But more than that, I'm making a point of keeping focused on the Lord's will for me right now, and that is working with new WinePress authors in determining the best strategy for their book project. That is taking so much of my time that keeping up on this blog has just simply not been possible.

There is much here to glean from the old posts, so please excuse my absence so that I can be attentive to our authors and their needs. And be sure to visit the WinePress blog for consistent updates and posts. See you there!

 What is a Platform?

I can almost see the question forming in your mind. What is a platform and how do I get one? Here are a few good explanations:

Most bestsellers have authors with a “platform” – the publishing industry’s term for authors with a built-in audience, usually from a large church or media exposure.

Christianity Today, June 2007
“Looking for the Next Big Thing:
A Christian publishing update”

Platform: defined as a presence, ideally national, at which you are recognized in your area of expertise.

“Ask Allison,” March 3, 2008
Allison Scotch, Novelist & Blogger

Why You Need a Platform

If you’re going to be effective in developing a platform, you first must understand why you need one. If God has given you a message, then your book must reach the hands of those who need to read it. The larger your platform, the more your words are read. Here are the top five reasons why you need a platform.

1) To sell books. Bottom line is, publishers want to know how many books you, the author, are going to sell. And if you are custom publishing and expect to make it a successful venture, then you’re going to need to sell lots of books. A platform will help you make that happen.

2)To develop a following. If you have something to say, and answers for people, then you will become a resource for them and they will continue to come back to you for more, hence you develop a following. That means people will want to hear more from you, whether it be in ancillary products or more books on similar topics.

3)To prove yourself to a publisher. Many authors work with us at WinePress as a springboard to traditional publishing. Having a book in print helps you start building that all-important platform that you can then utilize when negotiating with a royalty press.

4)To be able to quantify your results. When you sit at that negotiating table, you need to share hard facts and numbers. You need to be able to say, “I have 5,000 people on my e-zine subscriber list, I speak to 10,000 women a year, I have 4,000 unique visitors a day on my website, I’ve sold 7,500 books in the last 18 months,” and so on.

5)To reach large numbers with your message. If you want to get beyond your local community and congregation, a platform will help you reach people you could never hope to find in your back yard. It can help you access countless people who need to hear what you have to say.

On virtually every editor panel I sit on, editors declare their single most important requirement next to a great book is a hefty platform. So, the reality is, build a platform or perish! As you consider this necessity, seek the Lord as to how He would have you begin to build or expand. We’ll talk more next time about the elements of a platform and get some feedback from others I’ve been interviewing lately.
 

1. How have you used internet radio to expand/build your platform?

Absolutely. My vision is global, and without internet capabilities like that of my radio broadcast, my reach would be limited to my immediate surroundings.

2. Can you tell what kind of traffic to your website has it produced?

My host page is used for all of the ministry outreach banners, notes, shout outs, or ads that I want and therefore I have been able to credit the radio show for pointing many to my church website, my speaking website, and my business website.

3. Since your book is not yet in print, do you see this venue more as creating a presence and “expert” status on the internet?

Internet radio for me has created more than just a web presence used to promote my particular spin on women’s issues. It has been the foundation for which I credit all of the connections both personally and professionally that have allowed me to go beyond my four walls. Yes it adds the kind of credence that has probably moved me up a notch or two in the minds of some, but the connections I make are what make the difference for me.

4. What has been the most rewarding aspect of hosting your radio show?

Well, I guess I should have read this question before I answered number four. (smile)
But certainly to add to what I said before it is truly rewarding when out of no where I can be contacted from someone in a whole other country that wants to thank me for what they feel was a job well done on one of my shows. Also, being given special permission to host during certain hours that are normally reserved for more experienced hosts, but then having my listener base be considered and finally seal the deal for me has been awesome!
 

As a person who enjoys engaging in dialog, I think it’s awesome that others actually want to hear what I might have to say.

5. What has been the biggest challenge?

Technical difficulties always make me feel less than professional. I realize that most people understand that it is usually not my fault, but still.

Also, being a speaker who is used to a live audience, I am finding it challenging to be at complete ease with no immediate response or eye contact. I’m learning.

6. What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned by hosting a radio show?

People matter. Whether or not I am face to face with them, I must be mindful of my motive when I speak on any particular topic. I don’t agree with using radio, since I can’t be seen, as a platform to just say what I want to say without any regard for those who may hold a different opinion. I make no bones about my position mind you, but I try my best to see the biggest picture possible.

