Marketing-Platform-Branding

platform

Who Needs a Platform?

I was talking with a friend about a new consulting firm being built by a small group of professionals. I learned that, in creating their business model, they made a decision: a prerequisite to being a partner in the firm is that each individual must be building and maintaining a solid platform. The method is up…
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13 Simple Tips for a Better Blog

I was talking with a client who has a book releasing in about a year, and she was concerned about how to begin building her blog and increasing the traffic. At the moment she doesn’t have a great deal of time to devote to it, since she is still writing her book. We brainstormed and…
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Shouting

8 Tips for Promoting Your Book Online

1. Begin well in advance of your book launch to build an email list of people who “opt in” to your newsletter or monthly email. 2. Avoid the “Buy my book!” tweet or Facebook post. ALWAYS offer value to your reader… Tweet a quote, a question, or something fun, along with a link to your book online.…
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Should Unpublished Novelists Be Platform-Building?

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about My Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media, and the vocal response in the comments confirmed that many of you feel the same way. Some of us love it, some of us hate it, most of us are just trying to keep up. We all recognize the potential hazards of…
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cesar-millan

Platform for Non-Fiction Authors

If you’re writing a non-fiction book and it’s not memoir, keep in mind you’re going to need some kind of platform in order to sell it. You’re also going to need a strong hook or a fresh angle on the topic. Put yourself in the place of the reader or book-buyer: If you need a…
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famous-brands

Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself

In a blog discussion about author platform, reader Carol commented: “What challenges me is creating my brand. I write contemporary women’s fiction. Branding seems easier with non-fiction where you’re an expert on something. How do you do that with fiction?” Carol and other novelists: I advise you to STOP thinking about branding. If you’re blogging…
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numbers

Author Marketing & Platform

*It’s All About the Numbers* When we (agents) submit proposals to publishers, we pay special attention to the part of the proposal that explains who the author is and what makes up their platform. And what publishers want to see is your platform expressed in numbers. So from the beginning, you as an author should…
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baby crying

Book Marketing Disappointment

I hear a lot of writers complaining about their book promotion, bemoaning how their publisher didn’t do enough marketing or PR for their book. They say things like “publishers don’t market books anymore.” But I’ve been in publishing since 1995, and this has been the single most common writer complaint for as long as I…
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platform

10 Tidbits About Author Platform

1. Definition of a platform? It’s the way you, the author, will get your name and your book in front of potential consumers. It’s the way you will bring sales to the table. It’s a group of people who are likely to buy your book, if you should ever publish one, because they already know…
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Promoting a book

Do Publishers Market Books?

A couple of days ago, Michael Hyatt had a terrific post on his blog, Four Reasons Why You Must Take Responsibility for Your Own Marketing. He reiterated truths about the important role you, the author, play in the promotion of your own book. He reinforced what we’ve all been hearing: Publishers don’t market books. It’s all…
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A Million Screaming Fans

or… A Platform is More than a Bunch of Twitter FollowersPeople are always asking me, “What constitutes platform? How many Twitter followers? How many Facebook friends?” Listen, a platform is not all about those numbers. Take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and ask yourself: What have I done to bring potential book…
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Did I Mention It’s All About Platform?

This one’s for non-fiction authors—it doesn’t apply so much to novelists. Ever see the movie Little Miss Sunshine? Richard (played by Greg Kinnear) is a wanna-be motivational speaker who knows that it begins with a book, which turns into speaking, which turns into DVDs, etc. (At least that’s what he thinks.) After his agent, Stan…
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Marketing Your Self and Your Book

A client recently wrote me: I’ve finished my book and delivered it to the publisher. What should I be focusing on right now?That’s a good question. At this point, a writer should be thinking about two things: marketing this book (building your platform), and beginning work on your next book, whether or not it’s contracted.…
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Should You Have a Book Trailer?

The latest thing to hit the book marketing world is the book trailer. I’m sure you’ve seen them – short videos, typically 1 to 3 minutes, that advertise a book. You’ll find them on author websites, blogs, publisher websites, and bookselling sites. (You can visit Bookscreening.com to view lots of book trailers.) When I’m talking…
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