At our April 15 conference, local author Rose Cushing talked about the power of podcasting for your author platform, and Pamlico Writers’ Group chairperson Sherri Hollister discussed how the Alliance of Independent Authors can help give your platform a power boost. Author platform was also a topic of conversation on the afternoon panel of experts including NC Writers Network (NCWN) Executive Director Ed Southern and Baltimore author John DeDakis as well as publishers Robin Miura of Blair Publishing and L. Diane Wolfe of Dancing Lemur Press. And on May 23, the NCWN is offering the two-part class “Building Your Platform as a Writer” led by writer KB Brookins, whose chapbook How To Identify Yourself with a Wound (Kallisto Gaia Press, 2022) won the Saguaro Poetry Prize.
Building a strong author platform is essential if you’re looking to establish a career as a writer, which means leveraging both online and in-person connections to reach readers, agents, and publishers. As such, being part of a writing community like Carteret Writers does more than improve your craft. When you participate in workshops and meetups, you’re also building relationships and gaining support from fellow writers, and that’s good for your platform.
What counts as an author platform?
Your author platform is a combination of your online and offline presence, as well as your ability to connect with readers and promote your work. Having a strong writer platform is crucial if you want to attract the attention of potential publishers. It demonstrates that you have an existing audience who wants to see more of your talent, and it shows that you know how to effectively market to that audience.
Examples of building author platform offline
It’s likely that social media, websites, and millions of followers come to mind when you think about successful author platforms, but platform-building predates the internet. Being actively involved in your community is a time-tested way to build a local street team willing to beat the sidewalks and sing your praises. For example, if you volunteer to drive for Title Wave, Carteret County’s newest book mobile, people around these parts are more likely to recognize your name on a book cover, buy said book, and tell their friends about it (and the really nice writer who wrote it). Suprisingly, your mom’s hometown is also a part of your platform (because good moms are the OG street team, hyping you up to friends and strangers from Day One).
Examples of building author platform online
In the digital era, having a strong online presence is also important. Publishers are increasingly looking for authors able to effectively use social media, websites, and other digital platforms to connect with readers. One of your most valuable platform-building tools as a writer is your author website. It’s your own little home on the internet, and it’s the one property on the web that you own outright (as opposed to social media sites, which you are effectively leasing and have little to no control over). Your website provides a central hub for readers, agents, and publishers to learn more about you and your work, and it allows you to showcase your writing portfolio, blog about your writing process, and promote your events and publications.
On May 18, our hands-on website workshop will offer an opportunity for online and offline platform-building.
At Carteret Writers’ workshop on May 18, you’ll have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with our website’s newest features: customizable author profile pages and online forums for meeting up when in-person meetings aren’t possible (both powerful platform-building tools). The workshop will also be my first chance to pitch our newly formed Tech Committee, which I’m going to shorten to Tech Comm because it sounds way cooler.
Jack (my husband, Carteret Writers member, and IT dynamo) and I have been working double-time since last summer to revamp the Carteret Writers website and make it fun, informative, and easy-to-use for all of our members. The new features will make the site even more valuable, but they’re going to require support, and it can’t just be Jack and me. We need help, and as it happens, helping us with the tech aspects of the organization will also help you build your platform. I’ll definitely buy your latest book if you’re helping out, so you’ll already be one book purchase in the black just by joining the committee. However, being on Tech Comm will also help you build and improve skills that will be transferable to your own author platform.
For example, did you know that links to your author website from the Carteret Writers’ website can have a significant impact on the trustworthiness of your site? That’s because search engines like Google use backlinks to determine the authority and relevance of a website. Backlinks from reputable sources like Carteret Writers let search engines know your site is trustworthy and authoritative, which can lead to higher rankings in search results. (See the first paragraph of this post for examples of out-of-control backlinking in action. That’s way too many, truth be told, but that first paragraph was chockful of successful writers, and successful writers are always happy for another plug.)
But, Autumn, I’m so behind on technology I thought a firewall was a barricade made out of flames, and a server was someone who brings you food at a restaurant.
You don’t have to be a tech pro to be on Tech Comm. You just have to have a willingness to learn, experiment, and explore. We have many tech-related responsibilities that will be lighter, easier, and more effective if we share them, including sharing engaging posts to our Facebook page, keeping the blog up-to-date, and updating events listings. Be thinking about where your personal interests and writerly aspirations might align with CW’s goal to reach more readers and writers through our community platform.
A final word about author platform
At a recent Carteret County Chamber of Commerce meeting, a board member noted that when it comes to membership, you get what you put into it. It’s kind of a worn out, old sentiment; nevertheless, I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Being on the Carteret Writers membership list is very different than being an actively engaged member. We want more than your name on our email list. We want you in our workshops, on our blog, and participating in whatever capacity you are able because that’s how we can help you grow your platform best. Get more out of your membership. Get involved.
