Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leveraging the Internet to Sell More Books

by Stephanie Chandler

The buzz word in publishing houses and at writer's conferences these days is platform. As in, What is the author's platform? With more than 175,000 new titles published each year, publishers want to sign authors who are capable of helping to sell their book. The platform may be that the author is a widely syndicated columnist, is the internationally acclaimed expert in his field, or is a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Or perhaps the author is a New York City television news anchor. These types of platforms make a publisher's mouth water. But what about authors who aren't widely known or acclaimed? How does the ordinary guy build a credible platform? The the Internet. Today you can build an international platform right from your kitchen table even if your kitchen table is in Manhattan . . . Kansas.

Genres: Writing

143 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2008

About the author

Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including "The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan" and "The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan." Stephanie is also CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, a vibrant community for writers, and the Nonfiction Writers Conference, an annual event conducted entirely online since 2010. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur, BusinessWeek, Writer's Digest, The Writer, and Wired magazine.

See also Facebook.com/NonfictionAuthorsAssocia....

Reviews

[Andrew Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid advice in here, but a lot of sections I skimmed over because the methods felt outdated today

[Erica Verrillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This little book should have been a blog. That is to say, Stephanie Chandler documents her own experience marketing her books, and has little to say about anything that falls outside her niche. Nonetheless, the book has some noteworthy features, particularly her examples of how to write engaging letters to businesses, media, and other possible sources of building a platform.

The book was published in 2008, so it's a given that anything Chandler has to say about epublishing is outdated, especially her information on Amazon. Many of the links are to organizations and businesses that no longer exist - but, to be fair, this will be true of any book with links. (Internet sites come and go with alarming speed.) But the real problem with her links was not that they were all dead - a surprising number were still alive! - but that she had not checked them for quality. She includes the good, the bad, and the ugly with no thought as to how reliable or reputable the site may be. (When a site has an Alexa ranking of 22,000,000 you have to wonder...)

On the positive side, Chandler did mention a number of angles that I had not previously considered. I did not necessarily stick to her recommendations, but it certainly set my mind to thinking of ways to market a book that do not include bookstores. Her chapter on building your expert status was particularly good. (I ended up signing up for Hubpages and Buzzle - two article distributors that she did not mention, but without reading that chapter I would never have found them.)

All in all, if you use this book as a workbook, looking up your own sites as you go, you can get some use out of it. If you want something with greater detail, or which will apply to books other than those which tell you how to market books, go elsewhere.

[Michelle Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just received this book last week since I was a contributor. I started reading it yesterday and have been taking many notes. Everyone who wants to make more sales as an author, no matter how experienced you are, will learn something from this book. I am not done with the book yet but already have pages of notes!

[Kistilan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to understand how Public Relations, Networking and Outsourcing work together for the aspiring writer. If you're going to start a large project and try to make money by what you write, this is definitely a good book to read. I recommend combining this book with a webdesign/graphic design book if you're about to start making an online platform.

[Tom M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading several bloggers say they liked this book I was eager to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype.

Chandler does an okay job of presenting her material. Very little of it is new or beyond the realm of common sense. She does a very good job of promoting herself and her books throughout the book, which I suspect, is the real reason she wrote this book.

[Sherri Moorer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a good guide to getting started with Internet Publicity. Most of it is common sense type advice, like setting up a website and blogging, but it's a good overview for new writers to consult in getting started with internet publicity.

[Jan Deelstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chandler packs a bunch of info into this small volume on platform building. Written/released in 2008 means that a LOT of changes/advances have taken place since it was written; regardless of the lightspeed evolution of technology, this still offers viable tips.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with useful, practical information. The section on building a website is quite specific.

[Bonita Rose]

Heard about this one, and it's got great reviews.. as building a successful online platform is so key for my upcoming book, this is one I need to read!