How to Build & Maintain Your Author Platform

  • Wednesday, January 11, 2017
  • 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Richmond Heights Community Center

In the digital age, with the number of books being published at an all-time high, it’s more important than ever to efficiently and effectively reach your readers. Even if an author pairs with a larger publishing company, every additional bit of marketing can help. The first step to marketing is building an author platform: a following based on who you are and what you do. It is much deeper than a marketing campaign for a single book.

An author platform can vary wildly between authors, based on their personalities, books, and target audiences. At the monthly SLPA meeting on Wednesday, January 11, we’ll explore what should be included in all author platforms, as well as different options that may work well for you, such as: growing an email list, choosing and managing social media profiles, creating a website, blog, vlog, or podcast, scheduling and attending events, and more.

A smart author platform draws on other important pieces of the writing puzzle — such as your business plan, target audience, and market research — and should be in progress before you start querying authors and agents. It could mean the difference between receiving a publishing contract or a rejection.

Jennifer Geist is the publisher at Pen & Publish, Inc., and its imprints: Brick Mantel Books, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books. With experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, she manages every book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. Geist received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses, and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines.




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