10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author

By Rachel Thompson | Author Marketing

Feb 06

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being an Author 0511-1012-0921-0455

 

When I first started writing my author blog (about four and a half years ago), I had NO idea the extent of marketing I would have to do once I published my first book.

Now that I’m three books in (all bestsellers), I’ve developed a system that works for me. It’s not brain surgery, it’s not impossible, but it is hard work.

And it all starts with having an author platform.

Lots of people have written about author platforms; but back then, I had no comprehension of what that meant (and while I have a fairly extensive sales and marketing background, publishing was all new to me).

So what is an author platform and how can knowing this help you? I’m drawing on my own experiences, what I’ve read and learned, as well as the business clients who do what I recommend.

Let’s deconstruct.

The primary components of any platform include:

  • Social Media
  • Website
  • Blog
  • Ads
  • Digital copy.

I’ll break down each one with an additional tip on how I do things.

1)    Social Media: Everyone knows you have to be on (at the very least), Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. That’s kind of a given. What people don’t tell you is that you need a Facebook page, separate from your personal Facebook account (however you can manage it from there). Why? Facebook personal accounts (where you ‘friend’ people) were not created for selling. Also, they limit you to 5,000 friends, which sounds like a lot, but once you get more well-known? Not so much.

2)    Success: For the best chance at success, be sure to not go into social media thinking, ‘Hey this is awesome! I’m just gonna link to my own books all the time, in every share, message, and tweet!’ Not only will people unfollow/unfriend you, it’s also extremely counterproductive to doing any actual selling. Tip: Use keywords that connect to your subject/genre. Glean articles from the Net and share those. RT/share others. Be generous in supporting people. Add visual formats like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. And above all else, have a presence on G+. Google owns it. Google is the largest search engine in the world. You do the math.

3)    Website: I had NO idea until I finally convinced myself to switch from blogger to WordPress.org that my SEO/SMO was in the tank. Why does this matter? Paying someone (not a lot) to optimize my site (and then coaching me on how to do it) has made a huge difference in my Google ranking and Alexa.com score. What does that mean? I’m more visible, more exposed (in a good way!), and I’ve made it easier for people to find me.

4)    Optimization: It’s okay if you don’t understand what it means. Hire someone who does. I truly had no clue how important it was to optimize my site or what all was involved. I’m grateful to @SugarBeatBC for her knowledge and patient help.

5)    Blog: A natural extension of any author is your blog. Again, use your keywords to come up with subjects or a theme to your writing, and update your blog at least once per week. Google’s algorithms look at how fresh your content is. If you don’t post often, your ranking goes down. Boo.

6)    Topics: Confused on what to blog about? Find blogs you really like, and see what their focus is. Write about what you know. Share excerpts from your book(s). Have guests (remember, be generous?). Tip: post on the weekend for more comments, during the week for more shares (Source: Dan Zarrella).

7)    Ads: Many authors don’t want to tangle with the beast that is Google AdWords. I didn’t either! I tried to learn many times but looking at cost per keyword makes me think of algebra class and hey, writer here. Math is NOT my forte. So I make my husband do it. Ha! (In fact, he’s become so proficient at doing AdWords, he hung up his shingle at The AdWords Guy, and helps other authors learn, or manages their campaigns for them.)

8)    Keywords: Yes, again. Even if you don’t get how AdWords works, at least you can use their Keyword Tool to run your words through (ie, I use relationships, grief, loss, love, romance, etc.). It’s free and fairly easy to use.

9)    eBook or Digital Copy: Is it really necessary to have an eBook version of your book? In a word: duh. Of course it is! Report vary, but anywhere from 50-70% of all books purchased over the last year were in eBook format; of those, 50% were purchased from Amazon.

 

(People are still somewhat confused about this. You CAN purchase eBooks from Amazon without a Kindle. All you need to do is download their free apps for smartphone, computer, tablet, or cloud. It’s SO easy! Even Nook readers can read Amazon books (not on their Nook of course. Barnes and Noble isn’t stupid.), but from the free apps.) Authors can also sign their eBooks, people can borrow them, and even lend them. I also like the ‘sharing highlights’ option.

