5 things an Author Needs to do – (as an Author) – Before Publishing!
This is the second of a series of posts on Self Publishing! Be sure to follow my blog for more in this series. If you didn’t see the first post, look HERE!
If you’re reading this then I will guess that you’ve either written a book, are in the process of writing one, or are thinking of writing one. In any case, Congrats! Welcome to the club! Writing a novel is one of the hardest and most rewarding things you can do. It takes countless hours of imagination, patience and perseverance. And in the end you get to hold and cradle your computer and sing it sweet songs and promise that soon the entire world will hear the words written on it and it will be glorious!
But – Before you get out there and start querying every single agent and publisher on the planet there are a few things you need to do. These five things have nothing what so ever to do with your manuscript. These things are purely for you! The author. You need to work on you. Your brand, your name.
1) Get a Website!
Get a website. One with your name as the domain name. And get it without a blogspot or .wix attached to it. You need to shell out a few bucks and get your name and only your name as your website. Why? Because it shows that you are professional and serious about the business. But getting your domain name isn’t good enough. You now need a professional looking site. It really is pretty easy to do in WordPress. Not good at website stuff? Do what I do, go to Youtube and look for tutorials! But if you just can’t do it, find a friend or hire someone. You’re putting yourself out there and want people to take you seriously, so you have to look serious. And within your website be sure to setup a newsletter form.
2) Get a Professional Headshot!
My kids are in the entertainment industry as actors and I can’t tell you how invaluable professional headshots are. They make all the difference. When I have people coming into the industry asking me for tips on how to get started I always tell them to get good headshots. Now good does not equal expensive – it just equals good. I’ve found great photographers for a couple hundred bucks. And you can use that photo for your professional photo for the rest of your life if you want. So invest! A fun one for your website. A good one for the back of books. But again, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to look professional. Save the fun snapchat shots for your Facebook page.
3) Setup a GoodReads and Amazon Author Page.
You may not have anything to put on there yet, and that’s okay. But you need to become familiar with they systems and get yourself in there. Put up your photo. Write a blurb about yourself. Just get a presence. Get started. Get yourself out there.
4) Setup a Facebook Page and Twitter Account.
Believe it or not Agents and Publishers do look at this stuff. They want to see if you are getting out there. They want to see if you have a presence and a following. They want to know that you aren’t going to just leave all the marketing up to them while you sit behind your computer screen and wait for the money to roll in. You need to show them that you are willing to put in more work and effort to ensure not only that your book is successful, but that you as a writer are successful in the long run. And not just a personal Facebook account but an actual page for you as an author.
5) Get involved.
If you are reading this then chances are you are a member of RWA and several chapters. Great! Awesome! That’s exactly what you need to do. You need to be a part of writing organizations. Volunteer. Get to know people. Form friendships. Make connections. Get on Yahoo Groups for writers. Join Facebook groups for writers. Find your Tribe! Your people. The ones you can rely on and be supportive of. Those people will be invaluable to you in the future as critique partners, friends and partners in crime. Lastly, get involved with anthologies and book sets with good, reputable people. Submit to magazine calls. Get your name out there and get involved!
Writing is a tough business that gets tougher every year. You have to be prepared to succeed – And not just by having an amazing book! Are you ready?
Rebekah R. Ganiere – Books with a Bite