As a good friend and fellow writer once said, "Self promotion is the hardest part for any artist." So true. But, it's got to be done. The question for most writers is, how? Or more accurately, where?

I learned the hard way NOT to wait until you've finished your novel to become familiar with the sites I'll list over the next few days/weeks/months. In fact, it's in the best interest of your career (and that almighty word 'Platform') to start now. Not only will it alleviate the pressure of being thrown in the deep end without knowing how to swim, but your future fans will get to know your voice based on the comments/reviews you leave.

But, it's never to late in the process-- even if you've completed several novels-- to try something new.

Let's begin with "FanFiction."

If you've heard of, or read "Fifty Shades of Grey," then you may know EL James got her start on FanFiction writing as a follower of "Twilight."
Is the site confusing? in a word, yes. Especially if you're over forty.
Technically you're supposed to select a popular book or movie and then write your version using the characters from said story. Or... you can "cheat" and post parts of all of your writing if it contains similar elements.
For example, I'm posting parts of the novel I'm writing-- AFTER THE DRY SPELL (ATDS)-- as a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey.
Why? Because ATDS is a tortured love story that contains lots of sex.

In one of the two comments that were posted about ATDS, a woman wrote: "FictionPress (which I'll go into later) might be a better fit for you, as your story has nothing to do with the characters from 'Shades'."
True. It doesn't. However, in the last 10 days 382 people have read ATDS on FanFiction and only 12 people checked it out on FictionPress.

Something to keep in mind as you post, smaller is better--1,200 words or so seems to be the average. Why? Several reasons. A) Everyone is busy. Anything much longer than that will make readers scroll to the next piece. B) New posts arrive at and average speed of 4-5 every sixty seconds, which means your post is on the "Just In" page for about 3 minutes. C) If you leave them hanging, readers will come back for more, and if your lucky, you'll have fans that follow you. D) If you're writing a new novel your fans hold you accountable. This is a great motivator to write consistently and post a couple of times a week.

So... check it out today at www.fanfiction.net, but be prepared to scratch your head the first few times you're in there. It may be wise to use my mothers advice: Comment only if your words contribute. Remember, your future fans will only buy your work if they fall in love with you and your writing before it's in print.