Speaking of art, welcome to my new site! Isn’t it pretty? I’m having a little too much fun playing with this (for those that are new, let’s just say that there were some growing pains to get here). When I first started this blog, it’s safe to say that I had NO idea what I was doing, although I had a lot of fun figuring out just how little I knew. Seriously, the hours just fly by when you’re doing this, don’t they? Anyways, I finally decided to take the plunge and upgrade seoulofawriter, which now has a lovely .com after its name. Besides the fantastic new layout, this also means that it’ll make my site that much easier for people to find. And for an author (especially a debut one), that’s really REALLY important.
One of the most surprising things that I’ve learned on this journey is just how important having a platform is. I mean, I knew that authors should be in touch with their readers, but there’s a difference between being online and having a platform. Publishers expect authors to be in control of their social media marketing, and they look for that already established platform when considering debut authors. It’s all very well and good, except if you’re like me and so focused on, oh I don’t know, writing the book that you don’t have time to build that platform.
You don’t have to go all SEO crazy (search engine optimization) – or at least not just yet – but if you don’t have social media, I highly encourage it. I personally love Instagram, which was great to share photos of my research trip to Asia, and think every writer should be on Goodreads. I’ll admit, my publicist had to drag me to agree to sign up for Twitter, but I’m on there! Not very active yet, but still there. 😉
It’s quick and easy to set up the accounts, and the best way to put you in touch with people who share your same interests…and hopefully reading/writing interests! And if you’re interested in learning a little bit more about marketing, at least from the social media aspect, I found this article to be a good start in learning about optimal times to do online boosts. Not sure what to share? Here’s are some more sites that will help you get started:
Set aside an afternoon, sit down with your laptop and drink of choice (Thai Bubble Tea for me, every time), and have fun exploring the exciting world of social media marketing! As always, feel free to comment below and share what you’ve been doing/what works for you.
And I’m VERY EXCITED to announce that in my next post I will have all the things. Remember that: ALL THE THINGS.
