31-Day Author Platform Challenge Day 21: Mutual Support

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

[Before we start patting each other’s back, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Today’s author platform task has two parts. First, you need to post the results of your poll. It can probably be automated with Buffer or whatever tool you use, but consider going back one by one to personalize each post. This engagement is the interactive part I tend to forget or gloss over. It’s an ideal time to start or continue a conversation! Take advantage of it. Ask people what they think of results, if they are surprised, if there was an option you should have included but didn’t, etc. Keep this engagement ball a-rolling.

I realize this will take some time, so when you’re done, today’s official task will be an easy one.

Day 21 is celebrating or sharing a friend’s success.

Let’s get friendly. Time to celebrate others. You can:

Share a friend’s website or book launch information
Recommend a fave website or resource you use regularly
Offer a link with details explaining why it’s helpful to you
Offer detail on a helpful site or resource

This is different than the #writerslift we did last week; although it does lift up a fellow author, it’s more a sharing of information vs a shout-out. It’s timely (compared to saying “thanks” which can happen any time), and newsworthy (it’s something you are reporting about).

Feel free to send several tweets that celebrate a bunch of people’s work – but keep it to one person per tweet unless it’s something they did together. No sense clogging up feeds with group tags.

Recently I found a free template for a book proposal, created and offered by a lit agency. Yes, it was a template for them so their submissions were less sucky, but hey, free resource. I made a post and included the link along with a shout-out of appreciation to the agent and the house (tagging them both), and that tweet got a pretty high number of likes and RTs—including the agent herself as well as the agency.

Will that agent want to take me on? No, she doesn’t even rep kidlit, it’s not why I did it. The point was to help others. It’s good karma to boot. I got a bunch of honest interactions and appreciations from it. Goodness comes from well-intended posts.

What I didn’t do at the time was share the post across all my social media. Lesson learned (and one reason I created this challenge!). I hope to cross-promote every tweet, or most, from now on.

Anyway, I love seeing posts from authors supporting authors, don’t you? Some authors are really good at this! It projects such a positive image.

Recap: Today, uplift someone by sharing a resource and thanking the person that offers it. Or highlight a friend’s small business, service, etc. Consider creating the post on a Canva-like site to make it pretty. Post it on all your media.

Easy.

Just make sure the timing is good. Don’t post it right after or right before another big post like I did at the time, or it’ll get lost. Had I waited on that book proposal post, until after the dust settled on the other popular tweet, it probably would have doubled the amount of likes.

11May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 26: Baby Pix

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Write, write, baby

[Before we start, you sweet thing, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

To cleanse our frazzled brains from yesterday, for Day 26 we are taking a step back in time.

What age range are you writing for? Pull up some old files or photo albums (remember them?) and find some old baby pix of yourself at that age. Take a good look.

How cute are you?

What was going on then? Do you remember your mindset? Did you really understand as much as you thought you understood? At that age, what did you want more than anything? What did you need? Place yourself there for a moment.

This picture, this person, will remind you who you’re speaking to in your manuscripts and works-in-progress.

If it’s not too personal, I’d like you to post the pic, and tell followers about this person you are writing to.

For me, I’m writing to this little girl who was grossly unsupervised, the youngest of five kids in five years that got lost in the shuffle growing up being raised by a widowed dad that worked full time and tried (I think). When this little girl discovered Clifford the Big Red Dog after Aunt Carolyn sent her a book for her birthday, things changed. Sure, the main character being a young blonde girl that dressed in bright colors and shared the name Elizabeth helped draw me in because I “got” her.

But those fantastical adventures with a safe, caring guardian sent me to a world where I didn’t have to worry about my clothes being dirty or ill fitting, my shoes being worn out, my hair not being washed. I didn’t think about being hungry or not having money for gymnastics like everyone else. Nope.

With those books in my hand, I got to hang out with my friends Clifford and Mary Elizabeth for as long as I wanted to.

See that girl?

I write for her.

Tell me, and your followers, who you write for.

10May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 27: Best Advice

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Now listen up…

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

We are on the homestretch! Today’s task is a snap; I mean, seeing as we’ve spent so much time on the Canva-type of programs we’re practically experts in graphic design.

