"Platform" is the new buzzword for writers. Platform, in essence, means a built-in group of people to whom to promote a book. My goal is to write about women's studies/gender politics. I'm working on building a platform that niche nonfiction area.
The benefits of platform:
- gives you people who are more likely to buy the book because they already believe in you and what you have to say
- gives you an interesting angle for media appearances
- shows you can keep an audience interested on this topic
Getting a good platform isn't as difficult as you may imagine. There are several ways to begin to build your platform.
- Volunteer work related to your subject area
- A popular website or blog related to your topic
- Courses or seminars you lead on the topic
- A newsletter or other custom publication
- Speaking engagements (paid or unpaid) about your topic
My job right now is to build a platform for gender studies. Here's what I have going on:
- I'm revising the booklet I wrote in 2006 on gender studies careers. The booklet sold relatively well, but I'd like to revamp it to update the resources, add new information, and change the marketing plan.
- I'm putting together a new website called Gender Studies Careers. This website will serve as a hub of information for gender studies majors. It will have information about career development, graduate school, and other relevant topics.
- I'm working on 2 proposals. The first is a proposal for a graduate school directory. The second is a book proposal based on the booklet. My thought is that the directory would be published first and would serve as an additional platform for the book.
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