Authors must build a platform and social media presence to get their voices out there and connect with readers. In this LWL episode, Lyndell Williams talks about why authors must schedule the time to create content and garner an audience to share their work.
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Transcript
All right, today, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the writer’s stage. No, it’s not the blog, the novel, the novella or the short story an author creates. I mean that’s important. Having a finished product that conveys the message one wants is critical, but so is having an audience. There are a ton of authors out there, which makes it important to build a platform and a following so that you have people who’ll read your stuff. It’s probably the most non-writing part of being an author and requires a lot of time and energy. You have to get your voice out there.
We’re in a social media-driven world. Readers want to hear and see their writers. A lot of successful writers develop a way of connecting to readers outside of their writing. They show their personality—their appeal.
Some will use social media—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, podcasts. Not so much to sell books but to acquire followers. It becomes important because then when you put a book out there, you have people who are actually looking.
It’s important to create a stage for your work and you stand at the center of it, speaking to people. Then you can offer your creation to the eyes and ears focused on you. If they like what they see and hear, some will spread the word. It’s a slow process but it’s an essential one. In addition to finishing the book and publishing it, an author needs to create a brand, something that will attract followers and readers to them, not their writing.
It could be as simple as showing their pretty face, making some quippy anecdotes. But from what I’ve experienced, authors do best by using a mixed media approach as well as making physical appearances. Photos, video clips, live posts all draw potential readers. So, authors need to think of ways to use that to their advantage. Continue reading “LWL Podcast: The Writer’s Stage”
