Marketing. For many authors it’s a dirty word. When I go to RMFW events and I talked to aspiring authors I get the distinct impression that the real reason why so many people pitch to agents and chase a traditional contract is because they just don’t want to do the marketing. I have spoken with dozens of traditionally published authors who told me their books got little to know push. I’ve spoken to other authors who had minor pushes for a limited amount of time and then suddenly no ads, no swag and no more pushes. And while there are still mid-list authors who get the full support of their publisher’s marketing department, the reality is most of us are going to have to get our hands dirty and our feet wet.
But do not fret, true believers. I am here to help. Now before you roll your eyes at me, let me just say I am NOT a great marketing genius. I do not know everything about marketing your book. I cannot tell you where to find an audience, or how to convert ad clicks into book sales. I’m just a humble guy who likes to write and read. But what I do have are some baby steps you can take to build your Author Platform.
What is an Author Platform?
I am glad you asked. The definition I like comes from author, coach and speaker Jane Friedman. (www.janefriedman.com) An Author Platform is an author’s ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach. You know what I’m talking about, right? George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, and Neil Gaiman are all authors whose names are synonymous with publishing and storytelling.
This is your goal. To have your name become synonymous with the brand of fiction you write. Now, no one is claiming any of us will be as big as they are. But you can start, in little ways, to build that platform. It doesn’t matter if you are an independent publisher, have a traditional contract, or if you’re a hybrid author and do both. Everything we’re going to discuss over the next couple of months will apply.
What do I need to start an Author Platform?
1.) A Book to sell. None of this matters if you don’t have a book to sell. Now, some authors make the argument that you should work on your social media presences before you have your first book published. I will table that discussion for another time. All I will say is that can’t sell books if you don’t have a book finished. So finish your book.
2.) A web page. Every author needs a webpage to get started. It doesn’t have to have a fancy URL. It doesn’t have to be dedicated hosting. You don’t even have to pay for it, at all. But the people who like your work will want to interact with you online. A great place to have that conversation is with your own website. NOTE: I will go into this a little deeper next month, but if blogging terrifies you, don’t blog. It’s enough that you have a website with links to your novel and a sign-up list.
3.) A Social Media Presence. There are a great number of social media sites that can help you create your author personae. Here is my recommendation: Don’t try to be on them all! If you’re a little awkward with social media, or are unsure in any way, pick 2-4 sites and really get into them. Do your research and be honest with yourself about which ones you’re going to actually participate in. For example, don’t spend the time setting up a youtube.com page if video production is onerous to you. Don’t set up a Instagram account if you get uncomfortable with taking pictures of yourself, your work, your editing process and dog or cat. Whatever you do, though, you should choose Facebook. There are 2.7 Billion people active on Facebook on a monthly basis. That’s almost half the eyes on the planet.
4.) Email List. This is the gold. This is where you keep and protect those readers who trust you enough that they give you their email address. We’ll talk about gathering emails next month. Right now, you need to start an email collection account. There are many online programs that will let you capture and collect emails. Most of these programs have free options that are perfect for beginning authors! Many use Mailchimp.com, although I prefer mailerlite.com. Do your research, though.
When we see each other again, we will talk about whether you should be blogging or not. We’ll also talk about how you can start collecting those emails and creating content for your readers to consume! Have a great August!
It seems to me that, yes, you can do all this, but unless you reach an audience who further ***talks you up*** and ***passes YOUR promotional efforts on and on and on***, all your best promotion can fail. And I don’t mean that your books are terrible. I mean that you don’t find an audience that goes word-of-mouth…because it seems to me that THAT is the real Holy Grail here. Promotion, yes, but you’re just one person and you need OTHERS to pass your work on…and on….
Hi F.P.,
You’re not wrong. But the point of marketing is to try and find THAT audience. The purpose of this first post was only to get our definitions on the table and to help authors who are either close to publishing, or have just published their first book. In my next post I will talk about more specific things an author can do to start building that audience. But I don’t want to sugar coat it. The process is HARD WORK. (Which is why so many people avoid doing it.) Here’s the kicker, F.P., it may not work! I come from a sports background and in basketball we like to say, “You automatically miss every shot you don’t take.”
Come back next month and I will start with some concrete advice on how to build your author platform.
I’m ears…or eyes…or whatever…. 🙂
Nice, Jason. What I needed.
Thank you, Rainey! I am here to serve!
Thank you Jason!
I just launched my second novel while writing third, so any insight into the marketing balancing act is appreciated!
Thank you, Kris! Good luck on the Novel!