While in Charleston last week at the PubSmart conference, we had the pleasure of being on a panel about bestselling eBooks with two of the biggest self-publishing bestsellers out there: Hugh Howey and CJ Lyons.

Everyone on the panel had great advice about the keys to promotion–email lists, building community through an authentic social media voice, blogging vs. not blogging.

And then one audience member raised a hand:

“So I keep hearing about these platforms — what exactly is a platform?”

Good question! Because platform can mean so many things, and everyone has different ways of defining the factors that help an author promote their book. Here are four things to think about as you start to define your platform:

-Do you have a main/preferred way of communicating with readers online (and that includes your original readers, friends and family)? Some options include a website, a blog, your Facebook page or a Twitter account. Tie them all together — cross linking makes it easier for your readers to share news about your books.

– How are you adding to this group of new readers/fans/friends? Do  send updates on your publishing/writing, enlist beta readers, or run giveaways?

– Are you connecting with a community (or more likely communities) that your book will resonate with? Nonfiction writers, think about your topic and people who need the expert information you have to share and where they congregate (especially online). Fiction writers, consider if there’s a community of readers who love your genre, or elements within the story such as setting or a character’s traits that you can play off of.

– Are you having fun, yet?  Tap into your non-writing interests, utilize your storytelling voice, and enjoy the new platform you’ve built by connecting with new readers and publishing peers.