Writers in the Storm

by Eldred "Bob" Bird

It’s springtime and we’re all stuck inside for the most part. Sure, you can step out into your own yard and do a little gardening, but I’ve also been using this time to tend a different garden that’s been sadly neglected—my author platform.

What is an Author Platform?

In simple terms, “Author Platform” is a way to describe your visibility, authority and ability to reach a target audience. It’s also the public face that represents who you are and you what want to say. In other words –

IT’S YOUR BRAND!

Like every writer, every author platform is be different. The first question you need to ask yourself is, “Who am I trying to reach?” Readers? Agents? Publishers? Hollywood producers? (Hey, it could happen!) Maybe you’re looking to book workshops or speaking engagements. Answering this question will help you focus your efforts in the right areas.

Platform Basics

Your author platform is built on two main structures:

• Your online platform - websites, blogs,
  social media, podcasts, etc.
• Your offline platform – conferences,
  workshops, book signings, book fairs, etc.

Sadly, most of our offline options are on hold at the moment, so let’s talk about our online platform. We’ll save offline until we’re free to move about country.

The Three Legs of Your Platform

Visibility

Visibility relates to how easy you are to find. In the same way a physical platform lifts you up above the crowd, so does your author platform. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have a website?

Websites are a great home base for authors. When designed well and maintained, they give a clear picture of what you, the author, are all about. At the very least they should include a bio, links to your work, and contact information. You may also choose to include a blog, pictures, videos and links to your social media. Jane Friedman has a great article on how the build your author website.

• Do you use social media?

Social media is a great way to raise your visibility and connect with readers and other writers, but beware; it can also lead you down rabbit holes and suck up all of your time if you’re not careful. Cultivate your online community, but put a clock on it. Check out this WITS post for tips and tricks on using social media.

• Where do you rank on search engines?

One way to put your visibility to the test is to put your name into your favorite search engine. Are you on the first page? Third page? Can’t find yourself at all? It’s time to look at Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Check out Jenny Hansen’s post on SEO for Authors to learn how to improve your ranking.

Authority

The second leg on your author platform is authority. What is it that gives you credibility in your space? This is especially important if you write non-fiction. People want to know why they should read your book, rather than someone else’s. Here are some questions to help you decide what to include in your platform:

• Are you published?

Being a published author, traditional or self-published, shows you have what it takes to finish a project. If you’ve got good reviews, flaunt them. Anthologies, magazines, online journal and blogs (like WITS) count toward your publishing credits, too!

• Do you have any awards?

Awards go a long way toward establishing your authority and credibility. Don’t just include book awards, but also things like service and humanitarian awards as well. Community involvement shows strength of character.

• Do you teach workshops or speak?

If you’ve taught classes or been invited to speak to groups, play it up! Workshops and public speaking may appear to be off the table right now, but not so. Many authors and educators are turning to the web to deliver their content. Whether you chose live streaming over social media, video conferencing, or posting videos Youtube, there are alternative methods to bring your content to the masses. Hosting or guest spots on podcasts and vlogs can also increase you authority.

Reach

Reach is exactly what it sounds like—your ability to reach your target audience. It also includes whether or not that audience responds to your calls to action.

• Do you have an email list? How many subscribers?

Email addresses are like gold to publishers, but also to independent authors. Every address is a potential buyer for your next book. This is one part of our gardens we should all put time into cultivating. Ask for addresses any chance you get, and offer something in return. For example, if you sign up on my website, you get a free short story.

• Do you send out a newsletter?

What do you do with those addresses? Send out a newsletter. Even if you have nothing new to offer, you can keep potential readers up to date and build excitement for your next release. Encourage your subscribers to forward the email to friends who might enjoy what you have to offer.

• How many followers do you have on social media?

While not as valuable email addresses, don’t discount social media followers. Word of mouth, so to speak, spreads faster than wildfire on the web. Bad news does have a tendency to travel faster than good, so be mindful of your content. Keep control of your brand.

• How many impressions do your posts get? How many direct responses?

Most forms of social media have a way for you to track you stats. Pay close attention to what gains traction and what doesn’t. It does no good to shout into the void if no one hears you!

Some Final Thoughts

Check out the platforms of some of your favorite authors, especially if they are in your genre. What draws you in? What turns you off? Where are they focusing their efforts?

One thing to keep in mind is the focus of your author platform is to sell YOU, the author, not your books. Your marketing plan is about book sales. When used in harmony, the two platforms will raise each other up. The more your target audience learns about you, the author, the more likely they will be to respond to you marketing.

