I have been reading non stop about anything and everything that has to do with establishing an online presence. And I've learned something very important... IT IS ALL SUBJECTIVE! What works for one person, may not work as well for another. BUT, with that said, there are so many opinions out there it is awesome. My job is to learn as much as I can. Absorb as much advise as I can and mold it into my own plan. I'm determined to work through this mega pile of knowledge and shovel my own path into the abyss of authorhood.
So here is my subjective two cents of what I've learned so far:
As a new author, you need to create a platform for yourself and for your readers. Your platform will be your foundation to build your "empire". I know what you're thinking... (Are you telling me to channel my inner Cookie?) Ok, maybe you're not thinking that. But I know you're thinking I sound egotistical, but I speak the truth. Your books, your career are your empire. They are yours to take ownership of and try to do everything in your power to steer the course of your success.
So Step #1... Define your target audience...
This is the very first thing as a new author you have to do. Know what you are writing. Understand what genre you are writing in. If you're not sure, google books that you think your book emulates. What genre do they fall in? Chances are that's the genre your book falls into. You can ask others how they would categorize your writing. Once you figure out exactly what genre you write in, it starts to narrow your path. We have to know who our audience is, so we can find them.
For my first book, I am targeting a very specific audience. The pros to that, is I know my audience is out there. I've scoured the same book websites as them searching for exactly the type of book they are. The cons, I'm going to turn people off because I'm writing to such a specific genre. And I'm okay with that. There's an audience for almost anything, which is a good thing. That means there's an audience out there for you.
So how do you locate your target audience? That's a great question. And the answer is... You're going to have to do the leg work to find them. Once you know who you're writing to, it makes it a little easier to track them down. Notice I said a little easier, because finding them still takes a lot of work. This is the process I'm presently working on and I will present you with my subjective 2 cents on that topic in the near future.
~Shannon
So here is my subjective two cents of what I've learned so far:
As a new author, you need to create a platform for yourself and for your readers. Your platform will be your foundation to build your "empire". I know what you're thinking... (Are you telling me to channel my inner Cookie?) Ok, maybe you're not thinking that. But I know you're thinking I sound egotistical, but I speak the truth. Your books, your career are your empire. They are yours to take ownership of and try to do everything in your power to steer the course of your success.
So Step #1... Define your target audience...
This is the very first thing as a new author you have to do. Know what you are writing. Understand what genre you are writing in. If you're not sure, google books that you think your book emulates. What genre do they fall in? Chances are that's the genre your book falls into. You can ask others how they would categorize your writing. Once you figure out exactly what genre you write in, it starts to narrow your path. We have to know who our audience is, so we can find them.
For my first book, I am targeting a very specific audience. The pros to that, is I know my audience is out there. I've scoured the same book websites as them searching for exactly the type of book they are. The cons, I'm going to turn people off because I'm writing to such a specific genre. And I'm okay with that. There's an audience for almost anything, which is a good thing. That means there's an audience out there for you.
So how do you locate your target audience? That's a great question. And the answer is... You're going to have to do the leg work to find them. Once you know who you're writing to, it makes it a little easier to track them down. Notice I said a little easier, because finding them still takes a lot of work. This is the process I'm presently working on and I will present you with my subjective 2 cents on that topic in the near future.
~Shannon