I’ve taken some time recently to study platform-building in more detail. I understood the concept, and I had a fairly good idea of the tools needed, but I realized I didn’t have a solid understanding of what a well-constructed platform looked like, nor did I understand  the proper steps for building it.

I’m still learning, and will post more as I go along, but I clearly see how easy it is for us to fall into the trap of putting the cart before the horse. Or, start building without a plan or a blueprint.

To get you started, here are some great resources from some of the experts on platform building.

Dan Blank

Founder of We Grow Media — Helping writers build their platforms and working with publishers to grow their online communities

Here are two great posts from Dan Blank this week :

The First 3 Things to Consider When Building an Author Platform (guest post on krpooler.com)

1. Focus your goals
2. Define your brand
3. Target your audience

Click on the link above to read the full post and get all the juicy details. 

And,
Branding for Writers: An Essential Step in Building an Author Platform (guest post on www.thecreativepenn.com)

Christina Katz

In a nutshell, Christina helps writers learn the skills they need to prosper. She has the experience and expertise to do just that. You can find her at www.christinakatz.com.

If you’re building a platform, you should buy this book:  

(Full disclosure: This is an affiliate link, so if you purchase this book through Amazon, I get a small reward.)

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman is a former publishing & media exec who now serves as a full-time assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. She knows a lot about publishing, and author platforms.

Start with Jane’s post A Definition of Author Platform, then explore her site for more great stuff.

Rachelle Gardner

Rachelle is an agent with Books & Such Literary Agency, and a prolific blogger. Here are some of her popular posts that can help you get started on your platform:

How to Write a Terrific Author Bio

Platform for Nonfiction Authors

Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourselves

Author Marketing & Platform

10 Tidbits About Author Platform

Last weekend, I attended my very first writer’s conference, which was quite exciting. I traveled from Houston to Allentown, PA to attend The Write Stuff conference hosted by the Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group. The people were great, the sessions were informative, and I won a little foam airplane for traveling a great distance to attend.

If traditional publishing is your goal (versus self-, or “indie” publishing), my notes from the Agent Panel might interest you, so I am sharing them here.

The five literary agents on this panel were:

• Rachel Stout, of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
• Carrie Pestritto, of Prospect Agency
• Lauren Ruth, of BookEnds Literary Agency
• Marie Lamba, of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency
• Katie Shea, of the Donald Maass Literary Agency

Question #1:  Is it true that you have to have a breakout novel? Or, can authors keep trying until they write a book that sells?

C.P.:  Before you pitch a book, make sure you have a really strong platform.
M.L.:  While you’re working at creating that perfect book, keep working, keep perfecting, and keep putting stuff out there. Keep learning about the marketplace. Subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly, and check out Publisher’s Marketplace.
L.R.:  Use social media to build your platform — Twitter, a blog, and your own website. A good website will have your picture, a blog, news, and will include a sample (small one) of your writing. Make sure your site is also user-friendly.
K.S.:  If you have a book that didn’t do well, don’t mope. That happens. Take time to research your market better, see what’s selling, and be willing to change if something’s not working. Suck it up and keep going.

Question #2:  Are you done for if Barnes & Noble won’t carry your book?

R.S.:  No. Consider ebooks. Many people may not know it, but erotica books are selling like crazy on Kindle (people can buy them anonymously). Our agency helps authors who don’t sell well in Barnes & Noble to self publish.

Question #3:  Self-publishing is gaining credibility. When is it the better route to go over traditional publishing?

R.S.:  Our agency studies self-publishing lists on Amazon and look for people to solicit as potential clients (looking for self-published authors with strong sales).
C.P.:  Our agency does the same. New or young agents are actively looking to build their lists, so authors who have successfully self-published are attractive. People who have not yet published but have strong platforms are also potential clients. There’s a young woman with a very popular blog that I tried to sign, but she already had a deal with someone else.
M.L.:  If you’re planning to self-publish, make sure your work is as good as — or better than — what you would pitch to a traditional publisher.
L.R.:  I don’t advise self-publishing your first time out. Start by doing your homework and working on your platform. If you self-publish a book that doesn’t sell well, a traditional publisher won’t be impressed if you come to them later. Your Amazon ranking is 1,000,000? A traditional publisher won’t take a risk with you.
K.S.:  Self-publishing should be the last resort for a first-time author. Try the traditional route first. Self-publishing does work for a first-timer that does have a high success rate, though. That author would be attractive to an agency.