7. What pitfalls should authors considering this option avoid?

If I understand the question correctly, I would say, over doing it.

In my opinion it’s probably not a good idea to build an entire radio show around one or two books. Slamming listeners with just one message is boring and will probably hurt in the long run. I suggest having a radio show that promotes other authors and then as you gain a solid listener base, accept invitations to be the guest author on other shows that have listeners that will benefit from reading your book.

8. What kind of budget is needed to develop this type of platform?

When you host your show from an outside state, you will incur long distance charges as will your listeners who call in from an area code outside of your listener line calling area.

9. Anything else I should have asked but didn’t? :)

No, but just to add, those who are considering doing internet radio broadcasting can be certain that if they have relevant content for a target audience and can be dedicated to their listeners, their platform will see growth. Authors, ministries, entrepreneurs, etc. this method can be for everybody. There are several online radio opportunities, not just radio but online telecasts as well, that can all be used to expand your potential growth.

Theola Kelly is president of women’s ministry and a published poet. She has sold several of her works around the Seattle/Tacoma areas and is currently working on the publishing of her first book. Visit her at www.pugetsoundwow.com and listen to her radio show at  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pswow.

Jana Tether, one of our authors, is very active in building her online presence. Here are a few things she shared with me:

<<Yes, I enjoy Goodreads. It's an online network where people
who love books connect and share their opinions and thoughts on
books. Also those signed up as authors can write articles that
everyone else can read and review/rate. The people on this site
are very active which is a good thing...many seem to be very
passionate about books.

Right now I'm doing as much online networking as I can.
My book sales don't look that hot right now, but for me
it's about building a foundation. Getting the word out there.

The fact that the world is now connected through the
internet is such a plus for anyone who has anything to share and
this is incredibly exciting for me. I not only hear from people
in the USA (through my website & online networking) but people from
several other countries as well.

Here is a list of online networks that I'm a part of (there are more that
I'll be signing up with later):
www.shoutlife.com
www.myspace.com
www.jcpeople.com (Christian version of MySpace; a bit limiting in promoting
book but you can at least set up a page & network)
www.youtube.com (I have my book trailer on here -the one Jacob did an
awesome job on! , plus other videos on this one)
www.shelfari.com (somewhat similar to Goodreads)
www.godtube.com (Christian version of YouTube)
www.facebook.com (It's OK, not as freeing as MySpace where everyone
can see your page)
www.bookmarket.ning.com (where authors come together)

Also, on www.amazon.com authors can put a blog on their book page.
Plus you have a profile page where you can share some information about yourself.>>
 

“The company is based in New Jersey and has about 14 employees. Levy, who has a background in the telecommunications industry, says, “Anyone can host their own show. All you need is a phone.” Signing up for BTR is free. New members get a logon that provides access to their site’s “switchboard” technology, which allows each show to field up to six live phone calls and upload music or recordings. Hosts can offer weekly, monthly or occasional shows.”
Publishers Weekly, December 24, 2007, page 6

As I perused the site I saw just about everything you could imagine, some of it pretty vile. But I did find an author of ours already utilizing the technology. Rebecca Totilo had this to say:

“Yes, the Blogtalk radio show has been very instrumental in getting the word out regarding my book and teachings. I do recommend it to new authors. However, like everything, it takes work and lots of networking. I am spending about 1/2 hour a day managing the radio emails, then added to that MySpace, YouTube, GodTube, etc. So many now, it is a full time job just to keep things going. It seems to be really catching on, but you have to work to get people to tune in. There are lots of programs for doing interviews - so plenty of opportunity if someone would prefer to just do an interview on their book and not a talk radio show. I am just starting off - having only been on Blogtalk for a couple of weeks, so it is a growing process and many of the listeners listed on my profile have shows too, so it’s just networking. I added the link on my website and people can find it there and tune in. I like it better than Paltalk because you can upload prerecorded programs, interviews, etc. And do it at your convenience and not be bothered with having to sit down and "do it live". The best thing is it’s FREE!”

