Should Unpublished Novelists Be Platform-Building?

Even before I started really writing with the idea of being published, I think I did more social networking than writing. That’s where I bounced ideas and enjoyed conversations with people who understood my way of thinking. Now, with my first book out, I still network more but not by a whole lot.

I find actual networking, more than just talking to friends in various text based games or reading facebook, is difficult for me to do. It’s more the lack of face to face talking vs screen to screen that trips me up. It doesn’t feel right so I shy away from it. It’s like being a large crowd and trying to maintain some space while trying to get to know everyone. Very confusing, some times scary, and definitely not easy to do.

I followed this advice. My book is now complete. Those who read it found it profound and helpful.

An editor even said she’s very interested and wants me to get an agent to submit it.

But no agent (or other publisher) wants to even look at the book.

Why not? Because I don’t have a platform!

So… nice sentiment, this post.

But wrong.

Build your platform. Every day you delay is a day later you’ll be published. You’re going to need it to market the book, anyway.

I’m grinning like a crazy woman. These words are music to my ears, as yesterday I spoke with a friend who was APPROACHED by Bethany to submit a novel to fit their timeline and needs. Her advice to me was “If you’ve written a bunch of novels, stop. Work on your platform and marketability…”

She was able to say this because of her own background, which is largely non-fiction work and shadow writing. She’s worked with and for some massive industry names. I left with a goal in mind to get back to submitting more articles as of now.

Conversely, this is a VERY cool blog and I appreciate the true value of it. One must perfect one’s craft. Unless someone can write well, what is the point? I don’t feel like asking who’s got the right verdict because life is all about balance. As a Christian, I’m asking the One verdict that matters which way I should go from here… It can be the proverbial catch-22.

I’m thinking I need to do both. One thing’s for sure, I am not giving up. I love this gift too much

Thanks for this post, Rachelle. That’s me! An unpublished fiction novelist. I blog, but only post once every TWO weeks (with occasional guest posts that work well for a resume or for exposure). I’ve also cut back my Twitter and Facebook interaction drastically, only posting a few times a week. And with this, I’ve had more time to work on my short stories that I’m submitting to some high-quality literary magazines, as well as get further on my novel. I’ve also had more time for reading, and thus, improving my own writing. I agree that social media is very important to any writer (I work in it for a living), and can help a writer build a loyal readership that will someday turn into book-buyers, but making your writing top priority is the most important thing. I’m glad I was able to confirm my sentiments today, from your post!

Thanks for taking the time to write and share your wisdom. I always get so much out of your blog and the timing is amazing. Just thinking of the novels I could have created had I put as much energy into them as I have (in the past) to blogging and Facebook and ezines motivates me to make a change – as does your post. So thank you again!

Awesome post and so well timed. I have been pondering this topic for weeks. Ive been worried that not having one at the moment was a bad decision I would love a social platform but all I want to do is write. All the time! I troll the blogesphere for great resources and to stay relevant, but I feel that my time is best spent writing and honing my craft. Of course when I’m about to be published things will all change but for now I just want to write.

Great post!

I won’t even comment on “social networking” — facebook, twitter, google plus, etc.! VAMPIRES, all of them. **shudder** (i.e. time vampires and so often just plain boring when done purely as a marketing tool instead of as a way to truly connect with readers — there is a huge difference! and the “advice” of the platform-building “experts” is usually bogus junk … use social media, if you must, to connect and build relationships with readers and not to market your books … not the usual advice of the experts …)
I don’t put blogging into that category — though it can be just as bad. But it seems to be a medium that is used more wisely these days mow that it has matured.

I agree that writing is the most important part of being a writer!

But, I want to comment most on the statement “Read high quality fiction” …
I’m mostly a user of e-audiobooks and love to use my local public library’s online resources. And I download lots of books to listen to. (This is both a blessing and a curse. I don’t do as much writing as I could if I wasn’t listening to other writers’ works … but I am learning A LOT!) They tend to fall into Great, Good, Fair, Awful categories — both in writing quality and the story itself. I used to turn off and delete books I didn’t like right away. I’d like to eventually write book reviews, so I am trying to make myself complete books I usually wouldn’t bother with, but that is hard sometimes.

The quality of the writing tends to be pretty good since these books had to have a certain level of competency behind them for a publisher to, first, have produced the book in print form and then for another publisher to produce an audio version to come out concurrently or after the book has proven itself financially successful enough to warrant making the leap into audio.
However, just because a book is financially successful, that is not proof it is “high quality” writing. The masses are not noted for their love of high quality, but does it fit their desire for a certain level of entertainment value.

And, I guess some of it is a matter of taste. I recently listened to a book that entertained me, engaged me, got me interested in the fate of some of the characters, and was actually very well written. But I can’t recommend it because … I think it was my fault, but after reading the book’s description I really was not expecting another YA dystopian novel. And I am very tired of the dystopian YA novel genre. This book ended up in my reading queue in the wrong place.

Yet some are just awful — formulaic and full of continuity flaws. Mistakes that someone should have caught long before the novel got anywhere near the actual printing stage. For instance, in a mystery, one of the prime suspects is identified as having been in the town just minutes before the murder victim was found, but later both the police and the amateur sleuth accept testimony that the person was in another town all night. (The amateur sleuth is the one who saw the person and reported that to the police who identified the person.) Someone — author, reader friend, agent, publishing house reader, editor — should have caught that before I get to read it or hear it in the finished work. Author is the least likely to spot it — knows the manuscript and what it is supposed to say too closely to see those things. But someone else along the road to publication (not self-publication) should have caught it.

