Your Ever-changing Author Platform by Rolynn Anderson

Wisdom sharing time, team!

A colleague of mine, Mara Purl, and I are putting on an AUTHOR PLATFORM workshop at the InD’Scribe Conference. We’ve got a good handle on the talking points and I’ve developed a handout for attendees that encourages them to write down their ideas as we talk. We’ll have a wide range of experience in our audience…some of them in the biz as long as you have been.  We could use some tidbits from you!

We think the four ‘legs’ supporting an author platform are: GENRE, BRAND, GOAL, PASSION. The Hope: If an author can clarify for herself what she writes and can consistently articulate those premises to readers, she’ll find her niche…increase her readership.

Mara and I consider this a dynamic process. (Notice the table-top in my picture is quite worn :-) For example, my genre of choice these days is contemporary mystery with romantic elements.  (Used to be contemporary romantic suspense).  By examining my reviews and re-reading my own books objectively, listening to my editor’s comments along with my beta readers', I’ve see themes/patterns in my books I didn’t know where there.  As a result, I redesigned my website and aligned with new authors who were 'like me.' The path to pinpointing genre, brand, goal, and passion is quite a journey of self-discovery.

My questions for you…any one of these five or all:

1.  How much has your genre/brand changed over the years you’ve published?

2.  What do you wish you’d known about these concepts early in your publishing career?

3.  What’s your next step in polishing your author platform?

4.  What’s a author platform strategy that's worked for you?

5.  Critique all the above according to your experience. 

Thanks for your ideas, team.  I’ll be sure to give you feedback about what I learned from InD’Scribe workshops I attend (at InD’Scribe Oct. 4-7)!  Stay tuned for my blog entry on October 10. Cross your fingers for me, too.  BAD LIES is up for a Rone Award in the suspense/thriller category...at the conference.  Hope springs eternally!

Fire is Nice is coming out soon.  Here's the cover:

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson

How Thick is Your Skin? by Alison Henderson

My new release BOILING POINT is finished and ready to go. Whew! Of all the books I've written, this one required the most lashes to whip it into shape. When I finish a book, I always think it's wonderful--and I'm always wrong. I never seem to learn. Fortunately, I have a number of others to help point out the errors of my ways in no uncertain terms.

Previously, I'd been lulled into a false sense of competence by my editors with my former publisher. They were lovely people. They were gentle and supportive but recommended only minor changes. They didn't make me a better writer. I was always vaguely disappointed when I received a manuscript back without any substantive suggestions to improve the story or characters.

Well, let me tell you, that didn't happen this time. I received pages of very pointed comments, both from my editor and beta readers (my sisters). Fortunately, they addressed the very points that had been gnawing at me all along. For some reason, it's always easier for me to correct major errors when someone else sees them, too. I don't know--maybe I need to learn to trust my own judgement better.

My editor is brutal, but in the best possible way. Jannine, you know it's true. The first time we worked together, I was crushed when I received her notes and read through the manuscript. It wasn't easy to accept that after three published books, I was still such a beginner. This time wasn't much better, even though I knew what to expect. However, I try to learn at least one lesson from each book, and Jannine, you'll be proud to hear I found and corrected a few additional instances of "telling" on my own as I worked through the edits.

One of my sisters began her email, "Don't take this personally." That made me laugh out loud. How else would I take it? You can't separate the creator from her creation. For better or worse, I'd spent months laboring over that manuscript. Fortunately, she had some excellent suggestions for strengthening the secondary characters, and I was happy to use them.

The book that finally makes its way into the hands of readers next month is much stronger than the one I thought I'd "finished" a few weeks ago. I'm proud of it and eternally grateful to those who helped make it the best it could be.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com