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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Platform » Page 5

Platform

Caution: Loose Platform Planks

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 11, 2018
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I love learning about authors on the internet. And as a literary agent, I enjoy the internet and find connections there that would be otherwise difficult to find and maintain. But as professionals, we must be cautious about what we share on any level.

One reason is that we all know the internet is forever. Consider Blake Shelton’s recent woes over old tweets. He is not alone. When I was investigating new insurance agents last week, I found comments posted years ago. I shy away from reviewing books (“Wow, her agent gave her book five stars!”) but have posted other reviews. These tidbits of information seem harmless enough. Although I do have to say, one site listed my shoe size for all to see. That factoid is insignificant, but I didn’t care to publish it. Otherwise, what harm can it do for someone to discover that I loved the women’s trousers I bought in 2009?

Well, maybe not harm; but it’s one tidbit of information. And sites usually ask for an age range and perhaps a description of yourself, such as sporty, curvy, classic, etc. Then you might jump onto another site that asks for a different set of information. Some inquire about income and other facts that we shouldn’t share. Without thinking, survey responders provide snapshots of their households and themselves. Individually, there probably isn’t much harm. But by piecing together details, a hacker can produce a complete profile. At the very least, a nosy neighbor can track your habits.

And what if you had a terrible experience somewhere and want to get revenge of sorts through ranting online? I was tempted to trash a business after several bouts of incompetence but ended up pretty much being forced to return to them a couple of years later. If I had fumed, I couldn’t have done so. At the very least, if I had read the tirade five years later, I may have been embarrassed by how my outburst made me appear. I tell everyone never to post when livid.

Another reason? Some business owners decide to sue.

We all want a tribe; but as an author, finding political allies online isn’t the way to go. Don’t you want readers of all political stripes? I never tell pollsters how I plan to vote. Answering means that rich friends of the candidate will invite me to barbeques where we can meet for $500 or more. Not only does that amount place me in the small potatoes range, anyway; but I don’t have any issue I need to pay $500 ($1,000 when I include my husband) to discuss. I’ll just vote.

And by keeping a cheerful but closely guarded online presence, readers are more likely to vote for you by reading your books!

Your turn:

Have you been turned off by an author’s comments online?

Have you stopped following or reading an author because of their online presence?

Has an author’s online presence caused you to be more of a fan? Why?

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Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform

Eternal Words

By Dan Balowon October 9, 2018
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Every time I read or hear a report of a prominent person’s life complicated by something they tweeted, posted or recorded a decade earlier, I hope the stories are a cautionary tale for anyone desiring to be a media communicator or public figure. We used to be able to put our foolish, youthful or unwise days behind us. But no longer. The world in which we live is one where everything you write is …

Read moreEternal Words
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform, Social Media, The Writing Life

Expert Training

By Dan Balowon October 2, 2018
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With so many types of media available to citizens of the 21st century, anyone can appear to be an expert in anything. Access to the internet makes everyone smart. Or at least appear to be smart. Fifteen years ago I searched online for the acronym LOL because I wasn’t cool enough to know what it meant. Now I know.  It means “left out letters” for people in a hurry to communicate. If you are going …

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Category: Book Review, Branding, Marketing, Platform

The Ultimate Sound Bite

By Steve Laubeon July 16, 2018
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Can you boil the essence of your novel or non-fiction book idea into twenty-five words or less?

This is one of the keys to creating a marketing hook that makes your idea sellable in today's crowded market.

You have less than a minute to make that hook work.

It is also called creating the "elevator pitch" or the "Hollywood pitch." The goal is get the marketing department to exclaim, "We …

Read moreThe Ultimate Sound Bite
Category: Book Proposals, Marketing, Pitch, Platform, Writing CraftTag: book proposal, Marketing, pitch, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection

How an Agent Reads

By Bob Hostetleron June 20, 2018
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I’m seldom at a loss for words (though often at a loss for something of value to say), but the question took me aback for a moment. I was on an agents-and-editors panel at a writers’ conference within a few months of becoming an agent. I’d done this sort of panel before, both as a magazine editor and author, but this was the first time I’d been asked this particular question: “How do you read a …

Read moreHow an Agent Reads
Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Get Published, Marketing, PlatformTag: Agents, book proposals, Get Published

Good and Bad Advice on The Writing Life

By Dan Balowon June 19, 2018
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After graduation from college, I got an entry level job at a radio station, programmed with call-in talk shows. I carried out the trash, conducted regular “Frosty-runs” to Wendy’s for the news director, painted the sales office, screened callers for the shows during off-hours, took transmitter readings, got coffee for the hosts, and anything else the boss wanted. Once in a while, they let me push …

Read moreGood and Bad Advice on The Writing Life
Category: Career, Contracts, Economics, Marketing, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

Starting an Author Newsletter Before Winning a Book Contract

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 14, 2018
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Writers often wonder how to start a newsletter before their book is released. The process might not seem to make sense when you’re publishing a newsletter to promote yourself as an author. However, since a newsletter is meant to establish a relationship with potential fans, being in communication with readers is a great idea. Here are some strategies: Include personal tidbits. You aren’t an author …

Read moreStarting an Author Newsletter Before Winning a Book Contract
Category: Branding, Marketing, Platform, Social Media, The Writing LifeTag: Marketing, Newsletters, Platform

Don’t Put Everything in Your Book

By Dan Balowon May 29, 2018
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One reason platform-building is a such a problem for some authors is the feeling they must place everything important in their book, leaving little or nothing left to say for platform purposes. This puts an author in an awkward position where they either deviate from their core book-message for their platform (social media and other efforts) or they treat their platform only as a “teaser” or …

Read moreDon’t Put Everything in Your Book
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Pitching, PlatformTag: Branding, Marketing, Message, Platform

Your Author Photo

By Steve Laubeon April 30, 2018
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A number of questions were raised when I wrote about the “bio” portion of a book proposal and suggested that you include an author photo. Here are some practical considerations. Make it Look Professional Quality photographers will tell you that background, lighting, how you look at the camera, and what you are wearing have a great influence on how the photo appears. I once saw an …

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Category: Book Proposals, Pitch, Pitching, PlatformTag: Author Photos, book proposals

Make Much Ado of Your New Book

By Bob Hostetleron April 18, 2018
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(5 Ways to Plan a Success-Guaranteed Book Launch Event) I am no marketing genius, and though I’ve written fifty books, I still have much to learn about author and book publicity. But I nonetheless had a great time launching my book, The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional, a book of daily reflections drawn from a quote from Shakespeare and a verse from the King James Version of the Bible …

Read moreMake Much Ado of Your New Book
Category: Book Sales, Career, Marketing, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: Book Launch, Book Sales, Marketing, Platform
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