Learn how to build an author platform that reliably and predictably sells your books.
Congratulations!
You’ve done it.
That thing that everyone else says they want to do and that someday they’re going to do…
You actually pulled it off.
You have written a book!
First of all, kudos. It’s an amazing feat to take something from your head and get it out on paper.
It’s even a more amazing feat to get enough out to turn it into a full book.
But of course, you now have a new problem.
How are you going to get people to buy this book?
You may realize… you have two choices.
- Put the book -- this thing you’ve worked on for years -- on Amazon with a million other books, sell a few copies to your friends and family, and then watch it languish.
OR… - You have to learn a whole new set of skills called MARKETING!
{queue scary, horror movie music.}
Or maybe you’ve already put the book out on Amazon and watched your ranking drop and drop and drop and feel completely helpless with what to do.
Maybe you’ve seen the industry stats.
Things like:
- Most books sell just 250 copies in their first year, and
- The vast majority of books sell less than 1000 copies in the entire life of the book.
(These numbers are from both self-publishing and traditional publishing)
And you start thinking, “do I even know 1000 people that would buy my book?”
Here’s the truth…
You’ve dreamed of being a writer.
When you got up at 5am before everyone else was up or skipped lunch or stayed up late hunched over your laptop pecking away at the keyboard… you were dreaming of what it would be like to put your book out in the world and have people read and experience it.
You absolutely WERE NOT dreaming of being an amazing book marketer.
And I get it.
The whole marketing thing is this giant job you have to do but don’t really want to do.
Sure, you love the idea of having fans and getting emails from them. You dream of showing up at a writers conference and having a line of people who want you to sign their books. You want to come out with books that immediately find an audience and sell.
But the idea of marketing suuuuuucks.
And even though I, personally, love book marketing... I get it.
It feels like this chore you have to do on top of writing your next book and working your day job and taking care of your family and, and, and…
And even when you set out to do it, it is completely overwhelming!
Quick, go Google “book marketing” and you’ll find these as the top two non-ad listings:
Really?!?
119 things to market my book? Even 50 things is outrageous.
Because you know the truth…
Most of those are a complete waste of time.
But you don’t know which ones.
You start running into so many questions about websites and blogs and podcasts and Twitter and Facebook (Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Advertising) and Amazon Ads and guest posts, and, and, and.
So here you are…
- Book marketing is the part of being an author that you have to do but don’t want to do.
- You already have too little time to devote to your writing
- Even if you did try book marketing, there’s just too much to do and it’s too confusing and you have no idea where to put your time and effort.
This is exactly how Mike felt.
He had been working for years on his middle grade series called The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls.
After finally getting them ready, he went on the hunt for an agent and was able to sign one. Then, about a year later, he finally got signed on with a publisher.
This was amazing! He’d done both the things he didn’t think were possible!
But now he had a new problem.
You see, the publisher had only agreed to publish the first two books in the series. Mike had nine books in the series though.
Before the publisher would agree to publish more than the first two, they wanted to see how the sales would go.
And Mike didn’t have much of a platform.
He had put together a website and setup an email list, but barely any people knew either of them existed.
Plus, this wasn’t Mike’s main gig. His book advance was no where near enough to live on, so he still had to work his fulltime job and be a husband and dad to his two kids.
Mike had to figure out how he was going to take his first two books and get them out into the world. He need them to sell really good so the publisher would be willing to publish the other books in the series. Plus, he had to do all of this while maintaining his other responsibilities. Plus his books were coming out in four short months so there wasn’t a lot of time.
This is when Mike reached out to me.
We got together and I walked him through the basics of book marketing. I talked to him about outreach, content, and permission. I taught him how an author platform works and how to connect with influencers.
Then Mike got started.
His books came out a few months later, and there wasn’t some huge launch. He didn’t hit any of the major bestseller lists.
But the books started selling.
He kept working my author platform system and putting the marketing ideas I gave him into practice.
A couple months after his books came out, I reached out to Mike to ask him how his sales were.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“You don’t know?” I replied. “Why don’t you ask the publisher?”
