The Author Platform
The author platform is possibly the hardest thing for a
novice to create for themselves when starting out. Generally speaking, if your
name is not big enough, it is hard to get people to get interested in you and
what you’re saying. I know how hard that can be because that is what I am
currently working on at this point in my career. I know most of my readers are
not writers and if they are, they’re hobbyists, who do not plan or want to gain
a career from their writing. Therefore, this post and any subsequent posts that
appear on Wednesdays will be geared towards introducing readers to my world as
an aspiring published author. Additionally, any posts that appears on Sundays
will be geared towards my personal life and introducing readers to my life
outside of writing.
Being an aspiring published author, I do a lot of reading on
how to catch an agent or publisher’s attention. I must admit that when I first
decided I wanted to published, I was convinced I did not want an editor nor did
I want to go through the process of snagging one. I did keep my options open,
however, because I am still new to this world and any valuable piece of
information I can get is valuable to me, I decided to look into what a literary
agent can do for me and how I can one. Apparently, an agent is an author’s best
advocate and has relationships with many different editors in many different
publishing houses. Basically, having an agent can mean the difference between
being read by an editor and being put into the slush pile.
Getting a literary agent is not an easy task though. It
should be taken as serious as getting a publisher. Given the enormous amount of
queries agents receive on a daily basis it is important for an author to have a
platform that can show an agent that the author has the means to promote their
book to a large audience. This is the stage that I am currently at in my
career. I am in the process of building an author platform. I underestimated
how hard it could be to get people interested in you and what you’re doing (including
family and friends). To begin this, I have created a Facebook page and I am
working to beef up my blog. I’m learning as I go and while it is hard, it is an
enjoyable process. In addition to have an established audience, having
publication credits can also grab an agent’s attention. Therefore, I am
entering short story contests and submitting work to literary magazines and
journals. As I continue to embark on this journey, I hope you all will be there
with me. It’s a tough road to travel alone and I can use all the help and
support I can get.
***Special Note***
For the five Fridays in the month of May, I will be posting 5 of my old short stories. One story for each Friday. Be sure to come back to the blog Friday May 2, when the first story will be started, and every Friday after that @ noon.
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