It’s more important than ever for writers to think about building an online author profile – even before they’ve been published. Join literary-sector leader and social media evangelist Kate Larsen’s OWL to find out what options are available to you online, how to use them to your best advantage, and how to balance your writing time alongside the time you need to spend building your brand.
Who are you and what’s your experience?
I am a writer, arts manager and non-profit/cultural consultant currently based in Adelaide. My work has been published or commissioned by journals, anthologies, magazines and arts organisations across Australia, Asia and the UK.
I am also a digital evangelist. As one of Australia’s best known social media poets, I wrote and posted a daily poem on social media under the name Katie Keys (aka ’tinylittlepoems’) for over a decade.
I ‘m also a former CEO/Director of Writers Victoria, and have been a tutor, guest speaker or writer in residence for Writers SA, NT Writers’ Centre, Guildhouse, Asialink Arts, Emerging Writers’ Festival, Digital Writers’ Festival, Melbourne Writers’ Festival, FreePlay, Eye of the Storm Writers Festival (Alice Springs), Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia Council for the Arts, Regional Arts Australia, Access2Arts, the Marco Polo Festival of Digital Literature and more.
What will students gain from doing your OWL?
Your online author profile is your brand, your digital business card, your online identity, and your introduction – be that to publishers, potential readers or the broader literary community.
But writers often put platform before purpose, rushing online without thinking about how best to present ourselves.
You may already have a website, blog, email list or suite of social media sites. You may have nothing at all. This OWL aims to give you the strategic insights you need to make your online profile work for you.
Find out why you need an author platform. Look at what options are available to you online. Get tips on how to build your author brand and manage your reputation. And discuss the sticky issues of working online, such as pseudonyms, copyright concerns, or whether or not to own your Australianism when writing for an international audience.
The course will combine theoretical information with practical activities. Students will also get individualised feedback on their existing online profiles.
What excites you about this OWL?
It’s more important than ever for writers to think about building an online author profile – even before they’ve been published. But many of us struggle… with technology, with imposter syndrome, or with balancing our writing time with the time needed to maintain a presence online.
But our personal brands exist in the digital space regardless of whether we’re actively building them or not. Google yourself and see what comes up. Are you findable or invisible? Are your surprised (or embarrassed) by what you find? Why not take control?
Building an online author profile doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be an exciting creative challenge that can strengthen our writing practice, give us access to a large, engaged audience, and allow us to connect with an amazing online literary community.
Building your Online Author Profile
RWA Course Dates: 3 February to 28 February 2020
Course Dates: 2nd March to 27th March 2020
Cost: RWA-Member – $55.00 Non RWA-Member – $88.00
* Please note, there is a $0.50 Trybooking fee at checkout.
Venue: Online – RWA Moodle Platform
For more info and bookings https://www.trybooking.com/BHFGC
If people want to know more about you, where can they find you?