Author Buzz

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Author Buzz Blog

smiling man in blue suit sitting by the table — Getting a literary agent is a dream for many writers. A literary agent can help you navigate the publishing industry, negotiate contracts, and provide valuable advice and support. However, the process of finding and securing an agent can be daunting and confusing. Here are some things that writers need to […]

Things a Writer Needs to Know About Getting an Agent

1st March 2023 in Agents tagged Author / sell more books / tips by Guest Writer

colorful abstract wallpaper — One way to increase blog engagement is to make it more visual. Simply adding some related imagery can make a blog post seem more inviting. You can go further of course. How about taking your camera out to take photographs of things that could act as places, ideas, or moods […]

Platform Building with Blogs: Use visual flair

25th February 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / blogging / food / galleries / images / mood boards / photograph by Matthew Brown

close up of beer bottles on wood — One powerful way to increase engagement on social media is to pose open-ended questions. Such questions can often start a conversation (or even an argument). This will make your social media account seem more lively and evidently engaging. Try it out and let me know how you get on.

Platform Building Tip: Ask questions on social media

18th February 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / questions / social media by Matthew Brown

assorted color umbrellas — One excellent way to increase engagement is to offer engagement. This week, think about taking part in things like Follow Friday. Tweets/toots shouting out special or interesting follows is good for both you and the people you shout out. After all, I’m pretty sure that when people offer you attention […]

Platform Building: Tweeting/Tooting nice

11th February 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / MuseMonday / social media / ThrillerThursday / Twitter by Matthew Brown

Thomas Leeds (author) — The BBC published a story about children’s author Thomas Leeds. As a teenager, Thomas Leeds was hit by a car and lost his entire memory. Twenty years on, having learned to read and write again, his children’s adventure book has been published to much hype and a 10-way fight for […]

Thomas Leeds: The author who lost his memory and had ...

6th February 2023 in Authors tagged BBC / memory / Thomas Leeds by Matthew Brown

man in gray sweater talking to audience — While many of us writers like to stay home with a good book, we need to get out there and be seen. Public speaking opportunities allow you to reach new readers, gain new followers, and impress agents. Every time you get to speak at an event, book club, or anywhere […]

Platform building tip: Become a public speaker

4th February 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / public speaking by Matthew Brown

crop concentrated ethnic businesswoman with smartphone — One important part of your platform is building your email list. It might not be fun and I might not like lists, but they matter. One way only you can build your list is to offer something only your can offer. This free gift for signing up could be a […]

Platform Building: Free gifts for lists

28th January 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / email list / free by Matthew Brown

Mastodon is the fast-growing alternative to Twitter. Mastodon is similar to Twitter but it is not owned by any one person so rich people cannot buy it and spoil it. I recommend the Tusky app for Mastodon as that has worked out well for me. All platform prompts that talk […]

Discover Mastodon

21st January 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Mastodon / social media / Twitter by Matthew Brown

woman holding black camera — We’ve suggested before that you need to make sure you have a good quality profile photograph. In addition to that, it can be helpful to have additional photographs that the press can use when writing about you. One way to get some great photographs are local photography clubs. Try contacting […]

Platform Building: Local photographers

14th January 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / photograph by Matthew Brown

shallow focus photo of man holding floor brush ceramic figurine — It’s a brand new year so that means time to tidy up our social media. However, that would be boring so let’s make it into a game. Note: While this is about Twitter, you should be able to apply the same ideas to other social media things. Twitter clean up: […]

Platform Prompt: New year; new you: Twitter clean up

7th January 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / social media / Twitter by Matthew Brown

man in red jacket riding bicycle on white water wave — JetPack is a popular plugin for WordPress bloggers. This is probably because JetPack offered easy sharing, in-depth stats, and a host of other useful features. Mostly the automatic and easy sharing though. I say, offered, because things have changed. Now, users on a free plan are capped at 30 shares […]

It may be time to give up on JetPack

3rd January 2023 in Blogs and blogging by Matthew Brown

people toasting wine glasses — As the year draws to a close, this is the perfect time to talk about the year ahead. You could create a blog post listing five (or seven, or ten…) things you hope to achieve this year. You could make a blog post on ten predictions (guesses) about the year […]

Platform Building Tip: The year ahead

31st December 2022 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / blogging / new year by Matthew Brown