I was thinking about the progression of an audience from hearing about an author for the first time to becoming a true fan. It looks something like this:
1. Notice
People notice your name or books. They hear your name or books mentioned in conversation or in an interview or in something they read online.
Most likely, however, they forget your name without seeing or hearing it multiple times in multiple places.
2. Remember
Having seen your name in multiple places, they can recall your name and something memorable about you. You are “the _____ author” or “the author who _____.” They can visualize the cover of your book or your author photo.
If you don’t have something unique to be known for, then they won’t remember your name no matter how many times they hear it.
3. Research
They find your uniqueness or story they heard interesting enough to learn more about you. They search for your books on Amazon. They look for your website online. They try to find you on social media. They want to read your bio and see what other books you have written.
Without a website or online presence to learn more about you, they may not become big fans. Likewise, without other books and writing to read, their interest in you will stall.
4. Read More
They start to read your books, other books, series of books, articles, email newsletters, social media posts, etc. They have a lot of other authors that they follow, but you are one of them. They like your work and they will continue reading what you write until they lose interest.
To keep them interested, you need to continue to create a body of work. You also need to regularly share updates and communicate via email newsletters or social media. Or, you need to write books very, very fast.
5. True Fans
True fans read everything you write. You only need 1,000 of them to make a living as a writer. They tell their friends about you. They like and share your updates on social media or forward emails that they receive from you.
A true fan feels a personal connection with you. They see you as someone they know. They have been emotionally impacted by your work and they will only put their reputation if they feel confident that you will change another person’s life, too.
