So you have finally finished your precious manuscript, edited it, run over it with a fine-toothed comb, and put every fibre of your being into making it a masterpiece.But, no one will publish it. Why? Your novel is fascinating, your structure is sound, and your style is enhanced. What more do agents and publishers want?
The buzzword going around in the publishing world at the moment is 'platform'. The author platform.
Existing authors have them, most new authors have them, and even many of the publishing employees themselves have them! So what is an author platform and what makes it so important?A platform is how you can get seen in a noisy world. It is a prominent level you are promoting yourself on to provide yourself with a name.
By promoting your work in a particular area you can gain some experience and get known out there by the people who may be interested in buying your work. This can mostly be done through online sources such as weblogs, websites, podcasts and creating Facebook and Twitter pages, but it can also be achieved through physical means such as speeches and training courses.
I'll provide you with an example. I have a buddy who is composing the first draft of her first novel and knows she would have next to no chance of having it published, simply because she is unknown. She has come to realise that the conventional methods of submitting a manuscript have become obsolete. So she is developing herself an author platform.
She is taking it upon herself to be noticed in this noisy world.
She works as a nurse and the theme of her first novel revolves around mental illness. Therefore she has set herself up on a weblog which focuses on mental illness in order to reach out to a community who may be interested in her story. People who are showing enthusiasm about her subject are also expressing interest in purchasing her book when it is finished.
So now when she takes her finished manuscript to a publisher, along with a list of potential customers, the risk of the publisher taking her on is reduced and her work suddenly becomes so much more appealing to them!
The buzzword going around in the publishing world at the moment is 'platform'. The author platform.
Existing authors have them, most new authors have them, and even many of the publishing employees themselves have them! So what is an author platform and what makes it so important?A platform is how you can get seen in a noisy world. It is a prominent level you are promoting yourself on to provide yourself with a name.
By promoting your work in a particular area you can gain some experience and get known out there by the people who may be interested in buying your work. This can mostly be done through online sources such as weblogs, websites, podcasts and creating Facebook and Twitter pages, but it can also be achieved through physical means such as speeches and training courses.
I'll provide you with an example. I have a buddy who is composing the first draft of her first novel and knows she would have next to no chance of having it published, simply because she is unknown. She has come to realise that the conventional methods of submitting a manuscript have become obsolete. So she is developing herself an author platform.
She is taking it upon herself to be noticed in this noisy world.
She works as a nurse and the theme of her first novel revolves around mental illness. Therefore she has set herself up on a weblog which focuses on mental illness in order to reach out to a community who may be interested in her story. People who are showing enthusiasm about her subject are also expressing interest in purchasing her book when it is finished.
So now when she takes her finished manuscript to a publisher, along with a list of potential customers, the risk of the publisher taking her on is reduced and her work suddenly becomes so much more appealing to them!
About the Author:
If you would like to learn more about creating an author platform or even novel writing go to http://www.howtowriteabookadvice.net. This article, Beginning Authors Making Themselves Known in a Busy World is released under a creative commons attribution license.
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