Free Facebook Templates for Authors

facebook timelines
by CJ McDaniel // April 6  

If you are an author, it’s hard to have a great Facebook page without an eye-catching cover photo for your timeline. If you are interested in engaging new and old readers through your author Facebook page, you will need to have a well-designed timeline cover that relays the correct message.

What is my message?

Great design can be accomplished no matter what message you are trying to relay. But it is important that you know what that message is so you don’t throw off your readers! Are you promoting a book or a series, advocating a cause promoted in your book, etc. Having a definitive purpose will help direct you as you think about a timeline cover design.

Does my content match my header?

Knowing your message as an author not only makes coming up with a timeline cover design easier, but it also helps you stay focused when posting on your page. Once you have established the message and reason for your Facebook page, you need to stay consistent. Using the wrong images or photos on your Facebook timeline will cause a negative reaction and less engagement.

If you stray from your focus and begin talking about other things, you will lose your audience and discourage them from sharing your page with their friends.

Think about your readers

Think about all images and graphics posted on your author Facebook timeline, and ask yourself if they are engaging, creative, and enticing. You can take advantage of the power of social sharing by sharing images and content that is creative, unique, and inspires the reader to take action. The more inspiring and well-thought-out your cover photo or timeline content is, the more you can increase your chances for social engagement.

As an author, use sharp, clear images that give a good visual representation of what you’re trying to promote. Update your Facebook timeline and cover photo on a regular basis to keep things fresh and interesting.

Facebook Timeline Ideas & Examples

By putting some thought into your author Facebook timeline, you can potentially increase your response rate and gain more friends, followers and readers! Below are author and book page timelines with some notes about what makes each one stand out.

Karin Slaughter’s timeline cover uses a bright color to grab your attention, and endorsements to establish her credibility.
Many authors have more than one book, so it doesn’t make sense to promote just one on your Facebook page. This examples maximizes the real estate provided for timeline images by promoting three books instead of just one.
Some authors use their Facebook timeline image to match their past books or just themselves in general. This particular author is promoting a specific time that the book will launch. This can be effective, but it is important to take down any dates after the time has passed so your author page doesn’t look dated.
This example uses the timeline cover to promote the author’s brand, by showing off many books and a great quote about the author.
Some authors are well-known for writing in one major book category, this example matches the background of the timeline image to something you might see on one of her covers.

Free author Facebook timeline templates

Below are two downloadable timeline design templates that are fully editable in Photoshop and are perfectly designed to promote your book.

temp1

This template can likely be used for any author wanting to promote themselves and their book. You can exchange the cover and change the text on the typewriter.

temp2

This timeline cover will work for many genres from romance, to non-fiction, simply edit the layer for the cover mock-up and change the text and you will be ready to go.

About the Author

CJ grew up admiring books. His family owned a small bookstore throughout his early childhood, and he would spend weekends flipping through book after book, always sure to read the ones that looked the most interesting. Not much has changed since then, except now some of those interesting books he picks off the shelf were designed by his company!