Outlining
Almost every week I meet with a prospective new client whose writing is fantastic but who is lacking in the platform department. Whether you realize it yet or not, lack of a platform is the curse of most aspiring-to-be-published writers. Increasingly it’s a fact that in order to be taken on by an agent or a publishing house, you must have a platform.
Last week I had a strategy session with a client. She has an awesome memoir. Really well-written, but also (and more importantly), well edited and thematic. It’s something that will help other women. All the right ingredients. But she has no website, no social media, no nothing.
She started to weave a scenario for me:
Is it possible that an agent loves my book so much that they take me on just because the writing is great and then a publisher buys my book as a passion project and supports me to create a platform by building my website and promoting my book project?
I love the optimism here, but by the time she got to the end of the question I was shaking my head no. Because for the average writer, this scenario is pretty much a pipe dream. I do need to qualify, however, because it’s ABSOLUTELY possible that an agent or even an editor could or would pick up a project as a passion project. A passion project is something that an editor can’t say no to. An editor may even sell their Editorial Board on the idea when an author has a weak platform. I pursued plenty of these kinds of books at Seal Press, though the ones that made it through were those projects that were uber-niche, where we thought that the author’s standing in their community or the value of their message overcame the no website/no social media problem.
But I’d argue that in the past two years platform has gotten even more important than ever. In my book I call it the “Almighty Author Platform” because so many agents and editors won’t even look at your full proposal if your marketing/publicity and author bio don’t showcase some hard numbers. As Bella Mahaya Carter wrote in a fantastic post a few weeks ago about growing her Facebook fanbase, she was striving for 1,000 Facebook fans because that was a benchmark an agent had told her would signify a decent platform. And that’s just on Facebook.
So what’s the point I’m driving home? Yes, platform is critical. Yes, you need to pay attention to it. However, there is hope for those of you who don’t have one yet. It’s a stepping stone on your way to platform, and it’s called your portfolio.
A portfolio includes a great author website; a presence on social media (Facebook and Twitter at least); and a “platform plan,” which you present in your query letter (if you’re a novelist), or in your nonfiction book proposal (for the rest of you).
Agents are known to take on authors whose work they love (passion project) and basically “hold” them while the author builds their platform. The benefit of this, for some authors, is that they get that outside validation they’re looking for--they get to be an “agented author.” Having a portfolio can get you this far. It’s conceivable that it could get you a book deal, too, if your portfolio shows enough potential. Agents and editors will sometimes take on an author based on the author’s promise. I’ve seen it happen over and over again, where an author without a platform gets scooped up--maybe because of a great concept; maybe because they hit on something that feels like it’s trending; maybe because they’re young and beautiful (seriously).
But those aspiring authors still at least need a portfolio. So set your sights on this to start with, and then work on your platform as you go. Again, this is a stepping stone, and hopefully a little bit of a pick-me-up for those of you despairing that you’ll never get to shop your book because of your platform. You can and you will. I advise spending a good six months building your platform, but if you feel impatient and want to test the waters, get that portfolio locked down and godspeed! If you still don't land a deal after that, it's back to the grind of building building building. And for those of you tearing out your hair with the publishing industry, don't forget Plan B--using self-publishing as a platform-builder.
Thanks, Brooke. It's great to have some idea of numbers. That's really helpful! And I bought your book last night and am halfway through it! It is so much more helpful than any other book that I've read for beginning writers. I keep thinking that one morning I would wake up and think, "Oh, now I have a REAL platform!" I realized that you could just stuck on this step (building a platform) forever. Since I am working with a collaborator (another blogger/writer) for a project on emotional support and changes in friendships during new motherhood, do you think that publishers would count the totals of our both of our platforms together? If we count the totals from both of our blogs -- as well as our joint website collecting stories of female friendship and new motherhood -- we're certainly close to the totals that you mention. But not separately. How do publishers approach the idea of "platform" when there are two collaborators?
Hi Jessica. this is a great question: What is ENOUGH of a platform? In some ways it's subjective. You might hear that you need to be famous. You don't. But with nonfiction you do need to have enough to be perceived as an expert in your field. You need to have a database (probably 1000+); FB fans (again, 1000 is a good benchmark); Twitter (5000 is closer to impressive for Twitter). There are other things too: you get a lot of speaking engagements; you have high-profile connections and people willing to give you a blurb; you have good stats on your website. Like Janet mentioned below: 9000 hits a month. That's very good. So you can give real traffic numbers and that shows a real following. you can be guest posting for other sites, too, and measuring traffic. Some of this is hard numbers, but part of it is soft. It's not super quantifiable. It's all about looking good and how to figure out how to look good in your book proposal. Having media is another big piece. if you've been on national media (TV, radio) that can go a long way.
