How to Build Your Author Platform - Part 7 - Don't Stop At One

Don't Stop at One!

Done correctly, a book series often results in the sale of many more books than a single book by an author.

While most of us think of fiction books working this way, the same is true for non-fiction. Once a reader likes what they are reading, they will look for books by the same author.

Have you ever found yourself waiting for the next book in a series to come out? And
the next one after that? I have!  I recently picked up a book at my local library from an author I had never heard of...and found she had written a complete series based on the storyline of seven sisters. Do you think I went looking for those books, after spending delightful evenings spellbound by the storyline? Absolutely!

While a book series is not for every author or every story, if you haven’t already
thought about it, here are a couple of reasons it may be worth considering.

You Have Too Much Content for One Book

Often publishing consultants will tell their authors that their book is simply too long.

That's one instance of when a series is born. Chances are, your readers have developed a soft spot for them too and will want to read more about them.

For fiction writers, if you have too much content for one book and you have compelling characters with strong stories of their own, you have good reason to turn your book into a series. Consider stretching the storyline for one or more minor characters you've become especially fond of.

With a series, you don't have to start your next book with a blank slate; you have familiar characters, storylines, and settings to return to.

There's a reason why the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones books are so popular.
Readers love following characters they are not ready to let go of. Once you have
created characters readers love, or love to hate, you have an established fan base
waiting for more. When readers fall for even a minor character, reading book three or
four in a series is akin to checking in on old friends.

We have an author who is developing a line of books for children. While the characters are fictional, what she teaches is not. A bear is the central theme of her book, (Bear Gets His Heart Checked) and "bear" has a heart condition and is going to the cardiologist for the first time. Skillfully she teaches bear what to expect and explains all those big, scary machines and strange noises.

The same holds true for non-fiction writers as I mentioned above. Another of our authors has written a solid series called the Confidence Series. Confident Leadership, Confident Public Speaking, and Confident Reinvention are among her titles, with more on the way.

Chances are, your readers have developed a respect for the author and like their style and return for more.

The Added Bonus!

A book series helps your Book Promotion!

Another reason to write a book series is a built-in book marketing strategy.

When book two comes out, you can revitalize interest in the series and drum up promotion
for book one all over again.

• Write an attractive ad for your first book and put it in the back of book two.
• Consider offering a price promotion on the first book to get new readers hooked on your series. 
• Giving your first book away or selling it for 99 cents.

Be sure to use the "real estate" in the front or back pages of your book to advertise the other books in your series.

While at first glimpse, this might seem contrary to making money from your writing, however, as previously mentioned, with a book series you get to play the long game.

Readers of fiction books know that their favorite characters from book one are bound to return in the second or third book, and if they’re engaged with you and your writing, they’ll buy every book in the series to find out what happens next.

For those searching for answers, once they find a reliable expert on a non-fiction book, they will be more likely to return for more by the same author.

Is this helping you expand your mind as to the opportunities that lay ahead of you?

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How to Build Your Author Platform - Part 6 - Give it Away

Give It Away!

About now, you might be scratching your head in puzzlement. Say what? Give it away? What away?😊

Building a strong author platform can start with free content. 

Every word you write is a tool for promoting your brand and driving book sales. 

While it may sound counterintuitive, giving away your writing benefits you in the end. 

The main principle of marketing with free content is that all publicity is good publicity. The more you get your name and writing out there, the easier it is to create brand recognition and gain a following.

WHY Give It Away????

Say What???

As is true in most any profession, networking for authors means building reciprocal

relationships. 

re·cip·ro·cal

/rəˈsiprək(ə)l/

adjective

adjective: reciprocal

1. 1.

   given, felt, or done in return.

   "she was hoping for some reciprocal comment or gesture"

   synonyms:

   given/felt in return, corresponding;

2. 2.

   (of an agreement or obligation) bearing on or binding each of two parties equally.

