Bigger RepuationAre you feeling a little low on the literary street-cred list? Ready to build a bigger reputation as a writer?

While writing can be a solitary experience, a writer has to break out of his/her shell in order to do any self-promotion. There are steps you can take each day to improve and expand upon your reputation as a writer, and we’ve outlined them below. Let the 7-Step Program begin!

7 Steps To A Bigger Reputation As A Writer

Step One: Get An Author Website. There’s no doubt that an author website is the new business card. Creating an author website lets everyone know you’re serious about your craft. Remember: As your author platform grows, your author website will grow too—and you can have it for a lifetime! Find out how to get a fantastic website at a great value.

Step Two: Sketch Out A Social Media Strategy. With so many options to choose from (Facebook, Google+, Goodreads, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, and on and on…), it shouldn’t be too hard to find a social media platform that speaks to you. Use social media to promote your latest work, tell friends, fans, and family a little about what you’re up to and what future endeavors lie ahead. Learn more: Author Platform Tool Kit.

Step Three: Show Your Face. The writing community is huge—like, ginormous—and to stay (or become) relevant, you’ve got to be an active participant. Showing your face (and showing off your writing chops) at writers conferences and other events is a great way to build an audience and get to know your fellow writers. And what better way to build a good reputation as a writer than meeting other writers face-to-face? (Be sure to direct everyone to your author website before your leave!)

Step Four: Ask Friends And Family To Spread The Word. Let this be the one instance in which you’re not embarrassed by your mother’s bragging about you. Tell the people you love and trust the most to shout it from the rooftops that you’re a writer, and a good one at that! They can tell their friends, and their friends’ friends, to check out your author website or to start following you on Twitter.

Step Five: Reward Your Fans With A Contest Or Giveaway. Who doesn’t love free stuff? One sure way to keep people interested (and to make them want to promote you and spread the word about your writing) is to offer a giveaway or host a fun writing contest. If you’re enthusiastic about promoting yourself as a writer, others will be enthusiastic too. It’s infectious! And contests are a great way to give back to your friends and fans.

Step Six: Submit Your Work Regularly. Getting your name out there isn’t just about word of mouth and making personal appearances. Submit your work regularly  and editors of literary journals will be more likely to remember your name. Submitting and getting your work accepted is a great way to stay active as a writer, build an audience of readers, and share your work with the writing community.

Step Seven: Keep At It! Building a reputation as a writer and maintaining your author platform requires a lot of legwork, but it’s absolutely necessary to stay relevant. Be active on your social media platform—or platforms!—keep your website up-to-date, get out in the world and interact with other writers, and, most importantly, write! Eventually, it’ll all feel like second nature.

Next time you’re feeling a little anonymous in Writer Land, take another look at these steps and consider how you can implement these ideas in your writing life.

 

QUESTION: Which of these steps have you practiced or found most beneficial to building your reputation and author platform?

2 Comments

  1. Amicia Rai

    A website is, in my opinion, the most important step to make. As you’ve already mentioned, I think that it helps people get the feeling that you are very serious about your writing. Which of course you should be.
    Even if you are only starting out, if you have a public place where you can promote your work to a worldwide audience, it will be a lot easier for people to find you.
    For those who are not experienced with the cost of having your own website, I can assure you that it is very cheap if you are mostly posting writing content. Text takes up very little bandwidth space, which means that you can find hosting for just $5 a month. There is of course the option of starting a free blog without having to pay anything. But these blogs (in my opinion) do not look professional, and they will often have advertisements placed in random parts of your website.
    If you can spare a little money, I definitely think that every author should have their won website, with their original domain name.

    Reply
  2. Rey nux

    i think it’s good to see a sample website just to have a look about how the actual website of mine would look like in the future when i can comfortably spare my precious cash to put on the table. this is practically so especially for those people who are disabled or jobless and house bound not earning any income. i think a taster website may be more practical and inviting. later on a selective advertising option may be accepted as m it seem fit to be accepted for a certain fee to cover the hosting cost

    Reply

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