I was so excited to read about your book! Your book sounds exactly like what I need right now. I finished my doctorate (in education policy) this spring. I've been a writing teacher and an academic/researcher but decided to try my hand at freelance writing about parenting (rather than trying to get an academic job) while staying home with my toddler. I knew that since I didn't have (recent) or non-academic publishing credits, I needed to build a platform. Six months ago I started a blog, have had some success. I started another blog with another writer (a collaborative blog about female friendship), and my partner and I have the results of a survey that we've conducted of new moms, as well as an independent platform of our own, and we're outlining a book proposal about friendship during new motherhood. My question is: What is ENOUGH of a platform? I figured that we would create and send out our proposal once our platform gets "big" enough... But it occurs to me now: I have no idea how big that is. How big is big enough to impress an agent or publisher?
@Cori. I hear you, and this is so discouraging. Unfortunately, I do think you're at a disadvantage for being Canadian among US publishers. What do Canadian publishers say? Same thing? I'm glad you're not discouraged. You're awesome. Kamy and I really did create SWP for authors encountering exactly what you are---who have great books and even good platforms, but just not good enough. Something has to give at some point, and we are on the tipping point of something. There are a lot of discouraged authors out there. And platform has become an obsession!
@Suzanne. Thank you for playing devil's advocate. As a self-preservation strategy, it's a fine one to abandon your platform, but it's not a good publishing strategy. I was in the unfortunate position to reject many good books at Seal Press over the years simply because the author did not have a strong enough platform. Agents regularly turn authors down telling them to go build their platforms and come back. So here are a couple alternatives. 1. Finish your book and then turn your full attention to your platform; 2. Figure out a strategy that allows you to write and blog/do social media that doesn't drive you batty; 3. Consider self-publishing as a way to get your work out in the world so that you don't have to confront the platform hurdle and instead you use your book to build your platform. Your solution is a good one for managing overwhelm, in other words, but not for getting published.
Oh, how I've come to dread the word - platform! I've got a platform but it's still not enough for publishers. I've got a website, a FB page and Tweet as often as I can, but I'm finding (and so is my agent) that unless you're famous, you're not going anywhere. I have published a book already. I've been a journalist for 20 years with work published in big major magazines and they still turned down my last two proposals for lack of platform. Could be because I'm Canadian and my following isn't "big enough." I was intrigued to hear about the 1000 FB followers!
But I'm not discouraged. I'm just going to wait for the book idea that I have to write - whether it's picked up by a publisher or not - and just write it. I've been trained my whole professional life to only take on writing projects when they are paid. But that world is changing and when I realized the book I was proposing wouldn't be something I would write anyway, it was less painful to bid goodbye!
Thanks for this great post, Brooke! Look forward to sharing it with my "following!"
Building a platform is an important issue for anyone attempting to get published these days. I'm in the process right now and there are great suggestions and clarifications in your post. Thanks.
@Brooke: Thanks for your response. I linked my blog in my earlier comment, but here it is again: http:/
You're right, Brooke. That's exactly what I do (get Google Alerts on OCD). Also, while I knew my blog would be about OCD I didn't really have a clear direction for it when I started. I just jumped right in and it quickly took on a life of its own. Thanks for your offer to connect. I will definitely be in touch!
@Neelima, this one is the $60 million dollar question. I think most people (vast majority) post across platforms. I have my FB and Twitter linked, but I also post unique stuff to Twitter. I only post to Google+ about once a month. I just haven't gotten excited about that platform, though I know other who say G+ is where it's at. You have to do what doesn't drive you insane and suck up all of your time. If you do unique posts for every platform every day you basically won't have time to write, IMHO.
Thanks for the comments @Bella and @Emma. xxoo
@Romi, most writers think this when they start out, and it's a learning curve, but if you have a story to tell then you have stuff to share on social media. Most writers have a thematic memoir or novel, and so you can start by listing your themes. Then you can get Google Alerts for those themes. Janet below shared that she wrote a book about her son's OCD. This is a good example. She could (and probably does) follow the news on that topic. Then that (among other things) is what she might post about. It can be personal and global, but thinking about both is what builds a following online.
Thank you for the informative post Brooke. I'm curious about cross posting from your fb profile to your fb author page and then to twitter and google plus, and good reads...does that stand you in good stead? Many writers are doing it but I like to do one thing on my blog and another on my fb page. Is that the right thing to do or does it put off those who follow you on social media?