   "the treaty is a bilateral commitment with reciprocal rights and duties"

   synonyms:

   mutual, common, shared, joint, corresponding, correlative, give-and-take, exchanged, complementary;  rarereciprocatory, reciprocative, commutual "reciprocal obligations and duties"

In the world of being an Authorpreneur, the idea is that you want to build relationships that will benefit you in the future. As with life itself, it cannot be one-sided.

When you offer free content to others, giving them free access to your book, often they will, in turn, share it with their own fans, followers or friends, and perhaps even give a review or even an endorsement. 

Additionally, readers are far more likely to take a chance on a new author when they

don’t have to pay for the content. 

By offering free articles, stories, videos, or blogs, you will begin to grow a fan base that will be much more likely to purchase your book or books, than someone who has never read anything written by you. It's called proving your salt or your worthiness. 

The added bonus is that these same people know people, who know people.

Looking at the bigger picture, serve them well and they are more apt to become your client!

Well, all of this may begin to sound completely and utterly overwhelming. But it is not.

This is where you...

Start with What You Have

You probably already have pieces of writing you can use as free content to market

your work. Look through your book manuscript for chapters or sections that work as

stand-alone articles or stories. 

Reach out to websites, podcasters, magazines, and specialty news sites that cover your topic, and offer them a polished piece with your author bio and link to your author website and books.

(Watch for our upcoming blogs on these topics!)

Building a Strong Author Platform

There are many ways to use free content to gain a following. 

Here are just a few:

• Guest posts

Cultivate relationships with bloggers and, after you get to know them, offer to contribute guest posts. Your post will include an author blurb that links to your site and information about your published work.

• Publish on general interest websites 

Publish pieces on sites like Examiner.com and Howto.com. These sites have wide readerships and they can help you gain a following with new readers who otherwise might not find your work.

• Use social publishing

Harness the power of social publishing to create community. Develop your market with social publishing sites like Wattpad and Scribd. Sharing drafts and works-in-progress will help you create a community that can be a huge source of feedback and support for your work.

Don’t forget that you’ll need to read and participate in the development of other

authors’ works as well. These are communities, after all.

• Cross-post 

Whenever you publish free content on another website—a guest blog, an article, etc.—cross-post it on your own website and social media accounts.

• Offer a freebie with an email newsletter signup 

A great way to get people to sign up for your email newsletter—perhaps your best marketing tool of all—is to offer a story or ebook in exchange for their email address. 

Provide a collection of stories, a small how-to book, a writing guide, or whatever you think will be irresistible to your target audience. Then you have permission to talk to them

directly.

Offering segments of your existing writing can be a great way to connect with your

audience and market your books. Providing free content will allow readers to get to

know you and, hopefully, to share your writing with others. 

In this way, you’ll gain a larger following and strengthen your author platform.

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How to Build Your Author Platform - Part 4 - How to Build

Building a Powerful Author Platform

For some authors, building a strong platform comes naturally. It is simply a fun part of the process for them. But for others, this extroverted activity of networking takes a lot of work and it is highly uncomfortable.

Let's face it. Writing can be a lonely pursuit and so many authors feel like they have to do it all by themselves, writing, revising, and seeking publication in solitude.

Whether it feels comfortable or not, the reality is that an author’s work needs to reach the right community of readers to be successful. This means that one of the most important aspects of book marketing is building relationships with people who will promote your book.

Fortunately, in today's digital world, there are more opportunities to build author connections in-person and online than ever before and it is these author connections that will be among your best self-publishing tools.

Don’t be afraid to connect with people you already know.  Enlist their help in finding readers who will really love your work, turning them into true fans—those who will follow you wherever you go, from your social media to live author events.

1. Begin Before the Beginning

When it comes to networking, it’s never too early to start.

If you wait until your book is released to start building your connections, you’ll be left playing catch up. Start as soon as you begin tap, tap, tapping the keys on your computer, or put pen to paper. 

The best networkers are always cultivating existing relationships and looking for new contacts. Continuing relationships will ensure an audience not only looks for your upcoming book, but the next book, and the one after that.  (Watch for our blog article on the wisdom and practicality of publishing a series of books.)