Today, share your best piece of advice for your audience (is your audience writers? moms? YA readers? librarians?).

Feel free to add where you got the advice, how it changed things for you, and what you hope will happen by sharing it. (Speaking of which, Forbes has some ideas on how to go about making your posts more sharable.)

If you make it interactive, check out some advice on ways to get interactive posts noticed.

Or simply post the quote (with your social media handle/website) across your platforms.

Make it pretty, with images and animation. Sound effects optional. You’re getting good at this, right? (I sometimes spend so much time futzing around on Canva that I feel like I’m playing hooky from my WIP! Anyone else find themselves willingly jumping down that rabbit hole?)

Ask followers to share THEIR best advice.

Four days to go!

9May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 28: Listicle Love

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Take note

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
on Pexels.com

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Have you heard the term “listicle?” Weird word, I know. A listicle is a type of blog post that is formatted as a list–like those Reddit posts you see all the time “13 Ways to Clean Your Bathroom Sink.” They are actually a great way to share information and tips in a way that is easy to scan and understand. Don’t know why I haven’t done one here myself!

These past Author Platform Challenge posts aren’t considered listicles bc even though I’ve had lists in almost everyone (including this), the posts aren’t based around the lists. As in, none of them are the type of post such as “9 Ways to Create a Listicle.”

One Day 28, you’re going to create a listicle today to share with your followers. You choose the topic.

Suggestions for lists you could create include topics like “10 Best Travel Books for Toddlers,” “5 Favorite Bedtime Books with Elephants,” “7 Ways to Strengthen Your Story Arc.”

You can’t post a listicle on, say, Twitter because it’s not the right venue and there isn’t enough room. But you can certainly post a link and direct followers to where you’ve created the listicle (such as your website or your FB Author Page). Create it on any topic. The entire thing can be as short as 100 words.

You want to demonstrate expertise, build trust, and engage with your peeps.

Listicle tips:

Choose a topic that you are passionate about, or know a lot about, or can research the heck out of.
Make sure your list is on brand and of use to your audience.
Pick a catchy title that (probably) no one else has used, such as “9 ways to Ruin a YA.”
Come up with a list of 5-10 items.
Write a brief introduction that introduces your topic and list.
Consider subheads for easier reading.
Use active voice to keep it engaging.
You know I’m going to suggest images if not video!
Include a call to action at the end of your listicle. “Sign up for my newsletter for more great tips!)

Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Heck, I can’t wait to see what I come up with, lol. Tag #31DayAuthorPlatformChallenge and share.

8May2023

31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 29: Things We Love

Posted in 31 day author platform challenge, Writer's Platform by bitsykemper

Sharing is caring

[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Let’s get friendly. Time to share some of your go-to favorites in books, websites, webinars, conferences…whatever you consider crucial in your daily(ish) writing.

You can:

Share a helpful book you’ve dog-eared (if you do that sort of thing, you monster) like a rhyming thesaurus
Recommend a fave website or resource or club you use regularly
Offer a link to an annual conference or Zoom class with details explaining why you regularly return
Offer gratitude to the creators of a site or resource, explaining why it’s helped you
RT a great meme

This is not the same as sharing #writerslift or timely news, because this is specific to tangible documentation. This post will reflect something you can point to that has helped improve your writing, that wasn’t a crit partner.

whoever created this doesn’t get credit bc they left their name off it!

Remember that template for a book proposal that a lit agency offered on their website FOR FREE? (Back in Day 21) That’s an example. Yes, it was a template for them so their submissions were less sucky, but hey, it was a free resource. I made a post and included the link along with a shout-out of appreciation to the agent and the house (tagging them both), and that tweet got a pretty high number of likes and RTs—including the agent herself as well as the agency.

Feel free to send several tweets that highlight a bunch of your top resources – but keep it to one person per tweet unless it’s something they did together.

Recap: share a helpful resource and thank the person that offers it. Consider creating the post on a Canva-like site to make it pretty but OK if no. Post it on all your media.