As an unpublished author about to start querying, I have done some research and as they say, forewarned is forearmed. Unfortunately, you can’t just write words down, edit them, have an agent fall into your lap, publish and then retire to a beach somewhere to write some more words.
As I discovered, there is more to being an author than a story. There is all the back stage stuff too, like these 4 tips I will share below. I have worked through them myself and I hope they can help you out too.
In this list of 4 things an author needs, I won’t include, the obvious perfected manuscript, an editor who will work for free or an agent who can negotiate a massive advance and a Netflix series contract, I will look at things that are attainable for everyone at the beginning of their author journey.
1. An Online Platform.
I have read that many agents, when they receive your submission will search online for you. Before they even read and judge your work, based on its merit alone, they will see what kind of online presence you have. This might seem unfair but understand in today’s publishing world, authors are responsible for a lot of the marketing themselves. More followers and a bulging email list equals potential people to purchase your book.
This leads me to an author’s platform, most choose to create a website. There are many providers out there, I went with Bluehost.com and WordPress.com to create what you see here.
At the very least, you need an About Page, a contact form and a page to post updates to get started.
2. A Social Media Presence.
A website is great but if no one is looking at it then what is the point? Here is where social media comes in. I will use myself as an example, I am a recluse, I live in the countryside and don’t talk to anyone outside my family for days. Yet I have forced myself to meet and actually interact with people online. Twitter mostly. It is not nearly as painful as expected, in fact there are a few people across the world that I feel I have clicked with. It is good to know not everyone is a pervert. That is a story for another time.
It takes time and a lot of interaction but I have built up a small amount of followers on Twitter. Who, like myself are writers looking for representation, or are self-published authors, some working away on their first or fifth draft and are perhaps unlikely to actually buy my book should it ever see the light of day. But they might and they might love it and recommend it because those lovely people on the #WritingCommunity are great.
One thing to note, if for example, you are writing a science fiction book set on an alien world and your Facebook profile is full of cats and photos of food, it doesn’t blend well and unless you’re name is Stephen King, definitely leave politics out of it. Keep your personal profile separate from your author pages and keep it professional
So pick your poison, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. Or better yet, all of them.
3. Brand.
An author brand is a huge topic. However, for now, it is enough to say that you need to be focused, professional and have a plan. You want a way to stand out from the crowd and it’s more than a fancy logo or website. In the beginning, I suggest you think about these three points,
Who you are, what you offer and why it matters your to readers.
Use these as a foundation to start building your brand.
In the future, you want to be able to consistently meet your reader’s expectations. Take Stephen King again, you know when you pick up one of his books, it going to be something disturbing if not downright scary. He meets his reader’s expectations.( If however if he decided to write a romantic comedy, he has the fan base to pull it off. Probably). A fledgling author such as myself needs to find a niche and market myself appropriately.
Remember. Who you are, what you offer and why it matters your to readers.
4. A List Of Email Addresses.
The last thing I will mention that a fledgling author seems to need, is an email list. This is a collection of email address from your potential adoring fans. The theory, as I understand it, is you collect email addresses from people who visit your website landing page and then you create and send out a weekly or monthly newsletter so they remember you. Then once you have a book ready to sell, you email them and politely suggest they would love to buy it.
If it sounds like hard work, that is because it is. I’m only saying that because I’m just learning how it all works. Give me a couple of weeks and I will be an expert. Hopefully.
Now please don’t start to panic, if you haven’t even considered these things yet. It is never too late to start building your brand and your platform. The writing world has hoops and we must jump through them whether we want to follow a traditional or self-publishing route.
Remember if no one has heard of you or your work, how do they know your book is awesome and that they must buy it? Think of it as pre-emptive marketing.
So then we can retire to that beach and write some more.
Please let me know what you think and if you are an author, how you are getting on with building your brand.
One Comment
Pennie Nichols
Thanks, Zoe. The branding thing… As a child my mom warned me, “You can’t do everything!” along the lines of jack of all trades, master of none. Perhaps this is where I take that lesson to heart.