Welcome to the October edition of the Merry Go Round Blog Tour.  I’m happy you’ve decided to visit, and I hope you’ll make time to wander around (if you haven’t been a regular visitor to the site already) and make yourself at home.  Our topic for this month is Writing Platform — What have you done or what will you do?

First, what is a writing platform?  Simply, it’s the things a writer does to introduce others to their work. Chuck Sambuchino, author of Create Your Writer Platform, suggests the following building blocks to platform:

A website and/or blog with a large readership
An e-newsletter and/or mailing list with a large number of subscribers/recipients
Article/column writing (or correspondent involvement) for the media—preferably for larger outlets and outlets within the writer’s specialty
Guest contributions to successful websites, blogs, and periodicals
A track record of strong past book sales
Individuals of influence that you know—personal contacts (organizational, media, celebrity, relatives) who can help you market at no cost to yourself, whether through blurbs, promotion, or other means
Public speaking appearances—the bigger, the better
An impressive social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, and the like)
Membership in organizations that support the successes of their own
Recurring media appearances and interviews—in print, on the radio, on TV, or online

I have a website/blog and an email newsletter — large is a nebulous term, but I don’t think it applies for my readership — yet. I’m working on it. Have you signed up for my bi-monthly Fiction Club newsletter yet? If not, just enter your email below, and you’re all set:

I have a presence on social media.  Impressive? I enjoy my time there.  I’m thinking about doing a twice a month podcast — one solo and one interview format to feature my friend’s new book releases. Fellow authors, does this interest you? Are you interested in doing an interview around the time of your book release?

I’d assess my platform as small, but growing.