10) Embrace Technology: No matter what your personal opinions are about eBooks, digital content is our future – right now. As baby boomers age, purchases made from home have skyrocketed. Younger people have become used to the instant gratification from gaming and social media, which makes eBooks perfect for your younger demographic.

Okay, that’s it! Almost every single one of these points I learned during the process of publishing or after. I hope they help you to be successful but remember, first and foremost, write a terrific book first!

Check out my books on Amazon: A Walk In The Snark, Mancode: Exposed, and my latest, Broken Pieces. Find me on Twitter at @RachelintheOC or my business @BadRedheadMedia. Look up the same names on G+, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. I’m everywhere!

 

‘Broken Pieces left me in tears. It left me raw – the wounds still chafe, but it left me astounded at the courage Rachel Thompson had shown in writing this book, in breaking taboos, in speaking out and in refusing to use her pain and hurt as excuses to hide behind for the rest of her life.

This is a book about rising above; about becoming more than you can possibly believe you ever will be at those terribly low points of your life. It is about surviving, thriving and living and I recommend it more than any other book I have read.’ ~ from Tracy Riva, Top Amazon Reviewer. 

 BrokenPieces-FINAL2 (2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Follow

About the Author

Rachel Thompson is the author of newly released BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge: How to energize your book sales in a month - created to help authors market their book. She is also the author of Broken Places (one of IndieReader's "Best of 2015" top books and 2015 Honorable Mention Winner in the San Francisco Book Festival), and the multi award-winning Broken Pieces, as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed. She owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post,  IndieReader.com, The San Francisco Book Review (BadRedhead Says…), 12Most.com, BookPromotion.com, and Self-Publishers Monthly. Not just an advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Rachel is the creator and founder of the hashtag phenomenon #MondayBlogs and two live Twitter chats: #BookMarketingChat (co-hosted with TheRuralVA, Emilie Rabitoy) and #SexAbuseChat, co-hosted with C. Streetlights and Judith Staff. She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut. She lives in California with her family.

Related Posts

How To Build Your Author Platform When You Have No Clue What That Means

How Much Money is Enough to Make from Your Writing? by guest @colleen_m_story

What is the Clubhouse App and How Can Writers Benefit? with @helpmenaomi

Top 5 Twitter Tips to Powerfully Market Your Books

Leave a Comment:

(93) comments

@PandoraPoikilos February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/WMMyh8MD via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Amber Norrgard (@AmberNorrgard) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/kr8QcOWu via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@LeslieAnneliese February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/OCEVIdW4 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Justin Bogdanovitch (@JustinBog) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/Kgo6w6M8 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@CelesteJones130 February 6, 2013

Interesting blog post for authors. http://t.co/UPmzA4Gs

Reply
    Rachel Thompson February 6, 2013

    Thanks very much, Celeste. I hope it’s helpful for writers — that’s always my goal. Thanks for reading and commenting!

    Reply
Mohana Rajakumar (@moha_doha) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/su9jesHF via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Julia R Barrett (@JuliaRBarrett) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/xgVerTUJ via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
d.c.mcmillen (@mcmillendc) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/dNDm5Bu1 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Sandy Appleyard (@SandyAppleyard) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/G9gldYZI via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Damien (@newbiewriters) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/p5RcZTR4 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@ElenaOrnig February 6, 2013

The primary components of any platform include:
Social Media
Website
Blog
Ads
Digital copy. http://t.co/T1Hn3QgE

Reply
Daniel Sharkov (@DanielSharkov) February 6, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/EKjEhbBK via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Su Halfwerk (@SuHalfwerk) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/hR7prwQ2 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Randy Bowden (@bowden2bowden) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/0Or0W4al via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Lorca Damon (@LorcaDamon) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/ON8wysEy via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Lori Ruff (@loriruff) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/AchVUsX9 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@TrayMMP February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/5gEfibaA; check out @WriterCube

Reply
LisaLadrido (@LisaLadrido) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/ziPhM9IU via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Shaan Haider (@shaanhaider) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/zmDbtmvq via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Sean Charles (@SocialMediaSean) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/qarsNgey via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Michelle Mangen (@mmangen) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/kNSylomS via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Jim Dougherty (@leaderswest) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/nNvNS8sO via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Dianne Solberg (@Wxmouse) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/CEB1jbaK via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Deborah Pannell (@projectmaven) February 7, 2013

