Why Publishers Want Authors With Platforms

Why Publiszu sichs Want Authors With PlatformsWhy Publishers Want Authors With PlatformsA platform- also referred to as an author platform or a media platform- is an established media forum through which an author connects to his or her audience.Like a physical platform can be a stage for public speaking, a media platform gives an author a kind of pulpit from which to address- and promote books to- a ready-made potential readership. Like a diving platform, it can springboard a book into the marketplace and create sales momentum at publication. Book Publishers Like Big Platforms Whether the author brings viewers through a TV show or readers through a popular blog, authors with a large platform of one kind or another are appealing to publishers. An author with an established audience assures that booksellers will take notice of the book, that the book will likely get media attention (audience feeds more audience), and that there are likely fans who will immediately buy the book- al l good for the publishing business. For that reason,literary agents, book editors, and publishers look at the size of an authors platform when considering a prospective authors manuscript or proposal. How big should an author platform be? Whether were talking followers or fans or viewers, tens of thousands is okay hundreds of thousands are better, and with a platform that gets millions of eyeballs, a book deal is a slam-dunk. Types of Author Platforms A Popular Blog -Large readership is key for a publisher to take notice. Molly Wizenbergs popular food blog,Orangette, was a platform that helped her sell her first book,A Homemade Life, to a publisher because she had a large readership. Before her book sales gained her recognition, best-selling author Amanda Hocking used her blog to connect with paranormal romance readers, which nurtured their interest in her self-published novels.Author Newsletters -regularly scheduled newsletters with loyal subscribers Speaking Engagements- Speak ing engagements are great platforms because the audience is usually there specifically to hear the speaker/author or to learn about the specific topic and so there is usually a high book-to-audience member sales ratio.Radio Show- Popular radio hosts can sell lots of books.Podcast - With the market increase in audiobooks, podcasts have become quite popular and a number of podcasts have been turned into books.Web Series- how-to, comedic, dramatic or anything else imaginable- some of these attain millions of followers. Social Media Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest- followers numbering in the six- and seven-digits get publishers attention.Television Show - the Holy Grail of platforms is a popular TV show Jon Stewarts platform,The Daily Show, no doubt helped make a bestseller.Duck Dynastyspawned a whole assortment of TV-tie-in books and sales of Mindy Kalings memoirs are no doubt helped by her sitcoms audience first on television, now on the streaming service Hulu.com. Even having a regular guest spot on a television show- such a doing a consumer spot during a news broadcast- raises an authors profile and boosts his or her platform. Books spawned by TV shows dont have to be personal- following the lead of The Sopranos Italian cookbook, Blue Bloods,the CBS show about a family of New York City cops, is launched a cookbook based on the fact that each episode features a Sunday dinner scene with the family. Having a Book Helps Increase an Author Platform Interestingly, the book being published helps to increase the author platform by giving him or her the opportunity to present the book and him/herself in a variety of media.