You might be saying, the role of the author is not secret we all know what authors do... they write books! Well, yes and no. Authors do write books, but that's a nebulous job description, and even then it doesn't tell the whole story. There are lots of things that happen behind the scenes, and the role of author is evolving over time, changing everyday, and taking on entirely new dimensions because of the digital shift.
So, what do authors do with their time? Is it all spent at a typewriter in the woods? Or on a laptop in the coffee shop?
What does today's author need to do that didn't even exist when our image of a writer hunched over a typewriter in a smoke-filled room formed more than 50 years ago?
1. Marketing: Even 20 years ago an author didn't have the time or the means to reach readers. That's what agents and marketing departments were for. An author was responsible for writing the next book and delivering it on time. But these days, an author needs to build a personal author platform, and that means learning how to market yourself and spending time each day making it happen.
2. Networking: Especially for self-publishing authors, knowing a lot of people who are attacking similar problems and challenges is essential. And if you want to get out there and grow your audience, you'll need partners on that quest. No longer is the author a totally isolated person dropping wisdom on pages from some distant smoky room...
3. Service Research: In the old model, an author had to query agents and get signed, then the agent queried publishers, and then the publishers took care of the marketing, PR, and anything else needed. These days an author needs to research ebooks, marketing options, and anything else that needs an informed decision. There are too many new options everyday that are popping up to let someone else do it for you!
Image source: San José Library via flickr
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