Category: Building a Platform

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Writer Blogs and Misconceptions

At the start of the year, many writers set goals with the determination to get their names out there. For some writers, this will mean publishing another book—or a first book, as the case may be. For others, this will be building their online presence, looking at their social media options. For others, it will mean a revamp of an old website—or maybe building a new website. And there will be some writers who have decided to try their hand blogging.

Blogging is one of many different ways to build your online platform and following. Through blogging, you can make your website more attractive to readers, enticing them to visit on a regular basis. Through a constant turnover of new web content, you can even improve your SEO ranking.

It's not surprising that many marketers recommend using blogs to drive traffic to a website. And it's not surprising to see so many writers turn to blogging in an attempt to build a following. Hell, I blog in part for that reason. But if you’re not careful, blogging can quickly lead to writer burnout or leave dispirited writers in a state where they just want to give up.

Blogging is NOT for everyone.

It's time to dispel some of the myths surrounding blogging and make people face the realities before they fall into one of the many Hidden Traps associated with online platforms.

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Legal Proceedings

#CockyGate: There are lessons to be learnt.

In early 2018, I sat watching my Twitter and Facebook feeds with my jaw dropped. #CockyGate was this tornado that measured 5 on the Fujita scale, and no writer was safe from the disaster left in its wake.

For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the trademark that was issued to a romance writer, effectively granting her sole possession of the word cocky. I know that might sound like an exaggerating, but the responses from Amazon and Goodreads in relation to this mess sent the publishing industry into a frenzy.

I won't go into the details of the ludicrous situation. If you are interested in the little details, just Google it. Trust me. There is a mountain of articles and information out there about it.

No, I want to focus on the effects of social media and how mob psychology works. I want to talk about how one woman destroyed her reputation and likely her writing career. And it wasn't by this trademark disaster. Granted, that didn't help in the slightest. No, in today's industry, so much of your reputation and sales rely on public perception and the face presented online.

There are lessons to be learnt from this mess, that's for sure.

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What is a Platform?

The whole concept of building a following can be overwhelming at times, and there really isn't much solid advice out there. However, a writer's platform is not the complicated concept that many turn it into.

A writer's platform is NOT marketing, promotion, or publicity. It's not just a website or social media — for that matter, it's not just your books. A writer's platform is everything that you do to connect with readers.

It's your local writers' group that you attend once a month, or more frequently, as the case may be. It's those conferences and book festivals that you save your pennies for so you can afford the registration. It's your participation in special events that have nothing to do with writing and your books.

Yes, a writer's platform includes your books, website, and social media. And yes, this online component in today's market is important, but it's not everything.

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Bios: One Size Won’t Fit Me

While writers are often into their own worlds of fire-breathing dragons or sexual encounters with that dark knight, there is one topic that many writers struggle to write about: themselves. It's ironic... Here we are, words flow easily on the page when discussing some fictional character, but writing about the one person that we know the best... You have got to be kidding.

However, writing a bio is not something that a writer should shy away from. There are so many ways to spinning what might seem like a boring hum-drum life and making it sound glamorous. We're writers. We can do this, right?

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