As a book author, you've probably seen the term author platform used a lot, but you may be wondering: what is a platform and how do I get one?
Your author platform determines your reach and your influence in the market and it's a valuable tool in your book promotion activities. If you're hoping to land a book deal with a traditional commercial publisher, a strong author platform is critical. When publishers evaluate book proposals, they want an idea of how well known you are and how successful you will be at promoting your book once it's published.
The best time to start building your author platform is before you write your book or book proposal, because it takes time to build your platform. But regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, you can continue to strengthen your author platform.
I've seen lots of definitions for author platform, but it basically boils down to three things:
- Brand
- Reputation
- Connections
- The Publicity Hound
- The Love Doctor
- The Productivity Pro
- The Risqué Romance Writer
- Author of thrilling mysteries
- Author of the Detective McGee series
- Writer of educational children's books
Your author photo is another important branding tool. Be sure to get a professional looking photo and use it everywhere, to build recognition of you. Professional doesn't necessarily mean a standard studio portrait – think about how the background, clothing, and level of formality in your author photo can be a reflection of the type of books you write and the image you want to project. Wherever your photo appears, list both your name and tagline as a caption beneath the photo.
Author branding can also include your logo, book covers, the color scheme you use, your distinctive style of writing or speaking, and your academic qualifications. All of these elements together constitute a recognizable brand that makes you memorable and builds credibility as part of your author platform.
Take a look at your own branding and think about what you can do to strengthen it. Reputation and connections are discussed in separate posts.
Good article. I'll put in the tagline immediately! Thanks!
Posted by: Donna Perugini | April 21, 2010 at 02:32 PM