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Platform building includes meeting people face to face instead of simply on Facebook.
 
So earlier this year I slithered from the confines of my office and emerged into the real world. AKA, the one I don’t create on my computer.

Along with 100 other authors, I’d signed up for the Omaha Public Library’s Author Fair.

On the way there I pictured writers bashing each other in an All Star Wrestling free-for-all to snag readers. 

Instead I met fabulous people and learned from their techniques.

Rather than a cage match slam-down, I found a tag-team situation…with everyone on the same team.


Angela D. Meyer, Where Hope Starts author, helped me arrange my table area. 

By “helped” I mean she reconfigured my haphazard pile of books, sign-up sheets, and related items into an attractive, cohesive display.

I learned: Eliminate my bulky book stand and work my items into a semi-circular shape to make the most of limited space. 

 

Lee Warren spent the afternoon sharing tips he’d learned in his years as a multi-published author and editor.


I learned: Offer an incentive to invite people who are interested in my message to sign up for my blog or newsletter. Collecting a long list of address from people who’ll never open my emails is counterproductive.

 

Author Brook Williams wore a T-shirt displaying a link to her website and the cover of her newest book, Accept This Dandelion. 

I emailed her later to admit, “Oh my goodness. I just now realized you’re the one who wrote, Right Place, Wrong Time.”

I learned: Promote your book in unique ways.


 Jennifer Slattery lured people to her table with snack-sized chocolate bars. People took the bait and signed up for her blog. 

But Jennifer had bigger fish to fry. 

She shared about Taking’ it to the Streets ministry, serving the unemployed and underemployed. 

I learned: Use your platform to help others.

 
After enjoying Kim Stokely’s novel, Winter Trees, I couldn’t wait to read Woman Of Flames. 

Clever Kim used a tall pole stand to display her book banners.

I learned: Buy poles and banners at places like Vistaprint. Check the pole’s weight, and also see if they’re collapsible for airplane travel.


It’s a family affair, as Kim’s niece, Rebecca Grous  brought her own novel The Determining.

Rebecca said she’s uncomfortable with public acclaim. She’d rather remain in the background than the limelight.

I learned: Push past reticence to come out of my comfort zone. 
 

What about meeting the public? Isn’t that why I went? 
Absolutely. 

  • I connected with readers.  
  • People signed up for my blog.
  • I had a great time chatting with a multitude of folks.
     
What about you?
You’re the main event in your own Author-mania ring. 

Is something holding you on the ropes? Are you feeling frustrated, ready to tap out?

Don’t give up. Push past those barriers, 
and emerge a champion.
We’ll cheer you on with more enthusiasm than Hulk Hogan making a come-back.
Is your writing stuck in a hammer lock? Our free monthly newsletter will get it off the mat. Sign up is easy–the button is on the right side of this page, near the top.
Think of your website as your home on the web. Where you invite guests to come hang out with you a while. Just like you would prepare for guests to come to your physical address, you need to prepare to have them visit you online.
 
You want your guests to be comfortable staying around awhile, you want them to come back and you want them to bring their friends. In order to create such a place, your website should be inviting, easy to navigate and full of the kind of good stuff they will enjoy.
 
There are a lot of neat add ons you can have on your website, but there are 5 basic things everyone needs to incorporate into their plan for a winning author website.

A Professional Appearance

Take a look at the business websites out there. Stroll through their pages and get a feel for what it looks like. Generally speaking, they will be uncluttered with plenty of whitespace. Don’t add too much color. Keep the font simple – don’t go crazy with this, even if it is fun.
 
When there is too much busyness, it is hard to know where to go on a website to find what you need. And it can simply give you a headache.
 
Create an awesome about page: not just about who you are, but what can they expect on your website.
 
There needs to be blogging activity on your site. Not just quantity, but quality content.  This is generally where people will find the good stuff they like. The stuff they want to hang out a bit to consume.
 
Tools: (free) website building: Blogger, Weebly, WordPress 

Quality Images/Graphics

Every image should be sharp and clear. Your author picture needs to be professional quality. Having an image in each post creates visual interest. And according to Buffer, (https://blog.bufferapp.com/blog-images) visual content is more than 40 times more likely to be shared.
 
