Building your author brand

No matter where you are in your publishing journey, it’s more important than ever for writers to think about their profile, reach and brand.

However, building your author profile is a marathon, not a sprint. So, in the lead-up to next month’s Writers SA workshop, I’ve put together some top tips for getting started.

• Don’t worry about being everywhere. It’s better to choose a platform/s you’re comfortable with (in terms of technology and time commitment) and do that well, rather than taking on too much.
  • For example, if you already use Facebook and Instagram in your personal life, you can use them for your writing practice too. (I’d suggest focusing on your Instagram account to build your writing profile. I no longer recommend professional Facebook pages unless you’re likely to have a high engagement with Facebook Groups). 
• Focus on raising your overall profile, with your writing one element of your overall brand (rather than segmenting your practice into multiple profiles). We are whole and messy humans. We contain multitudes. And we contain the capacity to recognise that in others too.
• Don’t forget to include your contact details in your social media bio or linktree. The literary world moves fast. If someone likes your writing but can’t get in contact with you, they’re likely to move onto somebody else.
• There’s no need to wait until you’re published to include regular reading and/or writing-related posts. This could also include things like:
  • Photographs, memes or quotes from your work in progress.
  • Photographs, memes or quotes from other writers you admire (with credits).
  • Photographs of you writing, your workspace, your daily wordcount (writers love seeing others’ writing process). Follow/use hashtags like #WritingLife or #AmWriting for inspiration.
  • Photographs of books you’ve bought or read, your bookshelves, bookshops, libraries, etc (readers love seeing others’ reading habits). Follow/use hashtags like #Reading or #Bookstagrammer for inspiration.
• Follow other writers, readers, literary workers or influencers working in similar genres or topics. Be a good literary citizen by engaging with them directly (liking, commenting or celebrating their work).

For more information

To find out what options are available for building your author brand, how to use different platforms to your best advantage, and how to balance your writing time alongside the time you need to spend building your brand as a writer, book your place on my online workshop on Building your Author Brand with Writers SA next month.

If you can’t make the workshop, I also did an online Q&A for Writers SA a few years ago on this subject, which may have some relevant info. Check it out on Facebook.

And you can find more recent thoughts on online profiles and platforms in this recent edition of my ‘and another thing’ vlog.)

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