The Literary Entrepreneur Blog

Authors, Are You Using an Editorial Calendar?

by Tyora Moody

There’s no doubt sharing and engaging consistently on social media increases your visibility.  Social media tools help a great deal in the area of sharing, but you want to be strategic about not appearing to be a salesperson, or worse, a spammer.

 You need a marketing plan to help create a balance.

An editorial calendar is a must-have tool for any marketing plan. It’s your guide to how you approach marketing each day, week, and month.

So what does an author put on an editorial calendar?

Your calendar can include book release dates, blog posts, social media posts, virtual events, and more. Before we go to what to add to your calendar, let’s look at a few key questions.

  • Do you know the recommended times for engagement on social media?
  • General stats are great, but have you studied YOUR audience? When are they most active?
  • What questions are your readers (or potential readers) asking? What are they seeking that you can provide?
  • Have you already written a blog posts or created content (like a video or podcast) that provides solutions?
  • How evergreen is that content? Remember you’re always connecting with someone new, so something you posted a few months ago may be new to them.
  • What’s coming up (holidays, special events) on the calendar and how can you use these events to be creative with your sharing?

How does an editorial calendar look?

Now that you have determined what days are best for you to post on various platforms, mark those days on a calendar. Now some business owners, bloggers, etc. create detailed editorial calendars with spreadsheets.

Here are a few links below:

Choose the tool that works best for you.

The editorial calendars above are all awesome, but I will be honest, I like simplicity.

My number one marketing tool starts with a plain old fashion notebook.

My second most important tool is a monthly calendar.

You can use:

  • Use a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets
  • A calendar app like Google calendar
  • A leatherbound planner
  • A calendar you bought at the dollar store.