Working on building a "Platform"

averagegirl

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Hello Everyone!

I am in that fun stage of having completed my non-fiction, self-help manuscript and am starting to query literary agencies. I've had one bite from an agent in New York who told me that she knows my work is solid and there is a market for it. She told me that she even knows who she would reach out to publishing wise...but the problem is I need a more substantial platform to break through.

I have a fairly well followed blog www.loveaverage.com/blog, I have some published articles in print and online (still working on completing more), I have a medium sized following on social media (again, still working on this), I have connections with well respected authors and experts in the field of body image, I have been cited in a recent book that was published, I volunteer and teach at eating disorder groups....

I am wondering if anyone has some advice on how they increased their following or "platform" to entice publishers and agents to take a chance on them.

I will soon be launching a You Tube channel and I am working on some presentations as a start. I would love your advice!

Thank you all! This website has been a blessing during the writing experience...
 

InkStainedWench

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Sounds as if you're well on your way, averagegirl. The blog and YouTube presentations should be especially useful, and your experts should give you some nice blurbs.

I'm thinking that while you continue building your platform, you also continue querying. Other agents might think you're ready to go as is.
 

cornflake

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Hello Everyone!

I am in that fun stage of having completed my non-fiction, self-help manuscript and am starting to query literary agencies. I've had one bite from an agent in New York who told me that she knows my work is solid and there is a market for it. She told me that she even knows who she would reach out to publishing wise...but the problem is I need a more substantial platform to break through.

I have a fairly well followed blog www.loveaverage.com/blog, I have some published articles in print and online (still working on completing more), I have a medium sized following on social media (again, still working on this), I have connections with well respected authors and experts in the field of body image, I have been cited in a recent book that was published, I volunteer and teach at eating disorder groups....

I am wondering if anyone has some advice on how they increased their following or "platform" to entice publishers and agents to take a chance on them.

I will soon be launching a You Tube channel and I am working on some presentations as a start. I would love your advice!

Thank you all! This website has been a blessing during the writing experience...

That all sounds good - do you have any credentials?

I looked at your blog and I think it may be problematic for you. It doesn't come off, to me at least, as professional. The basic errors are offputting; I'm admittedly picky when it comes to grammar and the like, but agents and publishers tend to be too, and will find your blog if they're interested.

You also don't seem to have a focus or credentials. It skips around between different types of things, and a lot of your stuff is based on the way things seem to you. That's fine for a blog, obviously, but it doesn't generally a book make. Hence, again, if someone is pondering you as an expert and looks at the blog, it may be problematic.

I'm not sure what the focus of your book is, and you do seem to be getting some good credits, which will help you. In the meantime, imo, I'd work on the blog and make sure your proposal is edited to as near perfection as it can get.
 

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I've worked as a non-fiction editor, and have just a bit of experience in this area.

A platform isn't a blog and a twitter account. It's a solid reputation in your field.

You need accredited qualifications in a relevant field; a history of recognition and expertise in your area. If you're writing about history, for example, it helps if you've published academic papers which have been well received and cited frequently. If other people who are respected in your field have quoted you, that's good.

If I were asked to consider signing a self-help book I'd expect its author to have strong academic qualifications (a PhD, at least) in an area like psychology or a social science relevant to their book. If the author had no PhD I'd want several years' experience of working in a relevant field, preferably with some sort of history of public speaking: some sort of recognition, at least.

With all due respect, I do not find your blog impressive. There are many errors in punctuation, random capitalisations, spelling mistakes, homophone confusions, and examples of clunky writing; and you have an extreme ellipsis habit, which you have to curtail. These things make me worry that your book would contain similar problems--which would mean a lot of work for me, as your editor, to resolve; and why would I take that on when I could take on any of the hundreds of other writers who have sent me books which are also interesting and potentially useful?

For example, these three sentences:

The fact of the matter is that these issues aren't the only "issues" that women's bodies face. Women get cancer. Women get mastectomy's when they get breast cancer.

Do women's bodies face these issues, or are they issues of body-image which women face? There's a lack of clarity here which has greater implications for the manuscript as a whole.

"mastectomy's" should be "mastectomies".

