What are the best digital tools for authors to use? How can you build up your online branding presence? What are good foundations for an author platform? All great questions, and all questions I hear this weekend when I spoke at an event. I realized that authors I talk to are usually seeking three kinds of information at workshops, conferences and talks.
First, authors want to know specific advice about who to contact to take their next step toward writing, publishing or marketing a book.
Second, authors want to get an idea of context. With so many options for tools, pricing and services, what is "average" and what should they expect in return for a given cost?
Third, authors want specific tools. What should we use for publishing and marketing?
I'm going to try and touch on all three topics this week and present my personal (drumroll)...
Author's Digital Branding Platform Suite
OK, I probably overdid it on the keywords with the subheader. But these five tools are fantastic, and I recommend them all. I'll talk about what they are and how to use them over the next week.
1. Authorlicious: It's a Wordpress theme designed specifically for authors. I'll look at the features that make it easy to use and especially helpful for authors with little web experience.
2. Writer.ly: A marketplace like Elance for authors where you can find, price, and compare freelance vendor services at any stage. Even DIY authors can't actually do everything yourself. Writer.ly is the best place I've seen to find author-specific freelancers.
3. WriterCube: A target audience marketing tool with an outreach database. This tool could have its own series for a week there is so much goodness happening within it. I'll break down the key benefits for a motivated author.
4. Shindig: A video chat tool specifically for author blog tours. I'll show you why it has a leg up on the other video services like Google Hangouts and YouTube for blog tours.
5. Ganxy: A sleek widget for authors to sell and give away books from their website. I'll dig into why it's better than the rest.
Image source: sleepyneko via flickr
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