Plan to Publish: How to Build a Powerful Author Platform

As part of my new series, Plan to Publish, I invited Naomi D. Nakashima, author of Write Out Loud: How to Get Over Your Fears and Build the Confidence to Finally Write Your Book, to share her wisdom on how to build an author platform. If you have questions, please let Naomi or me know.  Also, we would love to hear what you’re doing to build your author platform.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

People tend to think of author platforms as something you are granted after you’ve been published. But the truth is that building a strong author platform will help you reach your dreams of finally being published and set you up for success and sales once you are published.

Let’s look at what an author platform is and what goes into building one.

What is an Author Platform?

An author platform is the stage on which your brand sits publicly. And while most people think of this as social media, your author platform includes all the ways you promote yourself and your work to your target audience, both online and offline.

It’s anywhere a person might be introduced to you as an author. This can include your website, blog, social media presence, email newsletters, speaking engagements, media appearances (both in print and online), and more.

Why is an Author Platform Important?

An author platform is crucial to your success for several reasons.

First, it helps you build a loyal following of readers interested in your work and more likely to buy your books. This is especially true for channels where you can build a community of readers through connection or engagement, such as email, newsletters, online groups, and social media channels. Any online or offline environment that allows your audience to dive into a conversation with you helps your audience develop a deeper relationship with you.

Second, it can help you attract the attention of publishers, agents, and other industry professionals who can help you grow your career. While many authors understand that they will need a platform to sell their books, they must realize that agents and publishers will often look at the author’s platform while deciding to publish that manuscript. That’s because if built well, the author’s platform can Indicate and help predict how many sales they might expect. The stronger the platform, the better an agent can predict the number of books. As a result, the author will be able to sell. Building an author platform also shows that you understand your ideal readers and your market, two things that will be crucial when it’s time to sell your books.

Finally, as agents and publishers will review your author platform as part of their decision-making process, other opportunities will rely heavily on the platform you build. For example, certain online summits, speaking events, and magazine publications may look at your platform’s size and quality to determine your fit with their event.

What Goes Into an Author Platform?

The same channels and tools you use to build your author platform will be up to you. But I like building an author platform using three distinct layers: core, virtual, and local.

The Core Layer 

The Core Layer of your author platform should consist of three primary pieces:

• A public space where you can create content designed to draw your ideal reader to you
• A domain you can use as a call-to-action
• A list where you can communicate with people more privately and nurture them as leads

My favorite tools for this core are the Marketing Trifecta: your favorite social media channel, website, and email list.

Of course, you can choose any tool to build this core as long as the three primary functions are served. You need a public space where you can create content and people can be introduced to you, a domain you can tell people to go to once they’ve found you, and a way to invite them onto a list of some sort so you can talk to them further once they get to that domain. Once this Marketing Trifecta is set up, you can use this to support the rest of your author platform, including expanding to other channels and the other layers of your platform.

The Virtual Layer

The Virtual Layer of your author platform is just as the name suggests: virtual channels you can use to expand on the Core Layer.

While this can, and often does, include other social media channels, this can also include interviews on other platforms, podcasts, bloggers, YouTubers, etc. Now that you have a domain you can send people to, your call to action on any of these other platforms becomes really easy: follow me on my favorite social channel and/or go to my website.

The Local Layer 

The Local Layer of your author platform does exactly what it sounds like it expands your Core Layer into your local area. This might mean local radio stations, television stations, bookstores, vendor events, conferences, or even, depending on the genre of your book, related offices and events where your ideal reader might appear.

Building out each of these layers may feel exhausting right now. The good news is that you don’t have to build each of them simultaneously. Instead, start with your Core Layer since that one will support each of the other layers over time. Then, as your schedule allows, you can work on building up the other two layers in any order you wish.

Building An Author Platform is Critical to Your Success 

By creating your Core Layer first, you’ll establish the systems you need to always keep in touch with your readers. Then, no matter where you go next, your call to action can always be as simple as “Go to mywebsite.com to find out when my book is coming out” or “Go to mywebsite.com to find out where you can buy my book.” Then, with a newsletter form on your website, interested readers will sign up to get updates and find out when your books are being released. 

Remember, building an author platform is an ongoing process that requires time, effort, and consistent engagement with your readers. But by investing this time into your platform, you can establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy author, increase your book sales, and take your writing career to the next level.