Managing your Author Platform: How to give more than you recieve

Managing your Author Platform: How to give more than you recieve

When managing your author platform it is very important that you create and foster a community of fans for your writing. The first step of doing that is to write great books. The second step is creating great content for your fans on in your author platform.

Be consistent.

I know authors who reach out to their readers once a week. I know other writers who reach out four times a year. Just be consistent with your content. You need to groom your audience to expect content at certain times. Whether that’s twice a week or twice a year is secondary. Just be consistent.

Your free content should outnumber your asks by a lot.

See, if you only contact your fans when you have something to sell, then you’re no better than a pop up ad on the internet. Your readers will start to avoid your social media and get off your email list.

No. What you want to do is create a community where you give more than you receive. That way, your fans (whether they’re on your email list, go to your website, or follow you on social media,) feel like they’re more than a source of cash. They are your friends. The only way I know how to do that is to give more than I receive.

What content should I create and how do I manage it?

An email list is a precarious thing. It allows you to market directly to your fans. Today we get so much spam that people get protective of their personal email accounts. That fact that people have given you their email address means, at the very least, they are curious about your writing. This is a good thing. But don’t take those email’s for granted! You have to make those people feel special. You have to make them feel like they’re going to get something important for turning over that email address.

Here are some content ideas I and other authors have tried before:

• Book Reviews

• Essays on why you wrote that book or short story

• Interviews with other authors

• Reviews of conferences you’ve attended

• Interviews or analysis of your favorite characters from your stories

• Short Stories

• A review of your upcoming schedule; where you’re signing books or conferences you’ll be at.

• Essays about your world building (Whether fictional or real)

• Q&A with your fans

• Excerpts from your new WIP

• Cover art reveals

Now there are two ways you can organize your fresh content for your author branding. One way is to prioritize certain content for certain mediums. For example, you decide free short stories are only for your fans on your email list, while author interviews go on your website and book reviews go on your social media posts. (Especially Facebook)

The other way to prioritize your content is cycle it through a rotation. Email list one month, Website the next, Social Media third. I prefer this second method because I feel like it allows me to get the most bang for my buck when it comes to the content I have to create. It also makes my mailing list fans feel special because they’re getting this content first. Finally, I can recycle my content and use it three times. (Once for the email list, once for my website, and once for my Facebook page.)

You could also come up with a hybrid approach. Perhaps short stories only go to your email list, while book reviews start on your webpage and then migrate to your Facebook account a month later. Whatever feels right for you.

If you provide content consistently and make sure they outnumber your asks, your platform fans will probably end up being very happy and contented – which will eventually lead to higher sales. The other benefit is that some of this content can be recycled and used over again. I’ll use myself as an example.

I write primarily historical fiction. I also write Tudor Ireland – a very troubled time in Irish history. So here’s the topics of some of my emails and webpage content:

• Surrender and Regrant: Why Irish Peers agreed to English Hegemony and English titles.

• The Pole-Arm’s rise as the weapon of choice for Irish rebels.

• What is Brehon Law?

• Profiles in History: Sir John Parrot, Lord President of Munster

• Dublin and the English Pale

These are just five examples of short essays I have written for my website. I have a total of 17 of these planned. I only send emails about once a month. When I combine them with book reviews and interviews of other authors and free short stories, I’ll probably have 2½ years of content written. I will definitely be recycling this content for my website and for my Facebook page, as well as my email list. Once this is all set-up, the pressure to produce high quality content will be off of me and I can concentrate on writing more books. Books my fans on my email list will (hopefully,) want to buy after getting some good freebies from me along the way.

Now, maybe you don’t want to do a newsletter once a month. Perhaps you want to do it every other month, or once a quarter? Perhaps you’d like to write a newsletter or website blog twice a month or once a week? You do you. Just be consistent and remember that the amount of giveaways must be greater than your asks.

“But Jason,” you say. “I don’t have time to write essays. Besides, I write __________, not historical fiction. How would this work for me?”

• Take photos of your pet and write about something funny they did.
• Take photos of your vacation and talk about how nice it was to relax and explore.
• Write short stories about secondary characters popular with your readers.
• Write flash fiction about your characters.
• Review movies and TV shows you think your audience will love.
• Write brief synopsis about news events relating to your characters and include a link to the original article. For example, if you write sci-fi about a moon base, include an article you’ve recently discovered about the moon. If you write cowboy romance, talk about how the rodeo is coming to town and whether you’ll go.

I’ve thrown a lot at you.  Please don’t feel overwhelmed. Just remember to create great content.  Remember your content should outnumber your asks for buys. Finally, remember to be patient with yourself and the process. You’re allowed to recycle content and share it among your website, your email list, and your Facebook page.  You can do this!