In part 1 of this book marketing series, we talked about how to find your ideal audience—what steps you can take to figure out who your dream reader is, where they hang out, and how you can reach out to them.

Hopefully by now you’ve had a chance to put a few of those tips into action, starting to reach out to potential new fans and attract them to your writing.

But there’s a difference between knowing where your audience hangs out, reaching out to them, and actually engaging with them.

Think of it this way: the people who put take-out menus in your mailbox know where you live, and they have reached out to you. But do you save and cherish those menus, relying on them for comfort or support, telling friends about them, and writing raving reviews about them online?

Probably not.

The menus reach you, but they don’t engage you. They don’t make you a fan.

The real secret to building a lasting author platform is to connect.

Let’s take a deep dive into how to make that happen. [Read more…]