I interviewed another author and talk show host, Dave Baum. He uses a higher end internet radio option called TalkZone.com. Here’s what he had to say:

“As a longtime over-the-air talk show host, I have found Internet radio to be an
exciting new way to be heard on a national and worldwide basis. Knowing that I now have listeners around the globe is terrific, as it allows me to really delve into topics that affect everyone, everywhere. Another advantage of Internet radio over traditional radio: all of my past shows are available on TalkZone on-demand, for 24/7 listening. This allows people to hear my shows anytime, even months or years after the original broadcast.

There are many ways to do a radio show on the Internet -- everything from amateur podcasts, to freebie talk sites, to posting audio files on a personal website, and so on.
TalkZone is more professional. The sound of my shows, the look, and the marketing has all been top notch. Knowing my show is being presented in such a quality way has been rewarding to me, as this is my first venture into Internet radio. Also, the worldwide response I've been getting to my show has been very gratifying.

There are many amateur talk radio sites, vanity talk radio sites, blog radio sites, and mass consumer sites out there. Some of these have hundreds of talk show hosts, all competing for listeners.

I am afraid that if you host a show on a site like that, you will get lost. So I suggest you look for an Internet Talk Network that is professional and has high standards. This will help you stand out from the crowd and make a real impact with your show. Also, you will probably have more revenue opportunities at a well-run site, because the quality of the shows will attract advertising dollars.

If you want quality and support, then you should expect to pay something for it. It shouldn't cost you a fortune, though. Hosting a show on TalkZone is fairly affordable for the average person. But only you can decide if having a quality show is important to you, and whether you're willing to pay for it. If not, there are free sites out there you can use.”

Dave Baum is a media trainer with Extreme Marketing.

Check out his show on Talkzone.com

We’ll be looking into this more in the future and getting more feedback from those actually utilizing this technology.
 

The article centered around a woman whose marriage pictures were seen by a work associate on her Facebook and MySpace personal sites. The problem being, she married another woman and didn't really want her work associates to know that much about her private life. While we might not be able to relate to that situation, how careful should we be on these sites?

As Christians we shouldn't have to hide the way we live our personal lives, but the article raised an interesting point that's worth considering. Since many people on ShoutLIfe and other social networking sites accept everyone and anyone as a "friend" it's worth rethinking that philosopy. After all, we are judged by those we hang with!

"You might control the groups to which you belong and the pictures that you post. But if a "friend" posts something on your public wall on your page that you don't like, others might see it before you can remove it. "You have no control over what other people write about you and what other people choose to say..." says Larry Rosen, author of Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Next Generation.

And if a friend does somthing embarassing on his own page, it might make you look bad. "Once you make (a) connection" on a networking site, "you in a way assume responsibility for your friends' actions and behavior," says Mary Madden of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which studies online behavior.

So, while I want to look at all the opportunities social networking offers, let's be sure to consider the downside as well and act accordingly.

"Does social networking help you sell books?"

I'd like to share with you all 2 of the responses I received as I believe they will encourage you all:

My friend, Terry Burns, Literary Agent for Hartline Literary Agency, said:

I'm in a half dozen writing groups including ACFW, Western Writers of America, Panhandle Professional writers and a number of others. I social network in Shoutlife, Facebook, Book Marketing Network, Christian Authors Network, Good Reads, Jacketflap, Edgy Christian Fiction Writers, Shelfari, and even a small presence on Myspace also plus others.

I do it to increase visibility and to keep a finger on what the writing community is talking about. Obviously I can't participate to any degree on all of these so I lurk a lot, but I do watch the subjects that are being discussed, somethimes just scanning content, other times reading, and sometimes participating. It probably has a lot to do with the number of submissions that I've received as an agent. I can't document what it has done for books sales, but I believe it has impacted it significantly. I believe it to be very helpful for my career and my reputation.

Am I shortchanging the groups by being in so many and participating so little? Probably. On the other hand it also gives me the advantage of watching what is happening over a wide range of internet activity, insights that I accumulate and pass on where appropriate, which is a tradeoff for the groups.

To this point I consider it beneficial or I wouldn't be participating to this extent.

Terry  

And WinePress author and parenting expert Brenda Nixon (who, by the way, just had her WinePress book picked up by Regal!) said:

Hey Athena - I've used shoutlife and other groups to make new "friends" and for socializing around the virtual watercooler. As you know, writing can be a lonely profession so it's healthy to reach out to like-minded people. On shoultlife, I've shared some websites and articles on parenting (since that's my forte) and also some speaking/writing tips to help my shoutlife friends.

