Finding your voice as an author
Something's been troubling me lately about this whole self-publishing, building my author platform thing. Do I actually have a voice if no one is listening?
I came across a great quote from J.K. Rowling on Facebook today:- "No story lives unless someone wants to listen". I also saw an author blog discussion on why publishing multiple books is not the way to get you noticed if your audience isn't big enough in the first place. I agree very much with both these sentiments, though they are quite defeatist in nature.
You know those annoying (I mean really lovely, popular people) who attract social media followers by the dozen and people hang off their every word, even if it's not really about anything at all? Well, those people are influencers, rightly or wrongly and something about what they say or how they say it makes others want to listen. They have a voice because they have an audience.
What do I need to do to get that? Sure, I have a published book now and social media channels and I write blogs but if very few people are actively engaging by commenting, buying, liking etc, then does this writing mean anything?
What comes first? Being a good writer, or being popular enough to have your writing liked?
So, yes, this post may sound a little despairing but I'm genuinely interested to hear what others think. I'm not giving up and would love to open a discussion on how others have crossed that line between being a nobody and a somebody. Was there something you can identify that enabled you to break through your personal sphere of influence, that other writers could genuinely try to incorporate in their own efforts.
Thanks for the feedback in advance. Would love to know how you found your audience, or how you cope on the days when you are not quite finding it.
I came across a great quote from J.K. Rowling on Facebook today:- "No story lives unless someone wants to listen". I also saw an author blog discussion on why publishing multiple books is not the way to get you noticed if your audience isn't big enough in the first place. I agree very much with both these sentiments, though they are quite defeatist in nature.
You know those annoying (I mean really lovely, popular people) who attract social media followers by the dozen and people hang off their every word, even if it's not really about anything at all? Well, those people are influencers, rightly or wrongly and something about what they say or how they say it makes others want to listen. They have a voice because they have an audience.
What do I need to do to get that? Sure, I have a published book now and social media channels and I write blogs but if very few people are actively engaging by commenting, buying, liking etc, then does this writing mean anything?
What comes first? Being a good writer, or being popular enough to have your writing liked?
So, yes, this post may sound a little despairing but I'm genuinely interested to hear what others think. I'm not giving up and would love to open a discussion on how others have crossed that line between being a nobody and a somebody. Was there something you can identify that enabled you to break through your personal sphere of influence, that other writers could genuinely try to incorporate in their own efforts.
Thanks for the feedback in advance. Would love to know how you found your audience, or how you cope on the days when you are not quite finding it.
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Chantelle
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Jan 29, 2017 03:43AM
I think it takes time, lots and lots of time. It also takes give and take, for instance, following, sharing and commenting on other blogs (only ones you are genuinely interested in, or it's meaningless and time-consuming) The same goes for Twitter and Facebook, share and follow and comment and engage with what interests, inspires or helps you, and you will start to build connections, plus if you are sharing the content of others, you are adding to your own content if that makes sense. Be consistent is another thing; post on your blog weekly if you can and post on your chosen social media sites a few times a day. Get the audience involved, start debates and encourage interaction and discussion. Giveaways and so on. There are lots and lots of things you can do, and they will all slowly add to your profile or platform. As for something that helped move things forward, for me personally it was writing articles for Author's Publish, who are always open to submissions about writing. My first two articles were two years back now and I had a huge increase on my page and my blog of comments and follows. There are still plenty of days when the reach is terrible and no one comments though. Out of those people, a handful have gone on to buy my books, so it's a very slow process of building up that audience, who genuinely connect with what you do and will come back for more.
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Thanks Chantelle. Really appreciate you having a read and sharing your tips and experiences. You've just posted a blog on your page about ways to increase your audience and I'm going to see what I can do to incorporate these ideas. Very helpful! Sounds like there is no magic cure though. It seems it happens over time with persistence and good content, sharing techniques!