Tools: 
My pick where to find images: 

Photo Editing: Canva

Newsletter Sign Up Form

The best thing you can do for yourself is to start collecting emails of those people interested in what you write! When they give you their email, they are giving you permission to contact them directly and they are more likely to buy your materials than followers on social media.
 
Do this through a newsletter. Offer something of value to convince them to sign up. Then when you send out your newsletter, give them valuable information and share when your books are coming out.  
 
Tools: Mail Chimp, Canva (see link above)

Follow Buttons for All Your Social Media Profiles

Make it easy for people to find you! Put those buttons where they are easy to see.
 

Sharing Tools

Make it easy for your audience to share about you and your content without leaving your website. Some of the tools available are: social share buttons, Click to Tweet, Memes (make your blog photo something people will want to share), Pin it hover buttons.
 
Tools: 
Bitly to shorten your links 
Click to Tweet : How to create 
Canva (see link above) 
Images (see links above) 
 
Once you have your basics in place, there will be plenty of bells and whistles to add. Look around at what other people are doing then google how to get it done. There is a tutorial for just about everything!
What tools have you found helpful on your website?



photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net // cooldesign

Writing a book before creating a platform is like cooking a banquet before we’ve created a guest list.
Photo courtesy of tiramisustudio @freedigitalphotos.net
We prepare the feast, throw open the doors to welcome everyone in, but nobody’s there.

We call into the void, “This is delicious. Come try a bite.”

Silence answers.
It’s the same with growing a following.
First we create a platform, then we can share the goodies…in this case, our work.

But how do we get our message heard in the midst of so many others

Micheal Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, addresses that in his book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.
His statistics are so impressive they’d make Babe Ruth hang his head in shame. If he were still alive.
Michael’s stats include
  • One of the top three business blogs on the Internet with
  • 300,000+ monthly visitors and
  • 70,000 subscribers
  • 145,000 Twitter followers
  • 21,000 Facebook fans
  • A weekly podcast, This Is Your Life, consistently ranking in iTunes top ten
  • Approximately 278.4 kazillion book sale.

Since his platform started at zilch, it’s worth listening to his wisdom.

Disclaimer: These 5 steps are straight from Micheal Hyatt’s site. I am crediting Michael Hyatt. Mr. Hyatt, please hold back your legal people. Again, this is Michael Hyatt’s info. Highly abbreviated.

1. Start with wow.
2. Prepare to launch.
3. Build your home base.
4. Expand your reach.
5. Engage your tribe.


Obviously, he expands on and explains each step. But since I don’t want his legal team stalking me, head over to one of Michael’s sites to feast at his banquet.

Since I’m all about freebees, here’s a tasty one: Sign up to get his blog posts via e-mail and receive a FREE copy of his new e-book   Shave 10 Hours off Your Workweek.

Now on to

Jeanie’s Super-Secret Newbie No-No’s

man working laptop quiet whisper finger
Photo courtesy of graur razvan ionut @ freedigitalphotos.net


To recap what we’ve learned so far:

Week 1- Exclamation marks scream, “Newbie!”
Week 2- Annihilate Adverbs
Week 3- Eradicate empty words. Really just skip them. I’m very serious
Week 4- Use “Invisible” Words: said, ask, answer, and reply
Week 5- Run off Run-On Sentences
Week 6- Clear out Clichés
Week 7- Pass on Passive Voice
Week 8- Eliminate Empty Adjectives
Week 9- Reduce Redundancy
This week-
There, They’re, Their

Here’s one way for non-grammar nerds to subdue this potentially tricky trio.

  • “There” rhymes with “Where.” Where’s the dog? Over THERE.  OR Substitute “Here” for “There” and see if the sentence makes sense.
  • “They’re” is two words, THEY and ARE jammed together. Am I the only one working? No, THEY’RE going to help.
  • “Their” = Possession. The IRS (THE/IRS) thinks everything is THEIRS. THEIR bank accounts. THEIR car. THEIR houses…

Most new writers don’t realize incorrect use of these trouble triplets will send editors out of there minds. If they’re is a problem with your manuscript, their is a way to fix it. They’re is spell-check, but it won’t help you their. Try Grammar-girl. If there busy, look at Grammarly. There always willing to help folks out they’re.

