Websites and blogs gave authors great ways to build audiences before the days of the social media blossoming but it still isn’t the only thing authors become responsible for. You have to now take into account that what you are putting out there into the world is an immediate reflection of the work that you are producing. You are accountable for developing that image and sticking to your identity.
The easiest way of course, is just to be true to your self. But that still doesn’t take away the long hours of scrolling through a variety of social media hubs simply to make the number of recommended comments required to keep people coming back for more. It definitely gave capricious indie authors the chance to truly take control of their own work. Being able to custom create work based around direct feedback, any contemporary writer isn’t what they were once. The wall of big publishing houses no longer stands in the way for authors to develop audiences.
Table of Contents
Services Take Front Seat
Authors have to not only do a lot of different things behind the scenes they also have to provide a lot of different services in order to make anywhere close to enough income to live off. The path of being a writer is far from being a lucrative career.
Nobody knows this more than the mid-career author that has had that sweet taste of having their work out there. The hours are long and the pay uncertain. Adding more and more resources of income is essential. Some authors establish added resources, such as offering manuscript reviews, writing development, and even serializing some of their novels just to maintain a weekly readership. Now there is an even more intimate experience that authors can add to their tool belt.
Enter The Video Conference
Now authors can meet, bond with select fans, and monetize all from the computer. While you may be able to do one-on-one video chatting for free through some of the video services out there, you’d probably rather make a little dough. Authors are now offering direct workshops and classes that can be attended all online and with little effort required from all parties that are involved. The author sells ‘ticket’s to the workshop, those interested attend, all are having a ball, and the author gets to add a little bit to their checking account. It’s a pretty simple concept when you think about it.
Keep the Upper Hand
Before the days of videoconferencing authors were stuck having to travel around with a trunk full of their own books trying to hustle them off to anybody that was willing to give them the couple minutes to pitch their hook. Those (most of us) that have actual responsibilities that keep us from simply taking weeks off to go travel around the country, meeting people, and selling books. 
Nope. The internet is far more efficient. But figuring out a way to actually make any income from websites and blogging is a tricky thing that not every body nails. Web conferencing gives that time that would be spent on checking your page views and Twitter feed and turns it into time that is actually given back to feeding your craft. It also leaves you with the time needed to actually do what it is that got you in this predicament in the first place. You didn’t become a writer ecause you wanted spend all of your time on updating your blog content and sending non stop tweets. No. you probably got into this in the first place because you actually wanted to write. Just a stab in the dark. Or to make money. One or the other. But definitely not to spend time on Facebook.
Toss the Podium
Many authors take great pride in maintaining their personal space, after all most of their time is spent at the keyboard. If you are one of those writers that has a gut wrenching pain in your stomach every time you think of public speaking or going out of your shell, video conferencing takes that stress away. You get total control of the stage without having to feel like you standing there at a podium, alone, in front of everyone.
That Slight Security Issue
There’s also that little issue of security that can sometimes creep its way in. Even when you are doing a specific workshop at a place you never really know who is there. You are essentially putting yourself in the hands of complete strangers. It may sound a little over the top, but it happens. no need to worry about that when your audience is miles away, on their own little computer or what have you, and you are in the luxury, and security, of your own home while still building your platform and monetizing along the way. Thank you webinars.
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