Good information for those of us in the process of querying that first book and editing/revising the second. I've got a website devoted to my freelance work (michaelbanks360.com), but have also secured the domain name for my author's site (authormichaelbanks.com). I've found that my Facebook posts drive a lot of readers to my site. Thanks again for providing these tips.
I found this really informative, thank you. I hope to sell direct, and I know that I need a website, I have a substack account, but I haven't posted anything yet, and the three novels that I've written, I need to rewrite. They're overwritten, and I'm dabbling in a series.
This was super helpful! Thank you! How important is it to attend conventions as a debut author? I'd love to go to Appllycon and RomantasyCon but don't have a massive budget for travel as an indie author.
I’ll give you my perspective as an editor. I always think it can’t hurt, especially if you won’t go bankrupt doing it. At the very least, you’ll make connections or friends and who knows what that can lead to. It’s also so invigorating to be around like-minded creative people in such a safe and supportive space. So it would be good for your craft / muse as well.
It's always nice to read advice like this - I'm struggling with the social media/branding side of things and I've lately been active on TikTok and IG and I've now started a YouTube channel (plus my regular, steady Substacking). I know I'm spreading myself too thin, but I'm honestly not sure where my audience is.
The other challenge I have with establishing a brand is my niche is sort of undefined/vague and it's been hard to narrow down my focus. I generally write non-fiction stuff for language learners, but more like stories and narratives, not traditional grammar stuff, and I've written my first novel which might have a totally different audience. That's making even my channel names and content tricky - am I going for fiction readers or language learners?
Anyway, I'm just ruminating here, I think I know what I need to do (like, follow your advice!), it's just hard for me to implement.
All good advice though building a following of a few thousand followers is no small feat and it takes both time and consistency. I started a weekly science fiction newsletter on Substack last August with 69 subscribers and now I’m at just over 100 subscribers with another 100 plus followers. Attracting new readers is a slow process and they usually come one at a time. Another reality is posting on multiple social media sites with different formats can be time consuming. Starting early on this process is important because it takes a lot of time and there’s a learning curve to connecting authentically online.
If you want to pursue this further with another guest post, consider @danblank who is on Substack and is the founder of We Grow Media, a company that helps writers and other artists connect with their audience.
Great advice!
Easy steps to affirm my thinking or a few clarity points. Much appreciated.
🤩🫶🏻
Thanks for sharing!
Good information for those of us in the process of querying that first book and editing/revising the second. I've got a website devoted to my freelance work (michaelbanks360.com), but have also secured the domain name for my author's site (authormichaelbanks.com). I've found that my Facebook posts drive a lot of readers to my site. Thanks again for providing these tips.
I found this really informative, thank you. I hope to sell direct, and I know that I need a website, I have a substack account, but I haven't posted anything yet, and the three novels that I've written, I need to rewrite. They're overwritten, and I'm dabbling in a series.
Always fascinating to hear an insider's thoughts into the industry. Kind of helps me as I work though my symptoms of imposter syndrome.
This was super helpful! Thank you! How important is it to attend conventions as a debut author? I'd love to go to Appllycon and RomantasyCon but don't have a massive budget for travel as an indie author.
I’ll give you my perspective as an editor. I always think it can’t hurt, especially if you won’t go bankrupt doing it. At the very least, you’ll make connections or friends and who knows what that can lead to. It’s also so invigorating to be around like-minded creative people in such a safe and supportive space. So it would be good for your craft / muse as well.
It's always nice to read advice like this - I'm struggling with the social media/branding side of things and I've lately been active on TikTok and IG and I've now started a YouTube channel (plus my regular, steady Substacking). I know I'm spreading myself too thin, but I'm honestly not sure where my audience is.
The other challenge I have with establishing a brand is my niche is sort of undefined/vague and it's been hard to narrow down my focus. I generally write non-fiction stuff for language learners, but more like stories and narratives, not traditional grammar stuff, and I've written my first novel which might have a totally different audience. That's making even my channel names and content tricky - am I going for fiction readers or language learners?
Anyway, I'm just ruminating here, I think I know what I need to do (like, follow your advice!), it's just hard for me to implement.
I'll keep at it :)
All good advice though building a following of a few thousand followers is no small feat and it takes both time and consistency. I started a weekly science fiction newsletter on Substack last August with 69 subscribers and now I’m at just over 100 subscribers with another 100 plus followers. Attracting new readers is a slow process and they usually come one at a time. Another reality is posting on multiple social media sites with different formats can be time consuming. Starting early on this process is important because it takes a lot of time and there’s a learning curve to connecting authentically online.
If you want to pursue this further with another guest post, consider @danblank who is on Substack and is the founder of We Grow Media, a company that helps writers and other artists connect with their audience.
Thanks for addressing this topic.