Since we all need to move forward, my Current Lofty Goal (AKA something I need to do, but want to put off) Continue rewrites of my novel’s first draft.

What challenges do you face in your writing life? We at Wordsowers want to help. Connect with us here or on our Facebook page.

Great news: sign up for our free monthly newsletter to get help delivered straight to your inbox. It’s easy–the button is on the right side of this page, near the top.

Mind Mapping works for me:
My Mind Map 
In a critique group I asked the writers to list the people they’d rubbed shoulders with that day or that week. I also took the challenge and drew out my diagram. Each of us were amazed at the lives we touched.

 

Joyce, Karen, Audrey
The same happens with our fiction characters. If I want my main character to amount to anything, the reader needs to see them connecting with others:
Hiding Goals?
  • Those who appreciate them and those who don’t.
  • The people they choose to ignore.
  • The neighbor they haven’t spoken to in years.
  • The childhood friend who disappointed them.
We also need to see their dreams and goals.
  • Will they see the dream come to pass?
  • How will they respond if they never see the dream fulfilled?
  • Are their goals realistic?
  • Do they share their goals or hide them, afraid others won’t understand?
I’ve written and sold non-fiction, but last November I took the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge to write 50,000 words in one month. I managed to first draft over 68,000. What a great reminder on character building. One of my big problems—I have a couple faultless characters.
New goal—create flawed humans!
Not Necessarily Physically Flawed 
I Dreamed Big!
The dreams came to pass.
Now I can say I’ve taught at
and several times at
 
(HACWN) in Kansas. 
 
I also teach for our local 
 
Does that make me an expert?
 No, silly, an expert is simply a drip under pressure. 
 
I am a writer who loves to share the bit of knowledge 
I have and continue to glean with others. 
 
What about you? 
Share your writing dreams.
For the month of January I think about what I can possibly do in one year. I post notes in my Bible, my Jesus Calling book, and on the walls in my office.
Not everyone works with written goals. Charles Schultz, otherwise known as Sparky, said he knew his deadline. He mapped out the cartoon squares he needed to fill on large paper. Then he looked out the window. He said he did some of his best work while doing what others would call nothing.
From Charles Schultz Images Online

Sometimes if someone entered his studio while Schultz looked out the window for fresh inspiration, he dashed to his desk in order to look busy. After all, we don’t want those looking on to think writers, illustrators and cartoonists do nothing,I liked Sparky’s idea. We all need to laugh at ourselves more.
So what are my writing goals for 2015?

1.      Finish my WIP “Unscheduled Life.” The novel I started in November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
2.      Publish “Kat’s Lion Tales.”
3.      Write —“My Thirteen Husbands.” Non-fiction, full of fun and laughter.
4.      Begin novel: “The Oil Change Said it All.”
What are my impossible dreams?
1.      Find an all terrain vehicle for Enoch Stalcup.
Enoch Stalcup

My friend in Estcada, Oregon, who loves to fish and hunt…his wheel chair doesn’t give him freedom. (Enoch built the website for Creating Memories for DisabledChildren.)

2.      Raise money for Creating Memories for
DisabledChildren—(blog) CMFDC needs more dollars to  rebuild the cabins in Ashley’s Park and add more wheel chair accessible trails.
What about you?
Are you trusting God for the impossible?
Share your writers goals and your dreams.
photo credit: Free Digital Photos // Stuart Miles
photo credit: Free Digital Photos // Stuart Miles

You’ve gotten started on social media. Facbook, Twitter, maybe another. Are your profiles working for you?

