What is an author platform and why do you need one?
The concept of an author platform is much discussed, much worried over by aspiring authors and is much misunderstood. For many people, it’s the biggest element that they feel is holding them back from becoming a published author - and for non-fiction books, depending on who you ask, it’s either the single most important factor behind getting a book deal, or it’s in the top three factors (along with the strength of the book idea and the quality of the writing).
What is an author platform?
Your author platform is your ability to reach the people to whom you can sell your book. This means it encompasses all the people whom you can speak to directly via your newsletter, your social media, from the stage as a speaker, via podcasts, TV or other media, or via partnerships, endorsements and joint ventures.
It’s the sum total of your visibility and authority within your field. You may not necessarily be well-known to the general public, but if you’re a leading figure in your sector, you may still have a significant author platform.
What do people get wrong about author platforms?
Your platform is not restricted to your online profile - as mentioned above, speaking from the stage (at conferences, festivals and events) can be an important pillar of your platform. More specifically, one of the big misconceptions about an author platform is that the term is synonymous with your social media following.
This is not true. Your social media following is part of your platform, and for some people it will be the biggest part - but you can have a fantastic author platform with a minimal social media presence.
In addition, publishers have been badly burnt in recent years, paying out huge advances to online influencers with huge followings, who turned out not to be able to influence these followers to buy their book. As a result, literary agents and publishers are now understandably wary about how engaged your social media following really is (let alone, how many of those accounts might be fake).
For more on publishers’ bad experiences banking on large social media followings, check out this New York Times piece in which literary agent Tanya McKinnon says that the problem is that, for any given book, no one in publishing can know whether someone’s social media following will positively affect book sales or not:
“If we knew, publishers would make no mistakes,” Ms. McKinnon said. “My whole position on this is that if you find someone who really does know, will you please share their information with me?”
Publishers also feel understandable wariness about a marketing plan being tied to the whim of algorithms, and there are nightmare tales of authors being shut out of their social media accounts at the most critical point of their book launch.
None of this is to pour cold water on having great follower numbers - it’s still a big tick in your favour. It’s simply to say that, if you don’t already have a strong social media presence, I wouldn’t make it my number one priority when it comes to building out your author platform. There are other areas where you can make more difference, more quickly, in ways that are more within your direct control.
Different elements to author platforms
For instance, if you host a popular podcast and also have a strong PR profile within traditional media, your social media presence matters less than it would otherwise.
Or, if you have a big and highly engaged audience for your newsletter, then your Instagram or TikTok follower numbers will be less significant.
If you can demonstrate that you have the makings of a committed street team, ready to evangelize about your book to their own audiences, that would be a significant contribution towards building your author platform.
My clients have got book deals by arguing that their Patreon memberships, high newsletter open rates and repeat attendees at their retreats and live events are all better evidence of an engaged and ready-to-buy audience than their social media numbers alone would suggest.
Another factor that is often overlooked when building an author platform is the power of endorsements (cover blurbs and advance praise for your book from celebrities, or people who are leading figures in your sector). For many agents, publishers - and readers - the right person’s endorsement of your book can be a make-or-break factor in driving sales.
As a result, being proactive now, and starting a networking and outreach programme that you can build slowly over the next year to eighteen months, might be a much better strategy than pouring money into Facebook’s Ad coffers.
Why do you need an author platform?
Whether you’re being published traditionally, self-publishing or going down the hybrid route, ultimately your book can only sell to interested potential readers who are aware of its existence and who perceive you to be a credible author on this topic. Your author platform is how you make that happen. Your publisher (if you’re going down the traditional route) can amplify this effect (for instance by securing features and interviews for you on podcasts/TV/radio/press etc, or by paying for advertising campaigns) - but if there isn’t a core audience of people who already consider you to have authority in this topic, there’s nothing to build a bigger marketing campaign around.
Whichever route you take to publication, you still need to be able to reach the people who might buy your book - if you’re self-publishing then you already know that you need to take responsibility for every stage of this process, but even if you have a book deal, you are still responsible for much of the same work. The difference is only that there will be others within the Marketing, Publicity and Sales departments of your publishers who will take responsibility for building on and augmenting your existing profile.
What can you do to build your author platform?
There are hundreds of potential tactics you could pursue to build your author platform, but they all relate to these core strategies:
grow your audience
build your authority
create new relationships with leaders in your field
find your true fans - the people who will spread the word about your book
Key Takeaways about Author Platforms
Your author platform is your ability to reach potential buyers of your book.
It’s not just your social media followers, it’s much wider than that. It encompasses your whole online and offline visibility and authority.
Elements that are often overlooked include live events, traditional PR and Media, your ability to create a committed street team, and the power of personal endorsements.
If you’re aiming for a book deal, it’s worth knowing that many agents and publishers consider your platform to be the single most important factor in deciding whether to offer a deal (and how big your advance should be).
If you want help building out your author platform, check out Open Book, for 1:1 coaching to discuss all your options.