I’m sure you’ve heard before that an author platform is mandatory to your publishing career. You’ve also heard that in building a platform you need to blog, social network, and use video sites. In other words, you have to do your own marketing and promotion.
“Publishers want to know how many people you know,” says Jennifer Hill Robenalt, a 20-year communications pro and the principal of Robin Hill Media. “Whether that’s fair or not, or effective or not, it’s all we have to measure how big our audience truly is.”
But what you may not know is that all of your platform-building could be for naught if you don’t bring people into your fold who can collaborate in helping you access your full creative and marketing potential.
Even if you’re the type who likes to go solo, there are times you’ll need powerful, creative partnerships and alliances.
Do yo need a website designer? Do you need a publicist?
“Own up to what you need,” says Gail McMeekin, author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. “Then carefully bring in someone who aliens to your purpose.”
Jennifer Hill Robenalt says, “Every time I have a new partnership, I have a new cheerleader for my work.”
Writers need partnerships to cross reference and promote each other, share contacts, network, act as speakers and teachers, motivate, and provide
gifts to each other’s audience.
And how does a writer forge such partnerships?
Jennifer shares 6 ways:
- Use Technorati, Google blog, and other author’s blog rolls to seek out people who are doing similar work and are like-minded. Forge relationships with them online, comment on their blogs, and on Facebook. Collaborate content. Guest blog and vice versa.
- Create a dream list of people you want to form partnerships with. On every website there’s a contact or media tab. Find the publicist or contact the author directly. Tell them you are a blogger and would like to be on their “media list.” You may be invited on blogging calls or virtual book tours.
- Create your own mini media empire. You tube, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and Blogger are all free. Add a video to your blog. All you need is a flip camera to make videos of yourself when you speak in public, etc. Create a buzz.
- Start an Internet radio show. Blog Talk Radio is free. All you need is a computer and a phone.
- Check out sites such as Help a Reporter Out, where journalists and national reporters are looking for sources.
- List the top ten places you want to see yourself featured, then follow them and invest time in them.
The opportunities for creating vibrant partnerships are endless.
Share contacts. Share ideas. What goes around, comes around. A good deed is never wasted.
As always, thanks for stopping by,
