David Mathison: Building an Effective Author Website

David Mathison, author of Be the Media, talks about developing a web presence.

• New technology like blogs and podcasts makes writers as powerful as the world's largest news organizations.
• The most important thing, more than finding a publisher or agent, is building platform. The author website is one of the best ways to building your customers list.
• Instead of aiming for millions of fans, aim for 1,000 true fans.
• Everyone should have products that they give away for free to build a fan base.
  
• To have the widest fan base you must have an array of products with different values.

Posted by Melissa

Christina Katz: Meaningful Platforms (Continued)

Christina is wrapping up her session with these words of wisdom: Be who you are. Use your strengths to the best of your ability. "Be a person who makes good things happen, and good things will come back to you."

It seems that good karma can = good platform building.

POSTED BY Jessica Strawser, Editor, WD magazine

Christina Katz: Meaningful Platforms (Continued)

"Blogging: There's a whole chapter on it in my book. I have A LOT to say about it, more than we have time for here. So here's what I'm going to say: Don't start blogging until you're ready to put some energy into it in that cheerful, consistent way I talked about earlier."

In the prioritized platform to-do list, she advises you: Do your website first. Start your blog last.

Another great gem from Christina: "Platform building isn't any one thing you do. It's everything you do."

POSTED BY Jessica Strawser, Editor, WD magazine

Christina Katz: Meaningful Platforms (Continued)

Christina says that you as an author should have a tag line that defines who you are and what you have to offer your readers.

Here are some examples of Christina's own tag lines:

For Get Known Before the Book Deal: "Make the most of what you have to author."
For Writer Mama: "If I can do it, you can do it, too."

She recommends adding it to your email signature, along with any links to relevant projects (your website, your book, an upcoming conference where readers can meet you, etc.).

POSTED BY Jessica Strawser, Editor, WD magazine

Christina Katz: Meaningful Platforms (Continued)

Christina is giving attendees a pop quiz of 10 yes-or-no questions every author needs to ask him or herself in building--and assessing--his/her platform. Here are a few:

Are you able to view yourself objectively? (Can you assess how ripe you are for authorhood, like an agent or editor would?)

Do you write for a very specific audience that is quantifiable and describable? (Do you know things about your audience? Do you know how many there are?)

Are you calmly passionate about your work, and able to work at it consistently and cheerfully?

POSTED BY Jessica Strawser, Editor, WD magazine

Christina Katz: Do You Have a Meaningful Marketing Platform?

Platform guru Christina Katz begins her session by saying that slow and steady is the best way to build an author platform. She says that online is a logical place to start, because how well known you are as an author online is indicative of how well known you'll be as an author offline.

POSTED BY Jessica Strawser, Editor, WD magazine