Before your book is even published you can attend writing conferences and find
professional groups, organizations, and associations to help you be successful.

Go to conferences and join groups specific to the industry or genre you write about. These are fantastic places to build relationships with potential readers, other writers, and publishers who can serve as great resources.

Check out conferences on marketing, public speaking, and ways to get your message out.  These are excellent places to begin building relationships of supporters, joint venture partners, collaborators, and even your launch team.

These outlets help you stay plugged in to what’s happening in your field, including developments, challenges, and trends.

They also help you build editor, publisher, and author and reader connections. You never know who will help you reach the next level of success.

2. Start with Your Existing Community

Your family, friends, coworkers, and other community members can be your most
loyal fans and best advocates—people who are automatically predisposed to support
you.

Think about it and you’ll be surprised at how many automatic fans you can identify. The thing they all have in common is you. These people know, like, and trust you and will support you regardless of whether the book you’re publishing is their kind of book. These people aren’t necessarily in it for the book; they’re in it for you.

Waiting until your book comes out and then asking your community to promote can
be a mistake. It is important to involve those who have supported you throughout your writing process in your journey to authorship also. Make them feel included and expand your reach by letting them help you build momentum.

3. Join Online Communities and Social Media

Online forums, communities, and social media platforms are great places to build
your author platform and establish connections by providing new friendships,
entertainment, author support, and a sense of community.

Find groups related to the subject you write about or find author groups about writing
in general on Facebook, Yahoo, Google Plus, and LinkedIn. Online communities
have many positives; they’re often free, you can access them immediately, and you
can participate in them at any time. In online author groups, you can get feedback on
ideas for pieces you’re writing, potential blog posts, and marketing and publicity
strategies.

Because forums typically focus on a particular subject, you can get tons of attention
by offering your own expertise.

Be respectful of other members’ authority, but feel free to engage by providing your own questions, comments, and resources.

4. Find an Author Group Near You

While much of the writing community has moved toward the online environment,
there’s nothing like communing and commiserating with a group of writers in person.

Look to your local library and bookstore for connections with other writers. Also, try
Meetup.com, a free networking site that allows users to find special interest groups
near them.

It’s crucial to maintain contact with your community—not just when you need to ask
for a favor in the form of sharing or promoting your book.

Actively supporting your local libraries and bookstores and attending group activities prior to publication will create goodwill when it is time to promote your book. In this way, you’ll cultivate stronger relationships that will serve you well now and in the future.

5. Focus on Your True Fans

Quality is more important than quantity. Kevin Kelly, the founder of Wired magazine,
writes that an artist can thrive with only 1,000 true fans.

True fans are those who engage with anything you do. They’ll read your blog, follow you on social media, listen to or watch your interviews and other media appearances, and eagerly await the release of your next books. Stay connected with your true fans by providing them interesting content through all available channels.

Update your blog regularly, and share relevant information on social media. Try other
ways of creating content, like video or podcasting. These are the people who love
your work—don’t give them a reason to forget you.

6. Define Your Author Brand

Your best brand is your name, but your author photo, typography, and colors are also
part of your author brand. Brand recognition means that those who remember your
name are more likely to pick up and promote your book. (Think CocaCola, Pampers, Proctor & Gamble, etc.)

7. Be Real and Have Fun

If you’re not having fun, learning something, or are uninterested in the others in your
author community, you’re either in the wrong group or you’re not engaging properly.

Remember, treat your online presence as you would a gathering at a meeting or
party. These are personal relationships and require authenticity and manners. Initiate
two-way conversations and be generous sharing content and promoting other
people.

People do business with those they know, like, and trust you, which is the formula for creating relationships that encourage sharing, sales, and reciprocity.

8. Time Management

Of course, you can’t be active with all of your connections in all of your outlets all at
once. That would be exhausting! Keep in touch, yes, but it’s not necessary to be
active in all forums at the same time.

