Building an Author Platform Wore Me Out

Four score and seven years...

Wait. How long have I been building that imaginary plywood stage called an author platform?

A long, long time! And you know what? It wore me out.

Yeah. It just tuckered this girl out.

You see, this is post 782. I've been blogging since 2008. Facebook? Yep. Twitter? Uh-huh. Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Goodreads? Absolutely.

I've been writing full time for seven years, studying, getting critiques, critiquing, honing my skills, attending conferences, pitching to editors, studying the industry. A girl can learn a lot about writing and the publishing industry in seven years.

But last fall I read Wendy Lawton's fabulous post, "The Trouble with Tribes" over at  Books and Such Literary Blog, and I sensed something needed to change. Wendy discusses the problem many authors have--their Tribe (and platform) consists of peers instead of readers.

Personally, I think aspiring fiction writers are smart to connect with peers. These are the people who will shout out your news and recommend your books to friends. Unpublished fiction authors have a tough time finding readers. After all, we don't have a book to sell.

But much of Wendy's advice rang true. We need to continue leaving our comfort zone to attract an audience. And that is what I've struggled with when the initial excitement of building a platform wore off. I settled for comfortable because I was too discouraged and tired to put myself out there.

I've been blessed. My platform has continued to grow on every site without tons of effort on my part. But I could do a better job of engaging readers.

The bottom line?

I'm pushing myself to make more of an effort on my social media sites. Brainstorming ways to kick-start my platform.

Why?

Because I'm persistent, and I believe in my books. I love writing. Writing isn't my hobby. Getting published isn't something that would be nice. It's my big dream, and I've sacrificed a lot to make it happen. I'm willing to sacrifice more.

If becoming a published author is important to you, you'll pick up the hammer and nails and build your platform, even when you're worn out.

How?

* Put small efforts in every day.
* Don't let your platform languish.
* Be generous.
* Nurture relationships.
* Freshen the look of your site every so often.
* And don't count on your platform to give you an edge with editors. It might, but it might not.

When the time comes to market your books, you'll need a web presence to do it. Think of building your platform as investing in your business. You can "save"  now by having your own system in place or "borrow" later by hiring web designers, paying for blog tours, or hiring a publicist. You might want to do both. It's good to have options.

If you're an aspiring author (or a published author), how do you stay motivated to build your platform?

Have a terrific day!

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What's Your Plan For 2013?

Every December I take a few hours to map out my business plan for the following year. Sitting down to do this is always one part daunting, one part exciting, and one part confusing. How can I possibly know what new obligations the next twelve months will bring? I can't! But I don't let that stop me.


I use Microsoft OneNote to organize my writing life. It's where I create my business plan each year, too. The main tab in my 2013 Business Plan notebook features my goals. I've learned the hard way not to etch a full year's goals in granite, so I create two tentative plans, and they each get their own sub-page.

The first is January-June 2013 and the second is July-December 2013. I copy/paste an annual calendar onto its own page in this tab, too, for referrals. Since I track my daily writing/revising/plotting progress, I know roughly how long I will need for each phase of writing a book. With these figures, I can accurately predict the amount of time to block off.

I always allot extra time in the schedule. An extra week here and there makes a big difference for me to stay on track.

Here is a sample of my overall January-June goals:

1. Polish finished manuscript 1 and send back to agent
2. Brainstorm and Plot  UNTITLED 1
3. Revise first draft of manuscript 2
4. Write first draft UNTITLED 1
5. Send revised manuscript 2 to agent
6. Brainstorm/OneNote Plot UNTITLED 2

Any number of things could throw this plan off, but I'd rather have a general plan than none at all.

The nice thing about OneNote is I'm able to create a little checkbox next to each goal (simultaneously press the "Control" and "1" keys). Love it!

If--let's face it, when!--I need to alter the plan, I change it and add a note on top of the page with the day I updated it.

I also keep track of my expenses, continuing education, and promotion efforts in my 2013 Business Plan notebook. Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency wrote a terrific post about her business plan and how she grades herself at the end of the year. The post is here, An Agent's Report Card, if you're interested!

Do you have an idea of what you want to accomplish next year? Have you written it down? Try it!

I'll be taking a nice, long break for Christmas. See you all January 7, 2013!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

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Marketing Myths Busted

How do authors effectively market their books today? Most blogs and experts will steer writers to social networking through Facebook, Twitter, and starting a blog. 