Women don't always get mastectomies when they are diagnosed with breast cancer: there are all sorts of other treatments available, and you're misleading people by suggesting that this is an inevitable result. This reinforces my concerns about a possible lack of clarity and logic in your work. If non-fiction is illogical or unclear it's going to be misleading, and that's a killer for a non-fiction proposal.

You might have the qualifications and background you need to get your book published. But don't rely on your blog alone to establish the platform you need; and if you're going to send people to your blog as an example of your work, make sure that you deal with the problems I've highlighted if you want to be taken seriously.
 

InkStainedWench

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Old Hack, I got the impression that averagegirl has completed her manuscript and the agent likes it. So the issue is mostly platform, rather than credentials.

I haven't looked at her blog, but I agree that she should make it as strong and error-free as possible.
 

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Platform is tough. For me it's about public speaking and then using twitter, facebook, etc. to keep the target audience connected. I think twitter and facebook by themselves can sometimes be a false indicator depending on how the followers were gained. I suggest you find ways to publicly speak in places where the genre of your writing would be appealing and build up from there.
 

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Old Hack, I got the impression that averagegirl has completed her manuscript and the agent likes it. So the issue is mostly platform, rather than credentials.

The impression I got was that the one agent who had responded turned her down because of her lack of credentials:

I am in that fun stage of having completed my non-fiction, self-help manuscript and am starting to query literary agencies. I've had one bite from an agent in New York who told me that she knows my work is solid and there is a market for it. She told me that she even knows who she would reach out to publishing wise...but the problem is I need a more substantial platform to break through.

In non-fiction, platform IS credentials.

This is an area I know well: I've worked in publishing for nearly thirty years, and many of those years were spent as an acquiring editor. In addition, I've written over forty published books, almost all of them non-fiction.

When I sign a book I want its author to have authority in the field. I don't care if the author has a blog or a lot of Twitter followers: I care that the book is going to be solid, reliable, insightful, and I know my marketing and publicity teams are going to want to be able to show that the author is an expert in the area, because it makes the book saleable.

A blog, a Facebook page, a popular Twitter account? It's a bonus, but it's not essential. But so often now the advice given online is that these things equate to platform, when they really don't. It's misleading, and unhelpful.

I haven't looked at her blog, but I agree that she should make it as strong and error-free as possible.

Definitely.
 

cornflake

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Platform is tough. For me it's about public speaking and then using twitter, facebook, etc. to keep the target audience connected. I think twitter and facebook by themselves can sometimes be a false indicator depending on how the followers were gained. I suggest you find ways to publicly speak in places where the genre of your writing would be appealing and build up from there.

If your book is something experiential, like 'What I Learned From Living With Hedgehogs,' maybe, but if it's more like anything to do with psychology or things that people are experts in, you need credentials. Sometimes people can backdoor it with enough long-term serious writing and stuff but...
 

averagegirl

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Thank you all for your advice and feedback!

InkStainedWench - Thank you!

cornflake - Yes, I know my blog writing is not perfect. It is not meant to be. I will often write a quick post to share something I've heard about in the media about body image or my thoughts about a particular issue. I am not writing the blog for an educated audience, I am writing it for anyone who is trying to educate themselves about body image, the media, etc. I know it's not perfect but it was one of the starting points for why I decided to write the book. One of my blog posts has just been cited in a book published by a professor with a PhD. While I never continued my education, I do have an Honours Bachelor Degree in Women's Studies and Sociology (I'm Canadian...hence the hono-urs). My proposal is well edited and the agent I am referring to enjoyed my first three chapters and proposal. She simply felt I needed to work on my platform before going further into the process. I think that is not bad for my first shot at querying. My book is based on both my experience as an "average girl" and my experience working with eating disorder patients, interviewing girls and what I studied in university.

