Get Known Before the Book Deal – Christina Katz Provides a Road Map For Building a Writer Platform
An aspiring author hears a lot about creating a platform. But what is a platform? And why do you need to create one? In Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz describes what a platform is and how you can create a strong one.
With tightening publishing budgets, writing a book is not enough to get you published, even if it is a great book. Publishers must be convinced that your book is marketable, and you increase your marketability by creating a strong platform.
What Is a Platform?
Most articles and blog posts about author platforms talk about web presence. But Katz argues that there is much more to platform than a website. In fact, she doesn’t discuss websites in depth until chapter 34.
A platform, she says, is “all the ways you are visible and appealing to your future, potential, or actual readership.” Have you written articles on your topic? Have you presented on your topic at workshops or conferences? Do you teach a class on your topic? These activities are key elements of your platform, but even they are not where you begin.
Find Your Niche
Creating your author platform begins with some introspective activities. Readers might be tempted to skim over these initial exercises, but they are valuable even if you have already engaged in some platform-building activities. They can help you refine your strategies and your targets so that your work is even more effective in raising your visibility.
Build Your Platform
Katz discusses many different ways you can get the visibility you need to be a viable candidate for a book deal. Her suggestions seem mainly targeted toward nonfiction writers, but she does give some attention to the needs of fiction authors. Some of the top suggestions are writing articles, teaching online and face-to-face classes, and volunteering for local writing and content area organizations.
Get Over Your Fear
Many authors fear selling themselves and networking. These activities don’t come naturally to Katz either, so the lessons she provides can help all but the most introverted authors come out of their shells and market their book effectively.
She reminds her readers that no matter how scared they might be, they are the ones responsible for the level of success they have as a writer. Thus, they are the ones who have the responsibility for marketing their work and themselves. The key is to do it with integrity and to integrate the passion you feel for your subject and your work.
Release It to the Public
Katz closes with the public face for your platform. She walks you through building your identity, providing related services, and, yes, creating your website and blog. She touches on social networking and other trends in book marketing.
This book is the only one that discusses platform building before a writer has been published, and for that reason alone, it is required reading. Imitators will likely follow, but you will be at least one step ahead by reading this book, completing the exercises, and applying what you learn to your platform.
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