Adventures in Platform Building
By Cathy Yardley | February 5, 2016 |
Photo by JD Hancock
I just launched my first self-published novel in January. Prior to this, I’d been a traditionally published author in a handful of different genres… always making midlist with decent numbers, but never capitalizing on my audience because I have ADHD that would put a hyperactive retriever puppy to shame. (Oooh! Squirrel!)
Beyond that, I took a two-year hiatus from fiction writing altogether. I haven’t had a new book on the shelf since 2013. Tumbleweeds blew through my Facebook author page. Twitter was still a crowded bar that I occasionally frequented, feeling horribly uncomfortable and generally staying silent.
And did I mention I didn’t email my newsletter once during that time?
For a writing coach who also helps with marketing strategy, this is akin to me standing here in my undies, guys.
Appalling. I know better. The cobbler’s kids are barefoot, alas.
Still, it’s been a useful exercise. First of all, because that two-year hiatus was just what I needed to get my financial foundation in order, so I wasn’t writing from a place of desperation. Nothing puts my creativity in a chokehold like the thought that “if this doesn’t take off, goodbye mortgage.”
Secondly, this gives me a chance to start from a relative ground zero. I am not coasting off of previous momentum from a series or previous releases. Heck, I’d chosen to wade into the pond of self-publishing with the skill set that kick started my career, romantic comedy. I haven’t written category-length rom com in well over a decade. There was no guarantee any of my audience from that time period would remember me, nor would they be following me or watching me.
How, then, to promote a new series, in a crowded marketplace, in my first time at bat?
It started with a game plan.
Even when I wasn’t writing, I was noodling with the idea of this series. I knew it would be romantic comedy, because that’s where my voice naturally lives. Of course, three years ago, you couldn’t get arrested in NY writing romantic comedy. Survivors from the Chick Lit era were skulking around, trying to pass ourselves off as “humorous women’s fiction”.
It was a grim time.
Still, I knew that there were signs of hope for rom com. You could see it in the popular subgenres – hidden in urban fantasy and paranormal, peeking out of cozy mystery. Besides, after over a decade, I knew that the publishing industry was cyclic. Comedy was coming back. I was determined not to miss my chance.
Age of the geek.
I also knew that I wanted to write about fandoms. (For the uninitiated, “fandom” is a slang term for people who are interested in the same thing – like a kingdom of fans.) I have always been geeky, nerdy, what have you. Based on the people I was getting to know across social media, I saw that there was definitely an overlap between romance, comedy, and geekery.
I had found my people. Or, in other words, my target audience.
Rebuilding the platform: first steps.
I knew what I was writing. And I knew who I was writing for. The trick: how to build the ephemeral “platform”?
First, let’s define platform. (Or rather, let’s let Jane Friedman define platform.) She says author platform consists of the following:
- Visibility – who knows you, how many of them
- Authority – street cred! Why should anyone trust you can write this?
- Proven reach – none of this “I’m huge in Belgium” malarkey. This means either numbers of followers or heavy hitting backers (i.e., influential reviews, etc.)
- Target audience – the people who know you are the ones that are most interested in what you’re promoting. If I’m a visible extreme MMA champion with a heavyweight title and 1 million Twitter followers, I’m probably not going to covert too many over to my period-authentic Jane Austen-styled drawing room Regency.
Technically, I did have the authority built on several releases. I had written romantic comedy back in the early 2000’s. However, that didn’t do me a bit of good if the new audience had no knowledge of those previous releases, so I was essentially back at square one.
The number one element to building your platform.
That would be your book.
Seems like a cheat, doesn’t it? But all marketing begins with your book. How it’s written, how it’s presented. That means cover, description, sample… the whole nine yards.
Your book cannot and should not be “all things to all readers.” You’re not looking for people who could be interested in your book. You’re looking for an audience that desperately wants your book right now, please and thank you!
Your book is the answer to their desires.
My book’s title is LEVEL UP. If you know video games, you’re familiar with the term. That’s qualifying my audience. I also called the series Fandom Hearts, loosely based on another video game, Kingdom Hearts. The term Fandom was to help that segment self-identify.
If you see my title and the series in a text line up, and you’re in my target audience, you’ll feel a tug of recognition. It encourages you to find out more.
The cover is an illustration. I paid a comic book artist to create the artwork, partially because I feel that this audience would love graphic novels like I do, and partially because in the last cycle, Avon was noted for its “cartoon covers” for its highly successful romantic comedies.
Attracted by the title and the cover, intrigued by the blurb, the reader can then try the sample, and the voice and the references will cement all of the above – fandoms, geekery, comedy.
Ding! We now have authority. All in the time it takes to scroll through the “Look Inside” feature.
What next?
