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FEATURED ARTICLE JANUARY 2013
Building Your Author Platform from the Ground Up
by Laura Orsini
We mentioned last month that one of the most important terms in the publishing industry is PLATFORM. Submit your manuscript to any traditional publisher or send an agent a query letter and the first question they will ask is "How big is your platform?" An author’s platform is his/her ability to reach their audience of book-buyers, or their plan to do so. It is a measure of your EXISTING INFLUENCE and your ABILITY TO SELL to your market.
It's never too early to begin building your platform. In fact, as soon as you start writing your book, should be thinking about how you will develop or expand your reach in order to have readers waiting to buy your book. The most challenging thing a new author can do is publish their book and then try to create a platform from the ground up. But it happens far too often.
In fact, a client of mine came to me as a referral – a brand new author. Her book is a  137,000-word romantic thriller. She wanted information and help with publishing it. In our first conversation, we discussed print options as well as eBook distribution. Since her primary goal was just to “get the book out there,” she decided to go for the simpler eBook option to start. To save her the money and effort involved in formatting for each individual eReader platform, we went with the one-size-fits-all Smashwords for distribution.
Ask 10 authors their opinion of Smashwords, and you will likely hear 10 different thoughts. However, it's a good solution for an all-text book like a novel. It does not work as well for books that incorporate any sort of graphics or variation in headings/font sizes. All we had to do was design a cover, fully justify the manuscript text, remove the page numbers, slip it into a Word ’97-2003 doc format, and it was good to go. Uploading the cover and text to Smashwords took a matter of minutes, and voila – there it sits, ready and waiting for people to come and buy it. Keyword: WAITING.
This new author found herself facing that dreaded question: My book is done – now how the hell do I get the readers-cum-buyers to show up?
It was an especially challenging question for my client because she had zero online presence. I am NOT exaggerating. No mailing list. No blog. No website. No Facebook. No Twitter. No LinkedIn. No social media of any kind. She has a computer which she used for writing her book, and she has email. That’s it. So we are literally starting at the bottom to build her an online presence.
While there are many different paths to the same end goal – marketing that book – it was her choice to begin with blogging. Developing a mailing list is perhaps the most urgent goal when it comes to platform-building, but I believe every author must start to do so in the way that is most comfortable for them. It’s not going to do you any good if I help you build a Facebook fan page but you just don’t want to be on Facebook because you’re so uncomfortable with it.
So Teresa will start by exploring her new blog. Practice posting. And begin writing. She plans to follow my recommendations for the 7 steps to blogging success:
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Writing 40 to 50 posts in a ROW (weekends included) from the date of her launch.
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Writing quality content that is of interest to her targeted readers: lovers of romance and thrillers.
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Using an image with every post.
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Selecting good keywords for every post.
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Including a resource box at the bottom of each post with a call to action: Come sample my book at Smashwords.
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Posting on a regular schedule after the initial 40 to 50 posts.
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Commenting on other blogs on similar topics, and being generous with her feedback to commenters on her blog.
Will it be an uphill battle? Sure. Is it going to take a while? You bet. Can it be done? Of course! ■
NEXT MONTH: How to Build a Mailing List When You Don't Have One ... Yet
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Clients we're supporting...
This month, we celebrate 4 years working with financial expert Samuel N. Asare, who has authored 4 books, including 5 Mistakes Your Financial Advisor Is Making. Click the image above to visit the Laser Financial Group site and learn more. |
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Blogs we're following...
If you're not paying attention to improving (or maintaining) the SEO for your author site, chances are that your online marketing is suffering. SEOBook offers continual updates to keep you in front of current SEO trends. They also offer a great training program and private members' forum. Click on the link above to learn more. |
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Sites we're using...
The world's largest marketplace for small services. Buy or sell products and services starting at $5. Have someone write you a jingle, design a logo, or send your media release. If you can think of it, someone's probably offering it on Fiverr. It's a great way to market your business or find the help you need to run it well. Click the link above to get started. |
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Resources we're recommending...
Do you own your own business so you figure you'll never need another résumé? Think again! Award applications, board applications, even your LinkedIn summary are versions of a résumé. Donna Tucker is a résumé pro. Make sure your friends who are job hunting know Donna and Career Pro. Click the image above to visit the Career Pro site.
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Conferences upcoming...
The Tucson Festival of Books enters its fifth year as the fourth largest literary event in the country and attracts more than 450 authors and 120,000 attendees over just two days. Participating authors represent fiction, nonfiction, children's fiction, cooking, and poetry. Click the image above for further info. |
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Contests for submitting...
The Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition offers an grand prize of $3,000 for original UNPUBLISHED short-form fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or scripts. Winner receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City. Early-bird deadline: 5/6/13. Click the link above for full rules.
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Books we're reading...
The title of this one pretty much says it all. Rather than a business books that gives you a prefab road map, Comaford-Lynch gives you permission to break all the rules and create your own map to success. If you want to find success on your terms, this is the book for you. |
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Movies we're watching...
Since my husband and I met through Craigslist, this one may not come as a surprise. But the premise alone is utterly delightful: On a mission to prove that Americans are still basically good, Joe sets out to live for 31 days on work, shelter, food, etc. he can come by via Craigslist. Click the link above for more.
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Opportunities for the taking...
Granted, winter is pretty much done and gone by March 1st where I live in Phoenix, but those who live in snowy places know it's still going strong. Authors, authors-in-progress, and those thinking about writing a book are invited to join us for this 15-day blog challenge. The theme for each day's writing prompt is Social Media. Click the image above for registration, info, and the rules. |
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Places Laura's speaking...
I will be a guest on Connie Kadansky's BlogTalk Radio Show, Sales Call Reluctance Coach, on Monday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. MST, discussing how a salesperson can instantly boost his or her credibility by publishing an eBook. | Info |
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THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL...
Using Facebook Fan Pages to Market Your Book and/or Build Your Business. At nearly 200 pages, this eBook is brimming with screen shots and ideas to help you make the most of your Facebook presence. If you've been thinking about creating - or updating - your Facebook Fan Page, this is the tool to get you there. Get your copy today.
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You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do anything but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.
Isaac Asimov
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Mark your calendar for February 15, 2013, as our new 52-week,
self-paced program for women authors launches.
If you’ve been thinking about writing a book for some time now, you probably have lots of very good excuses for why you haven’t done it yet. Time. “Who has time to sit down and write a book!??” Skill. You may have a great idea … but lack confidence when it comes to actually writing a book. Planning. You have a great idea, but you have no idea how to get the ideas out of your head. Panic. There’s just too much to know and you’re not sure you’ll ever be able to pull all the pieces together to write your book.
Courses cover specific topics in the areas of:
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MINDSET
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HONING YOUR WRITING SKILL
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WRITING PROCESS
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GENRES
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TURNING YOUR WRITING INTO A MANUSCRIPT
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PUTTING THE BOOK TOGETHER
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FORMATS
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PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION
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THE BOOK BUSINESS
EMPOWERINGWOMENWRITERS.COM
Miss a past issue of Creative Quill?
Catch up here!
<<First Name>>, wishing you continued peace & prosperity in 2013!
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