Building Your Author Platform
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
As a published creative writer, you already have an advantage when it comes to building an author platform—your work is out in the world and speaks for itself. However, if you want to take your writing career to the next level and reach more readers (and make more book sales), you’ll need to learn the best practices of building an effective author platform. In this article, I’ll go over some tips and tricks for getting started and adding online and social media presence to your list of book promotion strategies.
Create a Professional Website for Your Author Platform
The first step to building your author platform is creating a professional website. This will be the hub of all your online activity, so it should be well-designed and easy to navigate. You should work to keep it updated so that it doesn’t seem like it’s taking up dead air online, which can be worse for your book marketing than having no website at all.
Make sure you include information about yourself, such as a bio that readers can easily find (you will be surprised by all of the author bio requests that come in from kids writing book reports, for example) and contact information. You can also use the site to showcase any awards or accolades you’ve received as well as any upcoming events or readings or writer’s conferences that you’re participating in. There should be a link to your Amazon or local independent bookstore page, or a dedicated sales portal, too, so you can capture book sales in any way that your readers want to buy.
Start Connecting with Readers Through Your Author Platform
Once your website is up and running, it’s time to start connecting with readers. One of the best ways to leverage your author platform is through social media platforms like Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also consider doing Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube, if you’re inclined to create video content. Use these sites to post updates about new projects or works-in-progress, as well as other pieces of content related to your writing (such as book reviews or articles). But don’t just talk about yourself and your work on any author platform you engage with—one-way self- and book promotion tends to be a turnoff for audiences.
Make sure that you engage with other writers on these platforms and share content that your target audience will find compelling. Commenting on other people’s work is one of the best ways to build relationships and gain visibility for yourself as an author. Don’t make it all about you, and you will see your writing community grow.
Utilize SEO Tactics for Your Author Platform
In addition to social media, SEO (search engine optimization) tactics can also help bring attention to your website and drive more traffic to your author platform. To get started with SEO basics, research popular keywords related to your field of writing (this can be easier for nonfiction than for fiction) and then incorporate those into your web copy whenever possible (without sacrificing readability).
Consider submitting guest posts or articles on other websites in order to increase backlinks pointing back at your author platform—this will help boost your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Each time an established site links to you, you build your domain authority and your author platform grows.
Building an effective author platform doesn't happen overnight—it takes time and effort. But by following these simple ideas—from creating a professional website all the way through utilizing SEO tactics—you'll be able to set yourself apart from the competition and carve out your own place in the literary marketing world.
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Marketing services for writers are essential if you’re looking to reach audiences and stand out on shelves. Whether you’re looking to build your platform ahead of publication or already have a book out, we can help with marketing strategy and even do the heavy lifting. Reach more readers, build an audience, and increase your visibility. Good Story Marketing plans and services can help you achieve your goals and tell your story to the world!