About Donna
Welcome! So about me … I started Create Your Awesome Community for Debut Authors as a need for new authors with a multitude of questions about how to build a successful author platform.
Ever since I released my first book and created my own AMAZING support community of writers, authors, industry professionals, and readers, I’ve been getting a ton of questions from writers getting their first novel published about how I created this community. They want to know how to do just what I did to help them succeed in a new author career. BUT many are also scared to get out of their comfort zone and do it. I was too as a debut author!
I would say that I get asked about 99 times a month (give or take one or two) “I have my first book coming out, now what do I do?”
Here are the top 10 frequently asked questions I get:
- I feel so overwhelmed! What’s the timing of all I should be doing as a debut author?
- How do I connect with other debut authors?
- How do I meet authors who can help me with blurbs? And how should I ask them?
- How do I best prepare for a public reading or panel?
- How can I get my book in front of my target readers?
- How do I best use social media?
- How do I even use Twitter?
- How do I run a giveaway and what are the benefits?
- How can I build a support community of writers around me?
- How can I connect with book reviewers?
Do you have these questions too? I did as once well and I love to share the answers with new authors now. And I love it, because I’m passionate about building community and totally believe we can write alone but we can’t get published alone – or succeed alone.
I remember when my first book came out years ago. I had no clue what to do before the release and struggled to find readers for my book.
I spent money on advertising in the wrong places and soooo much time going to the wrong kinds of promotional events.
Even worse, I spent so much time trying to figure out how to get my book in the hands of my target readers that I wasn’t spending any time working on my next book!
I felt like a marketer, not a writer. I had no sales and no second book coming out. Ugh!
But over the years, with much trial and error (and money spent!) I figured out how to reach my readers again and again with each book release. And I learned from the masters – veteran and established authors who’d been down this road many times. Who better to learn what you need to advance in your author career than from someone who’s been in the trenches? Many of these authors have become good friends now. You can’t go it alone in this industry. You just can’t. You need to align yourself with advisors.
So …. I wish I knew all this before my first book launched!
Did I make plenty of mistakes along the way? You bet! BUT I learned it’s all about BABY STEPS and having a STEP-BY-STEP system to teach you exactly how to be successful with building an author platform.
My entire business as an author (heck life) changed as a result of creating my author platform. And trust me if I did it – so can you! I don’t have any magical powers (as a fantasy writer I wish I did!) to do what I did. It’s all replicable. And you can do the same thing!
So fast forward to now … I’m a multi-published bestselling author and speaker and I love teaching all over to writers about building platform before their first book comes out.
And it’s so cool that my husband, Mike, and son, Joshua, are so supportive of me. I couldn’t have done it without them!
And I couldn’t have done it without my writing community! I’ve discovered we can write alone but we can’t get published alone – or succeed alone.
To enhance success, we can build our author foundation before we’re published, just like the railway built to connect Vienna and Venice. It was built before any train could travel up such a steep grade. A feat of civil engineering that took 20,000 people! You won’t need 20,000 people (ha ha! That would be some party!), but you will need a few. 🙂
As authors, we get out of our comfort zone when we write, but we must also publicly get out of our comfort zone and into a new community comfort zone – online and in person. Once your book releases, you’ll have chances to participate in conferences, panels, guest blogs, or school visits. Will you say YES or NO? I hope YES! Each YES will build your confidence and community connections. So, come along with me and get into a whole new comfort zone for author success!
Official Bio
Donna Galanti is a speaker and bestselling author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. She is represented by Bill Contardi of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle-grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna enjoys teaching at conferences on the writing craft and marketing and also presenting as a guest author at elementary and middle schools. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com. She also loves building writer community. Check out her 4 Proven Steps to Connect with Readers Right Now (Before Your Book Even Comes Out!): www.createyourawesomecommunity.com