How to build a Platform for your Novel

For any of you who don't know, a novel platform is basically a group of people who want to read your novel.

So how do we find these people who want to read your novel? How do we build a platform to support your novel when it comes out?

First off, before you get started, you have to actually start writing a novel. Even if you manage to build a platform for your novel, it means nothing if you don't actually have a novel for the people to read. So write a novel while you're also building a platform (but you should devote most of your time to the novel).

Now that you're writing your novel, let's begin:

There are many ways to build a platform. However, one of the most common and easiest way is to blog it (which I'm doing). When you blog something, anyone in the world can read it. This allows you to get the word out on your novel so that a lot of people can know about it. Blogging is fast, it's free, and you can do it in the comfort of your own room.

The only problem with blogging is that you have to compete with a bunch of other blogs out there. However, you don't have to fight with those other blogs. Instead, you can combine forces and link with each other, which will get your readers to read their blog and also get their readers to read your blog. You can do this by guest posting on their blog and allowing them to guest post on your blog. So go out there and read other blogs and get to know those blog owners. Leave comments on their blogs and email the blog owners. Let them know that you're there and that you're interested in their blog, and that they also might be interested in yours.

Another way to build a platform is social networking. Get a twitter and/or facebook account (follow me), and tell the people on your account that you have a blog. Your friends, followers, and fans will then read your blog and support you. This will spread the word about your novel through the network and get more and more people in your platform.

Well, that is pretty much all I'm doing to build my platform. It's not much, but it's a start.

However, there are still more ways to help build your platform (which I might do sometime in the future).

You can (after you finish your novel) post the first few chapters of your novel for your readers to enjoy, so then they will want to read the rest of your novel.

You can go to school, and libraries, and etc... and talk about your novel (spread the word without the internet).

You can send ARC (advance reader copies) to some people (like famous authors) so they can read it and then review it (hopefully good reviews) and tell other people about it.

You can make book trailer videos about your novel and then youtube it.

In a nutshell, just do everything you can possibly think of to spread the word about your novel. That is how you build a platform.

PS: If you want help building your own platform, then email me so that you can guest post on my blog, or I can guest post on your blog. In other words, we'll link our blogs together, and our readers can read each other's blogs.