Building an Author Platform Wore Me Out

Four score and seven years...

Wait. How long have I been building that imaginary plywood stage called an author platform?

A long, long time! And you know what? It wore me out.

Yeah. It just tuckered this girl out.

You see, this is post 782. I've been blogging since 2008. Facebook? Yep. Twitter? Uh-huh. Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Goodreads? Absolutely.

I've been writing full time for seven years, studying, getting critiques, critiquing, honing my skills, attending conferences, pitching to editors, studying the industry. A girl can learn a lot about writing and the publishing industry in seven years.

But last fall I read Wendy Lawton's fabulous post, "The Trouble with Tribes" over at  Books and Such Literary Blog, and I sensed something needed to change. Wendy discusses the problem many authors have--their Tribe (and platform) consists of peers instead of readers.

Personally, I think aspiring fiction writers are smart to connect with peers. These are the people who will shout out your news and recommend your books to friends. Unpublished fiction authors have a tough time finding readers. After all, we don't have a book to sell.

But much of Wendy's advice rang true. We need to continue leaving our comfort zone to attract an audience. And that is what I've struggled with when the initial excitement of building a platform wore off. I settled for comfortable because I was too discouraged and tired to put myself out there.

I've been blessed. My platform has continued to grow on every site without tons of effort on my part. But I could do a better job of engaging readers.

The bottom line?

I'm pushing myself to make more of an effort on my social media sites. Brainstorming ways to kick-start my platform.

Why?

Because I'm persistent, and I believe in my books. I love writing. Writing isn't my hobby. Getting published isn't something that would be nice. It's my big dream, and I've sacrificed a lot to make it happen. I'm willing to sacrifice more.

If becoming a published author is important to you, you'll pick up the hammer and nails and build your platform, even when you're worn out.

How?

* Put small efforts in every day.
* Don't let your platform languish.
* Be generous.
* Nurture relationships.
* Freshen the look of your site every so often.
* And don't count on your platform to give you an edge with editors. It might, but it might not.

When the time comes to market your books, you'll need a web presence to do it. Think of building your platform as investing in your business. You can "save"  now by having your own system in place or "borrow" later by hiring web designers, paying for blog tours, or hiring a publicist. You might want to do both. It's good to have options.

If you're an aspiring author (or a published author), how do you stay motivated to build your platform?

Have a terrific day!

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Another Door Opens

As many of you know, I've been writing full time and submitting my work for three years. The first year, I was full of excitement and hope. The second year, I was determined to improve my writing craft and build my online presence. The third year? Well, this year was tough.

I knew my writing was growing based on feedback from my wonderful critique group (Wendy P. Miller, Terri Tiffany, and Cindy R. Wilson) and a few dear author friends (thanks Jody Hedlund and Brenda Minton!), but I couldn't help but wonder if my craft had improved enough.

Then came worse thoughts, what if it would never be good enough?

Many of you are writers too. You've been writing, studying, going to conferences, submitting your work, blogging, and praying--always praying--that someday you'll get beyond the rejections.

So I'm announcing this from a humble and grateful place.

I have an agent. (I'm refraining from my customary exclamation points, but it is difficult.)

Yes, I just signed a contract with Books & Such Literary Agency and am now represented by the amazing Rachel Kent, formerly Rachel Zurakowski.



I will say there were tears involved. I will also say that hearing nice words about my work practically stopped my heart, and I'm considering investing in a home defibrillator. Those paddles would have come in handy.

If you are a writer and sometimes wonder if you'll ever get to the next level, don't give up. Hold on to each thread of hope.

Join me on Wednesday to kick-off November's topic: Plateaus.

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Time Commitments

I thought I'd share this link from a literary agent. Rachelle Gardner is an agent with WordServe Literary and she writes a terrific blog. A few weeks ago, she wrote a post detailing the time commitments newly published authors will face and how to prepare for them. Check out rants & ramblings: on life as a literary agent to read her post.

Her article was thought provoking because many people underestimate how much work any job is. It's easy to assume movie stars don't work hard or that published authors have it easy. All jobs require effort, and the amount of effort isn't always discernible to someone not doing that particular job.

If you intend to become published, writing is only one part of the equation.

Revisions, critiques, writing a query and synopsis, research, and organizing take time. And let's face facts: most writers do not sell their very first book to the first editor they submit to. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's rare. So all the work you put into the first book will be repeated with number two, and three...and you may be doing it without the benefit of a contract.

At some point in this journey, it'll hit you that other unpublished authors have websites and blogs. They go to conferences and seem to know all these insider people. And you will feel the tug--the tug to up your game. Peer pressure! Again, more time involved that doesn't directly relate to your book but is essential to your career.

There's nothing wrong with waiting until you publish to set up your promotional tools. After all, an editor will buy your book because of the writing, not because you have a website. However, after "the call," there are many new and exciting issues you will have to deal with like contracts, revisions, line-edits, art-sheets, and possibly, a contract for another book. Do you really want to be figuring out how to get a website up and running while you're bombarded with all that? You will need a website; editors expect you to promote your book through it, which means it'll have to be up and running pretty quickly.

And the process isn't over. Editors want writers who have more than one book in them. They're taking a chance on a new author. They get thousands of queries and proposals every year. You will have to prove yourself to them. If the book you sold took four years to write, be prepared you won't have that luxury with the next book. A good indication of what editors expect from their authors is to look at their current roster. Are their best-sellers putting out two books a year? What about their newer authors? It should give you an idea of their expectations.

My intention isn't to scare you. It's just that many new authors don't fully understand what is involved with getting a book published.

Join me on Friday for a breather from all this heavy stuff!

And...

Write Already! It's Wednesday!

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