The social network Pinterest is growing quickly–users post images and links to a virtual pinboard and share visual thoughts with other readers.
Check it out: “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”
Follow this link to request a Pinterest invite. We spent some time exploring the network to find out how writers, readers and publishers could use the new site.
1. Post your favorite books on your personal Pinterest page. You can add nice images of all the books you love in your life. Be sure to follow the site’s rule: “Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.”
2. Find other writers on Pinterest and follow their example. Novelist Shiloh Walker has a great Pinterest page, complete with sections for Characters & Clothing, Research & Scenes, and various themes from her books.
3. On your page, create separate “boards” (collections of visual links) about your influences. Just like a high school locker, this is a vivid way to show your readers what inspires you. The site offered this handy tip: “If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry.”
4. Look for book recommendations or comment on other users’ libraries in the Film, Music & Books section.
5. Share beautiful writing tools, stationary, journals, books and other crafty items in the Gifts section of the site.
UPDATE: For publishers interested in learning more about the site, Chronicle Books added this comment: “We love Pinterest at Chronicle Books! It’s a great way to find and share inspiration around books and the topics you love. Here are our boards. And feel free to email me at community@chroniclebooks.com if you need an invite.”