Pick a few ways to engage every day and every month so you don’t neglect the author community you’re working to establish. Make goals to do the following to maintain your author connections:

• Spend a designated amount of time in your online communities and social media per day.
• Post a new blog post on your author website a few times per week
• Visit your local bookstore or library at least once a month
• Organize a monthly meetup or book club with your local author community
• Attend at least one author conference per year

Once you find your audience, it’s important to nurture them and maintain contact.
These will be your true fans and the more time you give to them, the more likely
they’ll be to support your books.

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How to Build Your Author Platform - Part 3 - Getting Social

Getting Social

In part three we are going to address getting social. There are numerous ways to "get social" but in this context, we are talking about using social media and other platforms to get feedback on the contents of your book.  This can include anything from the design of your book cover, to the title, and snippets of your content.  That is called Social Publishing.  There is also Beta Publishing.  We will discuss both below.

What is Social Publishing?

Social publishing is the art of publishing content in ways that allow people to respond and give feedback (think of the comments section of a blog). Implied is the social aspect involved in this type of sharing–the potential to build relationships based on responsiveness. It includes social media posting. 

What is Beta Publishing? 

Beta readers who sign up to read your book through a digital e-commerce platform provide their e-mail address as part of the process. Use these contacts to increase your e-mail marketing list and to ask for feedback.

Social and beta publishing or posting is a fantastic way to test how well your book will
resonate with readers before you publish it. Many authors are understandably eager
to get their books to publication, but you can learn a lot about who your audience is
before publishing your book by social or beta publishing it first. You may find out that
your actual audience isn’t who you first suspected.

Social and beta publishing offer risk opportunities to get help with design
problems, plot gaps, formatting issues, and any number of other concerns from
reader feedback.

You can upload your book in places that allow you to publish, remove, revise, and republish in just minutes. This enables you to perfect your manuscript before you commit to publication and grow your author platform as you perfect it, making for even better results in the long run.

All you have to do is start sharing stories and drafts of your book ahead of time.

Social and beta publishing should be fun.

It’s about:

• Creating a community around your interests and your work
• Aligning yourself with other writers
• Making friends and important connections
• Obtaining feedback
• Testing the market

You can social or beta publish in a number of ways but here are a few tools that’ll get
your writing in front of readers and your future book buyers during your book
development phase.

1. Blogging

Blogging is one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do. While your blog
serves the purpose of testing your subject matter, it also works as a built-in way to
market your book before it's published and to start to build traction for your author
website.

By the time your book actually is ready to publish, you’ll have an established
readership ready and waiting on your author website. Try to publish a few blog posts
a week, and track results with Google Analytics or another analytical platform.

Analytics will tell you how many unique visitors you're getting each day, and how
many people are engaged (i.e. commenting or sharing) on your blog. It will also tell
you where your readers are coming from so you can identify your most popular
market.

2. Wattpad

Wattpad is a popular sharing site that is growing at a phenomenal rate. It turns
reading into a social experience, tapping into a global audience of millions of readers.
There are also inline commenting capabilities that allow readers to share their thoughts
and interact with your story while they’re reading it, providing you with valuable
feedback.

3. Scribd

With Scribd you can upload your story to share and make it public or private. People
can rate it and comment on it, serving as a platform for a virtual writing group. You
can even sell your stories or completed books. Scribd also provides a document
preview widget that you can embed in your author website.

4. Social Media

Social Media is a powerful platform for sharing bits and pieces about your book with the goal in mind to build a tribe of followers.

5. Your Website and Author Landing Page

Be sure to create a page on your website where someone can read about your book. As you get ready to publish, be sure to add the correct link to the book, ie. Amazon or Ingram Spark.

Take a look at BookLaunch.io to quickly and easily build a very attractive landing page for your book. This platform simplifies email list building, sharing videos, easy social sharing as well as gain insight on those coming to your page.

6. Video

Video is a powerful way to share your knowledge and reach new audiences. Posted on social media, your website, blog, YouTube and more you expand your reach quickly, as well as create a conversation and get you noticed by bloggers, podcasters and others.

