
Build Your Author Platform: The New Rules: A Literary Agent's Guide to Growing Your Audience in 14 Steps
392
Build Your Author Platform: The New Rules: A Literary Agent's Guide to Growing Your Audience in 14 Steps
392Paperback
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Overview
Social media makes building the author platform easier than ever, but, unfortunately, most authors struggle to get it right. How can authors create their unique platform, connect with followers, write a manuscript, and grow their business?
In Build Your Author Platform: The New Rules, top literary agent Carole Jelen and tech expert Michael McCallister apply their combined 35 years of expertise to outline 14 practical, hands-on steps to create a presence that will produce high book sales and expanded audience.
From pre-publication through book launch and beyond, authors will learn how to:
• Define goals and a unique brand
• Employ successful website strategies, content, social presence, media authority, and training
• Secure positive reviews
• Attract viewers efficiently without cost
Filled with detailed lessons, examples, success stories, and techniques used by marketing departments at major publishers, Build Your Author Platform is an indispensable guide for anyone looking for insight into publishing, promoting, and marketing books.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781939529251 |
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Publisher: | BenBella Books, Inc. |
Publication date: | 05/13/2014 |
Pages: | 392 |
Product dimensions: | 6.40(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d) |
About the Author
Mike McCallister is a writer, programmer, web designer, and software tester with an in-depth understanding of the digital world. He is the author of openSUSE Linux Unleashed and co-author (with Bud Smith) of WordPress in Depth. McCallister is committed to helping people make the most of "tech tools" and was named one of the Mindtouch Most Influential in Technical Communication and Content Strategy. McCallister is president of his local Society for Technical Communication chapter and works as the Senior Document Architect at PKWARE.
Table of Contents
New Rules by Chapter Number xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
Foreword xxv
Preface xxxv
Introduction xxxix
Chapter 1 Your Author Website: Home Central 1
Why Your Author Website Is a Must 2
Plan Your Author Website Strategy 3
Creating Your Author Website 7
Create Your Author Site with WordPress 10
Build Your Audience Through a Regular Newsletter 19
Optimize Your Theme for the Mobile Web 20
Adding Widgets and More Plugins 21
Best Practices for Website Content 22
Checklist, Step 1: Author Website 26
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client David Meerman Scott 27
Chapter 2 Blog to Build Your Readership Community 29
Your Blog Is About More Than Content 30
Blogging Is Beyond an Advantage, It's Essential 32
Blog Strategy 32
Start with a Hosted Blog 37
How to Create a Blog 40
Best Practices 41
Writing Blog Posts 43
Getting Comments on Blog Posts 46
Author Blog Promotion Strategies 50
Measure Your Blog Results to Understand Your Audience 51
Link Your Blog to Your Social Sites 54
Checklist, Step 2: Blog 55
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Andy Rathbone 56
Chapter 3 Twitter: The Instant Handshake 59
Why Twitter Is Important 62
Best Practices 63
Twitter Defined 64
Twitter Strategy 64
Getting Started on Twitter 66
Automating Your Posts with HootSuite 70
First Steps on Twitter 72
Checklist, Step 3: Twitter 77
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Susie Cox 78
Chapter 4 Google+: More Than a Social Network 81
Why Google Is Important to Authors 82
Use Google+ Circles 90
Best Practices for Interacting on Google+ 95
Strategy for Posting on Google+ 97
Automate Your Google+ Posts 98
Connect Your Content Through Google Authorship 98
More Google+ Features 101
Google Services Beyond Google+ 105
Connecting Your Google+ Account to Your Website 105
Checklist, Step 4: Google 106
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Dave Taylor 107
Chapter 5 Your Author Brand and Book on Facebook 109
Along Comes Facebook 110
Why Facebook Is Necessary for Authors 111
Your Facebook Profile 112
Your Facebook Pages 113
Developing Your Facebook Strategy 120
Facebook Best Practices 122
Join Facebook Groups 123
Create a Facebook Group 123
Mobile Apps 126
Checklist, Step 5: Facebook 127
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Kellyann Petrucci 128
