Friday, February 24, 2012

LEARNING HOW TO BUILD A BRAND AND A PLATFORM

I enjoy using various social media sites to connect with readers and make new friends. I also love to pass on articles I find that hep fellow writers. I hope you enjoy this one below

Johnny Ray



How Do You Build Platform Blogging About Fiction or Memoir?


Author: Nina Amir


I'm a big proponent of using blogging as a way to build platform for nonfiction authors. I speak about this quite often to my clients, many of whom come to me with book proposals that have empty platform sections. When I speak before groups, in particular writer's groups, I often get asked about how fiction writers can use a blog to build platform.

Interestingly enough, on my blog at VibrantNation.com, the other day a reader asked me the very same question. She wrote: "This may work for non-fiction but how would a blog work for fiction writers? I do have a blog where I speak about my own writing journey and process. However, I do not go into great depth regarding my two novels. How would I interest readers to my blog without posting the entire story line, chapters, etc?"

Given that so many nonfiction writers write memoir, which reads like fiction, I thought I should address this question. Here's how you use a blog to build platform or promote fiction or memoir:

* Blog about subjects related to your novel or memoir.
* Blog about your characters and their development.
* Blog about what inspired you to write to write the book.
* Blog about how your book BENEFITS readers.
* Blog about what readers learn from your characters or from the story line.
* Blog about the place or time period in which your novel takes place.
* Offer recipes that pertain to the place where your book takes place or that come from your memoir (experience).
* Blog about your writing practice or tools.
* Offer snippets of a new novel or memoir.
* Publish vignettes.
* Discuss little sections of your novel or memoir and how you wrote them or what they mean.
* Blog about how you or your characters continued to change after the time period covered in your memoir.
* Provide videos in your blog of places you mention in your book.
* Include interviews (audio) with the real people in your memoir.

I hope that helps. Blogging provides one of the easiest and best ways to build author platform today. If you blog often--3-7 times per week--you will find yourself developing a readership quite quickly. If you also include videos and audio in your blog posts and then post these to Itunes and YouTube, you will find your reach extending much farther.

If you want a built in readership for your book, start blogging today. You'll be amazed at how many topics you can cover that relate to your novel or memoir and successfully promote them in the process.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/how-do-you-build-platform-blogging-about-fiction-or-memoir-3615084.html


About the Author

Nina Amir is a speaker, author, editor, and writing and author coach who blogs at www.writenonfictionnow.com. She helps aspiring authors turn their passion, purpose and potential into publishable products. Get a FREE special report (a $10 value) by joining her mailing list at CopyWright Communications . Register for a memoir workshop taught by Linda Joy Myers on 11/6 in the San Francisco Bay Area here.

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