Expand your reach!

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How to Build Your Author Platform - Part 1 - Why They Buy

You have worked for months, maybe even years, and now you are a published author.
That, in and of itself deserves a great big kudos. There is a lot of hard work, sweat, frustration, and planning that goes into such an accomplishment!  Congratulations!

Now What?

How do you keep your book in the SPOTLIGHT, selling and opening doors for you?

In this series, we will discuss ways to do this. We always encourage the authors we work with to treat their book(s) as a business.

Why do people buy books?

There are simply millions of books both published and purchased every year. It is quite fascinating how self-publishing, digital technology, and a connected world has changed the publishing world.

Spotlight Publishing works with many authors and our focus is making sure that those books get both seen and read.

What are the key factors that influence readers to choose a book to read?  We have boiled it down into getting very clear on WHO your audience is. Who is your ideal client?  What will compel a reader to buy YOUR book?

In this series, we are going to take a deep dive into this subject so that you can gain a better understanding of why people buy books and how they make their purchasing decisions. Once you understand what motivates your reader on both an emotional and logical level, you will form a connection, leave an impression and most likely capture a sale. 

All of your marketing will reflect this knowledge, including speaking engagements, networking, email correspondence, blogging, and social media.

Following is seven key reasons a book will be purchased and read:

1.    Your Book Meets a Need

2.    The Reader Knows the Author

3.    The Book Comes Highly Recommended by Someone Who Read the Book

4.    The Reader Read a Free Excerpt on the Book and Was Intrigued to Buy

5.    The Reader Buys it on Impulse

6.    The Book is Discovered in a Book Store

7.    The Book is a Gift

Let’s explore each of these reasons and see how these factors will influence the marketing you choose as you build your author platform. 

1. Your Book Meets a Need

Personal preferences influence every purchasing choice we make, from the food we put into our bodies, the clothing we wear, and the furniture that adorns our homes.  Bottom line though, personal preferences aside, the vast majority of the time we purchase these items to meet a need. 

Books are truly no different.  Why do you buy books? Often we buy books purely for entertainment. These books are often in the fiction or biography/memoir category and are typically chosen for entertainment and relaxation.  Who of us has not picked up a good fiction book and immersed ourselves in the storyline, whisked away for the moment to another world?

We also purchase books for knowledge/education. Perhaps it is to find a solution to something we are struggling with, such as losing weight, improving a relationship, or making money.  It could also simply for personal growth and expanding our horizons or learning new skills. 

"The key is to show within your marketing, how they can achieve the things they want, you will increase your book sales and revenue. As you promote your book highlight their pain points and just how your book provides a solution that they need. What do they need? What does your book offer readers?" 

This applies to fiction and non-fiction. Whether it’s a great love story, or a science fiction thriller or teaching how to be a better public speaker, or understand how to work with an autistic child, be sure your readers know how your book fills their specific needs.  

2. The Reader Knows the Author 

Each all know people on many different levels. Some people we know personally, others we know from following them on social media, still others are influencers or famous personalities with whom we are familiar. The same is true with authors. The number one reason that readers buy books is that they know the author. This does not always mean that the reader is a personal friend of the author. The reader may know the author because they have:

·       Heard the author speak

·       Heard the author being interviewed on a radio show or podcast.

·       Seen the author on a television interview

·       Read other books by the author.

·       Read an interview or article by the author on a blog or in some type of publication.

·       Heard the author speak at an event

·       Follows the author because the author is an influencer

What does this teach an author? That it is important to help people get to know you!  Take advantage of every opportunity to gain exposure. Tap into the vast resources of radio, podcast, and television interviews write and publish your own blogs and be a guest blogger on other people’s platforms, and become active on the social media platforms, your readers hang out on.

"Show readers that you know what you are talking about, that you are approachable, likable and that they can trust you. Once they feel the positive connection to you, your book sales and business growth expand."

