Authors - Build Yourself a Platform and Stand Above the Crowd!

A little over a week ago, I attended the annual NHWP Writers' Day.  As an author myself, I've always encouraged writers and authors at all levels of experience to get involved in your local writing community.  You can learn about writing technique and how to market yourself as an author.  You can network with a myriad of interesting people and hear Pulitzer Prize winners read from their work.  You might also meet your future agent or publisher!  Most importantly, writing conferences get you out of the house, which is essential for your average, introverted, near-hermit-like writer, like myself.

At this year's conference, I learned about the importance of generating publicity and about developing a good PGP (protagonist, goal, problem).  The most useful bit, however, came from the workshop, entitled, "It's all about Platform, Baby!" on how to build an Author Platform. Catherine Blake, president of Sales Protocol International, presented the workshop, which served as a great motivator to get me working on my own platform (apparently having a sparkly throne no longer cuts it).

An Author Platform is a piece of work that presents the author's credentials and expertise (basically your strengths) along with a relevant personal story that ties into the author's life and background (e.g., after meeting so many young boys who say they hate reading, author, Mary Contrary, decided to write stories targeted specifically for these boys). Your platform is meant to convey that you know what you're doing and have the goods to make it as an author. According to industry experts, platforms are becoming a must-have, and as I always listen to the experts, I determined to build myself a platform right away (preferably out of brick - sticks and straw have proven unreliable and leave you vulnerable to Big Bad Wolves).

While it's a good idea to have an author platform, creating one isn't exactly a piece of cake. The one thing most of the attendees at the workshop struggled with was how to develop a platform as a fiction writer.  We fiction writers don't have the years of experience that give non-fiction writers the expertise to write their book.  For example, John Green, a Landscape Architect and avid gardener for 30 years, introduces his book, Gardening for Geeks!  Obviously, Mr. Green has the goods to back him up.  Personally, while I've done all sorts of things, I really haven't done anything that demonstrates my expertise in making fantasy worlds (other than that I love to daydream about ruling the universe).

Or have I?

After sitting down and working on my resume (a very useful tool for building your platform), I started to see how much my past experiences relate to what I want to do AS AN AUTHOR.  I started to focus less on what I write (although there was some of that) and more on the skills that show I can do this job.  My goal was to make the reader think - Here's an individual who never gives up, who has and will continue to market her own book, who can talk to people and run workshops, and who can even protect me in battle with her tomahawk-throwing skills.  She's AMAZING!

Or something like that.

What I've done with my platform is different than what I've seen other authors present (visit your favorite author's web page and read their bio to see what I mean).  I'm not sure if my approach works, so let me know what you think.  Ideally, I'd like to strike up some conversations about this process and give feedback so that everyone can benefit.

To view my story/platform and resume, click on the link below. 

My Platform

When you've learned all you can, I want you to get cracking on building a platform that will help you stand above the crowd (but no thrones, please - that idea has been taken)!

A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and a...Book?

Here in New England we are getting nailed again and again with snow and wind and cold temps.  So when an opportunity came up to attend a Literary Evening (from 6-9) at Zorvino Vineyards, I jumped at it.  As a SAHM (stay-at-home mom to the uninitiated), getting out and about for events other than something school/grocery shopping/library-related is rare.  You'd think I'd have all this time with all my kids in school full-time now, but actually I find that 'the bus is here' time arriving more quickly with each passing day.

With being a SAHM, and it being February, and a hard winter to boot, I'm ready to get out of the house.  What better way to accomplish that than to do a book signing where other adults will be milling about sampling good wines and discussing fine literature and, of course, buying books.  They can buy a bottle of wine and a few good novels for themselves, and then buy a signed copy of The Chronicles of Anaedor:  The Prophecies to salve their conscience for leaving the kids at home.  Doesn't that sound like just the thing?

I've always loved vineyards, especially after visiting wine country in California (which sounds achingly tempting right about now).  But I'm always surprised at the number of vineyards located right here in New Hampshire.  Such spots always seem so beautiful and relaxing to me, even in the winter.  On February 11th, I can't wait to grab the hubby, my box o' books and a handful of book markers, and head on down to Sandown for a night on the 'town'.  Entrance is free, there will be a cash bar and free samples of their wines, and several raffles to raise money for four local libraries.  I plan to enter a few of those raffles myself...or better yet, I'll have the hubby do it for me because I'm sure I'll be getting overrun by people wanting to buy my book (one can always dream).

