04 Jul Building an Author Platform
Building an Author Platform
Previously, I shared how I accomplished one of my goals in building an author platform by setting up my blog For The Love of Writing.
Another of my goals is to reach out and connect with various web sites, blogs, and online book clubs devoted to writing and reading of women’s historical fiction, the genre of my newly published novel Hattie’s Place.
It has been helpful to me to read how others have approached the marketing and promotion of their books. Thus, I’m listing the action steps I’ve taken since my last blog.
Like Building a Plane and Flying it at the Same Time
At this point, I feel as if I am building my plane and trying to fly it at the same time. I don’t yet have any long term data to say what works and does not work. However, I’m willing to share my successes and failures as I learn by doing. I figure that even if I crash and burn, I’m in this for the long haul, and I’ll return to fly another day.
Actions
- Subscribed to Goodreads, one of the largest sites for readers. Goodreads allows readers to connect with other readers by recommending their favorite books. It also offers opportunities to participate in discussions on various books and genres. Additionally, authors can create their profiles and share excerpts of their books.
- Subscribed to BookDaily.com. This site matches readers with emerging authors. My subscription entitled me to create an author profile page as well. I easily uploaded the first chapter of my book for viewers to preview, attached an author bio, and posted a link to my web site. In addition, my book is included under the Emerging Authors section and is scheduled to appear in the Featured Today post. Lastly, I received a widget to install on my website.
https://www.bookdaily.com/account/authorprofile
- Subscribed to Onlinebookclub.org, another free site for readers that is similar to Goodreads. Additionally, the site provides the option for authors to have their books reviewed at a nominal cost.
- Submitted my book to be reviewed by Bookbub.com. However, I was not surprised to learn that it had been rejected after I found out that only twenty percent of the books submitted are accepted for review. Although I have read that a review from Bookbub can result in a significant boost in sales, it comes with a hefty price of over five hundred dollars attached.
http://www.bookbub/partners.com
- Got accepted for review by SPR.com for only a fraction of Bookbub’s fees. I am awaiting a thirty day turnaround for the review, so I’ll let you know more when I receive it.
http://www.selfpublishingreview.com
- Found a blog by Kimberly Grabas, loaded with free resources for authors establishing their author platforms. This is another good website to bookmark.
http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/category/blog/
Reader Input Welcomed!
I’ll keep you posted on the results of these action steps. I also hope to hear from you if you have already had experiences with the resources I have shared, or if you have additional resources that may be of help to authors like me who are building our planes as we fly.
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