In recent years securing a book deal has become as much about a writer’s online following as it is about their book.
Publishers have become increasingly aware of the power of a writer’s online fan base. It has now become common place for a publisher to factor in a writer’s online presence when weighing up whether to offer a book deal or not.
So here’s the five best ways to find and keep fans of your work:
1. Build a hub
The idea is that a writer creates a blog/website on which they can put static information, such as book and contact details, whilst also including more dynamic information such as blog posts. This is the hub of your platform.
Writers then use social media channels to find potential fans and guide them to the hub. The best example of this is Twitter. An active Twitter account will attract potential readers, and regular tweets about a writer’s blog posts, and a link in the bio, will channel these writers to the hub.
2. Add value
Why would a potential fan follow you in the first place?
The answer is because you add value to their lives! This value might be from something as simple as tweets with links to great content, or entertaining blog posts or even a efree ebook. It makes no difference. What matters is that a writer find their niche and then adds value.
3. Be transparent
You don’t need to share your deepest darkest secrets, but being open and honest is the only way forward. If you are going to put a lot of content out on the web, it is very difficult to keep up an online persona. If you are an unpublished writer looking for a publisher, then say so. You will quickly find loads of writers in a very similar situation who will be interested in what you have to say. If you are a self-published writer then great. Make your self-publishing journey the focus of your blog. If you are published with an agent and a string popular titles – great! Just remember you are a rare breed. Many unpublished writers and fans will be interested in your ‘insider’ knowledge. The key is to be honest.
4. Be persistent
The main element of an online presence is persistence. A writer need to finds a ‘rhythm’ and stick to it. Some people like to write a ‘big’ blog post each week, others (and I like this approach) blog every day. The key is to be persistent and predictable. Fans/readers will get used to your rhythm and match their habits to your output. If you truly intend to build a fan base then you are looking at a year of blogging/tweeting etc. before you will see any major results – stick with it…
5. Find the channels that work
One of the key aspects to building a hub is to create two or three social media spokes. I can’t emphasise enough that this is all about quality not quantity. You need to find the spoke that works for you and dominate. For us it’s Twitter. The nature of BubbleCow means we are at our computers most of the day, making tweeting easy. This may not be the case for you. It may be that you are a photographer and Flickr is the way forward. It may be Facebook that is your thing and a fan page may work well. The key is to find the channel that works the best for you and stick with it.
…and as a thanks for reading this far, here’s a bonus 6th tip.
6. Google is your friend
I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘content is king’ and this is true. Good content will breathe life into your blog like nothing else. However, when it comes to getting people to your blog the single richest source of traffic is search engines, most likely Google.
This means you have to become aware of Search Engine Optimisation and how you can optimise your blog post to slip into the Google machine. This is a complex subject and ranges from simple tips like paying attention to your title and meta descriptions, to complex software solutions, to identifying and using keywords. All I will say is that any time spent on SEO is time well spent.
