Writers (unpublished, about to be published, published without a lot of fanfare) go to the conferences I go to and ask what they can do to start a "platform." They want to know secrets of social media, blogging, website development, advertising, getting reviews, and networking.

Recently I have been on a kick where I tell them that the very first thing that writers should do for their platform is to have a proper author photo taken. Grab a friend, find a sunny spot, and have them take a nice photo of you that you can stick onto your Book Country profile and other social media accounts. It should NOT be a selfie. It should NOT be in your car. It should not be clearly cropped from a group shot of you at someone's bachelorette party. It should reflect how you want to be seen as a writer, whether you are going to be published next week or published in 20 years.

Quick--before the weather gets too heinous to go outside this winter--get a nice photo taken and upload it to your Book Country profile.Show yourself off as a writer!