That awful word, “platform.” It’s been bantered about online and at writer’s conferences for years. When aspiring authors first learn the word, they tend to overuse it, to the point that literary agents might actually cringe if you say it out loud in their presence…
And yes, both agents and editors will be quick to tell you that an author platform is meaningless unless the writing is stellar (uh, then explain Snookie, right?). But the cold, hard truth is that these days an author platform is critical, whether you self-publish or go the traditional publishing route. Yes, you need to start talking about your story long before readers read your story…
Because publishers are forced to look at the bottom line, having a pre-built platform is rather like you bringing an insurance policy to the table – their risk in publishing you as a debut author is minimized because you’ve shown them not just that you CAN publicize your work if/when you get published, but that you’re ALREADY out there doing it.
That’s the bad news: It’s no longer enough to just write well or have an interesting topic. Bummer, right?
The good news is that a platform no longer refers to just being a criminal, CEO or celebrity either, all Snookies aside. Agents and editors now even look for established platforms from fiction writers, meaning, you need to start before you’re published, to:
- establish a website
- develop fans
- find followers
- attract an engaged blog audience
- establish speaking topics
- write articles
- get media trained to put your best foot forward
One of the most exciting elements of our work with aspiring and emerging authors is helping them to identify those platforms and drill down to the right audience for their unique words. In fact, I recently wrote blog posts on this topic, using your passion to build your platform, for both Writer UnBoxed and the SC Writers Conference. I invite you to read either/both to learn more about how it’s done and how to discover your own passion platform!
Have a platform success story to share? We want to hear it! Comment here or email info@writerswin.com and you may be featured in an upcoming article…
Love the advice. I’ve tested the waters but right now I’m focused on finishing the book. But I will be back, ready to take her on again!!! Of course, under the guidance of Ms. Shari.
Platform is absolutely important, especially for indie-published authors. One route many authors are ignoring is freelance writing, such as articles and personal essays. Seeking publication in magazines, anthologies and e-zines is a great way to build a following and beef up an author’s platform. My publication credits include short stories, articles, and personal essays in print and online prior to publishing my first book. It’s definitely helped me with book sales.
Hi James — thanks for weighing in and you’re absolutely on the right track! Write on… Shari
I agree that platform is very important — I have blogged about it in a 2-part post (http://bit.ly/zCVjnq). On this statement, though — [an author platform is meaningless unless the writing is stellar ] — I’ll comment that this is where ghostwriters come in. If you have a solid book idea and a fabulous platform but your writing stinks, a publisher will find a ghostwriter for you.
Thanks for a great post!
Sandra Beckwith
Thanks Sandra! Will link to your post, too… Shari
I may be veering a little off track here, Shari, but I think this is so important that I’ve decided to re-arrange my pitch to include verbiage stating what I’ve done and will continue to do, to be a collaborator for successful publication. I’ve even bandied about the idea of making it a part of a query letter…reference my website, blog, maybe even show some stats from Google analytics or Facebook insights. Even if they started off low, but are growing, I think it’s germane. Just a thought……….