You want as many targeted audience members as humanly possible to read your book. Spread the word. This means reviews, for a number of reasons. This also means social media.
But how do you find the right people to read your book?
Get some comps.
If you tell me that there are absolutely no books out there that are remotely similar to your book, and you simply “have no comps”, I will shake my head at you slowly. And if I have time, I will go and hunt down at least three titles that are comparable for your target audience.
Note: that doesn’t mean that they necessarily deal with the same kind of book. If you’ve written a book about a sentient mushroom that is trying to take over a government lab, that’s pretty original. However, you’ve got genre (presumably sci-fi, thriller and/or horror), you’ve got voice (is it funny? Scary?), and you’ve got interests (government conspiracy, monsters, with a very narrow subset of mushroom lovers.) Right there, you should be able to find at least three successful authors who are writing in that same wheelhouse.
Note: if you’re self-published, you find a successful self-published author. There are still more gates when it comes to reviewing self-published novels, so your best bet is to follow the trail broken by someone else. It’s simply more efficient.
In my case, I used Penny Reid as a comp. She is a successful self-published author who showcases intelligent heroines. Her first book featured a heroine who was brilliant but socially awkward. She also has a strong humorous voice, rom com just this side of chick lit. Finally, I read and really enjoyed her work, devouring a whole series in a week. (Don’t pick a comp that you hate.)
A quick Google search for “Penny Reid”+”review”+”blog” got me several pages of likely targets for review requests. It’s a numbers game, but this gave me targeted information… people more primed to like what I have to offer. I also got to see who was mentioning her in social media, discovering whole new pockets of potential readers.
Find your unique points.
One of the biggest boosts to my book so far has come from something I hadn’t considered a big deal. My heroine is Latina, a video game programmer. The book deals with her trying to get ahead, dealing with some of the sexism that is rampant in that particular industry.
I didn’t mean for it to be particularly political. I also never emphasized my heroine’s race in any of the copy, except for her full name. As a woman of color living in a fairly diverse place, I didn’t think of it as particularly noteworthy. I thought of it as a rom com, first and foremost. Still, I knew that like me, there were diverse women who would enjoy this kind of story. So I reached out to the Women of Color In Romance Twitter feed. They announce book releases.
From there, word spread out in circles. I’d covered three different groups – romantic comedy fans, geeky/gamer fans, and diversity fans. Everywhere they converged, there was an echo chamber effect.
(Best of all, I finally got the hang of Twitter, making new friends, discovering how to follow conversations, and pitching in.)
Free is a strategy.
This only applies to self-publishing, obviously. I have chosen to make the first book in the series free, as well as a novella, offered as a “bribe to subscribe” on signing up for my newsletter list.
Why?
Because I know my audience, and I know myself. On a limited budget, I still devour books like they’re being banned tomorrow. I simply can’t afford to throw money away on books that will disappoint me.
That said, when I find a keeper author, I will throw money at her all day long. Most readers I know, especially my target audience of series-happy constant readers, will do the same. A writer whose work you love is a treasure, and passionate readers treat them as such.
But readers need to trust you.
You want to give away something so good it pains you to do so. Something that you could easily get money for. Why?
Because you are building your platform. This is your excellent customer service. This is how you set yourself apart with the work itself. Remember? Your book is the number one marketing tool you have.
But what about social media?
A lot of people think that “building a platform” means pointing to the number of your Twitter followers or Facebook fans. Sure, that’s a component, but it’s not the whole shebang. Actually, from a platform standpoint, I personally feel that newsletter subscribers (or “announcement list” subscribers if you’re just shooting stuff out when there are new releases) are a better vehicle to measure platform, for a number of reasons.
But the bottom line is, size doesn’t matter. What matters is engagement and conversion. I’d rather have 200 fans at 40% conversion than 1000 fans at 2%. And what’s the point of doing a giveaway to gain hundreds of Facebook likes, if your page itself remains a ghost town and your sales stay flat?
The best way to build your social media following, in my experience, is the following:
- Know your target audience. Who are you trying to connect with?
- Find out where they hang out.
- Offer them things they will find useful, entertaining, and relevant.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3.
Social media should be 80% social – providing connection and value. Only 20% should ever be you talking about your books. And even then, you should be able to show them that your books themselves provide connection and value. See?
So far, so good.
Just so you can get a sense of performance, here’s how it’s going since I launched the book January 1st. I paid for one 20 stop blog tour, just to jump start social media and get some reviews on Amazon from sources with a track record. This includes no advertising, and only a handful of announcements on my social media.
Downloads: 2,756
New subscribers: 150
Amazon reviews: 16
This is all in a period of just over 30 days. That means I’ve got a conversion rate of about 5%. In the scheme of things, that’s not too bad, although I will definitely play with strategies moving forward. The key will be to test deliberately, not throwing a bunch of stuff out to see if it sticks. Each month, I’ll be testing a new strategy or tweaking existing.
