Building a Platform

 
I'm participating in a mentorship program through one of my online writers groups and my "grasshopper" recently asked me this question:
<!-- /* Font Definitions */@font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:0 2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}@page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;}div.Section1 {page:Section1;}-</style><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">When did you start buildingyour platform? Can you identify the major steps to take? What made areal difference?</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_b9s3sZWO5c..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_b9s3sZWO5c..." /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">In answering her, I thought I'd just make it into a blog post. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">First... I actually don't think it's essential for fiction writers to build a platform before they're published. I know or know of lots of very successful authors who had zero online presence prior to their first sale. A platform will not get you published in fiction unless it's a really awesome one. And wearing these shoes wouldn't count as an awesome platform for fiction, unless your name is Snooki or Lauren Conrad or Tyra Banks. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">That said, I am someone who started to build a platform before I sold.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">I usedto be very active on several writers loops. I did this more to learn aboutwriting and the industry, and to share what I'd learned with others, than to build a platform per se... but I did develop a fairlysignificant network of writer friends both via loops and via blogging. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">The keys with blogging are at least two fold. First, make your content interesting. And second leave meaningful comments on other people's blogs in the hopes that you'll gain readership either from those individuals or their readers. Or maybe that they'll link to your blog from their blog. It can be a lot of work to do both of those things consistently, so I only recommend this for someone who enjoys it and has time. Also, you have to be careful not to say something that will paint you in a negative light. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">Thatsaid, I don't think that either of those venues are as active as they used tobe. More people are now on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">I was apretty early adopter of MySpace and Facebook and Twitter and Google+, but Idon't think it's essential to do these things professionally before you've got a publishing contract. The trick is, unless you have really great content on those venues,why would anyone you don't already know follow you before you have a book out? It's tricky. And is there any point in building up huge numbers of Facebook friends who are mostly interested in either hitting on you via skeevy messages, or asking you to buy them a cow for Farmville? (Asks the girl with 3800 Facebook friends. Do what I say, not what I do.) Here's my <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MaureenMcGowan... page</a> if you're not already following me there. :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">Somepeople do social networking extremely well, but I don't think it's essential ifit's not something you enjoy. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">It's easy to get started on these social networking sites, and the main "tricky" thing for a writer is deciding whether to separate your personal identity from your writer identity. If I could turn back time three or four years, I would have set up Facebook differently for sure. Not that I really could have done it the way I wish I'd done it, because it's changed so much.... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">If you're starting on Facebook now, it's a good idea to set up a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGow.... But again, why would anyone "like" your page before you have a book? So, it's really just preparation and I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to coerce people into liking your page. You'll just alienate them. Once you have a book out, they will come. ;) Especially if you have <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowa... for them to "like" you on your website and in <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowa... other places</a>. :-)</span></div><br />My Facebook Page:<div class="fb-like" data-href="http://drunkwritertalk.blogspot.com/2..." data-send="false" data-width="450" data-show-faces="false"></div><br /><br />And here's a like button for Molly's new Facebook Page:<div class="fb-like" data-href="http://drunkwritertalk.blogspot.com/2..." data-send="false" data-width="450" data-show-faces="false"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">There are lots of great resources with advice on using social networking but I think the bottom line is be genuine. Be yourself. And again, be careful you don't tweet or post anything you might later regret. What you post online stays there forever. Minimize drunk tweeting. ;) Especially from an iPhone with <a href="http://damnyouautocorrect.com/"&... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">In terms of building a platform, one stepI would advise writers to take before they sell is to buy the domain name(s) for whatever authorname(s) they plan hope to use. There's nothing more heartbreaking thanrealizing you can't get "yourauthorname.com" when you want it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">I reserved my website name in about 2003 and launched my <a href="http://maureenmcgowan.com/">w... and <a href="http://www.maureenmcgowan.blogspot.co... after I got my first agent (in 2006) when I thought Iwas about to sell. I didn't get my first book contract until 2009. If I could turn back time, I'm not certain I would have putas much time/thought/money into my website. I do love the look of mysite. My designer was very talented and really "got" me and my writing that I shared with her. Problem is, I ended up published in a different genre than I was writing atthe time and while my website fits me as a person, I'm not sure it fits my currentwork... And I'll definitely need a new design with the books I have coming out starting next year (that I still can't talk about...)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">Oneclear advantage I saw to blogging when I started, was that before I had a blog, when yougoogled my name most of the top hits weren't me. After I'd been activelyblogging for just a few months, and other writers had linked to my blog, suddenly mostgoogle hits for my name were actually about me and not some other person named MaureenMcGowan. But again... that didn't get me published. I just thought it was cool.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">If youknow you're going to use a pseudonym, then by all means start to create anidentity online under that name, but know that things might not turn out as youplan. Maybe your publisher won't let you use the pseudonym of your choice. Maybeyou'll change your mind by the time you're published. Maybe you'll end up in adifferent genre than the identity you've built up... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">All thissaid, I think unpublished writers should concentrate more on their writing andhoning their craft than worrying about a platform. Platforms are only essentialfor non-fiction writers. For fiction writers they're just a bonus, not a necessity and won't get your novel published unless your platform is that you're a cast member of a big reality TV show.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13pt;">If youenjoy social networking and have time, by all means. But make writing yourfirst priority until you have a contract. An agent or editor won't sign you or publishyour novel because you have a gazillion facebook friends or a pretty website. Infact, unless they already love your book, they won't even check to see.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>