Your platform is the methods you have to reach your target
audience. In previous parts of this series, we looked at how to identify that
audience and where to find them, and whether you will entertain them or inform
them. Finding the best way to attract readers is harder for novelists than for
authors of non-fiction. However, there are a variety of approaches you can use:
- Create a blog or a Facebook page or a Twitter stream that is (apparently)
written by your protagonist. This works best if the protagonist is an
eccentric, outspoken, or otherwise especially interesting character. The format
could be this person’s diary as they go through the events in the book, or
their commentary on the events of the day, or their manifesto, for instance.
- If the location of your book plays a big part in it, and is
one people would find of interest, create a blog or Facebook page about that
place. It could be a city like Berlin or Brighton, or a smaller part of a city
(Chinatown in San Francisco, for example). You could give interesting
information about that place, perhaps as seen through the eyes of one or more
of your characters.
- Create a series of videos that act as trailers for your
book. On this blog from time to time I feature ones that seem to be most
effective or interesting. You can also see good models on the sites of the
major book store chains. There are lots of formats you can use: you talking
about the book (if you are a good presenter), a slideshow with audio, a brief
animation, etc.
If you are a fiction author, you may want to consider these
options and brainstorm some others, and decide which ones you think would work
best. The next post takes both fiction and non-fiction authors to the next step
of selecting the best media.
(Much more on building a platform and the other essentials of crafting a successful career as a writer are in my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers. Also see my site: www.timetowrite.com )