The best part.
Since I’ve been treating this as an experiment, the best part of all of this has been discovering new reading communities. Granted, I have blown my book budget sky high, but I’ve also discovered and supported new-to-me authors, financially and through reviews and social media.
Success in writing isn’t a zero-sum game. The best way to build your platform? Explore your writing ecosystem, and help others authors grow.
All right, that was RIDICULOUSLY long. If you’re still reading, thanks! I’m happy to answer any questions I can, about self-publishing, marketing, or geekery. What’s on your mind?
Cathy Yardley has published over 33 novels, novellas, and serialized fiction, both traditionally and independently. In 2011, she started RockYourWriting.com, with the mission of helping novelists make a living. She has helped hundreds of authors as a developmental editor, writing coach, and through her “plot sessions” – one-on-one calls that get authors from concept to plot points in one hour. She’s also written the Rock Your Writing series of reference books, taking authors through the writing cycle, from concept to completion. Sign up for her newsletter, and you can receive free downloads to help you plot and revise your novel.
Thanks for sharing, Cathy. I’m one of those who went the self-publishing route last year with a 4-book YA series. Problem was, I ran out of gas and never quite got onboard with the marketing part of the game. Which is silly, because I actually do the marketing for our family business and am in sales in my “real” life.
I changed tactics recently and decided to go traditional with my middle grade novel (soon to be novels). Figuring that hybrid authors cover all the bases and have a much greater reach.
The indie gold rush is certainly over. Now we have to work hard for it. Possibly harder than going the traditional route. To me, though, it’s worth it because I get the feeling of always moving forward while waiting on those agents and publishers to call (another noteworthy shortcoming: I am absolutely lazy about submitting to agents…I’d rather be writing, but I know I have to get over that).
That being said, I think the indie option is practically a necessity for the established mid-lister. An opportunity to try new things and expand readership. I’m shocked that some publishers still insist on a no-compete clause. It’s bad business to limit an author to whatever a publisher deems worthy. A successful author is good for both sides.
Thanks again for the post. See you on Amazon!
Maybe this is my “when I was your age” old timer of publishing stance, but there’s always a gold rush. When I was coming out, Chick Lit was the rush, where they were talking about establishing sections of book stores to it, where unpublished authors were raking in six figure advances. In the 80’s, category romance was a gold rush, where you could make $60-80k a year. After Harry Potter came the tween fantasy explosion; after Twilight, the YA renaissance. After the Da Vinci Code, puzzle adventures. Now, you’ve got Gone Girl and Girl on a Train — the dark, twisty thriller. But because self-publishing is a means of distribution rather than a genre, it is different. Personally, I think it is extremely valuable, for more than just the mid-lister. I have clients who have been successful in establishing careers in self-pub and avoiding NY entirely. Others are hybrids, which it sounds like more and more agents are encouraging, seeing the promotional possibilities and the ability to continue exposure with things like novellas (especially when publishing schedules can still be so sporadic out of traditional.)
As a traditionally published, self-published, or hybrid, marketing is still a crucial factor, period. This is something every author who wants to make an income needs to learn and implement, in my opinion. Especially if you’re targeting traditional, understanding the markets, knowing your audience, and being able to show you’re strategic in your promotional efforts will make a big impact on potential agents.
Thanks for commenting! :)
Hi Cathy,
Your post is well-timed. BookBub’s “98 Book Marketing Ideas” email came out this week, and you touched on a few things they did. In particular, I need to rethink my reader profile (and how to gather my info). I’ve been too “seat of my pants” with marketing. You make me want to hone my skills! BTW, your fun voice came through the blog. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Thanks, Gina! I’m still learning, after all this time, but it’s definitely been an interesting experience. :)
Did you use or try to use BookBub?
Not yet. BookBub is tough to get into, and I wanted to rack up more reviews to justify my place as a candidate. Also, I don’t plan on pursuing it until I have more of this series published, so I can take advantage of the boost in visibility to drive more sales of the subsequent books. Month one was testing the blog tour and more organic word of mouth. Month two will be announcement lists and the smaller advertising sites. Month three will be a Facebook ad test. I’m only planning out by quarter so far, so I can see what the results are and adjust strategy accordingly.
Wow — I have a lot to learn. I am new to this, as I am in my forties and have always written just for the fun of it. My friends are starting to ask me when I will be taking the next step, so I have been reading articles like yours to gain some understanding of the landscape.
What are these “comps” things you are speaking of?
“Comps” are just comparable books and authors. I find them invaluable when it comes to finding review avenues and reader communities that might like my books.
