If you build it...

By Corbyn · Mar 30, 2016 · ·
  1. Not so much in this fast-paced, technology-driven world. With constant tweets, likes, pokes, hearts, and the wide variety of other instant pits of time wasting social gathering media, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. What are those trees you ask? Followers, followers my dear friends.

    All of those would be readers just waiting to be plucked from cyberspace, looking, or craving for that next tale that just has this unique voice that speaks to them.

    So– now we have our trees, but what are we building?

    Our brand. Our platform. I don’t know about all of you, but this for me is the hardest part of wanting to be a writer. I can’t seem to find my niche, my place in the fantasy world. Where do I fit? Does it matter if I really fit? (Probably not.) But if I can’t find a fit, will I be able to build a following and actually get people excited to read my stuff?

    I know what you’re thinking, and NO, I don’t obsess over this. But it’s something that we should all probably think about as we head into the Facey-whats-its, and the twitters, and the instapixs. Yes, their names will probably change in six months because let’s face it– six months in cyberspace is like the blink of an eye really.

    But I guess what all that boils down to is if you build it– will they really come? How are all of you fairing in the building of your own little empires that could?
    Oscar Leigh likes this.

Comments

  1. Tenderiser
    I just started this platform-building thingy and actually it's going pretty well. I'm getting the most engagement and followers on Twitter (231 in about three weeks) but most click-throughs to my website are coming from Facebook, where I only have 107 followers.

    The website has had 161 visitors and 401 page views since I created it about three weeks ago.

    At first I couldn't see the point of all this. I didn't know who'd be interested in following an unpublished author, and how that would then translate to book sales. But now I see. My blog has had some really positive comments from total strangers (like, it's the funniest thing they've ever read about X) so I can totally see that they'll want to buy my book when it comes out.

    And I'm glad I started while still unpublished, because I couldn't talk about my books even if I wanted to. From my short time on Twitter I've learned there's nothing more off-putting than someone who's blatantly trying to sell you something: PMing you links to their books, Tweeting reviews of their books all day, etc. The people I want to follow are the ones that are funny, the ones that are human, the ones that respond to me when I reply to their messages. I don't want to feel like I'm a walking advert target.
      Oscar Leigh and Corbyn like this.
  2. Tenderiser
    WHERE DID MY PARAGRAPHS GO?! It won't recognise my line breaks :( Sorry for wall of text.
      Corbyn likes this.
  3. Tenderiser
    Oh, they're back.

    I'm just going to go away now.
      Corbyn likes this.
  4. Corbyn
    I totally agree with you. I hate it when I get random messages in different media for sales. I enjoy posts, or blogs that speak to me in some way. I think that's why I started posting in my blog here, sort of a practice session before I put myself out there much. I'm not normally very vocal on forums, or groups for that matter. It's been a change for me, and I hope it's helped other people in the process, but ya never know right?
      Oscar Leigh likes this.
  5. AdDIct
    Is the platform like your fanbase? Never really thought about that before tbh. If so I'll probably just focus on my youtube and such and be like "Yo peeps, I made a book! Check it out!" And go from there. My social media has a decent following so it'd be a good place to start (300ish on Twitter, close to 500 on fb, 2k on YT and growing) so yeah. That's a decent group of people. Though as for like branding a genre. Idk if I really want to settle into just one type. I generally write a lot of sci-fantasy type stuff, but I also like doing high fantasy and urban fantasy's so I guess we'll see.
      Corbyn and Oscar Leigh like this.
  6. Oscar Leigh
    I'm trying to create enough following to have a cult, and then I'll have them commit suicide in protest to us not being registered as an official religion. How dare they in the future disrespect my followers' faith in me!!:rant:
    :D:D
      Lifeline and Corbyn like this.
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