How To Start Becoming An Author

When anyone starts writing a book, most of us think the most challenging part is writing the actual book itself, when it is only half the workload. 

I was one of these people, having worked on my first book for four years. The time I had spent perfecting, editing, and debating over every sentence. By the time I had finished the book, I was so excited to share it with the world, I self-published it and watched as my sales quickly came and left. What followed was a long lull as my book became forgotten. 

For others to avoid the same mistake I made, I want to make sure that you start by building yourself an Author’s platform so that when your book is ready to launch, you can be confident your audience will see it. 

What makes up an Author’s platform?

• Your Site: This is your home base. A place that your readers and the public will come to find your works and updates from you. It is vital to keep your site up to date, so they know that it’s worth returning to every time they come back. 

• Social Media: Social media such as Facebook, Linked In, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok are invaluable tools that help your readers connect with you daily. Let’s be honest, how many of us are regularly checking our favorite author's website...no hands raised? Exactly. By consistently posting on these, you can pull your readers back to your site by posting on social media that there are new things on your site.

• Building your list: Creating a newsletter is crucial to keeping your readers in the loop and sending them some bonus content. (A good perk for having subscribed in the first place.) I like to send short stories or snippets from upcoming work. But convincing people to subscribe to your newsletter is a whole separate beast, which means offering them a reason to do so in the first place.

• Keep Writing: This is something that isn’t talked about enough! For more readers to find you, you must keep writing and keep putting new stuff out. The more you have out there, the more readers you will gain. 

Being an author takes dedication and hard work. Unfortunately, writing a great story is only half the battle while the other half is making sure people know it exists. However, by making sure you build yourself an author’s platform, you are making it happen one step at a time. 

Best of luck!