A great read, thanks. I keep hearing that a lot lately and must admit, it stresses me out somewhat. It sounds like i need either a fanpage on facebook or a blog, but I don't know what i would put on it or who would follow it. I don't consider myself an 'expert' in any particular field, i am just a woman with a story to tell.... I will keep reading and thinking on this topic and hope some ideas come to light...
Great post, Brooke—and thanks for the mention!
The portfolio as stepping stone to author platform is a fantastic concept for those who are SMAD (social media adverse) aspiring-to-be-published-writers. I just recently have taken the first step so I can personally attest to the do-ability of incremental platform building (along with a definitive plan for moving forward). My SMAD status ends next week when I launch my author website and FB fan page. Thank you Brooke for reframing the challenge into manageable objectives!
@Janet--what an inspiration!! You did everything right. Congratulations. I have some ideas for publishers you might want to approach if you go the "direct-to-publisher" route. You can't shop agents and publishers simultaneously, though, so it might be a next step depending on where you're going with all this. Would love to help you brainstorm. Just be in touch. Find me directly at warnercoaching.com.
@Suzanne, do you ask questions when you blog? You want to think about what's going to motivate people to comment. If you're just giving information without asking people to participate then they're probably not going to comment. I also think that people comment when they're provoked, but you might not be in a position to be writing something provocative. I think writers should also post about writing in their genre. What's great and not great about writing YA, and ask people for their experiences. You want to be inviting dialogue wherever possible. AND it's not easy to build a following. That's why focusing on great content is such an important strategy when building an online presence. What's your blog, BTW? Share it here!
I'm confused about the whole platform thing. I've had a few blogs over the years, and have one now that's tied to the YA novel I've written/am writing. I post links and updates on my personal FB page, people read it, tell me they like it, but no one EVER comments. I think I'm pretty technology-savvy--I tweet, do FB, blog, etc. But how does one get people to read a blog????
This is a great post, and I'd just like to add that you never know where your platform might take you. Four years ago,when I started writing my memoir about what helped and what hurt in my son's amazing recovery from severe OCD, I realized I had to develop a platform. Long story short, I started a blog to boost my platform, and this blog has become just as important to me as my book. Because of my blog (which gets over 9,000 hits monthly) I also now write for three other mental health websites and have been endorsed by some well-known psychologists. This, of course, adds to my platform. Now at this point I am sending out queries to agents and publishers, and also considering self-publishing. Thank you for this wonderful site....I've found it helpful...I just might query you too :)
Spam. Trivial updates. Yes. You won't get them bc you choose who you want to follow. I spend most of my time on my professional page these days, and I can still see my personal updates, but I don't bother going to the feed too often. I follow what other people are doing for business instead and then check-in with my friends. You have to incentivize people to care about what you're doing. A lot of my friends don't care about my professional page because they're not writers and that's fine, they don't follow me. You do have to work on building your fan base by giving good content. And yes, the fan base is the meaning of platform. That's what it's all about. You gotta make people care. Otherwise why would they want to read your book? That's the logic, anyway.
Brooke,
Sorry - another thing ... I don't have a proper writerly page on Facebook to like yet. I'll check yours out, in any case. Thanks.
Brooke
Thanks for the suggestion of a business (vs. personal) page. Are you saying I won't get all those frankly trivial status updates? (I didn't mean spam, if that's what you thought.) And if I create that business page, should the people who like it or friend me be relied upon?
I see what you're saying, but there seems to be too many ways for people to be polite but not actually care what I'm doing. Which is the whole point of platform, no? [Maybe I should gather as many friends as possible in order to impress an agent - and no one will be the wiser if I actually have no fans out there???]
This is such good advice, and nicely explained, too. Thank you! (I'm going to get right on it!)
@Louise. Make sure to start a fan page. If you already don't like FB you probably won't be compelled to do so, but I don't have any spam on my business page. So that's something to think about. Another thing is to swap likes with people. I always make that offer. Like my page at www.facebook.com/warnercoaching and send me a request to like your page. It's a good way to start. Slow and steady!
Excellent points! Thanks for posting.
Alas, I hate social media. I am sure Facebook etc. helps a lot of people, but it's a joke otherwise for at least one reason: the settings. After I friended a few people I met at a workshop, my feed started filling with "my new haircut" kind of posts. They flooded the page, pushing out important updates from magazines and good friends. Then I noticed you can set what each person is allowed to send you and block the rest. I did that with one or two gabby people. And now - though I am far from gabby - I suspect some of those friends with more 2000 friends on Facebook have done the same to me! Either that or their feed is so full of haircuts and words of wisdom from hundreds of people per day that they never see my wildlife photos and helpful tips on the rare occasion I post.
If I ever get published, I have a feeling only a few old friends from high school will know - and I would\ve told them via e-mail anyway!
Any thoughts???