“You need to start building an audience.”

This is what I, and many aspiring authors, have heard time and time again.

You’ve slogged for years and finally written a book, you are actively querying agents who, if you are lucky to get signed, will help you seek publication, but you can’t stop there. In the meantime, you need to build an audience.

An audience? What does that mean truly?

With the very best will in the world, I will NEVER build a huge audience of millions no matter how hard I try – I am not a celebrity after all.

That said, “how to get published” content promoted by coaches, agents, and other writers on Youtube, Instagram, blogs and Facebook support groups, gives this advice to novice authors like me hoping for publication. You need to start building an audience asap.

According to Masterclass, an author platform refers to a writer’s ability to market their work, using their overall visibility to reach a target audience of potential readers. A writer’s platform might include the reach of their social media accounts, the connections they have with other published authors or literary influencers, and the writer’s relationship with media outlets. The strength of a writing platform is measured by the author’s ability to use their influence and reach in order to sell books and boost their writing career.

I have spent the last year researching what this means in practice and essentially, from what I can gather, here are the top 10 things to be done to start creating a credible author platform:

1. Create an author website
2. Publish articles in literary magazines and in online forums
3. Create a presence on key social media platforms (Instagram and twitter being top ones)
4. Attend writing workshops & conferences
5. Collect email addresses
6. Write a blog
7. Create a social media content strategy
8. Network with other writers
9. Mine your network to identify “useful relationships”
10. Find speaking engagements to promote your book

So, how have I fared you might ask, almost 10 months in? Here’s what I have done so far:

• I am actively pitching chapters from my book that can stand alone as self-contained stories to literary magazines. So far, I have had one chapter accepted and have received many rejections. I will continue.
• I have created a social media presence on Instagram (@anikewriter) and post most days. I have a content calendar that I created that I follow pretty religiously.
• I established this very blog novicememoirist.blog and also have a blog on Medium.
• I attended AWP in Kansas City which was amazing and really educational, though also depressing at times (more to come about my AWP experience on another post).
• I mention to everyone that I have written a book and in turn people have introduced me to their agent and writer friends. This has been so so helpful.
• I joined the memoir binders group which has been an amazing source of information and inspiration.
• I have mined my Linkedin and personal networks – it is amazing how many people I know or am connected to who could genuinely be useful to me if my book gets published – folks who work in podcasts, entertainment and TV/media companies.
• Finally, I, together with a group of other artists, founded Greenhaven Artists – a group of women artists across multiple genres who live in my neighbourhood. Our inaugural Artist Studio drew close to 80 people from our neighbourhood and I was able to read from my book. We are planning our next event which is promising to be bigger and better.

I have not got a book deal yet I feel like this could be a full-time job! I hope it pays off. I sure do.

Like me, you may be new to this game. I found this article by NY Book Editors to be super helpful:

https://nybookeditors.com/2020/01/author-platform-is-it-relevant-how-to-build-it

Wish me luck on my journey.