Social media continues to drive many businesses, and the publishing industry is no exception. Any author can now create a viral social media campaign and gain a marketing momentum even before the book is published.

And now, more than ever, books that would otherwise never see the light of day top the bestseller list.

Here are the biggest positive effects of social media on the publishing industry:

Social media has bridged the gap between authors and their readers.

According to a survey, 79 percent of authors are in social media. This means authors and readers can now engage on a more personal level.

Social media has provided an inexpensive platform to market products and services.

With a carefully planned social media strategy and a unique promotional spill, authors can market their books the less expensive way. It isn’t surprising that Facebook ads raked in top revenues in 2016, taking in 67.9 percent of advertising spend in the US.

Social media has helped drive traffic to author websites and blogs.

Facebook announced last October that the social network’s average referral traffic to media sites increased by 170 percent. With this, authors can create groups of followers to whom they can introduce their work even before it goes to print.

Social media has helped the digital publishing industry in terms of reach and accessibility.

There was a 200 percent average growth in readers of digital publishing apps in the last three years—and the numbers aren’t stopping.

Social media has helped printed book sales rise for the first time in four years.

In 2016, the Publishers Association, which measures sales in the publishing industry, reported that the sales of printed books grew by 0.4 percent.

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