Author Buzz

Where Authors & Readers find each other

Author Platform

An author’s platform is the totality of the author’s ability to command or engage the interest of others. Specifically the author’s ability to engage the interest of potential readers. Typically, a platform strategy would include a blog, social media, press releases, and a mailing list.

It might be said that an author’s platform is the number of people that they can reach who will be happy to hear from them.

For a detailed introduction to Author Platforms please see our post “A comprehensive introduction to author platforms“.

See also: Followers, Fans, and Readers

Related concepts: Publicity, Audience, and PR

Most of you will probably know that Sanderson refused to use Audible for some reason projects because he felt they were taking advantage of indie authors. In a recent blog post, Sanderson announced the big news that Audible had listened and was taking action. I felt that the industry was […]

Brandon Sanderson changes audiobooks for the better

17th April 2024 in Writer News tagged Audible / audiobooks / Author Platform / Brandon Sanderson by Matthew Brown

pages on an opened book — Hodder & Stoughton (a publisher that is part of Hachette UK) are offering a free workbook with pre-orders of The Third Perspective by Africa Brooke. I could find exactly nothing at all to say what would be in that workbook. While you can preorder here (T&Cs apply) Hodder’s news feed […]

Hodder offers bonus workbook for some other book where some ...

7th March 2024 in Writer News tagged Africa Brooke / Author Platform / Hachette UK / Hodder / Hodder & Stoughton / influencer by Matthew Brown

Previously, I recommended authors shift from Twitter to Mastodon. In this post, I am going to give some hints and tips for how to get the most out of Mastodon as a writer. First, some notes Here is a poll of what Mastodon users love most about Mastodon. Here is […]

A Writers’ Guide to Mastodon (with Dark Side tricks)

9th February 2024 in Social Media tagged Author Platform / authors / CammelCaseYourTags / dark side / instances / introduction / LikeThis / Mastodon / SuperbOwl / writers by Matthew Brown

As you might guess from the name, Author Buzz is a project that started in the UK and the focus will always have a UK slant to it. However, our community is open to book enthusiasts from all over the world. We do not discriminate. Whoever you are, you are […]

A Fediverse #Introduction to Author Buzz UK

25th January 2024 in Site News tagged Author Platform / authors / books / introduction / writers by Matthew Brown

If you are a writer looking to grow a lively community around your writing, Author Buzz UK might have exactly what you need. You can create a free forum and enable email updates to subscribers to keep them informed on the discussion going on. In this article, I’m going to […]

A free forum for every author

22nd September 2023 in Using Author Buzz tagged Author Platform / forum / groups / guide by Matthew Brown

With what is going on over at Twitter I have revised our Twitter advice for authors. If you are still on Twitter, I strongly recommend that you jump ship to somewhere more reliable. Somewhere like Mastodon for example. What is Mastodon? Do you wonder about this Mastodon thing? Fear not. […]

Abandon Twitter for Mastodon if you have not already

17th July 2023 in Platform Building Prompts tagged Author Platform / Mastodon / social media by Matthew Brown

group of people reading book sitting on chair — Are you, like me, an aspiring writer, a seasoned author, and/or a book lover? Do you want to connect with others like us? Look no further. I invite you to embark on an exciting journey – come join me in the thriving community of writers and book lovers on Mastodon. […]

Discover the Thriving Book & Writer Communities: Join Us on ...

18th June 2023 in Love Books / Social Media tagged Author Platform / authors / books / Mastodon / readers / social media / writers by Matthew Brown

bionic hand and human hand finger pointing — Recently I grilled ChatGPT about what it would take to be a full-time author and writer in the UK. A lot of what the AI said was common sense. It sounded right although you should probably do your own homework as ChatGPT is very good at being confidently wrong. My […]

Everything you need to know about being a UK author ...

8th May 2023 in Advice tagged Author Platform / blogging / ChatGPT / demographics / guide / hard work / ideas / networking / questions / readers / sell more books / social media / success / technology by Matthew Brown

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

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