Building Your Indie Author Platform and Community: 6 Actions to Take
Your indie author platform is your ability to get your books into the hands of readers.
If you’ve ever been to a book signing, the connections are palpable. Because people have read your books, a deep level of intimacy is generated.
You’ve given your readers a part of yourself.
In an effort to share and to be good stewards of this level of intimacy, your readers recommend and talk about your stories with others.
Before you know it, you’ve built a community of readers of YOUR books.
As an indie author, you must actively build your platform and community!
Here are some ideas to build the hype around YOU and YOUR BOOKS!
1. Have Your Own Author Website
If you don’t already have a website, it is a critical step in building your author platform and community.
Your indie author website is integral in serving as a platform from which your community comes together to share the feels and experiences that your books generate.
While social media is a great way to build your platform and community (more on this below), it’s like putting all of your marketing eggs in one basket.
Furthermore, that basket is sitting on rented land! Without having your own website, if and when something happens to the social media platform you’ve poured your heart, soul and time into, you’re left adrift.
With your own author website, you call the shots without being subjected to the whims of algorithms and temperamental trends.
In fact, it could be argued that it is your single most important marketing strategy, as explained in the blog post, 5 Ways Your Indie Author Website Does the Marketing for You.
After all, your author website is the very foundation of your platform! Without it, it will be very challenging to grow.
AND . . . if you want to sell your books directly, you will need to have your own website.
However, you do not have to fumble your way alone! No matter where you are on your author and website journey, Mint Copy Services has affordable options!
2. Reach Out to Authors in Your Genre
How are you supposed to build an author platform and a community of readers if no one knows you exist?
Build a community of author friends. Do this genuinely by talking about and reviewing their books. Engage them in conversations by asking them questions about their books and their journey as an author.
Support and promote their work and become part of the writing community. Then, when it’s your turn, you will have someone who has gone before you, cheering you on!
When it’s time to release your book, ask if you can write a guest post for their blog or newsletter, or if you can prepare reels or posts for their social media.
This way, you’re getting in front of your author friends’ already-established audiences!
You can do this to:
promote your book
create an ARC team
find beta readers
build a street team
gather reviews
host giveaways
Since you and your author friends likely write in the same genre, their audience will probably enjoy your books, too!
3. Be Social and Build Connections on Social Media
While it is important to keep in mind that social media is transient (as noted above), it can be used to build your community.
Use hashtags to find other authors in your genre and to find readers who would enjoy your books.
Join Facebook groups of and for authors and for book signings and events. As noted above, building relationships with other authors can lead to future connections.
When you’ve gotten the lay of the rented land, consider creating your own author Instagram profile and/or your own author Facebook page, for example.
Host or join Lives and Q&As. You’ll be amazed by the number of people in the comments and by those who watch the replay . . . all wanting to add YOUR BOOK to their TBR!
Especially when used in conjunction with other strategies, social media can help your author platform gain greater reach and can help your readers see that you’re a real person.
4. Attend Book Signings and Events
As noted in the introduction of this blog post, the energy and enthusiasm at book signings are palpable.
Even if you don’t feel established enough (yet), attending signings gets your name out there, thus increasing the reach of your author platform and builds your community.
Readers spend hundreds of dollars to meet authors, both known and new-to-them, and you want to be one of them.
Even though many readers buy books at signings and events, many do not. They are there to share the hype and to find new authors. Have bookmarks, postcards and stickers ready to hand out to everyone who stops by your table. Talk with readers about the books they like and about your books.
Add to the hype and energy!
In addition to talking with readers, also talk with other authors. Make connections, learn from each other, and spread the joy about your shared passion. You never know where a connection and a new friend might lead!
Regardless of where you are in your author journey, you’ll be amazed by how welcoming and genuine the book community is . . . and YOU are part of it! 🥹
5. Write a Newsletter
Having an email list full of your biggest fans who have subscribed to hear from YOU is the definition of building your author platform.
Plus, having your very own newsletter caters to your strength of being an author! Not sure what to write about? Remember that your subscribers have signed up to hear about your:
current WIP
title reveals
cover reveals
sneak peeks
bonus scenes
deleted scenes
behind the scenes
pets . . . yes, really!
Sending out a regular newsletter to your ride or dies will have a snowball effect in building your platform, since your readers will appreciate being seen as getting a sneak peek into your world and talking with you about what you all have in common:
LOVE FOR YOUR BOOKS = TRUE COMMUNITY!
6. Create a Blog
After you have your author website up and running, consider writing regular blog posts.
Posting regular content on your website:
Drives additional traffic to your website (see the blog post, Easy Indie Author Website Tweaks to Boost Book Sales to learn how Google brings you the ultimate HEA),
Increases your reach = your ability to get your books into readers’ (both current and future) hands
Builds connections with your readers = builds community
Just like with your newsletter, you can tap into your area of genius to connect with your readers. Write about what’s going on for you behind the scenes:
How did you come up with your latest story idea?
Who’s your favorite character?
What is your writing routine?
What do you do if you’re hitting a wall?
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Do you have any kids or pets?
Again, it’s all about sharing and building community.
And because they feel they are part of your community, they will want to share these experiences and your books with others! 💞
Building your author platform and author community takes time, but you don’t have to go it alone!
No matter where you are in your journey, Mint Copy Services is here to help!
Overwhelmed and not sure where to start? Let’s chat and plot next steps together!
Your supportive side character,
Lisa