Slides from presentation given to the Independent Writers of Chicago on March 10, 2015. Reasons for building a social platform for your writing. Essential to make website. Pros and cons of using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Offline tools to build writer platform.

1. Building Your Author Platform:
The New Rules
Michael McCallister
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015

2. Ask questions any time!
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015

3. Who am I?
• Senior Document Architect, PKWARE
• Books about openSUSE Linux and WordPress
• Blog: Notes from the Metaverse (metaverse.wordpress com)
• President, Society for Technical Communication, Wisconsin Chapter
• National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981, At Large chapter
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015

4. Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015

5. What We’re Covering
●
Why Build an Author Platform
●
Building a Platform Online
●
Finding Your Audience the Old-Fashioned Way
Michael McCallister, STC-Wisconsin September 2014

6. Why Build a Platform?
● Building Authority
● Finding Audience
● Find Clients (and work!)

7. When do you start
building your platform?

8. Quick Survey

9. Building a Platform Online,
aka Social Media for Writers
● Website/Blog
● Twitter
● Facebook
● LinkedIn
● Google+

10. Your Home Base: Your Website
Why?
● Space that belongs to you
● Where your fans can find you
● Build a mailing list
● Educate
● Promote
Components
● Blog
● Portfolio
● Contact Form
● Social Buttons
● Buy my book!

11. Twitter
Why?
● Attract people to content
● Build trust
● Where your fans can find you
● Share how you got to be smart
Components
● Share interesting content (not
yours)
● Be accessible
● Be funny
● Be human
● Promote

12. Facebook
Why?
● Billions of users
● You can separate personal from
professional
● Where your fans can find you
● Share how you got to be smart
Why Not?
● Your audience may only want to
hang out with friends/family
● You have very little control over
who sees your content
● Rules keep changing

13. Build Your Author Platform on Facebook
● Share content on Page
● Visit groups of potential readers
● Interact with potential readers
● Like other pages
● Offer a freebie
● Today: 1310 Likes!

14. LinkedIn
Why?
● Your audience is professional,
career-oriented
● Find sources
● Company Pages
● Publishing Platform
Components
● Personal profile
● Company page
● Professional Publishing Platform
● Groups
● Promote

15. Google+
Why?
● Active Communities
● Hangouts
● Company Pages
● Connection to Search
Components
● Circles
● Personal profile
● Company page
● Communities

16. Building a Platform the Old Fashioned Way,
Well Sorta
● Articles
● Speaking/Teaching
● Webinars and Podcasts
● Traditional Media

17. New Article Venues
● Guest Posts
● Medium
● Contributoria
● Getting Paid

18. Finding Speaking and Teaching Gigs
● Meetups
● Formal and Semi-Formal Educational Venues
● Co-Working Environments

19. Online Audio/Visuals:
Webinars, Hangouts and Podcasts
Webinars: You talk, show slides
● GoToWebinar
● BrightTalk
● YouTube/Vimeo
Live Video
● Google Hangouts
● LiveStream
Podcasts: Your own radio show
● BlogTalkRadio
● Spreaker
● iTunes
● Stitcher

20. Traditional Media
● Public (News) Radio
● Talk Radio
● Beat reporters
● Help a Reporter Out

21. Getting in on the Ground Floor:
Some New Social Networks
● Ello: No ads, lotsa pictures
● Known: Open source, sharing your content with the world on your terms

22. Resources
● Unbearable Lightness of Tweeting:
http://theatln.tc/1Bh1DOC
● Blogs that Pay:
http://bit.ly/1CgfunO
● Medium.com
● Contributoria.com
● Ello.co (I have invites)
● Known: www.withknown.com

23. Connect with Me
• Web: michaelmccallister.com
• Twitter: @workingwriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.MichaelMcCallister
• Build Your Author Platform on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JelenPublishing
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/workingwriter
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015

24. Questions?
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015