The Importance of a Platform as an Author

Authors and Readers Need Each Other

Without my readers, my books are just a bunch of words on a page. ~ Red Phoenix

When I first looked into getting published, all I heard was, "You need a platform." I thought, Well, that's nice. How do I get one? I did a lot of research on the web and discovered the best way to develop one as a newbie like me was through social sites like Twitter and Facebook. I will admit that the thought of spending hours on different sites seemed like a waste of writing time. I was not thrilled.

I started writing my short "quickies" Sensual Erotica and published them on Smashwords. The author's page asked for my Twitter account, Facebook account, blog, etc. What's a girl to do?

So, I dutifully (and a little resentfully) created them. Let me tell you, it is embarrassing to have conversations with thin air. I felt like an idiot writing thoughts and announcing books to an audience of zero. I determined in my head to promote myself, but it wasn't Red Phoenix who was writing the announcements. No. It was RP, my dedicated and talented PR person! ;)

My very first fan (who was not a friend at the time) was a kindhearted woman named Donna. She loved all my Sensual Erotica books and remains a true-blue fan still. It was the most exciting thing in the world to get her comments and have an actual conversation with a real live reader. It has grown since then. I now have conversations with readers and authors on Twitter, FB, Goodreads and Shelfari. It is a gas! My peeps inspire me, encourage me, and make me laugh. 

Once upon a time, I thought creating a platform was purely to create readership. Now? I know that it is part of my lifeblood as an author. I would be less without a connection to my readers.

Playing Around with Shelfari

Recently, I was introduced to Amazon's site called Shelfari. It's a place readers can go to review and talk about their favorite books - even add extra details. It also allows the author to interact with the fans and give a little info behind the books.

As a new writer, you learn about websites you never knew existed. I remember how thrilled I was to find my work Sensual Erotica: Loving Amy reviewed on a website called Goodreads. It was so exciting that I took the time to put all of my writing on the site and made some friends there to boot. :)

However, I noticed while looking at the description of the same short story on Amazon that someone had listed all the characters of Loving Amy on the Shelfari site. Imagine a reader so excited about your story that they take the time and effort to list who all the characters are. It totally blew me away. I just wanted to hug the person!

Since then, I have been going through my published work and providing a ridiculously simplified synopsis (140 characters or less) for each one. So much fun! I also include a discussion question to see what readers think about certain issues brought up in the books. Example:

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis for Loving Amy ~ Boy wants girl. Girl wants boy. Mistletoe gets in the way... 

Discussion Question: Have you ever had someone you wanted, but fate just seemed dead set against it?

Of course, all of this takes time - and time away from writing is precious but I believe it will prove well spent. I am always open to interacting with readers in a new way and having a little fun in the process.

I will post at a later date if I still feel Shelfari is a good investment for authors.