I can't measure in numbers if social networking has made an impact on book sales. Probably, social networking has been more about creating an internet presence and gaining exposure for my expertise, products and services.
---

Brenda Nixon, writer/speaker
author, Parenting Power in the Early Years,
Creative Discipline, and
You Can Speak

We'll continue to look at all the nuances of social networking in my upcoming posts. :)

I've since done so on a somewhat limited basis and have networked with many of my peers and friends there as well. LinkedIn tends to be a more professional setting where many people make job contacts, so it's great for freelance writers and editors, etc., but I know that MySpace and Facebook (both secular and a little scary) are more social networking based. These are touted as great places to get yourself set up and begin finding those people who most need to read your book. There are now some Christian social networking sites to consider as well, the best seems to be ShoutLife.

This will be the first of a number of posts looking at the different ways to utilize social networking sites to promote and market your book.

*******************************************************

Social Networking - How to Promte Your Blog
by Jinger Jarrett

Blogging is one of the easiest ways to get high rankings in the search engines. If you can pick a popular topic that you're passionate about and then write about it, you can get a lot of readers.

The problem is that a lot of bloggers rely on search engines as their main source of traffic. If you write on a topic that's pretty competitive, it makes it very hard to get your blog to rank high, and you won't get many visitors, much less find the readers who may be looking for what you are writing about.

So, to get more traffic to your blog, you need to find more ways to promote. One easy way to do this is with social networking sites. The advantage of using a social networking site is that you have a lot of options when promoting.

Your first step, when promoting on a social networking site is to make sure that you add a link to your blog in your profile. This lets others know that you have a blog, and they can decide whether or not to click over to your blog and read it.

If you don't have a blog, then you have the option of using the blog available on the social networking site, if one is offered. This will allow readers to read your content. You can post your product reviews, articles, tutorials, and even videos or audios you've found on your topic. The only disadvantage I see here is that although your blog posts may be public on these sites, it won't be picked up by the search engines, so it's best to have an external blog and then cross post some of your entries to the social networking site. Also, you need to be careful about making your content too commercial. Otherwise, you might get banned from the site.

If the social networking site allows you to add RSS feeds, then you should add your blog RSS feeds to your profile. This saves you the time of posting any blog entries to your profile, as your blog entries will automatically show up on your profile. Sites like Orkut, that don't offer blogs, give you this option.

I like using RSS feeds for mine because it allows me to create a profile that's constantly updated, always providing new content to my visitors and readers. Another advantage here to using RSS feeds is that readers will have to click through to your blog to read the entire post. If you offer an email subscription, then this gives you another opportunity to get the reader to subscribe to your blog.

If the site offers forums or groups, make sure you add a link to your profile in your signature file. You just need to know a little HTML in order to code your link unless the site offers an editor that will code it for you. Again, avoid being too commercial. Your goal is to get others to click through your link to your blog and subscribe, not sell them something.

Finally, many of these sites have private messaging, as well as bulletins you can send out. When sending out private messages, you don't want to spam or just try to sell the person something. Make sure you are friends first. With bulletins, try to write a catchy headline and make your bulletin newsworthy. You want to use a soft sell. Don't make others feel like they're being sold to.

Want to learn how top marketers use social networking to expand their businesses?  Social Marketing teaches you how to easily bring in more profits in just a few minutes a day. Meet me on MySpace.

Jinger Jarrett is the author of "Internet Marketing for Free: The GUIDE." (On Amazon).

 

This article by Diane Eble gives you 5 reasons why!

********************************

"You don't make money writing books; you make money explaining your book."

So says Alex Mandossian, pioneer of the teleseminar Virtual Book Tour and other ways of using teleseminars to both "create information products at the speed of sound" and "sell from your seat."

As an author, I've discovered he's right! For instance, I sold 124 books in 6 days from my Virtual Book Tour on my book, Abundant Gifts. I had more people attend the teleseminar Book Tour than would usually attend a bookstore signing. (Average bookstore signing is 4-6 people; 22 showed up on my first teleseminar VBT, plus I have been able to continue to promote it. Oh yes--and "bad hair days" don't matter on a Virtual Book Tour!)

As an author and publishing coach, I am very excited about this easy way authors can get their message out.

"You don't make money writing books; you make money explaining your book."--Alex Mandossian

What is a teleseminar? It's simply you sharing your message over the telephone, via a "bridge line" which allows many people to call in the same number at once. You deliver your message one time, to many people, all at once.