The reason I'm writing about this event isn't just to brag about the fact, if it doesn't blizzard, that I get to attend it (that's only most of the reason).  For those of you who are aspiring to be authors or are already authors (self-published or otherwise), you have probably discovered that in this day and age you have to think outside the box in terms of marketing and selling your book.  That means considering other venues for getting your book out in the public eye.  Personally I think having a book event at a vineyard is a genius idea (though sadly it wasn't mine)!  Even better, these sort of events are not just about you selling your book and the vineyard selling its wine, it's also about raising money for a good cause.  I love libraries so any event that raises money for them is awesome in my book

So put together a plan, then get out there in your community and search out those venues that might consider doing business with you.  Be sure to contact other authors you might know and you've got yourself an event!  And if you happen to live anywhere near Sandown, NH, I hope to see you enjoying yourself at Zorvino's Literary Evening!

Cheers!

Do the Monster Smash: Yet Another Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!

My publishers, Variance, who have published my book, The Chronicles of Anaedor:  The Prophecies, through their imprint, BLiP, have put my book on Smashwords.  Smashwords, I have found, is a great place to go for all your e-book needs.  Why?  Because they make your book available via a crazy number of formats.  Take a look:

That's hard to beat when you want your book to be accessible to as many people in as many ways as possible.  It's also hard to beat the name:  Smashwords.  I just like saying it.

So do the Monster Smash and get your book out there!

Spread the Wordle: Another Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!

I'm back with another really awesome marketing tool for authors. It's called a wordle and can be found at Wordle.com. You can create your own wordle, using your own words, colors, and configurations. It's very simple. Here's the one I did for The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies.



The process takes very little time - all you have to do is type in the words, pick a font, pick a color and play around with the configurations (all horizontal, all vertical, some of both, etc). Once you are finished, you can save the product to the wordle site. This makes your wordle public, so anyone can view it. You can also take a screen shot (the FAQ provides a link that will guide you on how to do this) and save it for display on your website. You can use your creation to make t-shirts or posters or bookmarks. Whatever you want!

Wordle is fun and it's free! So get out there and spread the wordle. Your wordle!

A Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!

Trailers - short video clips - are growing in popularity as a method for various creatives to market themselves and their wares over the internet. As an author, I decided that doing a book trailer for my first book, The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies, might not be a bad idea. I love movie trailers...well, the good ones. Why not make one for my book?

What hooks you into watching a movie? A great trailer. What's a great trailer? One that engages you, tantalizes your senses, and makes you eager to see more, more, more! A good book trailer should do the same. That's why you need an expert to put one together. Timing, too many words or too little explanation, picture quality...all can make or break your trailer.

Thank goodness there are experts in the world, because my own tinkerings often lead to computer implosion, and sometimes a threat to world peace. The company, GorKee Jar Productions, produced my trailer and I think it's pretty darn good. Here it is:

Now, if GorKee Jar Productions did its job right, you would know that The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies by author, Kristina Schram, is a fantasy book full of action and adventure and mystery. Furthermore, it should make you want to run right out and buy it. Or at least click on this link: Amazon. Or this one: Barnes & Noble. Or this one for your ebook: Smashwords.

You're getting sleepy...very sleepy.

New Hampshire AuthorFest 2009!

I am so excited! These last couple months I have been a part of organizing NH AuthorFest 2009, and I'm pleased to say that it's coming together very nicely! It's been a lot of work, but I'm finding it to be very energizing. We're going to have several authors, a couple publishers, and even a VP of Marketing for a publishing company. The event is being sponsored by Waldenbooks, the Lilac Mall and two local authors, Jeremy Robinson, and myself!

Our goal: To inspire future generations of readers.