“I’m scared to ask,” he said. “But the Amazon ranking is doing ok so I guess people are buying them.”
“Ok,” I laughed, “keep going!”
A few months later I saw Mike again.
“How are sales?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“You still haven’t asked your publisher?” I asked.
“No, but they must be doing ok because they want me to start working on the third book in the series.”
“That’s great!” I said. “Keep going!”
A few more months go by. By this point the first two books have been out about eight months.
I reached out to Mike again. Surely, I thought, by this point Mike has asked about his sales.
“I still don’t know,” he said. “But they must have sold pretty well because they’re having to do a second printing of ten thousand copies.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Congratulations!”
“Plus, they’ve decided to go ahead and just move forward with the plan of publishing all nine of the books!”
THIS is why I love helping authors.
My name is Tim Grahl and I’ve been working with authors for over 10 years helping them build their platforms, connect with readers, and sell more books.
I’ve worked 1-on-1 with hundreds of authors across all genres, fiction and non-fiction, coaching them and helping them with their marketing. I’ve also launched dozens of books to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists and trained thousands of authors through my online programs.
Authors I’ve worked with include fiction writers such as Hugh Howey and Michael Bunker and non-fiction authors such as Daniel Pink, Sally Hogshead, Chip and Dan Heath, Dan Ariely, AJ Jacobs, Charles Duhigg, Robb Wolf, Hal Elrod, and many more.
Through all of this, I’ve learned what it really takes to build a successful author platform.
And here’s what I’ve seen over and over…
The authors that are winning ARE NOT doing a dozen different things and hoping it works.
They, instead, focus on doing just a handful of things well over a long period of time.
It’s not about doing a frenzy of things when your book is about to come out. What works is focusing on the long game of connecting with your audience and doing a little bit of marketing every week.
As I have worked with authors, they’ve been surprised at how little they have to do in order to be successful with marketing.
As people work through my system, they are surprised at how easy it becomes and how it fits into their lives.
I believe that true marketing is simply connecting with other people -- authors, influencers, and readers -- that love the same things you love. And once you have a simple, step-by-step way to do this, everything starts working.
The goal I have with every author is to give them a simple way to connect with their audience and sell books without it being another huge job.
Get your marketing done so you can get back to your writing.
I've helped a lot of authors over the last decade. Here's what just a few of them have to say...
Tim helped build my successful indie career
“As an indie fiction author, I wasn’t sure if Tim’s ideas would work for me, but now I’m a firm believer. His advice and wise counsel has helped build my successful indie career.”
— Michael Bunker, bestselling author of Pennsylvania and WICK
I used to circle endlessly from blog post to newsletter signup
These days there are as many people telling us how to market our books as there are books being self-published. It is indeed a Wild West frontier. I was one of those who circled endlessly from blog post to newsletter signup to the next great article headline and then to the next.
I have two vivid and invaluable understandings from Tim that are now embedded in my marketing perspectives:
First: It’s OK, even preferable, to conduct marketing in phases and stages over time. There is only so much that even we overachieving, perpetually overwhelmed bootstrappers can accomplish at once. Take a step back, place your endless ideas into separate baskets and then take Basket One. Do it right and do it well. Then go to Basket Two.
Second: As a reasonably experienced online entrepreneur, I thought I understood the importance of an email list. After working with Tim, this idea has become an inviolate fundamental of every step that I take with my business.
— Jennifer Lyle
It helped me connect with readers in a meaningful way
“Author Platform 101 came along right when I needed it, as I was in the middle of designing a new author site to coincide with three book releases in 2015. This program was invaluable in helping me figure out how to shape my new site and connect with my readers in a meaningful and mutually beneficial way. Tim’s been my go-to source for all things book marketing, and for me this program took my level of learning and strategic planning to the next level. Tim’s a generous and knowledgeable teacher and his content is simply the best. I can’t recommend highly enough!”
— Debbie Reber, author of Doable
Who else wants to double their list of email subscribers?