A profile is more than the image you see at the top of Facebook, Google+, Twitter and any other spot on the web. It’s the about section, the presentation, the images.
If used well, profiles can be a window display for your business. A part of your branding. How people know who you are and why in the world they should follow you.
Here are 6 tips to make your profile work better for you.
  1. Be consistent among all your profiles. You don’t want visitors to your profile to wonder if they have reached the right spot. Use the same author picture (or at least from the same photo session), same colors, same feel.
  2. Use a professional quality author photo. It looks vastly different online from just a snapshot or selfie. If you want to be taken seriously (even if your act is comedy), then present a professional image.
  3. Use quality images for any graphics in your profile header. Make sure you own them or you have the appropriate permission to use them. Sometimes you have to pay and sometimes a simple attribution works. But, DO NOT just grab them from the web. Being on the web does not make them public domain.
  4. Fill out your profile completely. This is often the place where people connect with you. Because your message resonates with them. Because you went to the same school. Because you both love pets. Lots of reasons to connect and this is where you provide those reasons if they don’t already know you from somewhere else.
  5. ALWAYS have links to other places online they can find you. They may stumble across you in one social media, but prefer a different one. Don’t make them work to find you there. Make it so easy they can’t do anything but follow you.
  6. Be active on your profiles. This does not mean you have to tweet 30 times a day or post on FB a zillion times in a week. But when people stop by there should be life. No one wants to hang out where no one else is. How much is the right amount? Whatever you can keep up with. If you can only post once a month or once a day, do it faithfully.
Suggested Resource: Check out Canva to create great headers and covers for your profiles.
Have you found a creative way to use your profile?
May 2008 our oldest daughter called to ask what I wanted for Mother’s Day.

“How about a trip to Oregon.”

free digital Photo
“Mom, be real?”
“Well I need a new computer.”
“Mother, something attainable, please.”
“Honey, I don’t have a want list these days. I don’t really need anything and what I do need or desire are impossible to buy or attain.”
“Mom, that’s really sad. You are the one that taught me to dream big.”
After we discussed my lack of faith, I hung up, opened my Bible and wrote my list.
1.   I’d like to teach a workshop at a writer’s conference.
2.   I’d like a trip to Oregon to see our family

3.   I’d like a new computer.

Marcus, Karen, Me and Kaitlynn
4.   I’d like a tapestry banner with a lion.
(can’t remember #5 but received it)
The next week a virus hit my computer and killed it dead. Deader than dead.
I whined to the Lord, “I didn’t think we’d have to buy one—how will we pay for it?” Husband made sure I bought the best of the best desktop computers. We put it on a payment plan. (Sidenote: can you believe, in only three months an unexpected check arrived—we paid for the computer without interest.)
 

Three weeks after my conversation with my daughter a huge tapestry arrived. 

“Found this in the backroom where I work—it was on sale,” daughter said.
 
Wow. The lion and the lamb are beautifully woven into a huge tapestry. Much larger than I dreamed about.
 
Before long I found an airline ticket at half the usual price. I flew to Oregon and enjoyed family.
 
In the fall a friend I met online sent me an email. “Would you teach a workshop at our first IDAHope writers conference next year.” ‘
 
Can you see me? I jumped, yelled, hollered and called our daughter.
 
“Guess what? I’ve been asked to teach at a writer’s conference.”
 
Feeling blessed beyond belief I sent out emails to everyone I knew. Many friends congratulated me. Then I found out I needed to pay for an airline ticket from Omaha, Nebraska to Boise, Idaho.
 
I backtracked. 
 
Sent out another email saying, “It sounded too good to be true and I guess it is. I’m not going, but I’m thrilled with the invitation.”
 
But God wasn’t done.
 
The next day an email from a friend in Florida arrived.
 
“How much is the ticket? I’m sending the money in today’s mail?”
 
I did go to IDAHope.
 

I met many new authors—some are still in touch with me.

Author Carol Colson
 
I did spend three nights and four days with Carol Colson, a new precious friend whose book will come out soon.
 
I did teach, not one workshop, but two and critiqued twelve manuscripts in all genres’.
 
Now it’s 2015, time to set goals for the new year?
 
How big can I dream?
 
God is the God of the impossible.
 