The Date: August 15th from 11:30 to 3:00.
The Place: Lilac Mall, Rochester, NH

The Timeline:

11:30 - 1:00 Author Signing and Meet & Greet
1:00 - 1:30 Hunter Allain, who's hearing impaired, will be signing Last Night at the Zoo
(Leslie Allain will be reading)
1:30 - 2:30 Author Panel Q & A
2:30 - 3:00 Award Ceremony (to award the Leaders Inspiring Readers award)

The Guests:

Jeremy Robinson – Action/Adventure
Kristina Schram – YA Fantasy
J. J. Hebert – Inspirational Adult Fiction
Jon Merz – Action/Adventure
Jeffrey Derego – Sci-Fi
Renee Mallett – Local Interest (Paranormal)
Gary Turcotte – Local Interest
Scot Stone – Fantasy
Brooks Sigler – Chick Lit
Marianne O’Connor – Local Interest (Paranormal)
Rebecca Horan – Memoir
Phil McGrail – Publisher, YA Fantasy
Stan Tremblay – Publisher’s Assistant
Dan Boucher – Book Reviewer
Beryl Donovan – Librarian (Gaffney Library, Wakefield, Director)
Carol Corbett – VP of Marketing & Publicity

Possible Attendee:

Nora LeDuc – Mystery/Romance

Our goal is to promote literacy, to make people excited about reading, and to encourage others to help those who need support in learning to read, whether they be children or adults!

Hope to see you there!

More Good News and a Helpful Link for Published Author Wannabes

That's probably one of the longer titles in existence, but I can't help wanting to share the confirmed good news about my book, via the blog link down below. You can also hear some real world advice about marketing that thriller author, Jeremy Robinson, has learned first-hand. It's a reality check for most of us, but better to know upfront than to be surprised and not ready to help your book do well, even if published through a major publisher in bookstores. Jeremy has gone from being self-published to scoring a 3-book deal with Thomas Dunne so he knows what he's talking about.

Anyway, here's the blog (it's actually a vlog - a video blog):

Good News!

My Publicity Campaign: What the heck am I doing?

My latest project involves trying to get the message out. No, I’m not running a political campaign, I’m trying to sell my book, The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies (see how I stuck that in there, repeating it yet again? That’s marketing, my friends!). My book hasn’t been published yet, so I guess what I’m trying to do is build up "hype." That’s the latest lingo for getting people really excited. Too bad I don’t have a big merry-go-round. That tends to get people excited. Or maybe I should get myself a posse. People with posses always attract attention. Right now my posse consists of an adult male, 3 small boys, 3 cats (one with an attitude problem) and a fish that refuses to die. Those are my peeps.

Hm. I think I’m going to need to try another tactic.

So I’m heading for Youtube. The place where all us hams can let out our inner hammyness. It’s a great forum for all those talented people in the world to go to express themselves. It’s also where less talented people (such as myself) can go to "hype" themselves. So I am going to release 3 videos on Youtube of me reading Chapter One of my book The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies (Here’s that title again–I’ll bet you didn’t even know you were being marketed to…that’s just how subtle I am). Instead of a reading, I’m going to call it a video reading. Clever, huh? The hard part is that Youtube only allows 10 minutes or 100 somethings (MB?) per video. So I have to split the reading up into 3 parts. I am also going to release a couple video commercials to advertise the book. I hope they’re at least entertaining. I’d hate to put out boring videos. Doesn’t say much for me, does it?

I’ve already videotaped the book reading. It was an interesting process. Why I decided to do the taping when it’s 90 degrees outside, I don’t know. Here I am, trying to look intellectual (or at least not too dense) and all I want to do is scratch my nose which is itching like mad, push up my glasses, which keep sliding down from all that sweat, and wipe my upper lip because of the aforementioned sweat. Then, when I’m reading the book, I spot a typo. I’ve got to remember where that typo is so I can fix it later! Of course, I’m thinking about this while I’m trying to read the book out loud. Then I hear a noise outside. What’s that? Not a raccoon, I hope. Or a bear. Focus, Kristina! But it’s getting harder. Can bears break through screens? Of course, they can!

Then there were all the kid interruptions. I should have done a blooper reel. Take one. I’m sitting there reading to the camera when my kids, who are supposed to be in bed, decide to come down for a visit. There’s me on the videotape, reading in dramatic style, then saying, "What are you two doing down here? Get back up to bed! Shoo, now. Go on!" I look mad. Take 2. Oops, I forgot to say the title. Take 3. Oops, I forgot to say my own name. Dang. Take 4. Things are going well… Then one of my cats jumps up right in front of me, sticking her backside right in my face. Take 5, and so on…

So, progress is slow. I wonder how the commercial taping will go. Being that I’m the actress (and not a very good one), the sound and light crew, the videographer, director and producer, I’m not going to be able to do that many takes. The end result could be quite interesting. Or end up looking like some amateur production…