Tim is a sage when it comes to growing your influence and connection with readers and future readers. My only regret is not learning from him sooner.
Since starting the Author Platform 101 program, my newsletter subscribers have more than doubled and my “open” rates on newsletter emails have increased by 33 percent.
— David Burkus, author of The Myths of Creativity
And that’s on top of what bestselling authors are saying about the platforms I built for them…
Tim Grahl is fast becoming a legend, almost single-handedly changing the way authors around the world spread ideas and connect with readers.
— Dan Pink, Bestselling Author of Drive
Introducing: Author Platform 101
The only proven step-by-step guide based on 10+ years of experience that has helped over 1000 authors build a successful author platform.
And it’s enabled the sale of hundreds of thousands of copies of books in every genre, both fiction and nonfiction…
Here’s how it’s going to work.
In 5 chapters, you’ll get the step-by-step lessons you’ll need to build and grow your platform. I’ll walk you through every part of the process. In fact, you’ll learn everything I would do if you hired me to do this work for you. (My client roster is full, but I used to charge $500+ per hour.)
You’ll discover precise and fluff-free strategies, tools and systems that will help you:
- Establish your fan base — even if you don't have one already
- Connect with your fans easily and regularly to build a group of dedicated followers
- Continually grow your fan base and avoid the ever-looming revenue cliff of death
- Reliably sell more books month after month, and year after year
There’s a glut of author courses promising similar results…
But most of them have three major problems:
- They’re based on methods that worked for just one author—not hundreds of authors in dozens of different genres like Author Platform 101. Just because one person was successful with a certain method doesn’t mean you will be too.
- They’re based on untested “expert theory” instead of real-world experience. The content in Author Platform 101 has been tested in real life over and over again. Plus it has worked for authors with a wide variety of experience levels.
- They're focused on one tactic instead of an start-to-finish methodology. Author Platform 101 is not focused on gaming the Amazon algorithm, tweaking ads, or getting hashtags right. It's focused on a long term plan that has worked for hundreds of authors over a decade of experience.
So when you enroll in Author Platform 101, you’ll be getting proven advice to help you create an author platform that works—no matter what type of writer you are.
For authors who want to be ahead of the curve
Tim Grahl’s program is a treasure trove of insight about how to build lasting connections with an audience. I recommend this program for any author who wants to be ahead of the curve for platform development.”
— Scott James, Brand Strategist at Greenleaf Book Group
Field-tested strategies that get results
“Author Platform 101 is a tantalizing concoction of best practices prepared just for authors. Tim Grahl’s field-tested strategies are distilled into a proven system that gets results. No wonder he’s a top choice in our industry.”
— Kary Oberbrunner, author of Day Job to Dream Job, The Deeper Path, and Your Secret Name
By the time you’re done with this program, you’ll know exactly how to…
- Use social media, from Facebook to Instagram, to build a platform that sells — we explain our method using case studies and specific tests
- Multiply your fan base — we show you, step by step, how to find new readers where you never thought to look and connect them to your writing
- Handle the technology needed for success — we give you both the tools and the direction to easily create an online platform even if tech scares you and your “smart phone” is a brick phone from the 80s
When I built the Author Platform 101 program, I focused on making a system that any author could start implementing immediately…
I broke it down into a step-by-step, easy-to-follow process, so you can jump right in and start benefiting from this method as soon as you sign in.
Here’s what we’ll cover in more than 40 bite-sized video sessions
The program spans more than 8 hours, diced up into easy-to-consume lessons that you can squeeze in while taking a break from writing.
Learn how to lay the groundwork for an author platform that will make it easier to connect with (and grow) your audience.
- Book marketing – it’s not what you think it is
- Every book is a business – just ask best-selling authors
- A little-known technique to make your life easier as a writer
- Why guess and test? Use my proven blueprints
- Not everything works every time – how to know when to switch
I share exactly what you should be doing to build long-lasting relationships with readers.