More for my marketing bible!! 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/oEs3yR51 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Berrie Pelser (@BerriePelser) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/c6p3wgNb via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Chris Westfall (@westfallonline) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/hCxCwaSX via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Amit Verma (@AmitV_Tweets) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/VAWcpUuN via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Claire Jarrett (@clairejarrett) February 7, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/3CQHqNZ2 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Triberr (@Triberr) February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/Ru4V6Nio via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@TheModernWriter February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/aICeUrLH

Reply
Arthur Partridge (@AyPee) February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/ohbq4zf4 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@casmccullough February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/RAWUAJue

Reply
M. E. Franco (@MEFranco1) February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/hWOkqxM6 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Michelle Mazur, Ph.D (@Michelle_Mazur) February 8, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/ssN2elRL via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@ericavagl February 9, 2013

“@gg: 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/Lq7gd3vJ“

Reply
Joe Prasad (@ThinkNewMedia) February 9, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/POe9hpq6 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) February 9, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/9h4q6Jq8 by #bestselling author Rachel Thompson

Reply
@emarketing_news February 9, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/1HQ6dUbm via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Stan Phelps (@9INCHmarketing) February 9, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/6f2vlqTl via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Steve Cassady (@SteveCassady) February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/hbv3CaSW via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Mick Say (@micksay) February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/pMqpvLx6 via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@jonleeclark February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/L91CXUib via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@FSonnenberg February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/CHeDqBKr via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@JohnRWillem February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/CRnr2Yx5

Reply
LoriMoreno (@LoriMoreno) February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/H2mEOBHp via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@Randy_Coates February 10, 2013

@RachelintheOC Great advice http://t.co/cdEpKWj5 Since I have joined social media, I think I am following all of your suggestions.

Reply
@MarketVoyeur February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author | http://t.co/Qqiml7rB via @BadRedheadMedia cc: @micksay

Reply
6 Common Sense Tools To Aid Your Writing LIfe February 10, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
Mark Corner (@markcoruk) February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/Vjpn3F7d via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Jennifer G. Hanford (@JennGHanford) February 10, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/a5oxp6Rc via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
The Muses (@PenandMuse) February 11, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/bKM9wUBv via @badredheadmedia

Reply
@coachcomeback February 11, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/f8GiLm3B via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
RachelintheOC (@RomPromoCentral) February 11, 2013

#MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An #Author http://t.co/Aivdh2PQ by Rachel Thompson

Reply
RachelintheOC (@indiebookpromos) February 11, 2013

#MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/pmggjym4 #amreading #amwriting

Reply
@qualitywriting February 11, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/THdgRpuj via @badredheadmedia

Reply
@Henry__Hyde February 11, 2013

Great advice. “@RachelintheOC: #MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An #Author http://t.co/8uGhjjc2 by Rachel Thompson”

Reply
Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) February 11, 2013

#MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/bcqGlBIc by author Rachel Thompson

Reply
@EroticRomPromo February 11, 2013

#MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/aNYuNRxG #amreading #amwriting

Reply
@YourMomBot February 11, 2013

@RomPromoCentral Your mom’s being An Author http://t.co/aLqJeP9w by author Rachel Thompson

Reply
BestSellingReads (@BestSellingRead) February 11, 2013

#MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/G3i8kvrR by author Rachel Thompson

Reply
Cassandra Page (@CassandraPage01) February 12, 2013

This is a great guide. RT: #MondayBlogs 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An #Author http://t.co/3RYj7FkW by Rachel Thompson

Reply
Kristen Jett (@KristenJett) February 12, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/LOiCWs0M via @badredheadmedia

Reply
Ryan Casey (@RyanCaseyBooks) February 12, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author via @badredheadmedia – http://t.co/TwVRS6p1 #writing

Reply
@kerricraig February 12, 2013

@whatshehas – saw this article & thought you may be interested… or maybe your publisher does this for you? http://t.co/Jk13ZhwU

Reply
@florabrown February 12, 2013

Been told to get an author’s platform? Save time, see what @badredheadmedia has to say first http://t.co/d7obYOjK

Reply
Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) February 12, 2013

Been told to get an author’s platform? Save time see what @badredheadmedia has to say first http://t.co/50daxnoG (via @florabrown) // THX!

