A Guide to Successful Marketing is a day long (6 hour) workshop presenting the building of an author platform. Whether a author is published by a large house, a small independent, or self-published, she will need a strong platform. She may have an ebook published on Amazon or a paperback sitting on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, but readers won't buy unless they know who she is. How do they get to know her? Without a platform, they won't. How does she build a platform? What tools does she need? When should she start? How long does it take? Contact me to schedule a workshop for your group. |
Click on each session for description.
Session I
Session II
Session III
Session IV & V
Session VI
Introduction.
What is a platform? Really! The word 'platform' has become a catch phrase. At first blush, it seems a simple thing to explain, but is it? In this session we'll clear up any confusion and get down to the real meaning. Knowledge is power. We will begin building a foundation of understanding on which to develop a platform step by step. If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there. - Author unknown.
Who needs a platform?
We will reason this through together; talk about the importance; determine who requires it and why; and strip away any misconceptions. Vision is tremendously important at this stage. You will be challenged to start with the end in mind and work backward. Everything you see started in someone's mind, went to paper and was physically produced.
Purpose of a platform.
We are living in a time when the whole world is available to us, but learning what that means and how to develop a presence can be overwhelming. After all, the world population is 7 billion people and growing rapidly. What is exponential growth? Is it possible for each of us? A platform is a continually moving, growing and improving yet stable. This may seem like an oxymoron, but this will become clear as we begin a discussion of the tools we will use.
Tools and Materials.
We will discuss in depth social media--Facebook and Twitter; which is better; how they differ; and how to develop their effectiveness. Branding - establishing a well known name/logo. Is a website that important? What is a blog and where does it come into play? Other tools--book reviews, interviews, book trailers, book launches, and other tools.
Summary and Q & A.
There may be some carry over from session V and then a summary. You will be able to ask questions throughout the workshop sessions, but this will be a time for those questions that didn't get answered to your satisfaction. I will stay as long as there are questions.
I will shamelessly promote my own historical fiction Night of the Cossack throughout the sessions (sharing my experience) and will have a book signing during breaks and at the end of the workshop.