Ideas on creating an "author's platform"

[Prasil]

Certainly, Gregg Taylor has hit on something noteworthy in regard to marketing and selling his Red Panda novels.

I've recently been in contact with the publisher at Coachwhip Publications, who offers this advice: "We are moving from a 'book-centric' culture to an 'author-centric' culture. An author's platform, where you can dialogue with readers, build a fanbase, etc., is VERY important today. If you want to sell books, you must start building this even as you are writing the books."

( http://www.coachwhipbooks.com/submissions.html )

I've started a facebook fan page. The number of people "liking" it has been minimal, though. I'm hoping my Marvellous Boxes series will make a difference there.

Since I've had a few other shows produced by DRT, I put links to my fb page at the Decoder Ring Theatre Wiki with each entry for my shows.

That's not much, and I've already run out of ideas. And I'm too cheap and lazy to start my own website, though I bet that might be a very smart next step.

Does anyone else have any ideas in this regard?

[Lothar Tuppan]

Hi Tim,

I remember listening to a tech podcast last year breaking down the demographics and ratio of social media to click-throughs to what the content of that media linked to... There were other categories (including blogs and Myspace believe it or not) but the top two were...

#2 - Facebook
and surprisingly
#1 - Twitter

According to this analysis (they never detailed their methodology so who knows how accurate it is) *twitter* was the most effective social networking environment to get people to actually click on what you link to.

Someday I despair for our age.

p.s. I *really* love your work over at DRT... especially "Thinking in Ternary."

[Prasil]

Hi Lothar,

It still blows me away that your friend found a place for "Thinking in Ternary" in his class. As I say over at the DRT thread, that does a teacher proud!

Yeah, I guess I've been in denial about Twitter. I'll have to take the plunge.

Does anyone happen to know of anywhere I can start a free website or blog? I'm hesitant there, too, especially with starting a blog. I know another writer who struck me as really a writer instead of a poser, since he wrote a lot more than talking about what he was planning to write.

Then he started a blog...

Now, he writes about writing, and the output of the writing he writes about writing has dropped to almost nothing.

[JulieH]

Wordpress is simple.

[Lothar Tuppan]

I know some people who really like blogspot but, in my experience, Wordpress is more robust because it's a better all around Content Management System.

Also, if you have any friends who are into opensource networking, Drupal is extremely flexible... but it needs a lot of tweaking. If you want something that's pretty much ready to go, 'out of the box' then Wordpress is easier.

Also, if you want to purchase Wordpress and incorporate it into a full domain, there are a TON of developers that work with Wordpress that can develop a complete Wordpress site for you once you feel that the cost is justified.

But, like you said, a blog (in my opinion) is only really worthwhile for artists (of any type) if you have things you wish to pontificate on in addition to 'press release' style postings of your work, or if you wish to 'beta-test' ideas that you will develop into full fledged articles and such.

Otherwise it just becomes a bit like the old Vanity sites from back in the first gen web-era (look at me write about the movie I saw... look at me rant about some idiot on tv... etc.) which, as you say, becomes a distraction from actually getting work done.

And then there's the whole responding to comments aspect.... it becomes a full time job of maintaining punditry 'celebrity'.

I Think that's one of the reasons Julie does an audio 'blog' instead of a traditional text based one... she can record it, put it up, and forget about it.

[JulieH]

And never edit it.
Oh, yeah.

Actually, if you want to see about creating a cult of personality, there's very possibly no one better to study than Scott Sigler, and what he's done.

[Prasil]

	Quote:	JulieH
	a cult of personality

I do like the ring of that! However, "the unreserved adoration of the masses" is my 2-year goal.

Thanks for the tips! I'll check back in and report on anything that might be of interest to others.

[Prasil]

Well, as my sassy new signature suggests, I've become a SELF-MARKETING MACHINE!

So does this mean I have to actually get something written now? Seriously, the two do seem a bit at odds, but hopefully, I'll find the proper balance...

[Prasil]

	Quote:	JulieH
	Actually, if you want to see about creating a cult of personality, there's very possibly no one better to study than Scott Sigler, and what he's done.

Speaking of...http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...170005749.html

[Bill Hollweg]

Digging the BLOG!
<reading now>
;-)