How can I build a readership if I haven't published a book yet? I've asked this question; you've asked this question. We've all asked this question. Publishers tell you to get a bigger platform so you can sell your book. But how can you get that platform/readership without a book contract first? Many people call this the publishing paradox, and it frustrated me for a long time. It still does. I don't have a book published yet, and I'm working hard to grow my platform numbers while I shop some projects around. The problem with the publishing paradox is that it gives us the wrong mindset. It tells us that in order to have a following (or tribe), we need something to sell. But that's not true. If you've spent any amount of time on social media, you've probably come across people who only talk about their books and how you can buy them. That gets annoying real fast. In reality, if you're new to this social media game and have no book ready to publish, you actually have the advantage. Why? Because you can make genuine connections with others. So, whether you have a book out or not, here are three tips to authentically growing a following that will stick with you no matter what part of the writing journey you're on. 1. Find Your Audience Think about who your audience is. Are you trying to reach other writers? Young adults? Fantasy readers? Non-fiction readers? Parents? This is the first step to establishing your platform. You have to target your methods to the audience who will one day buy your book. Are those people on Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? Then that's where you want to start. Get on those platforms and start connecting with your tribe. 2. Contribute Relevant Content Once you've set up the accounts you decided on, now it's time to start producing content. Every social media site is going to be a little different on this. Instagram is highly visual with pictures being the primary content. Twitter tends to focus on quotes, witty remarks, daily life happenings, and memes/gifs. Whatever sites you're on, look at what other people are posting about. Do they share blogs or helpful industry tips? Do they share pictures of the latest books they're reading? Contribute to the conversation. If you're not sure what to post about, then share what other people post with some comments of your own. Remember that it's not all about you. Readers want something to take away, and when you provide them with good content, they'll keep coming back for more. It's about quality of the content, not the quantity of it. 3. Interact Social media is meant to be (surprise!) a social activity. You're supposed to interact with others, and yes that's super time consuming, especially when you're trying to keep up with multiple sites. When you interact through commenting on posts, re-blogging, retweeting, or sharing a post to your feed, others will notice. They'll comment back or maybe share something you wrote. I can't emphasize this point enough. When I started interacting with other writers on my Twitter account, my following started growing DAILY. It's incredible what happens when you start investing in relationships, not sales. This can seem like a lot to take in all at once, so my advice is to find the social media site that works for you and invest your time in that. When you gain a baseline following, move on to the next site and invest time in that one. Remember, it's about making friends and developing relationships. Then, when you eventually have a book get contracted, you'll have a faithful group of people who are the right audience for your book and who are excited about it because they know you. What other questions do you have about platform? I'd love to see some in the comments. Until next time,
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AuthorI'm spilling the ink on all you need to know on the publishing industry. Stay tuned for more posts! Archives
May 2019
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