October Novel Prep Challenge

OK. Hi! Perhaps I am not the best person to talk about self-promotion because I am not great at networking, but I thought I'd share some stuff.

Building a platform is not as hard as you think it is. Really, it's about putting yourself out there and that's about it. You don't have to go meet people or talk to them (though that definitely helps and absolutely will happen at some point); you just need to be able to keep track of a few different social media efforts.

Meet Gail Carriger. She is the author of the Parasol Protectorate books and a couple of other series all based in the same world as her original series. This is her facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gail-Carriger-191303659831/timeline/

This is her website: http://gailcarriger.com/

This is her Twitter handle: @gailcarriger

If you note, her blog connects to the main website she has, but is just a blogspot blog. She has a bio (a few of them, actually) on the website, a link to her books, where she's going to be, and some stuff about what she writes (namely, Steampunk). What I'm willing to bet is that the more formal website was created AFTER she became a NYT bestseller; she probably started with the blog, the Twitter, and the Facebook before adding the formal website later. Everything can link together, too. Your blog can be mirrored to the website, you can link your Twitter to some blogs, etc. You can update your FB with blog posts and even mirror Twitter to FB in some cases. But that's all the details.

Basically, you need to be out there. You need to have a presence in the world. That's really all the platform needs to be. No one is expecting a site like Gail's from an as-yet-unpublished author. You just need to create something that puts yourself and your brand out into the world. A place where you can post a bio, talk about where you'll be doing book signings, the books you've written, etc. A place where you can gather friends and fans to promote yourself and your books. In this day and age, it can't just be the publisher doing the promoting; you must represent yourself and your own brand, as well. Publishers also have social media platforms, but they can't afford to have someone devoted to every author they represent. Thus, when it comes to interacting with your readership, it is up to you.

Your fans want to be able to communicate with you; having a platform already in place means you've already built up some fans and have the infrastructure in place to interact with the world before you're published. You won't have to build it afterwards; it'll already be there for you to put into whatever you publish. Gone is the day when an author can remain anonymous, hidden behind a carefully typed manuscript and a 70-word bio at the back of a book. Now, in this age of the posthuman, you must be part of the world.

For example, here is Nerd Cactus' blog. Nerd Cactus is my venture with my best friend/writing partner, the first project of which is what I plan to finish up (at least my part) next month. We write four times a week about books, Shakespeare, writing, etc. So far, we only have about 50 followers, but we're building slowly but surely.

https://nerdcactusadventures.wordpress.com/

We also have a twitter:

https://twitter.com/NerdCactus

So far, we do not have a FB, but we're tired of posting our blogs individually, so one is definitely coming. Following that, we plan on taking the time to make a website. We'll connect the blog, our Twitter, our FB, etc to that single hub, write a bio for Nerd Cactus, for each of us individually, and probably link to interesting articles about literature. Maybe talk about some history, etc. Whatever promotes our brand.

So...create a Twitter. It'll be the bare minimum that is expected of you. Update it about writing and what you write. Find out who on W.com has a Twitter and follow them; ask them to follow you. Then create a blog (I cannot recommend WordPress enough; it really is good and easy), link it to your Twitter, and add to that. Follow anyone on W.com with a WordPress and have them follow you. If every person who does Prep did that, we would all have about 200 followers instantly. Make sure to tell people about it, share your entries, update Twitter pretty often, etc.

Also, don't use your personal FB as your authorial FB. Create a special one for your Author persona. Don't link the two. Keep the private and the public separate, both for professional reasons and for privacy reasons.
-Quaddy

PS- Please follow NerdCactus on Twitter and over on WordPress. Even if you have neither of those things, follow me here on W.com and you'll get my Newsfeed posts updating the blog. I've been remiss about this lately, but I'll pick it up again starting Friday. But if you have a Twitter, follow us there, please. Let me know you have and we'll return the favor. Instant presence!

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