- The secret to how social media really works
- Your #1 marketing goal (hint: you check it 25 times a day)
- How to connect with thousands of new readers
- The nuts and bolts of sending winning emails
- Unexpected but proven ways to win more readers
Top-notch content is essential if you want to build an author platform. But creating it often takes a lot of work… unless you know what to do. See how to easily – and consistently – create content your readers will be scrambling to consume, share and comment on.
- What you need to build the perfect author website
- Time-saving tactics for creating new content
- Where to find a practically endless supply of writing ideas
- Simple ways to maximize your content’s reach & impact
- Email marketing shortcuts that will captivate your readers
- The busy writer’s guide to creating a content plan
You’ll get a simple-to-follow plan for turning strangers into friends and friends into loyal readers.
- Where to find new readers – no matter what genre you write in
- How to connect with influencers who can multiply your following
- The art of the pitch – every author needs to get this right
- A step-by-step plan for outreach that produces “inreach”
This is where you create a reliable plan – based on everything you’ve learned – that could easily amplify any author’s platform.
- 8 ways to build a successful platform (discover which one of them is perfect for you)
- Lesson-packed case studies that reveal how top authors found success
- The most common platform pitfalls… and how to sidestep them
Author Platform 101 is action-focused. Its instantly applicable homework assignments and worksheets will help you ensure that every minute you spend learning is a minute you put toward growing your book business. Plus:
- You can go through the entire program on a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone
- You can download every PDF, spreadsheet and worksheet
- You’ll get unlimited access to the program – plus updates, upgrades and new content as I add it
Plus, for this special offer, I’m adding in four special bonuses that will make building your bestseller platform easier.
The hardest part of getting started isn’t not knowing what to do, but rather not having a jump-off spot to launch your platform. These two content building kits that I use for my consulting clients will help you kick-start growing your audience, in an easy copy & paste format.
Even if you spent weeks researching online, you still wouldn’t be able to find the type of in-depth information, worksheets and tools that I’m giving you for free with the program.
Bonus 1: The Essential E-mail Kit For Authors
Stop wasting time trying to figure out ‘what works’ on your audience. Instead, use the very same email frameworks and templates I’ve been using and refining for years.
- Autoresponders – The first three emails you should send to every subscriber.
- Email Signup – The 5 different templates I use to get more email subscribers.
- Email Templates – The 4 types of emails to send to your subscribers, and exactly what content to put in them.
- The Pitch – The exact emails I use to connect with influencers, which opens up opportunities to write guest posts or do interviews.
Bonus 2: The Exact Worksheets I Use With Clients
These are the documents I used to help authors like Daniel Pink, Hugh Howey and Charles Duhigg get on the New York Times bestseller list.
- Outreach – A worksheet to identify new readers, where they are located and how to connect with them.
- Outreach Spreadsheet – The spreadsheet I use to plan and execute my outreach.
- Content Worksheet – My step-by-step guide to coming up with valuable content for readers.
- Email Checklist – Use this to ensure you have everything in place to build your list and email your readers.
NEW * Bonus 3: Monthly, Live Q&As with Me
Join me each month to get your book marketing and author platform questions answered.
- Every month I stay on until all of the questions have been answered.
- If you can't make it live, you will be able to submit your questions ahead of time.
NEW * Bonus 4: Watch Me Do It
I doesn't just teach you the theory, I show you how to do it.
- Watch a 45-minute walkthrough as I build a complete author website from scratch.
- I start with a genre and empty outreach spreadsheet, then do all of the research, pitch writing, and everything else that goes into outreach.
This isn’t just marketing theory —
You’ll learn tested techniques that have already helped hundreds of authors sell more books
In all the work I’ve done over the last 10 years with hundreds of authors, I’ve learned what works amazingly well… and what doesn’t work at all.
I’ve gone out into the world, tried everything I can think of, learned by trial and error, and figured out the most effective, time-saving ways to connect with readers and sell more books.
And now, I’ve put everything I know into this newly upgraded program.
You can keep going the way you’re going—a few unstructured, unproven actions here and there. But if you’re still reading this, you know you need some help to get you where you want to go.