That's it! Very simple, yet powerful. In fact, I've uncovered 5 great advantages of using teleseminars to expand the reach of your message (whether your book is published yet or not).

5 Good Reasons to Do Teleseminars

1. Easy and inexpensive. You can do a teleseminar any time, from any place you can use a telephone. I've listened to teleseminars that the speaker has done from a hospital room, a hotel room, a truck stop, an airport, even a closet using a cell phone, when the power went out! For myself, I do them in my home office, with a land line (corded) phone. Nobody sees me-- I can wear whatever I want-pajamas, shorts and T-shirt. (No "bad hair day" with a Virtual Book Tour!)

Furthermore, you don't need any special equipment-just a voice, a message, and a telephone. No medium is easier to use than a telephone. You can set up an account at several excellent bridge lines at no charge. No startup costs, folks!

2. Teleseminars help you build a highly responsive following quickly. Roy Williams, the advertising wizard, said, "If you want to persuade people, use the human voice." Teleseminars add what teleseminar specialist Alex Mandossian calls "marketing intimacy." When people hear your voice, they feel as if they know you, much more than if they just read your words on paper. They hear the inflections in your voice, the passion you have for your subject, the caring you have for them. They are much more likely to get to the "know, like and trust" stage, which is where they need to be to spend money on you.

3. It may be the easiest, fastest way to write your book. Many people find it easier to speak than to write. If this is you, teleseminars can be a great way to get you to "write" your book-at the speed of sound! Just speak your message, have it transcribed, and then edit. If you like to write first, you can do that, and then give your teleseminar from your notes. Either way, you expand your reach.

4. Your teleseminars can be the basis of products with high perceived value and high profit margins. People are conditioned to pay no more than $20 or so for a book. (And you only get $2-15 per book, depending on how you publish.) However, they might pay $200 for the same essential information, packaged differently--say, a home study course. It might consist of several audio CDs (which come from the recorded teleseminars) with a workbook (which you create from the study guides to your teleseminars).

5. You can do it once, and market/sell it forever. Once you do a teleseminar, you can repurpose the content into all kinds of other products you can use to sell and/or market other things. You can use the teleseminar as a bonus for if people buy your book (or vice versa!). You can bundle several teleseminars together into an audio course, re purpose it into an ecourse, or an ebook, or any number of products. You can chop it up and deliver weekly audio postcards that train or coach people in your area of expertise.

I hope you'll investigate this medium further. It just may become the "sweet spot" where your message makes a great difference to many people you wouldn't otherwise reach ... and prospers you as well.

Ask your question and listen to the teleseminar at http://www.wordstoprofit.com/ask-teleseminars.html on "how teleseminars can profit you as an author--before or after you're published." To find out how teleseminar Virtual Book Tours can help you sell more books, check out http://www.vbtexpert.com . 

I have to say that I completely disagree with this mindset!

There are many reasons to go to a writers' conference besides getting published:

1) Networking with other published writers to be encouraged. Being around like-minded writers for a few days or a week can be incredibly inspiring and fulfilling.

2) Discovering what others are doing to successfully market their books, as some of those ideas may work perfectly for your situation.

3) Improving your craft in major morning tracks and workshops. You never know if the Lord will ask you to write a sequel, or something on a totally different topic.

4) Learning how to write articles. In other posts I've recommended writing articles to promote your book. What better way to learn to write articles effectively than attending a writers' conference and participating in an article writing track or single session.

5) To attend classes on marketing, building a platform, branding, and all the other classes geared towards the essential areas of expertise needed to have a successful book.

I could easily think of another 5, but I think you get the point. Christian Writers' Conferences are a great way to grow and mature in your writing & marketing skills. Here are a few of my favorite conferences, all of which Carla and I will be teaching for in 2008.

Florida Christian Writers Conference
Feb. 28 - Mar. 2, 2008

Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference
Mar. 14-18, 2008

Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
May 18-22, 2008

Northwest Christian Writers Renewal (formerly SPU Writers Renewal)
May 2-3, 2008

Write to Publish Christian Writers Conference
June 4-7, 2008

Oregon Christian Writers Conference
July 28-31, 2008

Alright. Now that I've given you 5 good reasons to go to a writers' conference, it's your turn to pray and ask God which one He wants you to go to!

And with that, I hope to see you at a writers' conference next year!