about how the consumer wants to be closer to the author, the publisher's Web site isn't that place most of the time."

Book Business also quotes Hyatt from a blog posting on five ways using Twitter has positively impacted his company-visibility, personality, connectivity, loyalty and leadership. "Many people responded that they actively seek out our products as a result of connectioning with us on social media," Hyatt wrote.

"While many companies are sitting on the sidelines in fear, we have jumped in with both feet," he added. "We've certainly made our share of mistakes, but, regardless, people perceive this as leadership."

• Prev
• Next