There’s a feeling almost every author experiences, one that heightens as their book’s release date approaches: the absolute cringe of self-promotion.
What often compounds this is the realization that, for all their hesitant cringe-posting of their book cover on social media, they’re not actually getting much in the way of engagement. Then the panic spiral begins: What am I doing? I don’t know how to do this! I never wanted to be an influencer! I just want to write my books!
The solution isn’t to post less about your book. It’s to post about it in more compelling ways. (That’s right, leaning in to the cringe, á la the internet maxim, “Do not kill the part of you that is cringe; kill the part of you that cringes.”) Your book cover is beautiful, but it’s just one asset. Instead of just posting the cover over and over, you need a library of visual content that keeps your book visible without it becoming social media wallpaper.
Here’s what to create, what to skip, and how to think about the whole thing strategically (and cringe free).
The Graphics That Actually Work
Quote graphics from your book. Pull striking lines from your own work, set them against a branded background in your colors and fonts, and include a small image of your book cover or your name and title at the bottom. These graphics are among the most shared types of author content on social media because they offer readers something of value—a beautiful thought, a provocative sentence, a moment of recognition—rather than just asking them to buy something. Choose lines that work out of context. The reader doesn’t need to know your plot for a gorgeous sentence about grief or ambition or joy to move them.
Review and blurb graphics. When a reader, reviewer, or fellow author says something great about your book, turn it into a graphic. A pull-quote set in your brand colors with your book cover is social proof that works harder than you re-posting the review ever could. These have a long shelf life—you can post them weeks or months apart, and each one feels fresh because the words are different, even though the design template is the same.
Behind-the-scenes content. Your writing space. Your research. Your revision process. The coffee shop where you wrote the hardest chapter. The places you go to procrastinate. The places you go for inspiration. Readers genuinely want to see this stuff, and all of it is the opposite of cringe: not poised, perfect set-ups, just the real world you personally live in when you write your books. To tie these photos into your visual identity, rather than looking like random screenshots, add a text overlay in your brand colors—this could simply be your name and a one-line caption.
Event graphics. Every reading, signing, panel, festival appearance, or virtual event needs its own graphic with the essential details: What, when, where, and a hook about what you’ll discuss. These serve a practical purpose (people need to know the details) and a signaling purpose (active authors with events look like authors worth paying attention to). Create a template and reuse it—just swap the specifics each time.
Milestone and gratitude graphics. Hitting a bestseller list? Getting a sweet review? Reaching a publication milestone? Share it. These posts perform well because you’re not asking anyone to buy your book, you’re inviting your audience to celebrate with you. Keep these simple—your brand colors, a brief message, your book cover in the corner.
The Graphics You Can Skip (For Now)
Animated or video content. Yes, Reels and TikTok perform well algorithmically. But video production is a completely different skill set from static graphics, and trying to do both when you’re already stretched thin usually means doing both poorly. If you have a natural comfort with video, go for it. If having your face on video increases the cringe factor, then don’t do it. Just focus on doing static graphics well.
Infographics about your book’s themes. These sound good in theory, but they take significant time to design well and rarely generate the engagement you’d expect. The effort-to-return ratio is poor compared to a simple, well-designed quote graphic.
Platform-specific meme content. Trending audio, meme formats, and platform-specific inside jokes can work brilliantly for some authors, but they require constant attention to what’s trending and quick turnaround. If you’re the kind of person who lives on social media and spots trends early, this is a powerful tool. If you’re not, don’t force it. A well-designed branded graphic has a longer shelf life than a meme that’s stale in 48 hours.
Multiple graphics per day. Quality matters more than quantity. One strong, branded graphic a few times a week builds more recognition than five mediocre ones posted in a burst.
The Consistency Principle
Every graphic you post should look like it belongs to the same family. Same colors. Same fonts. Same general style. When someone scrolls through their feed and sees your post, they should recognize it as yours before they read a single word.
This is visual branding, and it’s what separates authors who look professional from authors who look like they’re figuring it out as they go. That perception matters when a reader is deciding whether to spend money and time on your work.
You don’t have to be a design expert to achieve this. You just need to make a few decisions and then stick with them. Choose 2-3 brand colors. Choose 1-2 fonts. Create templates that use those colors and fonts. Then use those templates every time you create something new. Over time, this helps shape your entire social media presence, giving it a cohesive visual identity that builds recognition and trust.
What Sizes Do You Need?
Platform dimensions change regularly, but as of early 2026, here’s what you should be designing for: Instagram posts work best at 1080×1080 (square) or 1080×1350 (portrait). Instagram Stories are 1080×1920. Facebook and LinkedIn posts work well at 1200×1200 (square) or 1200×630 (landscape). Twitter/X images display best at 1200×675.
The most practical advice: Design in square format first. A square image works acceptably on every platform. Once you have the content finalized, resize for platform-specific dimensions if you have the time and bandwidth. If you don’t, square can work everywhere.
The Bigger Picture
Thoughtful and cohesive social media graphics help keep your book visible, give your audience reasons to engage with you between reading sessions, and make your online presence polished and professional.
But if you’re spending more time making graphics than writing, something is off. If you’re avoiding social media entirely because you hate the design part, something is also off. The sweet spot is a finding system—templates, brand guidelines, and a manageable posting rhythm—that lets you show up consistently without it consuming your creative life.
Some authors build that system themselves and love it. Some authors would rather hand it off so they can focus on what they actually do best. Both approaches work.
The only approach that doesn’t work is letting the cringe win: doing nothing and just hoping people find your book on their own.
⭐ Want to know how to plan out what graphics you need for your book launch? Get our FREE one-page guide—The Author’s Launch Graphics Timeline—here! ⭐
Andi Buchanan is the founder of Novel Notion Creative and the author of 12 books, including the New York Times bestseller The Daring Book for Girls. NNC creates social media graphics, media kits, and marketing materials for authors — human-designed, never AI. Book a free 30-minute consultation to figure out what you need.