Developing Your Author Platform Online

By D’vorah Lansky, Guest Blogger

I’d like to thank Terry for allowing me to be a guest here today. As you know, Terry is a remarkable, kind and giving person who knows a great, great deal about the authoring industry. Terry also knows a great deal about the area of online marketing for authors.

Today I’d like to talk about developing your online author platform. An author platform is a place where people can come to connect with you. It is where you share your message and it refers to the size of your following/readership and your presence on the Internet. It is essential for an author to have an author platform. Your platform raises your visibility and allows people to get acquainted with you.

Here are a few things that you can do to develop your online author platform:

· Set your blog or website up so that it makes a positive statement about you as an author. If you have any intentions of speaking, you are going to need a website which actually shows people who you are and what you speak about.

· Have a media page or speaker sheet that can be easily accessed on your website. Include low-resolution and high-resolution images of both you and your book cover.

· Outline a talk that you give related to your book. You can include five bullet points, or a list of sample questions, that you can cover.

· Include a brief and an expanded bio and your contact information. When composing your bio, rather than beginning by listing your credentials, begin by speaking about your strengths as a speaker or captivating presenter. For example, you might say, “Terry is a dynamic and engaging presenter.” It is important that your bio talks about you as a speaker, in addition to listing your credentials.

· Add a page to your website that lists your speeches, events, presentations and programs.

· Include a section, on your media page, that links to your videos and recorded interviews.

· Make sure that you have a professional presence on the social media networks. Social networks provide you with the ability to reach a large number of people easily, develop your presence, share your expertise and impart the message of your book.

Whether you are beginning with a well-established website and large audience, or you are just setting up your website and beginning to grow your audience, there is much you can do to develop and promote your online platform.

The fastest way to develop your new or existing platform is to make sure you have an attractive-looking blog or website where people can come to find out more about you and your book. Develop a daily writing schedule and post articles to your site several times a week. Interact on the social networking sites and invite your target audience to enjoy reading the articles you’ve posted to your site. You will soon come to be seen as an expert in your field and you will develop relationships and friendships with your readers.

D’vorah Lansky is the author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online - Visit her book blog and check out the full virtual book tour schedule at: www.BookMarketingMadeEasy.com.

D’vorah offers programs for nonfiction authors interested in growing their brand and their book sales through online book marketing practices and strategies. You can purchase her book on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/oft9Pt