Kandi Steiner has outdone herself in her latest workshop for us. She always comes with presentations that leave participants feeling hopeful, enthusiastic, and motivated for the next stage of their writing career, but there was something special in the air on February 22. Just look at these comments! One of the attendees even started a new pen name to put Kandi’s recommendations into action that night!
Are you just now hearing about this workshop? Wondering what has all the attendees so excited? We’ve pulled just three of the many, many takeaways we got from Kandi’s workshop for you—plus the info on how you can access the replay and join us for our next class!
Takeaway #1: Prioritize your writing above all else in the author business.
If you’ve seen one of Kandi’s day-in-the-life mini vlogs on Instagram, you’ll know that she puts writing first, always. Even if you have a limited amount of time to spend on this career, she recommends spending the time writing and making your books the best they can be. As Kandi said in the workshop, a fandom can’t exist without something to fan over! The more books you have published, the more reasons your readers have to stick around.
Then, after you’ve kept them all the way engaged to the very last line, end your book with calls to action that bring your readers into your online world. Speaking of …
Takeaway #2: Choose where you’re going to show up, and be consistent.
You will drive yourself up a wall if you try to tackle every social media platform known to reader. Kandi recommends picking only two or three places to dedicate your time online to avoid burning out (and to make more time for writing!), plus a newsletter. Maintaining a light presence on other popular platforms is great—not everyone uses every platform, after all, and sometimes new ones pop up that gain popularity fast!—but be sure to tell your readers often where you’re the most active.
Once you’ve chosen where you want to show up, you have to commit to showing up there as you—or your author persona. Is your author persona funny? Moody? Adorkable? Own that in your posts, and interact with your followers in a way that’s authentic to you. This is how readers get to know you and start to feel like a community.
Don’t forget to make friends and network with other authors, too! Not only can this lead to career opportunities, but it can also help you keep loneliness at bay.
Takeaway #3: Reward your readers and never take them for granted.
While you’re building your author career, never forget that every single reader is precious. You may have dreams of being a bestseller and read by thousands of people, but it’s important that we don’t neglect the readers who came earliest in the pursuit of new readers. Every reader who chooses to spend their time, their energy, and/or their hard-earned money supporting you deserves to be celebrated and spoiled.
Another thing to remember: readers can feel rundown just as much as writers! Being a dedicated fan is no easy thing. The most dedicated readers create content and write reviews, and writers ought to know exactly how exhausting that can be. Say thank you often.
Kandi was very generous when it came to sharing specific ideas with us for how to reward readers, but she also encouraged us to get creative, and to think about ways we could show appreciation that are authentic to us!
And these takeaways barely scratch the surface of what Kandi Steiner shared in this workshop!
The class was advertised as being an hour and a half long with half an hour for Q and A, but we were blown away when Kandi stayed on an extra half hour to answer questions from the live audience!
And every word of those two and a half hours were recorded. It’s all waiting for you when you invest in replay access.
When you register to get access to the replay, you’ll also be joining our supportive, close-knit online community of like-minded writers, so you never have to feel alone on your author journey.
For the best experience, use your laptop or desktop. Already in our online community? Log in and use this link!
