READER FRIENDLY
If you want to see writers clam up, say the word “platform.” Whether established or pre-published, we all get a little tense when those two syllables are dropped. For established writers, it’s a business aspect of our creative careers that requires daily maintenance. For aspiring authors, it’s another hoop to jump through along the path to publication.
It helps to define what exactly a platform is. For the purposes of this article, let’s call it your established audience. Ditch the industry buzzword and turn it into something with a human component—the people that you have the opportunity to interact with every day.
You might be thinking: OK, building a platform once my novel It’s a fair question. How can you create a platform when you don’t have writing credits? Prior to publication, what is there to say about yourself and your writing that is relevant? Put another way—who cares? Answer: The agents and editors to whom you’ll be submitting. Approaching an agent or editor with a built-in readership for your first book is just another opportunity to stand out in the slush. Lay the foundation for your own platform with the following eight channels.