3. The Book Comes Highly Recommended by Someone Who Read the Book

The second biggest factor in driving book purchasing decisions are recommendations. When a friend, family member, or coworker recommends a book, people take note. However, books can be recommended by trusted resources in several ways:

• From an influencer, the reader follows (blogger, thought leader, pastor, etc.)

• By a trusted publication such as a book review publication or website

• From online bookstores, library websites, or other websites

• From staffers in bookstores and libraries, they visit in person.

• Through other consumers via online reviews, social media, or community forums/

The bottom line here: word of mouth sells books. No matter how many times you say your book is amazing unless you’re close to your readers or you're a tastemaker in the book publishing industry, readers probably won't just accept your word for it.

They’ll need a bit more proof before they purchase, and if you can get someone they do know and trust to like your book, you're that much closer to getting them to like it too. Spend time getting your book in front of the influencers who are most likely to enjoy and recommend your book to others. 

"Ask your readers and fans to write a review of your book or to share it with their friends on social media. The more positive reviews you garner, the more readers will trust your book and make a purchase."

4. The Reader Read a Free Excerpt on the Book and Was Intrigued to Buy

When it comes to purchasing something, people fear what they might lose more than what they will gain. In purchasing a book, people fear they will lose money if they don’t like the book. Allowing readers to read a portion of a book helps them see what they will gain and helps convince them that the book is worth their investment.

People often decide to buy a book once they know they'll like what's inside, either from reading just a portion (or the first book in a series) for free. This may seem counterintuitive since most authors have the goal of achieving book sales, not giving their book (or parts of it) away for free, but this is one of the quickest ways to introduce and build a new audience for your book, because it lowers a reader’s financial risk.

Allowing readers to experience your story without the fear of losing something is powerful. Give readers a chance to read part of your book (or the first in a series) for free. Doing so can help drive sales. You can provide readers access to one or more chapters of your book on your author website. We will discuss the subject of adding free content later in this series. 

"Knowing what drives readers book publishing decisions helps you make strides to market your book more effectively.  It will assist you to capture your ideal readers, who will want more from  you." 

5. The Reader Buys on Impulse 

Impulse buying is a spur-of-the-moment, unplanned decision to buy. Research suggests that emotions play a large role in triggering an impulse purchase.

A consumer sees the book and decides to buy it. What draws them in? Most likely, it’s the book’s cover. The cover is one of your book’s top marketing tools. Make sure your book has a cover that draws people’s attention and makes them want to own it, and that it includes strong back cover copy and a good title. That way, whether they are browsing online or in a physical store, your book catches their attention, tugs at their emotions, and creates the urge to buy now.

"An eye-catching book cover is a valuable tool in your marketing toolkit. Your back cover copy, the title, and the subtitle are included in this equation."

6. Your Book is Discovered in a Book Store

Books are often discovered when people are browsing. Research has shown that people discover and purchase books from simply looking at books in both physical and online stores. 

Having good book metadata is especially helpful with online browsing because the BISAC codes, categories, and keywords you enter for your book's metadata will help display your book as a result for users searching for a particular subject matter.  

"Dedicate some time to promoting your book onto the shelves of stores, libraries, and online retailers."  

Be sure to subscribe to this blog, as we will discuss Bisec codes, categories, and keywords in upcoming articles.

7. The book is a Gift

Last, but certainly not least is that a person received your book as a gift. Giving gifts is a common practice. We give gifts for important milestones and celebrations, and books make great gifts. In fact, people buy books, lots of them, to give as gifts.

Consider what kind of gift your book is best suited for. A child’s birthday? A house- warming/a wedding/graduation/Father’s Day/Grandparent’s Day/Christmas/teacher gift, or simply because. 

"Books make great gifts and one book marketing strategy is to encourage readers to purchase your book for that reason. Remind your readers why books are the perfect gifts, including the fact that they never go out of style and leave a lasting impression."

Be sure to watch for our weekly blog as we provide tips, tools, and strategies for authors.  We believe that every author must treat their book like it is a business, effectively becoming an...

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