If I’ve heard that question once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. Either an author assumes they already have an Author Platform in place, or they assume the Book Platform IS the Author Platform. Nope. A Book Platform – where you pitch and promote and show off your books – and an Author Platform are TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.
Let’s start at the top. When you think of the word “author” what comes to mind? A person sitting at the keyboard writing. A person qualified to write the book they’ve written, perhaps even a person with several accolades and awards for the writing they’ve done. Because this is a person, one also thinks of the author as a human being with likes and preferences, a person who supports charities and participates in life. THAT is an Author Platform.
The Author Platform is the neat, clean, professional place (website, blog, twitter and facebook image, and personality) where interested parties (like the media) can find the meat behind the books that author writes. It’s the news about that author, the press releases about that author, the author’s reviews and speaking engagements and the future writing plans of that author.
An Author Platform is the author’s highly visible BUSINESS OFFICE. The primary elements of an Author Platform are:
- Introduction page. Bio, background, but keep it simple
- Book(s) page. Keep this simple too, the cover art, brief 25 word synopsis and a buy link. Then you link each book to its separate website, which we’ll discuss in the next post.
- Activities page. It’s vital to keep this one updated regularly. This page lists your speaking engagements, release dates, launch events or places where you and/or your books are featured. This page can also include a collection of podcast interviews links or videos of your activities
- Imbedded blog. Whatever format you use for your author blogging, it can be imbedded into your author website, and that blog must be updated regularly. Consistency is the reason people will keep coming back. They’ll want to see what’s new.
- Media Room. This one is super important. You will include everything the media could want and make it as simple as possible for them to access it. All elements must be downloadable.
- Author photo
- Author bio, this is a full bio with memberships, awards, association affiliations and special interests.
- Jpeg of your book cover(s)
- Brief synopsis of the book(s)
- Copies of all the press releases you’ve sent out
- All contact information
Another important part of your Author Platform is social media. If you twitter and facebook as the author you are, your avatar should be YOU – not your cat or your kids, not your favorite bunch of flowers or a picture of a cute woodland creature. YOU. This needs to be a fairly nice photo of you looking sane, intelligent and professional.
REMEMBER … the people most interested in your Author Platform and image are serious readers willing to become fans and book buyers, and the media, looking to talk about you and your book. Your Author Platform elements must be the nice business office where they can get the answers they need.
Next time we’ll talk about the Book Platform, and a really effective Book Platform isn’t what you think either, LOL. No worries, it’s simple and powerful all at the same time. See you then!
Questions on Author Platforms? I’m here and I’d love to answer them!
Next: I will show you the importance of the the Book Platform.
Deborah Riley-Magnus, Author Success Coach
Author Bio
Deborah Riley-Magnus is an author and an Author Success Coach. She has a twenty-seven year professional background in marketing, advertising and public relations as a writer for print, television and radio. She writes fiction in several genres as well as non-fiction. Her non-fiction, Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Power Within Your Manuscript was on November 5, 2011. “Finding Author Success “on Amazon – Kindle and Paper.
She’s lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled the country widely. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and just returned after living in Los Angeles, California for several years.