While non-fiction reviews are not at all the focus of my blog and other writers are not my core readership, I thought it appropriate (if a little ironic) to review Amanda Luedeke’s The Extroverted Writer in my inaugural blog post.  Appropriate since the advice contained in that book proved invaluable in helping me to define the focus of this very blog and my other social media outlets.  Ironic since one of the key points I gleaned from the book is the importance of knowing your focus and sticking to it.  Ah, well.  I guess I’ll start sticking to it with my next post.

With experience in both the marketing and the publishing industries, Amanda Luedeke is in an ideal position to provide advice on marketing and platform building for authors.  Even better, she did a great job in this book of approaching the subject in a logical, well organized, and approachable manner.  Best of all, the book is concise.  I was happy to glean the information I needed in a short format rather than a 300 page tome.  That’s an important consideration for someone like me who’s working toward finishing her first novel at the same time she hopes to begin building her following as an author!  It’s my guess that I’m not the only writer feeling crunched for time who will appreciate the brevity.

Since I am no stranger to managing Web sites or using social media on a personal level, the aspect of The Extroverted Writer most helpful to me was the discussion of how authors, including those who have yet to publish, can identify their target audience and use social media outlets like Web sites, blogs, Twitter and Facebook to reach that audience.  The ideas and suggestions presented really got me thinking about how I could use my own areas of expertise to engage with the very readers I hope will become my fans.  For this reason, I highly recommend The Extroverted Writer to other authors and aspiring authors interested in online marketing and platform building.

So, with that out of my system, I’ll aim to stick to my blog’s focus from here on out.  I’ll be drawing upon my experience as a librarian and book discussion group leader in reviewing fiction similar to what I write and sharing tips and discussion questions for book groups.

Amanda, if you’re reading this, thank you for sharing your expertise!