Online Presence for Writers
I have been following resources for writers for quite a while now and the one key marketing strategy that stands out is that a writer needs to have an author platform.
For information, I’ve included links to some of those resources in the footer below.
What is an Author Platform?
I asked myself the same question. I mean, I have an author profile page on Amazon. Is that not enough? Well, no. Not only is Amazon not the only place to self-publish (see my article on self-publishing for more about that), but the information is limited. For example, you can’t easily create a mailing list from an Amazon author page. Without the mailing list, how can you find beta readers? Or get really constructive feedback? Or increase your following so that when you have news to share, you maximise the outreach?
The answer appears to be a good, solid author platform. That doesn’t just mean setting up a website, although that is a good start. It also means creating a Facebook page, a Twitter account, an Instagram profile and even more, if you’ve got the energy for it.
Although I am from an IT background, I’m of that generation who came late to social media. Without wanting to seem ancient, I was already a working adult when the internet came into being. I remember mobile phones when they weren’t actually very mobile at all. I’ve had a private Facebook account for a number of years now and I’m very comfortable with the internet as a resource for information. However, my Twitter account is recent and still pretty much empty and I had to ask my daughter to give me a crash course on Instagram just a few weeks ago. Yet, these tools are all key elements of an author platform so I will persevere and try to make them work for me.
Branding
I’m no marketing expert, but I think we all know that branding is an important concept in any marketing strategy. I knew that the author platform needed this for consistency and to get across a professional image. I took some photos of my own interior (thus avoiding any copyright infringements and ensuring that images are my own). From there I created a branding cover image:
I added a tagline that seems to represent me: writer, coach, mother and cook (see my About Me section for an explanation).
Then I created a logo:
With my branding in place, I moved onto other areas.
My author platform now has a Facebook page called Lesley Price – writer that you can follow for news and updates.
I am truly a novice in this area but I know it’s a great way to connect with people and visually showcase what I’m doing. As I write this, I’ve yet to post my first photo but it will happen in the next couple of days! You can find me under Lesley Price 100.
No author platform would be complete without a Twitter account. I still haven’t tweeted yet but I’m slowly working up to it! Check out LPWriterCoach to see how I’m doing.
Other Examples of Online Presence
There are many other ways to make your author profile visible today. In addition to Amazon that I mentioned earlier, I have profiles set up on Goodreads, Bookbubs, Smashwords and Booksprout. I’m sure I will be setting more up as I expand my distribution channels.
Keeping Everything in Sync
With all of this online presence, you might wonder how to keep it all updated. I am wondering the same thing myself. It’s no wonder that large publishers or best-selling authors have content managers for this sort of thing. That is not a luxury I can afford right now and I must admit that I’m finding it all quite fun, if a little frustrating and more than a little time-consuming. I’m certainly learning a lot and maybe I’ll be able to put that learning to use for others at some point.
In the meantime, I will try to focus on the main elements I’ve discussed here, starting with the foundation of my online presence: this website. I will try to branch out from there and ensure that the main news and events are shared through Facebook and Twitter and that I work on visual messaging through Instagram. It will be a challenge that I sincerely hope can be managed with good organisation and a touch of discipline. I’m an IT project manager so it should be feasible!
What I won’t know (unless you tell me) is how much you, the reader, enjoy the whole experience. Is it interesting? What am I doing right? And what, more importantly, do I need to improve? You can get in touch in a number of ways, so please do!
Website is Central
In conclusion, there are many aspects to consider when setting up an author platform. I’ve mentioned a few possibilities here but there are many more that I haven’t even touched upon.
One thing to note, however, is that the website is central. Everything should link back to it as the primary source of information, news, updates, success stories, blogs and related articles. Even if you don’t sell directly through your website, which is my case for the time being, it also serves as a link to the sales platforms where you can purchase my books.