Like the proverbial garden, our author platforms need constant upkeep and attention. If we ignore them, they can become overgrown, out of control, or simple die on the vine.

If something’s not working, be willing to pull the weeds and replant. If you feed your author platform garden on a regular basis, you’ll be surprised at how it will flourish!

What parts of your author platform do you love working on? Which parts, if any, do you detest? What has made the most difference, either in the strength of your platform or in how you feel about it? Share with us down in the comments!

About Eldred

Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and the soon to be released Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.

When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives). His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. He can be found on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.

Top photo image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

by John Peragine

The world seems to have changed overnight. Coronavirus has swept over the world, and humans have been forced into the safety of their own homes.

For writers, it can seem like any other day. We often spend our days isolated in a room, typing, and asking others to give us space and time to do our craft. Sounds like a writers dream.

Except writers can be perverse.

If you are like me, you really don't want to do something until someone tells you that you can't. I can't go out. I can't hang with people. I can't even touch my face!

As the world waits to see what happens with the pandemic, many people who always thought about writing, but always made the excuse they did not have enough time, are picking up their pens. There are so many words coming into being right now: poetry, short fiction, novels.

Writing can be a very therapeutic way to pass the time.

While we sit and toil over our notebooks and keyboards, the world of books is changing. They way we publish, print, and distribute is having a major shift. For many writers, this is a very exciting time, but for others it is a little scary. The business is changing, and it my prediction that some of those shifts will last well beyond the pandemic.

What will change?

Publishing

In the world of traditional publishing there are a number of changes. Some these changes began occurring prior to the pandemic such as the sale of Simon and Schuster. The big publishing houses are condensing, as Penguin and Random House have already merged.

Advances over the years have shrunk. Publishing deals now require that authors be more and more responsible for sales and marketing. Amazon has become the dominant force in book sales. All these items are related.

During the pandemic, publishing houses, big and small, have paused. Book deals have frozen, and book launches have been delayed. Scores of authors are unsure of what to do and how to proceed. (Don't worry there is more good news than bad).

Agents have become creative, and are shifting to editing, webinars and creating videos about book writing.

So is this a good time to pitch a book?

Some agents want to be ready when the ice thaws and business begins to ramp up again, and are taking this time to get book proposals ready. Others, who rely heavily on the sales of books to publishers, are going out of business.

If you are seeking an agent, check their website! A number of them post whether they are taking queries at this time.

There is talk that there will be a lot a babies born this coming December. This is also true of books. I would imagine the number of books about surviving a pandemic will be a like a tidal wave in the market.

Distribution and Printing

Many printers and distribution channels are drying up during the pandemic. Many authors with hybrid publishers are growing frustrated, as communication has dropped off and they are left adrift and unsure of their future.

Books are low on Amazon's shipping priority list, especially now. People are not getting books, and worse, many of the books have printing and binding issues. For authors trying to release their books, a shipping time of two or more weeks can be a nightmare.

Authors are adapting in surprising ways.

The mindset is shifting. Rather than work through distribution channels, like Amazon or a bookstore, authors are moving to a direct-to-consumer marketing approach. They are connecting with readers and selling directly, often through print-on-demand services and distributors like Ingram Spark. These avenues assure on-time, and allow authors to achieve more control of the process, rather than relying on someone else to do it for them.

Virtual Networking

Authors are utilizing new technology to connect with other writers, editors, readers, publishers and more. Writing conferences are on hold for the foreseeable future and so authors are trying new ways to connect.

For example, I have begun a Friday Night Cocktail party using Zoom. It allows me an outlet to speak to other writers, readers and industry professionals. People come and go, meet new people and chat. Not only is it fun and relaxing but it helps me build my network from home. It is not a total replacement for connecting to with people in person, but it does create an added way of networking.

An Exciting Time

There is a lot of loss and uncertainty in the world now, but it will eventually pass. But the publishing world will never be the same. I look forward to the inevitable shift. New technology, new marketing and selling strategies, new themes in books. We're all together in this new world of writing. Keep your heads up!

What changes do you expect to see? What changes have you noticed already? Have any of your important publishing dates changed?

About John

John Peragine has published 14 books and ghostwritten more than 100 others. He is a contributor for HuffPost, Reuters, and The Today Show. He covered the John Edwards trial exclusively for Bloomberg News and The New York Times. He has written for Wine Enthusiast, Grapevine Magazine, Realtor.com, WineMakermagazine, and Writer's Digest.

