As a book author, you've probably seen the term author platform used a lot, but you may be wondering: what is a platform and how do I get one?
Your author platform determines your reach in the market and it's a valuable tool in your book promotion activities. If you're hoping to land a book deal with a traditional commercial publisher, a strong author platform is critical. When publishers evaluate book proposals, they want an idea of how well known you are and how successful you will be at promoting your book once it's published.
The best time to start building your author platform is before you write your book or book proposal, because it takes time to build your platform. But regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, you can continue to strengthen your author platform.
I've seen lots of definitions for author platform, but it basically boils down to three things:
o Brand
o Reputation
o Connections
Branding
Branding helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace and makes you memorable. One of the most important parts of your brand is your author tagline - a concise and catchy description of what you do. Here are some examples of author taglines:
o The Publicity Hound
o The Love Doctor
o The Productivity Pro
o The Risque Romance Writer
o Author of thrilling mysteries
o Author of the Detective McGee series
o Writer of educational children's books
Use your tagline after your name in your promotional materials and signature, like a title. For example, I refer to myself as Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer.
Your author photo is another important branding tool. Be sure to get a professional looking photo and use it everywhere, to build recognition of you. Professional doesn't necessarily mean a studio portrait - think about how the background, pose and clothing in your author photo can be a reflection of your brand and the type of books you write. Wherever your photo appears, list both your name and tagline as a caption beneath the photo.
Author branding can also include your logo, book covers, the color scheme you use, your distinctive style of writing or speaking, and your academic qualifications. All of these elements together constitute a recognizable brand that makes you makes you memorable and builds credibility as part of your author platform.
Take a look at your own branding and think about what you can do to strengthen it.
Reputation
The reputation component of your author platform is a measure of how well known you are, what you are known for, and how credible you are. Consider these factors in your book promotion:
o Do you have a degree, special training or extensive experience in the topic that you're writing about and/or in the craft of writing?
o Do you have (or can you obtain) a professional certification in your area of expertise?
o What awards or other recognition have you received?
o What kind of media experience do you have?
o How many people do you reach each month through speaking or interviews?
o How many people read your blog?
o How many articles have you written and posted or published in the past month?
o How well known are you and how much name recognition do you have?
o What leadership positions do you hold?
o Why should people listen to you or read your books?
Nonfiction authors can gain a reputation as an expert in their topic through such activities as writing books and articles, speaking and teaching, appearing on talk shows, being quoted in other people's articles, and writing the foreword for other books.
Fiction authors may become known for their writing style and their expertise in writing in a specific genre (such as children's, sci-fi, romance, or mystery) or for their niche within a particular genre (vampire stories, romantic adventure).
Your reputation and author platform can be enhanced by winning awards, receiving excellent book reviews, and getting testimonials and endorsements from celebrities and experts in your field.
What can you do to boost your author reputation and expert status and increase the number of people you reach in your book promotion activities? How can you highlight your credentials in your marketing materials?
Connections
When promoting a book, it's not just what you know, it's who you know!
To sell books in today's marketplace, you need to be connected. Here are some examples of the type of connections that are valuable to authors book promotion:
Contact Database - Clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, and family.
Opt-in Mailing List - People who have given you permission to contact them.
Influencers - Celebrities, well-known people in your field, book reviewers, media, and bloggers.
Online Networks - Connections on Facebook, Twitter and other online networks, groups and forums.
Blog Readers - People who read your blog or subscribe to the blog's feed.
Professional Associations - Fellow association members and leaders. Serving in a leadership position enhances your visibility within the organization.
Other Groups - Alumni associations, civic and service organizations, hobby clubs, etc.
What can you do to increase your connections and leverage the connections that you have? How can you partner with others to extend your reach in your book promotion?
Dana Lynn Smith is a book promotion coach and author of several book promotion guides, including The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana's book promotion blog and get a free copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her complimentary book promotion newsletter. After reading this article, I thought about what I do already online and who I already know. These days my audience is primarily online so whenever I am conversing with people via the Internet, I always include my latest project and invite them to my web page. For example, my latest project involves a family history/personal experience book about the relatives on my dad's side of the family, so whenever I communicate via the web, I let those who I know will be impacted about it. I also post updates on my personal web page linked to my email when I think about it. When I am offline, I mention it to anyone I am talking to via phone and I follow up with snail mail. Although there is alot of talk about the Internet, I am very much a traditionalist and still enjoy snail mail, fliers, classified ads, and other offline activities to market. - Nicholl McGuire |