Old Hack - I understand that a platform is not just a blog and twitter account. I do not have a PhD but I know my writing is good and I have an important message to convey. There are many authors in the field of body image and self love that do not have doctoral credits. I do however work with girls who have eating disorders on a regular basis, I am a girl who has struggled with body image and I believe that I have found ways to challenge the media and be at peace with myself. Thank you for the feedback and your insight but I was looking for information on how to build my platform, not my blog. I do admit I have a very bad habit with ellipsis when I blog, however this does not show in my manuscript. When I write a blog post, I write fast and I often to not proof read what I have written. Perhaps, I will take your advice and do this going forward. Thank you for the example you took from one of my recent blog posts. I choose to believe that my work has value and I am not going to give up on something that I am so passionate about because I do not have a PhD. Yes, my blog writing skills may need work but my manuscript is solid and it has a greater purpose.

meangene01 - Thank you for your feedback! I intend to develop a presentation and begin speaking at local schools. Hopefully this will be a good start to expanding my platform.

You all are tough critics and I understand this is part of the process. I thank you for your time and feedback but I think I will continue to read posts from others rather than post myself. Very intimidating! I will keep at it and will make an effort to edit my current blog. Thank you again!
 

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If you are seeking a publishing deal I suggest making the blog posts more perfect, for example by drafting them one day and rechecking and posting them the next day. Even current news can often wait that long. Failing that get a friend or family member to check them.
 

cornflake

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Thank you all for your advice and feedback!

InkStainedWench - Thank you!

cornflake - Yes, I know my blog writing is not perfect. It is not meant to be. I will often write a quick post to share something I've heard about in the media about body image or my thoughts about a particular issue. I am not writing the blog for an educated audience, I am writing it for anyone who is trying to educate themselves about body image, the media, etc. I know it's not perfect but it was one of the starting points for why I decided to write the book. One of my blog posts has just been cited in a book published by a professor with a PhD. While I never continued my education, I do have an Honours Bachelor Degree in Women's Studies and Sociology (I'm Canadian...hence the hono-urs). My proposal is well edited and the agent I am referring to enjoyed my first three chapters and proposal. She simply felt I needed to work on my platform before going further into the process. I think that is not bad for my first shot at querying. My book is based on both my experience as an "average girl" and my experience working with eating disorder patients, interviewing girls and what I studied in university.

Old Hack - I understand that a platform is not just a blog and twitter account. I do not have a PhD but I know my writing is good and I have an important message to convey. There are many authors in the field of body image and self love that do not have doctoral credits. I do however work with girls who have eating disorders on a regular basis, I am a girl who has struggled with body image and I believe that I have found ways to challenge the media and be at peace with myself. Thank you for the feedback and your insight but I was looking for information on how to build my platform, not my blog. I do admit I have a very bad habit with ellipsis when I blog, however this does not show in my manuscript. When I write a blog post, I write fast and I often to not proof read what I have written. Perhaps, I will take your advice and do this going forward. Thank you for the example you took from one of my recent blog posts. I choose to believe that my work has value and I am not going to give up on something that I am so passionate about because I do not have a PhD. Yes, my blog writing skills may need work but my manuscript is solid and it has a greater purpose.

meangene01 - Thank you for your feedback! I intend to develop a presentation and begin speaking at local schools. Hopefully this will be a good start to expanding my platform.

You all are tough critics and I understand this is part of the process. I thank you for your time and feedback but I think I will continue to read posts from others rather than post myself. Very intimidating! I will keep at it and will make an effort to edit my current blog. Thank you again!

I get it's just a blog, but my point was that you're querying something related to it and presumably, if you're not including it, people will find it.

If I were an agent looking at the blog, I'd have reservations based on it.

The bolded is another issue - you're not in a position, frankly, to educate people, and I suspect if you're trying to sell an ms. that way you're going to have a problem. As well, the above wrt to the writing holds there. I know many people don't feel the same way, but I wouldn't take seriously anything that wasn't written carefully.

That's fixable - like I said, I think that's the first thing to work on.
 

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My proposal is well edited and the agent I am referring to enjoyed my first three chapters and proposal. She simply felt I needed to work on my platform before going further into the process.

I wonder: did the agent concerned just tell you that she felt your platform was lacking, or did she tell you what to do to improve your platform? There's a difference; and I'm interested to hear precisely what she said. Would you mind quoting from her email?

