Being an up and coming author can be quite an overwhelming experience. Those currently in the throes of writing their first book many have found the process to be much harder than they had originally thought.
On top of this awareness of the ups and downs of writing a book, the discovery that in order to be a successful author one requires an Author Platform pretty much sends even the most confident new writer right over the edge.
A what? That’s right…
In order to be a successful author you will need some kind of Author Platform and preferably BEFORE you finish your book.
You’ve got to be kidding. Not only do we need to write an amazing book that people will actually want to read but now we have to create a platform to support our book as well.
You could just write your book hoping to catch a wave of interest and readership and some do and do it successfully, but unfortunately, many more fail to get a firm footing amongst all the other new and upcoming authors.
Ultimately their book doesn’t sell like they dreamed it would.
There are many reasons why a book may not do well but there are ways to help build your readership and following even before you finish your book.
An author platform helps you to create your readership and if you can build your platform before you publish your book this can jumpstart your success.
An author platform helps you create readership and success for your book. It allows people to find out more about you and your message and it can create great interest even before you finish writing your book.
Here are the top 4 ways to create your Author Platform:
- Social Media: This is one of the fastest ways to build your readership. With so many people interacting with online social media you can gain immediate access to many potential readers. With a little bit of research you can quickly discover where your readers are hanging out.
Social media allows you to be connected to your readers and frequently provide updates with your message. You can create excitement and anticipation to the release of your new book as well.
- Speaking: As a speaker you are able to connect with your readers in many ways. You can speak from a stage, lead workshops, speak at clubs, or network at related functions…the list is endless…basically anywhere you can speak to share your new book and message.
Remember with access to many more readers on the internet you can share your speaking voice online in webinars, videos, audios, forums, and chats.
- Writing: You can build your author platform by writing about your message and book. You can write articles for magazines, newspapers, reports and journals. Again…with the internet…you can also do this online with e-zines, e-newsletters, blogs, guest blogs, and guest online articles. You can get quite strategic with using any number of these to help people find your message.
- Have a Website: One way to help build your platform and create your relationship with your readers or potential readers is to have a website. Here you can write about your message and your book as well as have a place online where everyone can find you. Writing an online blog featured on your website is a great way to get your message out there and feature your up and coming book. You can create interest by releasing excerpts and tidbits from your book even before it’s published.
Having an author platform is critical to your success as an author. Building an author platform even before you publish your book is even better. You can use all of the ways listed above or you can start with just one just make sure to get started!
From time to time in this space, Balboa Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journeys. These are the words of Kirsten Farquharson, future Balboa Press Author.
Balboa Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books, are invited to do so by sending a message through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BalboaPress, by tweeting us @BalboaPress, or by emailing dghosh@ balboapress.com. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider them. Balboa Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar and punctuation accuracy; as well as for space.