This program is the help you’ve been looking for.
It will help you cut through all of the misinformation out there and work on the things that will get you the results you’ve dreamt of. Join hundreds of authors who have already discovered that…
The Author Platform 101 Program is the fastest, easiest way to build a sales-boosting author platform
If you don’t agree after trying it, I’ll give you a full refund within 30 days.
I’m confident in that guarantee because no other online program shows authors tested techniques that allow you to:
- Build a fan base of loyal readers who will be scrambling to hear from you
- Easily grow that base using the latest tools, strategies and marketing templates
- Watch your book sales soar as you get more attention, gain more influence and earn more respect as an author
And on top of the video program, you’ll get 2 bonuses…
- The Essential E-mail Kit For Authors
- The Exact Worksheets I Use With Clients
To get started, choose which option is right for you:
Option #1:
The Author Platform 101 program
With Author Platform 101, you'll get the full program — including more than 8 hours of video and audio, ready-to-use worksheets, email swipe files and more.
Join Today & Get...
- More than 8 hours of video covering all the topics (Foundation Marketing, Permission, Content, Outreach, Pulling it all together)
- Step-by-step systems for taking control of your social media, website, and email
- Time saving techniques so marketing doesn't become a separate fulltime job
- My spreadsheets to track your progress along the way
- Customizable, downloadable worksheets for building your own plan
- Online homework to ensure you get the most out of the lessons
- The exact copy and wording I use for emails and websites to get results
Author Platform 101 Isn't For Everyone...
Q: I write fiction. Will this work for me?
A: I’ve worked with a lot of fiction writers, and I can assure you that building an author platform is just as important for you as it is for nonfiction writers.
Imagine if you were directly connected to thousands of your readers, and you knew they were excited about reading your next book, even before you’d penned the first word. That’s what this program can do for you.
Q: I’ve already read your book, should I buy the program too?
A: My book is the 101 program. This program is the 201 and 301 program.
In each level, I dive deeper into all of the topics, include a lot more examples, and offer worksheets, spreadsheets and homework to help you implement all of the ideas.
Q: I’m not very technical. Will I be able to do everything you teach?
A: I’ve worked very hard to simplify all of the ideas and offer specific tools on how to build a great platform.
The amazing thing about this day and age is that there are so many easy-to-use digital and online tools, with great support to get everything set up.
Throughout the program, I offer advice on what tools to use and how to use them. You may not implement every single tool, but the vast majority of the technology I recommend is very user-friendly.
Q: Can I get my money back if I’m not happy?
A: Yes, of program! If you buy the program and it’s not a good fit, just let me know within 30 days, and I’ll give you a full refund.
The only thing I’ll ask is that when you request the refund, you let me know a couple specifics as to why the program wasn’t a good fit for you – I’m always looking to improve the program.
Q: I have a more specific question. Can you answer it?
A: I sure can. Just email me directly at [email protected] or or click that little “snap chat” button in the lower right-hand corner, and ask away!
And through the whole program you’ll get regular email check-ins from me to make sure you’re moving in the right direction.
Building an Author Platform can be tough. But it's simple if you have a roadmap.
It’s time to make a decision — are you prepared to do what it takes, and launch a bestseller that will establish your reputation as an author while providing income and stability for you and your family for years to come?
If you’re ready to invest in yourself, and believe in your work, don’t wait for that magical day in the future. Don’t wait for some day when you’ve gotten your book “just right” — that day will never come.
You have the proof that Author Platform 101 works. You’ve seen results from newly bestselling authors in every genre: novelists, business writers, marketers, technical writers, and people just like you.
If you’re not ready now, when will you be? As they say: They best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
The decision is yours to make.
Tim Grahl
PS: If you’re completely lost about how online marketing works – and don’t want to waste time trying to figure all this stuff out – Author Platform 101 is perfect for you. Just imagine watching your subscribers, social media followers and book sales grow right from the moment you start implementing a few easy-to-follow techniques.