| Your Writer Platform

Author Platform: Why You’re Struggling and How to Fix It

May 10, 2016 by Kimberley Grabas

Are you stuck?

Has hammering out your author platform – or building a little marketing buzz for your book – got you frazzled?

For the ease with which many marketing and book publishing experts throw the concept of “platform” around, you’d think it would be a little easier to execute…

But despite the fact that the idea has been in vogue for some time, many authors (and even some industry influencers) struggle with what it actually takes to build a strong and successful author platform.

[Read more…]

The 4-Part System to Define and Attract Your Target Audience (Part 1: IDENTIFY)

July 27, 2015 by Kimberley Grabas

When defining your target audience, the first question you need to ask yourself is this:

“Who do you want sitting in the seats?”

Who do you want reading your work, sharing your ideas and contributing to your community?

The audience you develop should be exclusive – it should be made up of only those individuals whose desires, values and interests align with the creative work that you offer.

And since these are the people you will be spending a majority of your professional time with (through your blog, social media, email, conferences, speaking engagements and so on), it’s prudent to carefully choose those people who will not only be the most supportive, but motivate and inspire you to grow as a writer.

Actively test, target, and refine the way you reach the people you want to reach.

But there is more to defining your target audience than simply picking the people you’d like to spend time with.

An empirical understanding of your ideal readership usually beats gut instinct, so you need to move past your own assumptions about who your “right” audience may be, and develop a refined and targeted demographic. [Read more…]

Identifying Your Target Audience: The Top 8 Mistakes Writers Make

May 23, 2015 by Kimberley Grabas

(Want to avoid making costly mistakes when identifying your target audience? Scroll down to grab the FREE cheatsheet!)

Defining your target audience is much easier said than done.

Many writers end up skipping this step because they fail to recognize its importance in their book marketing plans.

But the truth is, identifying and understanding the wants, needs and desires of your ideal readership can “make or break” your marketing strategy.

Without a solid grasp of what makes your readers tick – and what they are really searching for – you will waste a considerable amount of time and energy promoting your work to an indifferent market.

Or worse, you’ll begin to receive pushback or negative reviews from people that your book was never written for.

But here’s the good news…

There is a wealth of information at your fingertips, about every audience and sub-genre imaginable.

From basic demographics like age, gender, location, income, occupation or ethnicity, to audience psychographics, like personality, attitudes, values, interests, hobbies, lifestyle and even behaviour.

The roadblock? [Read more…]

Actively test, target, and refine the way you reach the people you want to reach.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Facebook Cover Image

Authors with Platforms Sell Books.