This session, I have had ten amazing women in my Platform Building Basics for Writers class. It’s truly exciting to hold a space where writers have time to reflect on what is meaningful to them in a broader context. Thanks to the Internet, once you know what topics you are truly passionate about, it doesn’t take very long until you are putting them out there and generating a platform that can sustain, not only a book, but a whole slew of offerings for your niche audience like classes, speaking opportunities, and consulting.
What a pleasant discovery for me to find this work so exciting! My enthusiasm only confirms that I am on the right track in my own niche, which has actually broken into two audiences over the years—freelance writers in general and writer mamas.
In 2001, I became clear that I wanted to not only write, but to work with other writers. At the time, I was barely using the Internet, but I started teaching writing classes at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington. After my family moved to Wilsonville, Oregon I was able to use the e-newsletter that I’d started there to stay in touch with my students, no matter how many miles between us.
I just got an e-mail from one of those folks saying that she’s been highly recommended to one of the top editors at one of the biggest publishing houses around. This kind of message just makes my day. Because every writer who works hard on their craft and sales skills deserves recognition and success. I firmly believe that. And I also firmly believe that success will come to every writer who perseveres and continue to nurture her career. That’s what happens when you stay with it and don’t give up.
There are no longer any hard and fast “rules” about how publishing success happens. But you’d better believe that your online presence matters. My former student was recommended to a publishing executive (who is on the marketing side of the biz!) by an independent bookseller who reads her blog (one she just started this year)! Talk about finding a side door nobody knows about! But these kinds of stories are cropping up every day.
And the beat goes on, because platform development is an integral part of being an author today. And the way I teach platform, it’s about connecting with something essential in yourself that can carry on as long as you like. The way I teach platform development offers a writer ownership of her unique talents while maintaining an awareness of the needs of others.
I want every writer to develop a platform or platforms and own his or her power as a professional communicator. And really get that when you partner with an agent or publisher, you are meeting them on equal ground. I don’t think the folks on the publishing side expect anything less from writers anyway.
Every aspiring author today is expected to be a self-starter.
Are you a self-starter? Are you taking your writing career into your own hands?
Let the answer motivate you to higher expectations of yourself, so that others will want to partner with you.
I found an interesting comment on the Folio Literary Management website (foliolit.com) about “Frequently Asked Questions for Agents,” by Lisa Van Auken that confirms your blog today.
“The most important thing potential clients should know before submitting to agents really isn’t about the agencies in question at all. An author should have a solid idea about where he or she wants to go with their writing (how they will build a solid readership, how they will keep it, how their actual writing will serve their business goals). Only when they know exactly what they want does it become time to find an agency that will complement their goals.”