I am a firm believer in the power of social networking, but only if writers understand how social networking works. Many bloggers have written about keeping the "social" in networking, yet many new-to-publishing (traditional or self-published) authors are still making the same mistakes.

Wendy Lawton, agent and Vice-President of Books & Such Literary Agency, recently wrote "So What's an Author To Do?" (full post is linked) where she busts the myths that all social networking attempts sell books. In it she cautions writers about using Twitter, Facebook, and Blogging as marketing tools:

 "We talked about the drawbacks of Twitter yesterday. Do you know why it doesn’t work for most people? Because everyone sounds like everyone else... The same with Facebook. It’s a community. You need to invest yourself there with as much give as take...You don’t market to Facebook friends. You just live in community, so to speak... I also said blogging to promote books no longer works. Do you remember my exception? 'Exception: The writer who blogs to his/her well-established readership and has something unique and valuable to offer.'"

Wendy then goes on with detailed suggestions on marketing your book today. She summarizes:

"Remember–it is important to be fresh. Once everyone starts doing something it no longer stands out. When thinking about specifics, come up with the next big thing. This is not the time to copy other successes. You want to come up with the idea that causes other writers to say, “I wish I’d thought of that.” Here’s the key to all your marketing efforts: Keep your focus on the three unique elements– the author, the book, and your reader."

Wendy was very clear in the post that social networking does work, if used well. Her post brimmed with wisdom, and I urge you to read it if you haven't had a chance. Also, if you are at all confused on how to effectively build your platform through social media, pick up one of Kristen Lamb's books and follow her terrific blog, Kristen Lamb's Blog.

***

It's that time again, time to share good news!

Jessica R. Patch recently signed with Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Agency! I'm so happy for her and thrilled we're agency mates! Congratulations, Jessica!

Jody Hedlund just signed another three-book contract with Bethany House Publishing! This means I have four more books of hers to look forward to. Congratulations, Jody!

And I may have announced it here before, but it's news worth repeating: my awesome critique partner, Wendy Paine Miller, recently signed with Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary Agency! Congratulations, Wendy! I am so proud of you!!

Do you have any good news to share?

Enjoy your Monday!

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Does an Internet Presence Really Help Unpublished Authors?

Last Friday we talked about how social media can help sell your books. But what if you're an aspiring author without a book to sell? Is it really worth your time to create an online presence?


Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency wrote a terrific series a few weeks ago, and one of the posts, The Inside Track: How to Attract an Agent, spelled out what she looks for in a new client. "Along with that knowledge of the industry I look for writers who are connected. If you are writing fiction, I look to see what organizations and critique groups you belong to. I like to see queries from writers whose names I recognize because they Twitter with other writers, they comment on writer blogs or they follow a number of my writer/agent/editor friends on Facebook."

Her words triggered my memory. Way back in 2009, Rachelle Gardner wrote in her blog post The Dreaded Author Platform, "...I almost wanted to announce that I'd no longer accept queries from anyone who doesn't already have a good solid head start on a platform. (I won't draw such a clear line in the sand, but consider yourself informed.)"

Recently, more evidence of the importance of having an online presence came directly to my blog. I wrote a post two weeks ago, Why Not to Announce Requests/Rejections on Twitter, and wanted to share quotes from two very interesting commenters.

Lucky Press, LLC said, "As a publisher, if I am considering a manuscript, I do visit and read many posts and comments on the author's blog.... If a writer wants to be published, she must treat it as if she is starting a business and the product is the writer and her work." Lucky Press continued on to give a detailed, inspiring scenario about a current client.

Also, Bob Mayer--yeah, Bob Mayer the best-selling author, speaker, and publisher--stopped by and chimed in. "The first thing I do when I get a query from an author is Google them. Mainly to see if they have a social media platform-- it's a hard sell without one. I don't think authors should discuss their submissions, their agents, their publishers, unless it's positive on-line or unless they're burning a bridge they never expect to cross again. This is a good topic."

Four different publishing experts agree it is important for an unpublished author to build an online presence. To be fair, I know of a few authors with no online presence who have gotten agents in the past six months, but I know many more with firm online presences who have gotten agents.

What do you think? Is it important for unpublished authors to build an online presence?
Have a fantastic weekend!

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