What is your favourite online platform to use to promote your work as an author? Why?
It was Facebook for a long time but now I’ve switched to Instagram mainly because of the added features they have like Reels and IGTV. Also, I love photographs and beautiful visuals so I find it more interesting and more engaging.
Marketing your work on social media and through personal websites can be intimidating. Can you give us your top three tips for building an author brand online?
1. Know your purpose before you build anything. Are you on social media for your books or for your other services as well? How much do you want to spend on it? Do you know what you’re doing or will you be needing professional help? Answering these questions beforehand will help narrow down your options.
2. Keep it simple. You don’t need a super fantastic, professionally designed website with five million pages. To start off you only need a good bio, books (or future books), services (if you offer services), a way for people to contact you and a good pic of yourself.
3. Don’t jump on the latest popular social media platform. You don’t need to be on all social media platforms (unless you want to, of course). It takes time to create content so make sure you know what you want to achieve before creating yet another social media account.
Do you have any examples where your development or career as an author has benefited from an online presence?
My online platforms have allowed readers to connect with me. They tag me when they read my books. They message to let me know their experience. They tag me when copies of my books run out in some shops. It’s a great way to interact with the readers. Organisations have also contacted me to speak at conferences through my platforms. I’ve learned about conferences, competitions and grants because of my interactions on social media. It really depends how you use these platforms.
Dr. Kristyn Maslog-Levis is an academic, former journalist, and marketing and communications lead. She earned her Master of Communication from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as an ASEAN scholar, and holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Her doctoral research explores cultural diversity within Australian children’s and young adult (YA) literature. An accomplished author, Kristyn penned the bestselling YA Engkantasia series and the picture book We Have It All. A recipient of the 2020 ASA Award Mentorship Program for Writers and Illustrators and shortlisted for the Voices from the Intersection Mentorship Program in 2022, she continues to advocate for inclusive storytelling through both her scholarly and creative practice.
Join Kristyn’s seminar, Online: Building an Author Presence for Writers (Beginners Welcome), Saturday 7 November 2026, 11am-2pm.
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