Stepping into the forest of my mind

Stepping into the forest of my mind
Just as every journey begins with a first step, every story begins with the first word.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Platform Building: A Must for All Writers


A friend from my South Jersey Writers group confirmed what I had been hearing in every class and on every blog.  “Your manuscript could be great,” he said, “but if you’re not socially connected, the publisher’s not interested in reading it.”    

 
Gone are the days when writers only had to focus on their writing.  Now we need to be masters of the social media if we want a publisher to look at our manuscripts. 


            But how do you become socially connected?  Here are some tips I picked up.  Ideas are welcome.


1.      Become an expert on the topic you write about.  Research about the topic.  Look for relevant current events and comment on them.


2.      Visit other blogs in your genre or topic.  Follow them.  Leave comments.  Tell people who you are.  Guest post on a blog where permissible.


3.      Create your own blog about your genre or topic and blog often.  Set up a consistent routine so followers know when you are likely to post. 


4.      Create an author page on facebook and invite friends to join it.  Announce when you have posted something new on your blog or website.  Ask people to visit and leave comments.


5.      Create a google+ account to connect with other writers and friends and associations relevant to your topics and become involved in online conversations. 


6.      Join twitter.  Tweet.  Retweet.  And “Like” tweets or comments.  Ask for retweets.  Thank the person for the retweet.  Use hashtags [#] and join online conversations.


7.      Join LinkedIn and become part of some online conversations there as well.


8.      Pinterest is a visual media.  If you can make visual connections to your topic or book, do so on pinterest. 


            These are all free.  You can also build a website [.com] and/or buy your name.  You can connect your blogs and media to your own website and sell your books through a link on your webpage.  I haven’t gotten to this point as I don’t have anything to sell…yet.   


            I completed my Write Your Memoir in 6 Months course.  My first draft is 65,246 words.  Now the real work begins.  Revision.  I hope to bolster up my media platform while I revise.  But as most of you realize, social media takes much time…and patience. 


How did you build your social platform and how long did it take before you started seeing some results?  Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.