If I can find it, pay for it, 
plan it in my budget—that isn’t dreaming big. 
I don’t need God if I can do it all myself.
More to come.
Somewhere around early 2008 I desired to teach writers workshops. When a conference leader asked for those interested in teaching to send an application with qualifications, I wrote a short note about my desire to teach and the following:
 Qualifications: Published in twelve anthologies, sixty magazine articles, and wrote for the Plattsmouth Journal for eighteen months. Published Capsules of Hope Survival Guide for Caregivers, and held numerous book signings for A Cup of Comfort. I started a critique group in 2006 and today everyone in the group is a published author.
I thought myself well-qualified, but I didn’t get the job. 
Not even a reply from the Leader. 
Does that mean I did something wrong? 
No, however I did feel disappointed. 
Did I stop sending out requests to teach?
Absolutely not. 
 
And at that time Husband kept saying, “Mook, dream BIG.” 
 
And I did.
More To Come.

 

photo credit: Free Digital Photos //Stuart Miles
photo credit: Free Digital Photos //Stuart Miles
When deciding which social media to use, ask yourself, “Who and where is my audience?”
If your audience is 20 something, don’t hang out at an AARP forum. Determine what kinds of things your audience enjoys and be a part of it.
What is your purpose? Each Social Media platform (Twitter, Facebook, blog, Google+) has its strengths and purposes. Do a bit of research and see which fits with your needs.
Where are you already? Don’t get caught up in doing it all. Not everything will be a fit. Are you already online? Start where you are. Build it up. Keep adding as you discover those places that are a fit for your message and your audience.
What do you enjoy? If you get a profile on Twitter, but hate it, you aren’t as likely to use it. Its better to have no profile there than an unused one. Your fans will want to see you active. Give a new spot a try, but don’t bang your head against the wall if its not working for you.
Remember from last week: your platform must be sustainable. It must work with your life if you’re going to maintain it.
Do you have a platform or marketing question you would like answered?
~ ~ ~
Writing Prompt:
The following paragraph is wordy! And pretty boring (serves the purpose of this exercise). Two challenges:
1) Tighten up the word count. Right now its at 60.
2) Give it some zing. Some interest.
Have fun! Leave a comment and let us know your new word count for challenge #1.
They went down to the store where there was a guy working that had sold them a broken toaster. They needed a toaster so bad because they didn’t have an oven, so they needed to get their money back. Then they would go and get one at a different store where their neighbor told them a sale was going on.
Resource Suggestion: JeffGoines
 “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison

 

www.angeladmeyer.com

Platform/Marketing Tip

Start now to work on your platform. Don’t wait until you “need” it. A platform takes a while to build. Start early so you don’t feel pressured to do it all at once. Find a pace that fits you and your life so you won’t burn out.

Building an author platform must be sustainable 
to avoid burnout. (Click to Tweet)

Writing Prompt

photo credit: Angela D. Meyer
  • Set your timer for 10 minutes.
  • Write as much of a story/scene as you can.
  • Do not edit.
Suggested Resource: Michael Hyatt
Do you have a question you would like answered?

courtesy of David Castillo Dominici@freedigitalphotos.netWe all know about New Year’s resolutions.

A new year equals a fresh start…until want-power overtakes will-power.

I want one last slice of cheesecake before starting my diet.
I want one more couch potato day before hitting the gym.
I want to read one more novel before I work on mine.

Here at Wordsowers we’re turning our writing dreams into reality.
courtesy Feelart @ freedigitalphotos.net
And this is your invitation to join us.
Will 2015 be the year your work emerges from the hidden depths of your computer into the light of publication?
From critiques groups to our annual writers conference, we at Wordsowers are determined to help each other.
I can attest to that. Because of the help, encouragement, and critique I’ve received, Chicken Soup for the Soul purchased five of my stories, James Stuart Bell included me in his Bethany House compilation, Heaven Touching Earth, and I finished the first draft of my novel.
And that’s in the last 18 months.
Could I have done it on my own? Absolutely not.  Is Wordsowers ready to help you? Absolutely.

Please don’t let intimidation keep you from your writing dreams. Connect with us here or on our Facebook page.

Plus, sign up for our free monthly newsletter and get help delivered straight to your inbox. It’s easy–the button is on the right side of this page, near the top.

We’d love to hear your writing plans for this year. Please share them in the comments below.