The following is part 1 of a two-part post written by guest author Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer. Part 2 will be published next week.
As a book author, you may have heard the term "author platform," but may be wondering: what is a platform, and is this something I need to have?
Your author platform determines your reach in the marketplace and its importance to your book promotion success. It basically boils down to three things: brand, reputation and connections.
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 is published. And a platform is just as important for authors who publish independently.
The best time to start building your author platform is before you write your book or book proposal. Remember, it takes time to build a platform. But regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, you can continue to strengthen it. In this post we will discuss branding, the first platform element.
Branding
Branding helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace and makes you memorable. One of the most important parts of your brand is your author tagline - a concise and catchy description of what you do. To see and example, look at my name at the beginning of this post.
Your author photo is another important branding tool. Be sure to get a professional looking photo, and use it everywhere to build your recognition. Professional doesn't necessarily mean a studio portrait - think about how the background, pose and clothing in your author photo can be a reflection of your brand and the type of books you write.
Author branding can also include your logo, book covers, the color scheme you use, your distinctive style of writing and speaking, and you academic qualifications. All of these elements together consititute a recognizable brand that can make you memorable and build credibility.
Take a look at your own branding and think about what you can do to continue to strengthen it.
In part 2 of this article, we will discuss the other two aspects of an author platform: reputation and connections.
[Dana Lynn Smith helps authors and independent publishers learn how to sell more books through her how-to guides and coaching. She can be contacted at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com.]
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