Create an Author Platform That’s Built to Last

Anne HillCreativeContentCoaching.com

BAIPA Presentation 6/8/13

Marketing Lessons for Authors

1. It’s never too late to get in the game(if you have something to say)

2. The best platform strategies don’t exist yet(start where you are and grow from there)

3. Longevity and Consistency Trump Frequency(get out of your own way, and just keep going!)

Longevity + Consistency > Frequency

Longevity: How long your domain has been registered, how long your site has been up, when you first started blogging.

Consistency: Establish a rhythm of posts and updates, whether it is 1x/week or 1x/month. Keep coming back no matter what.

An Author-Centric View of Publishing

Christine Walker - SeeShape.combitly.com/authorcentric

Start at the Source

Your Purpose for Writing

Stream of Content

Your Writing Life

Storytelling

Career/Platform Goals

Building an Author Platform

Assets and Products in the Cloud

Put It All Together…

Put it All Together…

Engagement Drives Platform Growth

3 Types of Action/Engagement

Conversation: Be Visible & Findable

• Interactions with colleagues and friends• Find and connect with readers• Find and connect with influencers• Discover and engage with referrers

Conversation: Building Your Community

• Try out different online (& offline) communities• Lots of startups as well as the “usual suspects”• Look for where good conversations happen• Some are writing-centric, or review-centric• For fiction as well as non-fiction authors• Many include ecommerce solutions, too

Communities: The Usual Suspects

• Blogs, blog comments• Twitter (tweetchats, live tweeting)• LinkedIn (lots of great groups)• Facebook (page vs. profile smackdown!)• Google+, YouTube• Pinterest• Reddit• In-person events and groups

Communities: Read, Review, Share & Buy

• Goodreads, Shelfari (part of Amazon)• LibraryThing.com, TheReadingRoom.com• BookGlutton.com, Readups.com• Readmill.com• ZolaBooks.com, Bookish.com• NetGalley.com, Screwpulp.com• SmallDemons.com (storyverse)• ReadSocial.net, Quote.fm• Booklikes.com, RedRoom.com

Communities: Places to Write

• Redlemona.de (Vanessa Veselka)• Wattpad.com• Figment.com• Fictionaut.com• Byliner.com (Margaret Atwood)

“Most of the people I know are either geniuses at self-promotion or refuse to touch it and rely on the publishers.” —Vanessa Veselka, author of Zazen, PEN Award Winner for Debut Fiction

Continuity: Making Connections

• Connect all the planks in your platform• This includes ebooks and other cloud assets• Strengthen what works first, then add more• All traffic should flow back to you• Don’t start if you can’t maintain

Continuity: Find Your Rhythm

• Focus on content stream at a sustainable pace• Posts can do double or triple duty, sometimes• Blog workflow: post, broadcast, email • Press releases, Google alerts• “Social Proof,” About page, ways to stay in touch• If you don’t like it, you’ll never keep at it

Conversion: The Ask and the Return

• Create your strategy from platform goal• Each step is a different conversion point• SEO is important, but focus on original content• Analytics: obsess about numbers 1x/month• Book Launch essentials: followers, fans, advocates• Get used to bold language, practice reframing• “You know, it makes a great gift” —Al Franken• Direct sales on your site

Conversion: Publish, Share, Sell, Track

• Smashwords.com• Vook.com• PressBooks.com• Ganxy.com• SelfPublishedAuthor.com (Bowker)• MyWriteApp.com (autograph ebooks)• Glossi.com• Odyl.net (Facebook integration)• PubSlush.com (Kickstarter for books)• WriterCube.com (Analytics for print book sales)

There’s Always More!

• anne@creativecontentcoaching.com• Author Platforms Decoded - YouTube• @annehill - Twitter• Serpentine Music & Media - serpentinemusic.com• authorplatform3.eventbrite.com (PDX 6/29)