Regular readers of my blog know that "author platform" is a popular subject around here. I've written countless posts about it and I think it's one of the key aspects of book publishing that every author needs to understand and leverage.
I recently received a review copy of a book about author platform called Get Known Before the Book Deal, by Christina Katz. I haven't had a chance to read the entire book yet, but what I've seen so far greatly impresses me. I'll write a follow-up review later but I wanted to call attention to it with this initial post because so little has been written in book format about the topic. Stay tuned for that follow-up review and be sure to visit the author's website to learn more about her.
I love this book! I really love how she puts the website at the very end of the steps for building a platform. So many people think their website will be their instant platform, but we don't live in Field of Dreams. You have to give them a reason to come--and then to keep coming back.
Posted by: Jen | February 23, 2009 at 01:49 PM
Thanks for the great suggestion, Joe. I just ordered the book, and based on what I could see from the Amazon sample, the book looks extremely helpful.
Question: how far into platform development should you be before you start pitching agents? I'm afraid I've engaged the process exactly backward up till now--finishing the manuscript (nonfiction), querying agent, and THEN finding out about platform. Is there a specific threshold number of followers, or a visibility/credibility benchmark, that one should have before I restart the querying process?
Great blog, by the way. Thank you for putting it out there.
Posted by: John Backman | March 20, 2009 at 09:45 AM
Good Lord. Let me try that second paragraph again:
Question: how far into platform development should you be before you start pitching agents? I'm afraid I've engaged the process exactly backward up till now--finishing the manuscript (nonfiction), querying agents, and THEN finding out about platform. Is there a specific threshold number of followers, or a visibility/credibility benchmark, that I should have before I restart the querying process?
Posted by: John Backman | March 20, 2009 at 09:53 AM
Hi John. I'm not sure there's a formula to follow on this. My advice is to continue as far as you can without an agent first. If you can make progress on your own you might find you don't need an agent.
Posted by: Joe Wikert | March 20, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Really? I was under the impression that publishers would not even look at aspiring authors unless they have an agent. I swear, the more I learn about publishing, the more questions I have!
Thanks so much for your prompt response.
Posted by: John Backman | March 20, 2009 at 10:44 AM