The Organised Author #4

Today I am sharing some more challenges from the Organised Author event created by my esteemed indie author colleague Cindy Tomamichel, as part of our Sparkly Badgers Unite indie author writing group on Facebook. The challenges are designed to help you focus on becoming more organised as an author and also act as a handy guide to make sure you haven't forgotten anything crucial to your marketing efforts,

Last time we covered Book Shortlinks, Twitter, Tweets and Google +. If you missed that post, you can catch up here.

Today I'll be sharing tips on the following:

1. Goodreads

2. Author website

3. Blog/newsletter

4. Misc. Social Media

Goodreads

I love Goodreads. I was an active member long before I published my first book and since publishing, I have created my author profile which you can have a look at here.

I have, of course, added all my books but I've also created reading shelves so I can save books I want to read in the future. I follow, and friend other avid readers and indie authors. I review every book I read and love it when a reader takes the time to review mine. There are lots of active book groups, genre groups and even review groups available to join so check it out! They also have widgets you can use on your website and/or blog, like the one on here which lists the books I've recently read.

Website

These days every indie author should have a website and it doesn't have to be complicated. There are lots of free website builders out there like Wix or Weebly. You can even host your website on your WordPress blog. Once your website is up and running make sure you keep it up to date - sounds obvious but it's easy to forget. Put your social media links on every page so visitors can share what they find. Keep it simple, attractive and easy to navigate. Here's mine, let me know what you think.

Blog - Newsletter

Obviously, I have a blog - you're reading it! It's a great platform for a number of things, one is writing random stuff, sharing things I've learnt and sometimes, having a big, fat moan. It's a reason to write regularly - I write weekly, always good practice, and having a blog gives your readers an insight into your inner thoughts.

A newsletter is another way to connect with readers, they want to know what you're up to and you have the ability to share extras, sneak peeks and freebies. My advice - don't bombard your subscribers! I do have an email newsletter and I would be honoured if you'd like to subscribe or even if you just want to receive one to see my layout and content for ideas. Here is the sign-up link - Claire Buss Author Newsletter.

Misc. Social Media

I'm sure you know there are lots, and lots, of social media platforms out there, the big question is which ones should be on. The answer there is whichever ones you enjoy using. If Instagram is your thing then snap away and build an author profile on there. You can't do everything so if there's a platform you're not enjoying then delete your details and focus on the ones you do enjoy. Authors can get great feedback and interested new readers from Pinterest, Wattpad, Medium, Instagram and YouTube to name a few. Go ahead, click on the links, have a nose around - see what you like the look of and then commit. You need to make sure your author profile is up to date on all your platforms and don't forget you can cross promote. Use Canva to create a promo image to use on Twitter, inviting people to follow you on other platforms. Go out there and cross-pollinate!

There's plenty more to cover so if you have any questions on what I've mentioned so far, don't hesitate to get in touch and I'll be back with the next instalment soon.