Question #4:  Are publishers still giving advances? What is reasonable these days for authors to expect?

R.S.:  Yes, advances are still being offered. The amount depends a great deal on what takes place in marketing meetings within the publishing house. I’ve recently seen advances for fiction in a lower range of $15,000 to $20,000, and also $900,000 for a three-book deal.
K.S.:  Yes. But there are so many variables that affect the amounts, such as time (when the book will be published), people involved, and what’s selling. I recently saw two offers from two different publishers for a YA novel. One was for $7500, and the other was for $75,000 (yes, seventy-five thousand). Advance offers are very unpredictable. Just keep in mind that any offer is a good offer; don’t be picky.

Question #5:  For authors building a platform, what’s your best advice for finding our readers?

M.L.:  Set up a Facebook page, and create a fan gate (the “Like” me to get a free something), with a giveaway. Start reviewing books in your genre. Link to the author and let her know you’ve posted a review. Link to your review on Twitter. Always give an offer.
K.S.: Use other sites to connect with fellow authors, and readers. Sites like She Writes, Writer Unboxed, and Goodreads. Keep your platform focused on your targeted readers (your audience). If you’ve written other stuff, use it for credibility and experience, but if it doesn’t apply to your specific audience (in the genre you’re writing in), don’t include it in your platform.

So there you have it, straight from the agents’ mouths. Did you get that you need to have a platform? I’ll be covering more about platform in future posts, but for now, what are you doing to build your platform?

Over the past few months, through deliberate, careful research (okay, it was mostly following link trails), I’ve gathered a list of great articles on a variety of topics related to writing, publishing, and marketing. In this post, I’d like to share with you a few of the articles that cover the subject of e-books.

A Checklist for Marketing Your E-Book

In this article for Writer Unboxed, Jane Friedman applies The Marketing Mix (also known as the 4Ps) to marketing an e-book:  product, price, place, promotion.

Jane Friedman is a professor of media and writing at the University of Cincinnati, and the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. Visit her at JaneFriedman.com, for regular insights into the future of publishing.

Maximizing Digital Book Sales

Carolyn McCray discusses how to “rise above the noise” on Amazon and other digital platforms.

Carolyn McCray is a social media and sales consultant to writers and publishing houses alike.   And using the principle laid out in this article, her recent non-fiction book, “Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-publishing Success” debuted at #1 on the Amazon Bestselling list for Study & Teaching and reached #2 on the Authorship Bestselling list beating out such rock stars as JA Konrath and Zoe Winters.  Carolyn is also the founder of the Indie Book Collective, an organization dedicated to helping writers utilize social media to sell their books.

What Sold in E Over Christmas

And, in an effort to keep you informed, here’s a list from Publisher’s Weekly of the top sellers in digital over Christmas.

After years of swearing I would never give up “real books” and buy an e-reader, I will confess to having a strong attachment to my Kindle. (I love it, and to take it away, you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.) So, I’ll be keeping a close eye out on digital trends, to be sure.

How about you?

No matter what publishing route we might plan to pursue, we as authors must take responsibility for developing our own platforms. Even if we go the traditional route, a publishing house will expect us to already have a following. More than one article mentioned that agents and publishers will want to see 15,000 visits per month to an author’s blog.

Here are some highlights from my research:

• Just because you write, and publish, a book does not guarantee that people will read it
• Writers should work on audience development as they’re writing — not after
• A blog or website is important, as are Facebook, Twitter, and other social media
• Contributions to other blogs or publications can be a big plus
• Great marketing can sell even mediocre writing, but mediocre (or poor) marketing won’t sell great writing

Here are some great articles I recommend:

Three Reasons Why Authors Must Develop Their Own Platform by Michael Hyatt

Author Marketing and Platform by Rachelle Gardner

The Difference  Between Your “Current Platform” and “Future Platform” by Chuck Sambuchino

Audience Development is Critical to Every Writer’s Future by Jane Friedman

If you’re a planner, you might be interested in these worksheets from Jane Friedman:

Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets

So what are YOU doing to develop your platform?