A Great First Step To Build Your Author Platform

If you’re a writer, aspiring author, or a published author, you know how important it is to have an author platform. If you have a successful sales track record, then it’s a lot easier to find an agent, publisher, and readers for your next project.

The thing is that first time authors don’t have this. So how do you build an author’s platform? By accident, I discovered the best way to start building this, which I should have known in the first place.

Freelance writing.

It’s a great opportunity. I began at the end of September, and now, I have author profiles on two different sites, including the quickly-expanding Business2Community. Together, I have over a hundred articles published, so that means if anybody out there needs proof of my work’s quality, they can see it with a single click.

I highly recommend finding a few freelance gigs so that when writing a query letter, cover letter, and resume, you can include your published writing and links to the author profile page.

There are places out there who will accept college students as contributors, so if you’re attending a University and plan to break into the publishing industry (whether the author side of the editor/publisher side), take advantage.

If I had done that, my resume would be a lot more solid. Freelance writing and editing is experience, and everybody knows how aggravating it is to get an entry-level job that, for some reason, demands 1 or 2 years experience.

This is your chance.

Anybody have any other tips on building an author platform?