Category: Platform

Why Aren’t More Writers Blogging?

I continue to be amazed by the fact that the majority of writers I know still don’t have a blog. And not of them are old and unwilling to embrace new technology either. Some just simply refuse to do anything other than write. Yet, they say they want to get published. When I ask them [...]

Reduce Social Media Overwhelm by Blogging Your Book

Now that I have introduced the concept of blogging, I’ve opened up Pandora’s overwhelm box for many writers. Why? Because most writers don’t feel they can get their “real” writing done if they also blog. Not only that, they lump blogging in with all that other social media “stuff,” like social networking, they need to [...]

Increase Your Discoverability by Decreasing Blog Overwelm

Discoverability. It’s the most important word for an aspiring author to know and to master. The Internet is where everyone and everything gets found today. If someone searching for you, your book or subjects related to your book can’t find you on the Internet, you will remain obscure. Unknown. That’s not what any aspiring author [...]

What Struggles Do Aspiring and Published Nonfiction Authors Face?

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time on planning. Like a lot of writers, I set out to simply write. My degree in magazine journalism turned me into an editor as well as a writer.  And when I was asked to edit a book for someone, I became a book editor as well as [...]

How to Build an Expert Author Platform That Can’t be Missed

These days everyone searches for everything—even experts—on the internet. That means if the media needs a source, an organization needs a speaker, a publisher needs a writer, or a potential customer or client needs to purchase a product or service, they turn to Google, Yahoo, Bing or some other search engine to find the right [...]

Tips for Writers on How to Give a Standing Ovation Talk

One of the best ways to promote a book and to make money as an author involves speaking. That’s right. No writing. Get the words off the paper and out of your mouth. Today my guest blogger is a friend and client, Rick Deutsch, known as “Mr. Half Dome,” author of the best selling guide [...]

Mari Smith on Why Writers Need to Use Relationship Marketing

I spend a lot of time on social networks every day—maybe more than I should or have to if I knew how to do a better or more effective job with my social marketing. However, those efforts have garnered me a decent—not huge—platform, one that grows every day. In fact, it’s growing faster every day. [...]

Mari Smith on How Writers Can Use Social Networking Effectively

Many aspiring and published authors balk at the idea of getting involved in social networks. My clients continually tell me they don’t want to have to “sell” themselves and their writing via social media nor do they want to “waste” their precious writing time on this endeavor. So, when I found myself at BlogWorld and [...]

How Writers Can Use the Super Bowl as a Promotional Tool

I’m not a football fan—at all—but I spent the afternoon and evening yesterday keeping my husband company as he watched the Super Bowl. I watched the commercials and the halftime show and kept a running commentary on them on Twitter as I pigged out on junk food. With the exception of the dip and chips, [...]

What Do Your Social Media Stats Mean to an Agent or Publisher?

I recently saw this basic question asked in a LinkedIn discussion: What do all my social media stats—blog readers and social networking followers—mean to an agent or a publisher? My response: “They mean a lot.” They mean you have platform. And platform equates to you being someone with whom an agent or a publisher wants [...]