- I do not have a PhD. [...] I do however work with girls who have eating disorders on a regular basis,

What, precisely, do you do in your work with young women who have eating disorders? Because this might well be your platform. If you serve them their meals in the canteen then it's not significant; if you are work with them in any sort of therapeutic role, this really is significant.

Thank you for the feedback and your insight but I was looking for information on how to build my platform, not my blog.

I gave you advice on both. Feel free to ignore my comments about your blog but remember that if your book sprung out of your blog, and your blog is poor, it is going to directly affect your chance of getting your book published.

I do admit I have a very bad habit with ellipsis when I blog, however this does not show in my manuscript. When I write a blog post, I write fast and I often to not proof read what I have written. Perhaps, I will take your advice and do this going forward. Thank you for the example you took from one of my recent blog posts. I choose to believe that my work has value and I am not going to give up on something that I am so passionate about because I do not have a PhD. Yes, my blog writing skills may need work but my manuscript is solid and it has a greater purpose.

Your blog is indicative of your writing. If I see a blog full of errors I'm going to assume that the book will be just as badly written, and I will pass on that book.
 

averagegirl

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Old Hack - This is the last response from the agent after a few emails were exchanged: "I think overall the platform has to be more substantial to break through. If that happens down the line, please feel free to get back in touch."

I work as a program facilitator at an Eating Disorder Center. I have a curriculum to cover and transform any way I like. I am offering support but am not a replacement for other forms of treatment. A lot of my group members are waiting to get into treatment. There are very few resources that are available to girls struggling with these types of issues. This is one of the reasons why I decided to write this book. I've worked with girls as young as 12 and as old as 60.

I did take your advice and I started to edit my blog articles, I do believe you are all right in that I should pay more close attention to these as they may be viewed by possible agents and publishers. Thank you for the advice. I really took it to heart! I know it's how this game works but I felt a little overwhelmed when I first received all the responses. I do know that you are just providing your input on what would help me. Thank you!

cornflake - There are many self-help books written by people who do not have a PhD but they do have they experience to write the book. I may have to work on my platform but I do not believe that I fall short when it comes to experience in this field. Thank you for your advice though! :)
 

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That phrase is more likely in my opinion to refer to professional standing than online following. Your job is highly relevant. Is there perhaps some kind of CE or official certification you could pursue to give it more heft?

In any case being recognized as a pundit in this area is never a bad thing and worth developing. But something with clinical relevance tend to cut through publishing obstacles quicker.
 
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averagegirl

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veinglory - As a part of my last job, I actually was responsible for approving counsellor reports and I took quite a few courses such subject matter (which I received certification for). I did not add this in my proposal, so thank you for the reminder! I never thought that the certification would hold much merit in comparison to my bachelor degree. Silly me, I should have added everything! Thanks for the advice! I will also definitely look into whether I can take some updated courses where I could receive certification.
 

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Christina Katz has some really great books on platform building as well as some interactive email projects that pertain to platform building.
 

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Subststance != Writing quality

I am writing it for anyone who is trying to educate themselves about body image, the media, etc.

Averagegirl, I could tell from your posts here that you probably do have real insights and experiences that are worth sharing, if only as expressions of your own interpretation of particular issues.

In that respect, I would encourage you. You certainly have a genuine interest in the subject that you intend to handle, as well as sufficient passion to write a book about it. I am not sure that I would agree with what you want to say (but I am speculating, and I am basing my speculation on a few hints in what you wrote). You have a viewpoint, and you probably have the experiences and the knowledge to build a solid presentation of what you want to say. I really mean all of that in the most encouraging and optimistic way.

But you should be aware that you will need an editor if you are going to have errors like the one that I highlighted in blue in your text. You are writing in the way that people speak when they have no guiding concept of grammar. You could probably learn how to do things correctly, but you have to develop an attitude that excludes the "it's all right if I am just blogging" excuse. It really is not all right in a blog, either.

A quick fix of the above, just as an illustration of how you can properly handle the language:

I am writing it for people who are trying to educate themselves about body image, the media, etc.

My apologies for being a little harsh, but others had already clobbered you a lot harder. Don't mess up what could be a good account of your experiences.

Best ...