Reply
Eden Baylee (@edenbaylee) February 13, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/5iQWx97f via @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
@socialsprite February 13, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author via @BadRedheadMedia http://t.co/opds3XHP

Reply
anne h maxwell (@xenabelle) February 14, 2013

10 Things I Wish I had Known about Being an Author. http://t.co/8oXUEEyF @BadRedheadMedia

Reply
Doris-Maria Heilmann (@111publishing) February 15, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/JirjJszQ

Reply
@stlindau February 16, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/r6VZMuRp

Reply
@rurugby February 17, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/fP4AMCzC via @RachelintheOC #fb Good stuff and ebooks ya! #fb

Reply
Tim Dittmer (@TWDittmer) February 20, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/snO5H2HoI6 via @badredheadmedia

Reply
@TheproBookedito February 21, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/WIDzPFBl5O

Reply
@VillageDrummerF February 21, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/G6J7HcSffw Worth reading! @amwriting @indieauthor

Reply
Michael Allan Scott (@MAllanScott) February 25, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author – http://t.co/rKoqsNLod6

Reply
@gstickle February 25, 2013

Awesome post! 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/wxcnsk19dr

Reply
@RWAChickLit February 26, 2013

10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author http://t.co/jPzQ5WsLZ1 via @RachelintheOC

Reply
4 Top Tips For Creating A Spectacular Author Platform! March 6, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
@FateSeriesAuth March 8, 2013

“10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author” – http://t.co/mn0bOT2cfF

Reply
Why Not Blogging Is Stupid by @RachelintheOC aka Rachel Thompson March 9, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
@Alexandria_SZ March 14, 2013

@BadRedheadMedia Wonderful, yet again. http://t.co/KPtDEHoFdg

Reply
    Rachel Thompson March 17, 2013

    thanks so much! xo

    Reply
Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) March 14, 2013

@BadRedheadMedia Wonderful, yet again. http://t.co/mfQkTtYnHz (via @Alexandria_SZ) // thx Alexandria ;-$!

Reply
Broken Pieces One-Day Sale 3/22 AND What is #MartiniChat Anyway? March 20, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
3 Tips To Help You Contact Book Reviewers March 20, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
@FateSeriesAuth March 21, 2013

“10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author” – http://t.co/Ni5dxmoH5j

Reply
@RogerGScott March 21, 2013

“10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author” – http://t.co/VakVYOtuHl

Reply
Do Readers Need A Kindle To Buy Amazon eBooks? Nope. April 3, 2013

[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author […]

Reply
Katherin July 9, 2013

I don’t comment, however I looked at some of the remarks here 10 Things I Wish I Had Known About Being An Author. I actually do have a couple of questions for you if it’s okay.
Could it be simply me or does it look as if like some of these responses look like they are written by brain dead people?
😛 And, if you are writing on other social sites, I’d like to follow anything fresh you have to post. Would you post a list of all of your public pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?

Reply
    Rachel Thompson July 10, 2013

    Hi Katherine — and LOL! You would think sometimes, but people are somewhat confused by the process.

    As for where I write, I’m working on a list right now. thank you for the suggestion! For the record, I write for the San Francisco Book Review (monthly social media column), BookPromotion.com (weekly social media column), 12Most.com and bitrebels.com. I’m also the social media columnist for a spectacular new monthly which I can’t share quite yet. It launches in August.

    As for my social media, all the icons are clickable on the right hand side of the page. Twitter, FB, G+…everything.

    Any questions, let me know!

    Reply
Branding, Contributing and Promoting for Authors | R A N D O M J O R D A N September 16, 2013

[…] it. If you aren’t sure where to start there are plenty of posts around that like from Bad Red Head Media, who actually goes a little into site optimization. I’m going to give you all the juicy […]

Reply
Add Your Reply

Leave a Comment:

Previous Post Why Live-Only Interaction on Social Media Doesn’t Work Next Post Social Media Offenders: Crime and Punishment by guest @PeevishPenman
>