John began writing professionally in 2007, after working 13 years in social work and as the piccolo player for the Western Piedmont Symphony for over 25 years. Peragine is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. His newest book, Max and the Spice Pirates, will be released in the Fall 2020.

by Karen DeBonis

When I became serious about finishing my memoir, I also became serious about writing and submitting essays for publication as a means to build my credentials. My rational brain understood that competition was tough. My irrational heart did a poor job of managing its expectations. I received no after no, and each one stung.

I knew a rejection didn't always imply my writing was bad. Perhaps the piece was a poor fit for a publication or an editor, or the topic was redundant, or other submissions were incrementally more literary or moving or clear or relevant.

The Early Years

I submitted material that, at the time, felt worthy of The New Yorker. But when I reread my rejected pieces, they seemed better suited for the compost bin. Seriously? I thought that was good? Finally I did what a successful writer must do. I asked for (and paid for) feedback. I opened my mind to editorial critiques. I built my skills and thickened my skin to the sting of rejection.

Still, it’s one thing to have an essay rejected, and another thing entirely to have my memoir—my baby, my life’s work, my life story, all that drama—turned down. I needed to be prepared.

Readying for the Big Leagues

Last fall, after twenty years, my memoir was finally completed. It was time to query literary agents.

I took a pitch-writing class, read dozens of successful query letters, watched scores of YouTube videos, and paid for two rounds of edits on my letter. I’d compiled a short list of agents, culled from the acknowledgements pages of similar memoirs. Social media searches provided additional leads, as well as QueryTracker.net, PublishersMarketplace.com, and ManuscriptWishlist.com.

Reviewing the Stats

I rated my seventy targeted agents according to how well my project fit their interests. For example, an agent at the top of my list represented an author with a book forthcoming about shamans. So in my query letter, I referred to the freaky shamanic experience that happened to me the day my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

A second agent indicated she wasn’t interested in “me-moirs,” so I explained how my people-pleasing theme was neither “me-moir” nor “mom-oir.” Another agent wrote of her fondness for gaining new perspectives, so I described how my story would enlighten her, as well as readers, about the destructive nature of compulsive agreeableness.

You get the point.

Checking the Scoreboard

Following recommendations from experienced writers, I batched my queries and sent customized emails to five agents over three days in February. I promise I didn’t check my in-box more often than every five minutes for the first twenty-four hours.

Less than a day after my fifth query, I received my first rejection via generic email reply. I was neither surprised nor discouraged. But I realized I’d better prepare for the onslaught.

How can I reduce the sting? Some writers wallpaper a room with rejections, but I had no room or wall to sacrifice. And I wanted to take my rejection-management plan a step further: How could I make it fun?

Making My Own Trophies

Have you ever had an answer come to you before you’d barely finished asking the question? As soon as fun came to mind, so did origami. Indulging another side of my creative spirit seemed intoxicating. I hadn’t tried those intricate folds since I was a kid, and some people would describe the process as more frustrating than fun, but I wanted to give it a shot.

I found this video and immediately bought some brightly colored paper. (Note: It's very detailed, so I've summarized a bit below.)

https://youtu.be/Jj0F-vdN18w

Here’s my first rose:

I've since made my second rejection rose, and here are three tips:

1. Square-off your 8.5 X 11 paper by folding the top edge and cutting off the excess.
2. Start with your paper print-side down if you want the text to show on your finished rose (I didn't do this with my first one.)
3. Follow the video steps exactly. When she flips the paper over, flip yours. When she turns it ninety degrees, turn yours. It matters!

I even made a video of the finished product for you. Front and back.

https://youtu.be/h7cAAHRtxL8

I thought I’d have a vaseful of roses by now, but three of the agents haven’t replied yet. Probably they’re just not that into me and my project. The din of crickets is rejection of another sort, and maybe when the noise gets deafening, I’ll find some kind of loves me, loves me not daisy origami.

Until then, I’ll grow my red bouquet. I just sent another batch of queries, so by the time you read this, my single bloom will hopefully have company. When life gives you thorns, make roses!

What about you? Do you have a creative way to handle rejection?

About Karen

Karen began writing twenty years ago after her eleven-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Those early pages are now a real-life medical mystery about a mother who must overcome her toxic agreeability if she's to save herself and her son. The manuscript is currently in submission for publication.

A happy empty-nester with her husband of thirty-seven years, Karen lives and writes in upstate New York. You can find out more about her journey  at www.KarenDeBonis.com.

Top photo credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay