___

BONUS FREEBIE: I have a resource for you that will help you prepare to talk with media and audiences. It’s the 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer. You can grab the fiction and nonfiction lists here.

___

Building a platform is one of the most important things you can do to invest in your career as a non-fiction author. Creating a platform is how you build authority and credibility with your readers — and with publishers and the media!

A platform is how you reach your readers and connect with them. It’s all the channels of communication you use, from email newsletters to social media to speaking engagements. Think of your author platform as a central hub with lots of access points. 

1) Identify your audience.

Before you narrow down your strategy for building your author platform, think about who you’re trying to reach. As a non-fiction author, you’re presenting your readers with something new and novel — a solution to a problem, a creative way of considering an issue, or a toolkit for improving some aspect of their lives. This is true whether you’re writing a cookbook or a history book. 

Think about who is looking for the message that you have to offer. Who can benefit from this knowledge?

For instance, if you’re writing a cookbook about easy and affordable veggie-forward recipes, your audience might include busy parents, older adults trying to be more health-conscious, and college students. Those are specific groups who will come to your work in different ways. The college students might find you on TikTok — but the health-conscious grandma probably won’t. So how are you going to connect with all of these groups?

Use Video to Grow Your Audience with TikTok

2) Define your narrative.

Before you decide which online and in-person channels you want to focus on, you need to decide what you’ll do with those opportunities. Defining your narrative before you dive in head-first means your author platform will be well-considered, coherent, and professional.

One of the best ways to approach this task is to sit down with a pencil and paper (or a blank Google Doc!) and write down answers to these questions:

  • Why did you write a book?
  • Why are you the right person to tell this story?
  • How will your book improve people’s lives?

These answers should get personal!

10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer

For instance, if I was doing this exercise, I’d write about how I wrote my first book, Listful Living, because lists made my life as a busy TV producer so much less stressful and more manageable. I’d write about how I’m the right person to tell the story of lists because I’ve been using them for over twenty years now, and I’ve been blogging about productivity for nearly fifteen years. I’d write about how my books are packed with actionable tips that help readers manage their tasks and introduce more joy into their lives.

Look for a narrative arc in your answers. Are there defining moments that emerge?

For me, one defining moment is when my appendix burst after my first book came out. I knew I had to prioritize my well-being and for me, that meant using productivity strategies (including list-making!) that I’d written about. I talked the talk — and then I had to really walk the walk. That experience shaped my second book, Listful Thinking

Once you know the story you want to tell, you can use online communication channels more effectively. This story should come across in all your content.

___

__

3) Curate your online presence — and be consistent.

Create author profiles on all the major social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook). If you think TikTok would be a good fit for your audience, create a profile there too. And make sure to follow other author accounts!

It’s also a good idea to create an author website. Your website should have information about your background, links to your social media profiles, and an option to sign up for your email list. Email lists are a great tool for creating a channel to get in touch with your readers about blog posts, videos, events, and media appearances. 

Website Tips to Amplify Your Brand

You might also consider a podcast (I have tips on this here!), short videos (here’s how to create great ones), or a live-stream show

But… don’t start doing all these things at the same time!

Take it slow and think about what your audience is most likely to connect with. What types of media does your audience already consume? Find them there first. If you start a whole bunch of projects at the same time, it’s going to be difficult to keep up with all of them. Which brings me to my next point — consistency!

Consistency is key to building an online following. I suggest creating an editorial calendar for yourself. You can plan out social media, blog posts, newsletters, live streams, and more. Come up with a schedule that’s reasonable and then stick to it. 

4) Find opportunities to connect with other authors.

The internet is great for connecting with readers and fellow authors. And you should definitely follow other authors in your area of expertise. In-person events are also important for forming these connections.

Attend book events in your area. Check out speakers at local universities. Go to conferences. Join a writing group. These are opportunities to learn from other authors about how they communicate with their audience and with their colleagues in the world of non-fiction authors.

Having an author platform is related to being a good literary citizen — so check out these tips for being an engaged author. 

5) Be your own advocate.

Building your author platform means acknowledging the fact that no one is going to come up and catapult you to success. You need to build authority and credibility yourself. So toot your own horn!

Lots of people feel uncomfortable about self-promotion. They think it comes across as self-centered or braggy. But it’s essential to reframe self-promotion as positive and necessary. Remember, you have a message to share. Your audience needs the knowledge you have to share. Advocating for your work is an act of service!

___

BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

___

___

BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

___

If you’ve always wanted to be an author, your book launch will be one of the most exciting stages of the publishing process. Getting recognized for your work and connecting with your readers is so rewarding. 

When you’re launching a new book, all of your strategy is focused around your book –the newness of it and the content. But what happens when the launch wraps and your new book is no longer new?

This is the stage when I meet many of my media-training clients. They’ve had a successful launch and they want to keep the momentum going. 

I shared some of my best tips for authors dealing with this in my Writer’s Digest column. 

These are the same strategies I’ve used myself for years as an author of two books, Listful Thinking and Listful Living!

1. It’s not (just) about the book anymore.

When you’re in the book launch phase, you’re really invested in the book itself. That’s only natural. It should be the focus of attention at this point! But once your book is a few months old, you have to shift your focus and start to consider how your book can support you as an author and expert — not how you can support your book!

This does not mean you shouldn’t talk about your book. Of course you should! You just need to find new ways of framing and contextualizing how you talk about your book. The attention needs to be on how your knowledge (and by extension, your book) can solve problems or shift people’s mindsets. This is something I talk you through in my free resource, 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer. 

2. Keep in touch. 

The relationships you build with journalists, reporters, and producers are some of the best resources for you as you consider your post-launch strategy. Thank you notes (paper ones — yep!) go a long way in demonstrating your appreciation.

These really do make an impact on fostering positive relationships between you and members of the media! You can then leverage those relationships to pitch again from a new angle. 

___

___

3. Open yourself up. 

You might be wondering what exactly you should pitch — how can you use your book as a jumping-off point that inspires the next stage of your media strategy?

Well, here’s a little secret: everything you talk about doesn’t have to be in the book.

In fact, it can actually be counterproductive to limit yourself to only things you covered in your book. You are an expert on a topic that includes what you talk about in your book. You can absolutely pitch on related areas within your expertise that didn’t fit into your book — and you should! This is essential to any sustainable media strategy. 

For even more tips on how to keep media momentum going, you can check out my column in Writer’s Digest. 

___

BONUS FREEBIE: I have a resource for you that will help you prepare to talk with media and audiences. It’s the 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer. You can grab the fiction and nonfiction lists here.

___

Bonus Freebie: I have a resource for you that will help you prepare to talk with media and audiences. It’s the 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer. You can grab the fiction and nonfiction lists here.

One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “How do you know so much about publishing and marketing books?”

Hello – research! Yeah – I love it! It’s the journalist in me. So even before I had thoughts of becoming an author myself, I always was in search of the best resources and I want to share them with you.

Maybe you don’t have a book yet and it’s still a dream. Or you have five and you want to sell more copies. Well lean in…

I’m introducing you to the experts you need to know about and the resources I used when I published my two books, Listful Thinking and Listful Living. They’ve been an invaluable resource for me and I hope you’ll find the same for you.

And there’s plenty of information for nonfiction and fiction authors – I’ve got you covered. I’m in the editing stage of my first fiction book so I understand the pain and glee of getting your work out into the public.

In this episode of Inside Scoop I’m sharing my top tips and resources for authors like you.

Read more

_

BONUS FREEBIE: Want to make this the year people find you in the media? Click here to access my Be a Media Magnet course. It will give you the plan you need to make it happen.

_

You might want to be featured on the media for your book or business, but how will they find you? They won’t – unless you pitch them. Or maybe you pitched them but you never heard back?

I was a television news producer for almost 20 years, and trust me, I know what pitches work for the media. Over the years I’ve developed a pitching formula and I use it to pitch media so I know it works.

I laid out the formula you need on my live-stream show Inside Scoop.

Read more

___
BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”
___

Books can boost your platform, brand, message, or business. And help you gain more media exposure. As a TV producer for many years, I can tell you when producers are deciding between two similar experts, they choose the one who is published. I know I did.

However, the process of writing a book proposal and reaching out to agents can be intimidating. I get it. I’ve written two books (Listful Thinking and Listful Living) and have a third in the works. (It’s fiction, can’t wait to share!)

But you can’t let fear stop you. If you want to reach more people, it’s time to get started on your book.

I spoke with publishing expert, coach, and host of the Bound + Determined podcast, Richelle Fredson, on my live-streaming show Inside Scoop, to help you start amplifying your work with books.

Here are four things to know when working on your first book proposal to amplify your work.

Read more

__

BONUS FREEBIE: Want to do more videos and get attention? So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

__

When you set out to write a book, you probably dream of the moment it becomes a reality — when you’re holding the finished product in your hands. And you might also fantasize about that book becoming a bestseller.

But to make your book publication-ready and successful, you need to enter the process with intention.

Industry expert AJ Harper knows this well. 

Read more

____

BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

____

Annie Scranton, founder of Pace PR, knows a thing or two about the media. She and I met as producers at Fox News Channel, but she’s also worked at MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, HLN, and even Good Morning America!

With all that insider knowledge, Annie can predict what the future holds when it comes to getting on TV as an expert. She knows what it takes for people to get their message out there, because she helps people do that very thing every day.

Read more

___

BONUS FREEBIE: I have a resource for you that will help you prepare to talk with media and audiences. It’s the 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer. You can grab the fiction and nonfiction lists here.

___

When I was a senior health producer at Fox News Channel, I booked guest experts all the time. 

Sometimes experts rambled when the host wanted a short answer, and sometimes people didn’t give enough information.

To be a go-to media expert, you need to be able to deliver your content in a way that fits the situation. 

That means you have to be able to talk about your expertise within different time constraints. 

This is the core of my media prep plan that I teach my media-training clients.

Read more

BONUS FREEBIE: Do you want to know what the media is looking for and how to give it to them? Check out my free three-part video course How to Be a Media Magnet for my expert tips on how to become a pro at pitching and getting booked. 

Think you’re ready to be a media star?

Take the ultimate media-readiness challenge. It’s the one thing that you absolutely, no exceptions, must be able to do in order to kill it on TV or in print.

Be able to explain what you do and why it matters — to a fifth grader.

Yup.

Read more

BONUS FREEBIE: Do you want to know what the media is looking for and how to give it to them? Check out my free three-part video course How to Be a Media Magnet for my expert tips on how to become a pro at pitching and getting booked. 

We’ve all seen the news recently — the media is reporting on coronavirus (COVID-19) 24/7.

I worked in newsrooms for almost 20 years — I know how this works. Journalists are eager to find coronavirus stories, since it’s what everyone wants to know about. 

Read more