Writing and Publishing News

“What? I need a platform? But I write fiction. Aren’t book proposals and platforms for people writing business and other commercial books?”

Actually, when you decide to publish a book—whether nonfiction, fiction or a children’s book— you are entering into a business. If you want to succeed with your novel, you must prepare to take on the responsibilities of marketing. And establishing a platform is part of that responsibility.

Your platform is your following; your way of attracting an audience. Publishers are more interested in publishing authors who are known in their field or genre. They want to work with authors who prove themselves to be aggressive promoters—who are accustomed to presenting seminars, who understand the publicity business and  who have the time and funds to travel and promote their books, for example.

If you are simply publishing your book for Kindle or you’re paying a “self-publishing” company to produce it for you, you still need a platform. No matter which publishing option you choose, you will be responsible for promoting your book. And people will be more apt to buy a book when they know something about the author—when the author has some credibility in the field or genre. If you have never written a thriller (cozy mystery, crime, suspense) or other type of fiction book before, start now establishing your platform. Here are a dozen quick ideas:

• Submit your short stories to appropriate magazines, newsletters and web sites.
• Expand your e-mailing list—you’ll use it to promote your book.
• Create a newsletter and/or a website dedicated to the theme of your book or genre.
• Develop a seminar or fun presentations related to your genre or the theme of your story.
• Join organizations related to your genre and participate.
• Attend events where your readers congregate.
• Participate in forums for readers of your genre.
• Talk about your book everywhere you go.
• Solicit publicity for yourself related to your book.
• Start blogging.
• Establish yourself within social media.
• Discover many other ways to locate and engage readers.

A platform is not just for the nonfiction author anymore. Establish and continue building on your platform even for your novel and you’re much more likely to experience success as an author.

Patricia Fry is the author of 43 books, including “Publish Your Book,” “Promote Your Book,” and “Talk Up Your Book.” Available at Amazon.com in print, for Kindle and in audio. Or purchase print copies here: http://www.matilijapress.com

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, sign up for her online course, “Establish Your Author’s Platform” here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_platform.htm
$150 for a 6-week course.

Bring your fiction or nonfiction manuscript to Patricia for a FREE editorial evaluation. PLFry620@yahoo.com

Patricia Writes Fiction, Too

If you like cats and enjoy cozy mysteries, be sure to read Patricia’s fiction series, the Klepto Cat Mysteries. “Catnapped” and “Cat-Eye Witness” are in Print and formatted for Kindle at Amazon.com and “Sleight of Paw” and “Undercover Cat” are in Kindle, only at this time. While they are stand-alone books, it’s fun to follow the characters as their lives unfold by reading them in order (the order I have presented them here). http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2 Like us at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kleptocatmysteries

Four More Platform-Building Activities You Can Do NOW
Excerpted from 50 Ways to Build Your Author Platform. A FREE ebook from http://www.patriciafry.com

16: Participate in conferences.
There are conferences in practically every topic. These are great venues for getting exposure for your book, meeting members of your potential audience and getting ideas for additional books and articles. It’s also a terrific way to build on your credibility as an expert in your field.
Here are a few directories of conferences. Study the website for the conferences you want to attend. Discover what types of workshops/presentations they have and who their presenters are. Create a few workshop ideas and contact the organizer to discuss them.
Again, not only will you become known to your workshop attendees, but everyone who reads the promo leading up to the event, the program, the website information, will see your name in conjunction with the topic. And if you start appearing at conferences before your book is published, you can add this credit to your bio on the back cover of your book.
http://shawguides.com
http://www.allconferences.com
http://www.bevents.com

17: Talk about your book project every chance you get.
Even before your book is a book, talk about it everywhere you go. When someone asks you, “What have you been doing?” Or “What are you writing now?” this is a great opportunity for you to share your book idea on the spot. Not only will you likely get some feedback that could be helpful in writing or designing your book, it’s an opportunity to ask for a business card that you can add to your massive email list. (See below—# 18.)

18: Collect email addresses everywhere you go.
While your book is the topic of discussion everywhere you go, collect email addresses of those interested in the subject or who express an interest in your novel. You’ll use this email list in many ways.
For example, when the book comes out, send a mass email letting everyone know. If it wins an award, hits the 5,000 sales mark, gets a great review or if you are speaking somewhere, you can alert your friends, students, customers, colleagues and others who have expressed an interest in your book via an email announcement.

