Review Building an Author Platform that can Launch Anything: a Social Media Minibook.

Building an Author Platform that can Launch Anything: a Social Media Minibook, by Toby Neal, is a concise yet information packed mini-book that gives straight-forward advice for authors on how to build an author platform (writer-speak for a system of marketing and promotional tools) that will build readership and excitement for both the author and their book.  The end result: sales!

Book Description:

Effective steps to building an author platform that can take advantage of free programs and launch any book into visibility and better sales.

Self published or not, today’s authors have to develop their own “platform” for reaching book buyers. This power-packed booklet contains tips based on author Toby Neal’s sales and psychology background and experience with her bestselling crime novel, Blood Orchids. These secrets maximize social media to build an author platform that can bring fast, wide-ranging visibility and increased sales to any book.  

My Reaction:

Ms. Neal adapts techniques used by motivational speakers, therapists and top sales reps to engage their clients and build enthusiasm.  Among these are PIF, AV and TQ.  Don’t know what those acronyms are for – you need this book!  As she explains her technique Ms. Neal uses actual figures, real names, and genuine results.  She doesn’t just say, “find someone”, she tells you who to look for.

There are a lot of people trying to sell books and programs on promoting your book, what makes this one different?  For one thing Toby Neal succeeded in getting her debut crime novel Blood Orchids into the number one Kindle Free spot on Amazon and keeping it there for over two days with 45,000 downloads after only one week of planning and advance notice.  The book has continued to do well, making it well within the top 100 as a paid book.  Now, her Lei Crime Series is being shopped to major publishers.  She did all that using the exact method she describes for you in this book.

This is a short book because Toby does not waste time talking in circles or hitting the same point over and over as some do to fill pages.  She does not give you a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a Twitter account, for example, but she does tell you why you should and how to make the most of it.

If you are writing a book, or considering writing a book, you need to read this book before you finish yours.  If you have finished and are disappointed in the sales, you too can learn a lot from this dynamic writer.  Since it’s priced at less than a cup of coffee and will take only a few minutes to read through the first time (you will be looking back at this one frequently, I promise) it is a very small investment in the success of your novel.

About Toby Neal

Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age 5, has been published in magazines and won several writing contests. After initially majoring in Journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, “I’m endlessly fascinated with people’s stories.” She enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, scuba diving, beach walking, gardening and hiking. She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs. Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters–from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.

Toby’s latest novel, Blood Orchids, is available as an eBook and in paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.  To learn more about Toby and her books, visit her wonderful blog: Toby Neal