Chapter 6 Using LinkedIn: Not Only an Online Resume 131
Definition of LinkedIn 132
Why LinkedIn Is Important to Authors 132
Creating and Optimizing Your LinkedIn Author Profile 134
How to Increase LinkedIn Connections 137
Update Your LinkedIn Profile Regularly 142
Articles to Repost 143
LinkedIn Strategies 144
LinkedIn Ads 145
Best Practices of LinkedIn Networking 146
Benefits of LinkedIn Premium Accounts 147
Checklist, Step 6: LinkedIn 148
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Ed Tittel 149
Chapter 7 Inform, Educate, and Entertain: The Power of Personal Appearances 151
Short Talk vs. Long Speech 152
Personal Appearance Options 154
Advantages of Live Personal Appearances 155
Personal Appearances Strategy 156
Best Practices for Teaching and Training 159
The Simple Course Format 161
Teaching and Training Strategy 162
Types of Online Teaching and Training 163
Types of Live Teaching 165
Live Speaking Strategy 167
Checklist, Step 7: Personal Appearances 168
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Jay Elliot 169
Chapter 8 Create Your Article Bank: Original, Excerpted, Repurposed Variations 171
Everyone Is Now a Journal Publisher on the Web 172
Advantages to Writing Articles 173
Choosing Topics for Original Articles 175
Types of Articles 176
Article- Writing Strategy 177
Generating Content for Articles 179
First Stop for Publishing Articles: Blogs 181
Second Stop for Publishing Articles: Publications Seeking Content 182
Additional Online Tools 187
Checklist, Step 8: Article Bank 187
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Bob LeVitus 188
Chapter 9 Finding Your Voice: Radio, Podcasts, and More Audio Adventures 191
Your First Audio: Record a Sound Clip for Your Author Website 193
Pitching Local Talk Shows 195
Pitching Larger Radio Stations 199
Finding Online Podcast Interview Opportunities 200
Making Your Own Online Radio Station (Podcast) 203
Getting Your Podcast in the Directories 208
How to Use Your Book Cover as Your Podcast Logo 210
Checklist, Step 9: Audio 211
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Thorn Hartmann 212
Chapter 10 Video: Book Trailers, YouTube, Linking, and More 215
The Rise of YouTube 216
More Reasons to Make Video Part of Your Platform 217
Author Video Strategy 218
Making a Book Trailer 219
Uploading Your Videos 225
Uploading Your Videos to Vimeo 228
Video Blogging 231
Video Interviews 232
Checklist, Step 10: Video 234
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Dr. Brian Alman 235
Chapter 11 Publish a Book Website to Attract More Audience 237
Think Like a Publisher 238
Create a Website for Each Book 239
Book Clubs, Booksellers, and Your Book Site 241
Choose a Model Book Site 243
A Simple Format for Your Book Website 244
Book Website Content Strategy 246
Create Your Book Site in WordPress 248
Linking to Booksellers 251
Checklist Step 11: Book Website 252
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client Tee Morris 253
Chapter 12 Amazon.com-Your Author Toolbox and World's Largest Online Bookstore 255
Reasons Readers Flock to Amazon 256
Reasons to Use Amazon Author Central 256
Create Your Author Central Page 258
Amazon Book Reviews 262
Connecting Your Site to Amazon 265
Amazon Strategy #1: Connect with Your Readers on Your Author Page 267
Amazon Strategy #2: Create Listmania Lists 268
Look Into Your Sales 270
More Tools 272
Checklist, Step 12: Amazon's Author Toolbox 273
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client John C. Havens 274
Chapter 13 Motivate Your Audience to Talk About You: Book Reviews 277
Why Reviews Are Critical 279
How to Ensure Reviews: Build Your Audience in Advance 280
Strategy for Managing Negative Reviews 282
Best Practices for Getting Reviews 282
Other Online Book Review Sites 287
Review Others' Books 298
Incorporate Reviews Into Your Author Platform 298
Checklist, Step 13: Reviews 299
Success Spotlight: Waterside Client David Busch 300
Chapter 14 The Celebration Announcement: Launch Parties and Virtual Tours 303
Advantages to Holding Your Book Launch Party 304
Live Book Launch Party Strategy 305
Steps to Prepare Your Live Book Launch Party 307
A Simple One-Hour Book Launch Party Format 308
The Virtual Book Launch Tour 310
Strategy for Virtual Book Launch 311
Steps to Creating Your Virtual Book Launch Tour 312
Virtual Tour Stops 315
Checklist, Step 14: Launch 318
Further Reading 319
Tear-Out Sheets: Author Platform Publicity Plan 321
About the Authors 327
Index 329