| Your Writer Platform

Using Fanfiction to Build your Audience, Brand, and Platform

September 29, 2020 by Kimberley Grabas

This is a guest post by writer and marketer, Hayley Zelda, on using fanfiction to build your audience, brand, and platform. She’s written on major writing platforms and worked with a number of self-published authors on marketing books to the YA audience.

Have you ever been so interested in an artist or musician that you searched to find like-minded people so that you could enjoy your idol’s works together?

Have you ever been so fascinated with a character or setting of a book or TV series that you wanted to create your own story inspired by them?

If so, welcome to the world of fandoms and fanfiction.

What is a Fandom?

Fandom is a term used to describe communities built around a shared enjoyment and fascination with an aspect of pop culture, such as books, musicians, celebrities, internet personalities, movies, or TV series.

Popular Fandoms

Fanfiction archive website FanFiction.net declared the Harry Potter fandom as number one in their list of the most popular fandoms online. In fact, according to the data they released, there are around 821,000 stories about the books and movie series.

[Read more…]

Building Your Author Brand: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make

March 29, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Branding plays a surprisingly important role in your author business.

Every time someone sees your name, lands on your website, reads your book or listens to you speak, you’re reinforcing what you want them to know about you and your work.

And whether you actively shape it or not, with every touchpoint or seemingly ‘insignificant’ interaction, your brand is being formed.

That’s why it’s critical to decide upfront what story you want to tell.

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Clarify what personal branding is, and why it’s essential to incorporate into your writing business if you want to stand out from the crowd.
In this post (post #2), we’ll cover the most common mistakes writers make when building their author brand.
And finally, in post three, we’ll focus on brand strategy and how you will connect your work and writing to the people who will be most inclined to read and appreciate it.

[Read more…]

Writing in Multiple Genres: How It Impacts Your Platform and Book Sales

July 23, 2018 by Kimberley Grabas

Today I’m going to answer one of the top questions I get asked: “I write in multiple genres (or hope to), how does this influence my platform and potential book sales?”

We’ll look at traditional vs. self-published authors, the impact on your author brand, your readers’ expectations and how genre-hopping ultimately plays out in terms of your writing career.

So, if you’re thinking of writing in multiple genres, watch the video below, and I’ll share exactly what you need to know. [Read more…]

Build An Epic Visual Strategy for Your Author Brand

August 8, 2016 by Kimberley Grabas

The visual trend in marketing is inescapable.

Short attention spans combined with an unparalleled surge of information (and distraction) requires a medium that can convey a message, a story, your entire essence, all at once.

And if a picture is worth a thousand words…

A strong visual strategy is an essential part of developing a powerful and successful author brand.

The right visuals will help you communicate ideas that get remembered, boost interaction with your growing fanbase, help tell your brand story, and make it much easier for readers to like, share and respond to your work.

If you are not yet focusing on visual content in your book marketing and platform building strategy, it’s time to get started. 🙂

In this post, not only will you learn how to create essential brand graphics, but you will get key tips on how to implement them, the elements they should include to be effective, and the best places to get free and paid resources to enhance your visual strategy. [Read more…]

The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up: Does Your Elevator Pitch Stand Out? (Issue #30)

February 23, 2014 by Kimberley Grabas

This post is part of a weekly series on YWP, aptly titled “The Writer’s Weekly Wrap-Up”.

Each Sunday, I will endeavour to provide you with a curated list of the best articles I have seen throughout the week that relate to building your platform.

The featured articles cover topics on book marketing and promotion, blogging, social media and self-publishing. (I may even throw in a few inspirational and fun posts, just so that it’s not all work and no play!)

Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch

“So, what’s your book about?”

Umm…

Distilling the essence of your book, your author brand, or even your freelance services down into just a few sentences has mentally defeated many a writer.

But, it’s inevitable–and desirable–that people will want to know (briefly) what your work is about, and why they should care.

To help you overcome the stuttering, rambling, discombobulated answer you may be currently giving to the above question, here are a few pointers for creating an elevator pitch that stands out:

Tip #1 Be Succinct

The beauty of having to create a brief, but compelling, elevator pitch is that it requires you to dig deep for the true essence of your book, your brand or your service. In order to concisely share it, you’ll first need to know it yourself. Think sentences, not paragraphs, and keep fine-tuning until you’re certain you’ve captured the heart of your work. [Read more…]

What is a Fandom?

Popular Fandoms

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch

Authors with Platforms Sell Books.