Only Fox network talk show host Bill O’Reilly would get an opportunity to talk about his book, Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (written with Martin Dugard), on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Like he doesn’t get enough exposure already, right?
There are no lessons for the rest of us here — only celebrities have these opportunities — so all we can do is envy O’Reilly as his book is showcased on the funky “What Up with That?” talk show President’s Day episode.
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As I review the agenda for the upcoming ASJA 41st Annual Writers Conference in New York City, I’m reminded of all the information that I absorbed at last year’s spring conference. I hope that sharing the book promotion, marketing, and publishing tips I picked up last year here will inspire you to register for this year’s conference. I’ll be there again, speaking on a panel on Saturday, April 28, 2012, about “Nurturing Writer Friendships,” but I’d attend even if I wasn’t speaking. The ASJA conference is an important part of my professional development – I always learn so much and meet so many talented writers. I hope I see you there this year!
I hope you find some of the tidbits offered here useful. I’ve listed the name of the session (in case you want to order the recording) and under that, some of the gems I pulled from the session. Here are the summaries:
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In yesterday’s post, “What’s an author platform? Part 1,” we defined author platform and why it’s important. But what are the types of things we should be doing to build that essential platform?
Here are 12 elements to consider for your platform’s legs:
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Frequent references to “platform” in politics, beauty pageants, beds, and shoes can confuse the author struggling to understand how that concept applies to book publishing.
In politics and beauty pageants, your platform is a message or goal – “We have got to get more people working!” or “Stop bullying in schools.” With beds and shoes, it’s about height. But for authors, “platform” is the word the publishing industry uses to describe your built-in sales network. Who is waiting to buy your book as soon as it’s available? What’s your fan base or following? A publisher might ask, “How many books are we guaranteed to sell because of the author’s platform?”
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Today’s guest blogger, Leonardo Ramirez, writes science fiction and fantasy for all ages. The author of Haven, a graphic novel, as well as the upcoming Haven of Dante, a young adult prose novel, Lennie is also working on a new steampunk-genre children’s series called Jupiter Chronicles. For more information, go to http://www.leonardoverse.com.
Author school visit tips
By Leonardo Ramirez
The kids that come to your reading or talk (I prefer to think of it as “hanging out” with them) are always wide-eyed and eager to have someone from the outside come in and change things up a little. They come from all walks of life and from different households, but for the 50 minutes or so that they are your audience, they are truly yours and there for one thing only . . .
. . . to have fun.
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