There’s a lot to learn, and it can seem overwhelming. But focus first (and last!) on the writing, identify the audience, and then slowly build out from there. Also, there are some great writing groups out there that can help you (not to mention Writer Unboxed’s great Facebook group.) Support and baby steps are key! :)
Interesting and useful article, thanks! I need to start figuring this stuff out for myself now, soon. Actually, I really need to figure if I have a niche or not. Hm.
Identifying your target audience is the foundation of all marketing. It’s worth pinning down early!
Hi Cathy,
Thanks so much for sharing your marketing insights! I’m new to this game, having spent the last seven years learning, learning, learning and working piecemeal at my first novel, which is in the thick of editing right now. Recently, I wrote outlines for books two and three in what I envision as a trilogy.
I expect to be able to write my next two novels more quickly than my first, but considering the type of novel it is and the amount of research that goes into each one (not to mention I have another job plus part-time stay-at-home parenting duties), I anticipate it could take me two or three years for each one of them, with at least a year of editing for each. That’s six to eight years!
I don’t think I will ever be a volume writer, because the story I am telling is important for me to get right.
My question is this: will it be impossible to market something like this, if there are three to four year breaks between novels? Any suggestions?
All the best,
M. Jackson
It isn’t impossible, although it is a challenge. You would probably run a drip campaign, continously getting exposure for your initial book. It depends, though.
Lots of good info here. Thank you. I was curious about your book so Googled you and found your website cathyyardley.com which strangely has no mention of your new book!
My website designer is in the middle of the revamp… hopefully by mid next week. I imagine sign ups will increase with that, as well. :)
Great stuff here, Cathy! Thanks for sharing. I have been a bit hit or miss in my promo–especially for my romantic suspense–and I need to take a more organized approach. I hope you’ll share more of your experiments moving forward. Good luck!
This is great! I think you’re going to be successful.
Why did you have to pay for a blog tour?
About $200. It was a good jump-start, especially as an indie. I need to look at the bumps during the stops, though, to evaluate effectiveness.
I didn’t know that you had to pay for blog tours, I foolishly thought they were free. So I asked you why you paid for blog tours.
Whoops! I read “how much did you pay.” You can pull them off for free if you organize it yourself, but it can be easier and more effective to work with a blog tour company that has contacts with book bloggers that accept indie books. They also get the sign ups, and handle the details of the giveaways (pulling together rafflecopter, publicizing, etc.)
Cathy, there is so much promotional information on the web, but I found yours the most helpful.
There is no magic as to what sells and what doesn’t, but as you point out, there are some practical steps an author can take to gain visibility.
My problem is that I am someone who is so curious about everything that I tend to get distracted, and don’t pay enough attention to how to best market myself and my books. Thank you for the tips. And good luck on your writing and sales.
I have ADHD, so I get the “distraction” factor! And you’re right, there is no magic bullet. Tracking and focus are the key, though, for getting results. That, and not being afraid to try and fail!
Thanks for commenting!
So true, about not being afraid to try and fail. I’ve had enough failures in my life, but that’s life. Failure is always an opportunity to learn from what doesn’t work and move on by trying something different.
I have been rubbish at platform building. It’s hard for me to believe I can ever get this right. But thanks for the tips. They’re more concrete than most of what I’ve seen. And maybe I’ll come back with questions later!
Honestly, Marta, you’re good from what I see on Facebook. You get to know people, we get to know you, and we genuinely like you. You’re authentic. It’s just a matter of boosting your signal a bit, that’s all. I think you’ll be better at it than you realize, once you hit your stride and realize it’s just connecting people who love what you do with what you do better than anyone. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for replying. I’m usually flummoxed how to boost my signal, but your piece helps. Thanks again. Your words cheer me up a bit.
Cathy ~ sheer brilliance and accessibility too! Can’t share this enough because you chunk down the steps into mini-steps that are accessible to all. Go you!!
Coming from a writer and teacher of your caliber, Mary, that is high praise indeed. Thanks so much! :)
Boy, is this daunting. I appreciate all of your commentary, and as I wade my way through my author platform, I’ll refer back often. One question: how do I figure out where the women’s fiction readers are hanging out?
I would say look for a successful comparable author, then do a Google search to find book blogs where it was reviewed, or search on Twitter for mentions, or look it up on Goodreads or Amazon to see what reviewers gave it good reviews. That will give you some leads. Then you can check out what people are saying in the comments of the blogs or the Goodreads groups or the Amazon reviews, to get a sense of what they like and don’t like, and how that lines up with what you write. Don’t interact, just absorb. Then, you can tailor your strategy based on what your strengths are.
I wrote a book about this called PAINLESS PROMOTION: STRATEGY. It’s on Amazon. It might be more helpful as far as providing a step-by-step blueprint for approaching this. :)
What a valuable post! Thanks so much for sharing this step-by-step.