19: Continually put yourself out there with regard to your expertise or genre.
You don’t want people to forget you. You want to be noticed. You want to be fresh in their minds when they are considering buying a new novel to read or when they want more information on your book’s topic. That’s why it is important to keep submitting articles and stories, to show up at conferences and other events, to teach classes or conduct workshops every year and to get out and speak often.
Building and maintaining a platform is like the process of book promotion. It’s ongoing for as long as you want to be considered a novelist or an expert in your field.

Excerpted from my FREE ebook, 50 Ways to Establish Your Platform. Download your copy here: http://www.patriciafry.com

Begin These Platform-Building Activities Now
It is never too soon to start the following eight platform-building activities. (Note: I’ll share four today and four tomorrow.) In fact, I recommend that you take action today and keep the momentum going throughout the life of your book project.

12: Create a marketing plan.
Rather than relying on a scattershot method of book promotion, make a plan. It may change with time—that’s okay. But get something in writing so you have a direction and some ideas to pursue.
What can and will you do in order to get your book noticed? Make a list.
Where can you get exposure? List the obvious venues and avenues and then note those that are not so obvious.

13: Submit articles/stories to appropriate publications.
You should have been doing this all along because it is an excellent way to build credibility as an expert or professional in your field/interest or creating an audience for your fiction.

You already know about some independent as well as organization magazines, newsletters and enewsletters related to the theme or genre of your book. These are the publications read by the audience for your book—the same people who read these publications will likely be interested in your book.

Use publication directories to locate others—“Writer’s Market” and the Wooden Horse Pub Magazine Database, for example. Do an Internet search to find others.

Always locate or request a copy of each publication’s submission guidelines. These are usually available at their website. One-size-does-not-fit-all. Different magazines have different guidelines and it’s important that you follow them.

Remember that the purpose of your article is to bring something of value to readers who are interested in the topic of your book. Demonstrate that you are well-versed in your topic. People who are interested in this topic and are impressed by what you write, will surely be interested in your book when it is available.

For fiction—readers who have enjoyed reading your short stories will be delighted to know that you have a novel on the horizon.
Include something about your upcoming (or published) book in the bio at the end of the article or story. Say, for example, “John Phillips is the author of his first novel, “Racing for the Stars,” available at Amazon.com in print and Kindle or order it here: (Give your website)

14: Conduct workshops.
For a nonfiction, how-to, self-help or informational book, you might be able to devise workshops and even online courses around the theme of your book. The benefits of doing this are many-fold. You will gain credibility among your audience—your students and others who learn about your workshops. Each time you put up a poster, advertise in a library or college flier or the local newspaper, your name with regard to your book topic or genre comes before anywhere from dozens to thousands of people. Every time you mention your classes in your blog or on your website, you are getting publicity—everyone seeing this publicity now knows you as an expert in your field or a writer of science fiction, for example. This, folks, is what a platform is all about. I hope you’re starting to get it.

15: Teach classes.
Many junior colleges have extension programs for adults interested in learning how to use a computer, memoir-writing, woodworking, photography, investments and so forth. Why not teach your specialty and add even more credibility to your platform.

If you have enough skill and knowledge about writing fiction, you could teach courses in some aspect of this topic.

Your author platform is your:
• Popularity
• Level of Recognition among your potential audience
• Prominence in your field or genre
• Visibility—Reach within your field or genre
• Level of Influence among your potential readers
• Credibility in your field or genre

It may consist of the following with regard to your field or genre:
• Experience
• Track record
• Connections
• Skills
• Proficiencies
• Reputation

It is basically your reach—your following. As Penny Sansevieri says, it’s not so much who you know as who knows you with regard to the topic or genre of your book. How many people know you or know who you are? How many have you influenced in a positive way related to the theme or genre of your book? Are you a trusted expert or professional in your field or in the genre of your book?

Here’s a question you should contemplate even before you write your book. Why would someone buy your book rather than other similar books on the market? This is something you need to seriously explore. If you can’t come up with valid reasons, it may be because you haven’t taken the time and effort over the years—or you just haven’t had the opportunity—to build a solid author platform. Not enough people know who you are. You don’t have a track record within your topic or your genre. You don’t have enough going for you to attract readers.

Learn more about your author platform and how to establish and build on yours by reading my FREE ebooklet, 50 Ways to Establish Your Author Platform. http://www.patriciafry.com