Or, am I naive? Maybe no one actually reads entire manuscripts these days before offering a final contract and going to print? Does a book actually sell based on those three to five opening or sample chapters?

I am discovering what I like about certain novels and what I don’t like. So, even books that are not high quality are learning experiences. Unfortunately, some of these things I’ve decided “work” and “don’t work” in the novel are hampering my own work … I’m letting the inner critic nag me, even at the first draft stage.

I post on average two blog posts a week unless I’m actively promoting my writing (which usually entails guest-blogging or being interviewed somewhere else), but I make a habit of cross-posting my various appearances. For all of this I set aside about half an hour to an hour a day. And I’ve sold units of my novels this way, so I’ve seen that it works.

With regard to generating content, I try to provide information readers might find interesting, be it book reviews and author interviews, and just general editorial about the world around me. Because I’m also a musician, I include snippets about the music industry. The idea is to sell *around* my novels instead of just shouting “buy my book” the whole time.

Rachelle,

Can’t wait for your recommended percentage breakdown for unpublished nonfiction writers. Thought provoking post, this. Now I will go find that guy painting his hands on cave walls and see if he wants to share a grog and some roast mammoth.

I’m currently at a 3:1 ratio, writing to social networking.

Unfortunately, at this point, I’m working 90% of the time on platform and only 10% on writing…I need to switch!

I spend exactly one hour on my blog, twitter, and facebook every day. I write from 9-3. Period. Laundry is a wash, sweeping is pushed back, and discussions are discussed after 3. I usually get 3k-4k words in a day. I do nothing on the weekends except hatch new ideas and play with my kids. Somehow, it’s working. Great advice today. WRITE ON!

Great post, and I agree. I spend almost no time on platform building, unless you count trying to break into short story markets platform building. I’ve said it before, I hope to have at least a few of those published by the time I start querying novels. I spend about 5-10% of writing/writing-related time reading blogs like yours, articles, discussing something on Writer’s Digest forums, etc. The rest I spend staring at a blank screen with intermittent moments of rapid tapping on the keyboard.

Rachelle,
Thank you for this freeing post! I have been spending more and more time on social media and less time on writing. This was not by choice. I’d rather be writing my WIP than working on Twitter, FB or even my blogs. Although I had a Twitter account before I learned that writers who wanted to get published needed a strong social media presence, I only tweeted occasionally and had a very small following. Unlike many other people who’ve commented today, I only started blogging because I read that anyone who wanted to get published had to blog and have a large blog following. I started a FB page for the same reason.

Although the blogs did better than I anticipated, FB has gone nowhere fast, and I’ve gotten to a point where it feels like a waste of time to work on it. Twitter, on the other hand, took off. While this has been encouraging, it also means that it takes longer and longer to go through and respond to tweets (I follow most of the people who follow me).
I’ve been spending two to three hours a day just on Twitter. Recently I totally ignored it for a couple of days, but I felt guilty about that.

It’s been over a month since I blogged. My day job demands increased and there are only so many hours in the day.

I’ve continued working on my novels, but the time and energy put into social media has made it difficult. It has seriously cut into the amount of time I have for writing and it drains my energy.

Although I will continue visiting your blog and the other Books and Such blogs because I learn so much and love connecting with the other writers here, I now feel free to worry less about other social media and building a platform.

Thank you many times over! Chocolates will be on the way soon

This post is spot-on for me, Rachelle. As a result of a “platform building challenge” I participated in recently, I’ve been spending a lot more time with social media. Granted, I’ve learned a lot so that when the platform becomes more meaningful (as in when I publish a novel), I’ll already have the bones of one in place. But I’ve let it take too much time away from the writing. I need to re-focus, not feel guilty if I don’t post to the blog several times a week, and stop worrying about my “stats.” Thanks so much for this reminder! I’ll keep it handy.

Of course I’m building a platform. I would like to add a non-fiction book after I sell the fiction books. That’s the only way I will have a platform After all, I come out on the far left end of the Introver-Extrovert continuum and am unlikely to have any sort of following until the novels are published. I don’t divide my writing time. When I’m working on the fiction, it’s 100%. When I’m blogging or writing essays, it’s 100%.

So needed this post! Thank you for taking a burden off my back. I feel overwhelmed at times with the whole platform thing. I believe I will be taking a break from social media, until I finish my manuscript. Thanks again!
Cindy

Thank you for affirming what I’ve been doing, which is “honing my craft”. Sometimes I get panicky that I’m not doing everything I need to do to get published. It’s a relief to have your “permission” to focus on writing and leave the social stuff for later.

Hi, Rachelle!

Right now — and this isn’t par for the course — I’m spending 100 percent of my time creating a new blog. Well, I’m trying to create one using wonky WordPress. I would not have done this had my agent not advised me to. I have mixed feelings about building a platform at this stage. I’m not yet at the published stage, so I feel sort of presumptuous putting up a blog about myself to pimp my books. I’m still very much a nobody in the publishing world, and I don’t expect to have an audience for quite some time. It feels very weird to me.

This has made me feel so much better. I’m going to go back to my WIP now.
Thanks!

One thing I try to do is streamline all of my blog writing and writing community volunteer work to one day a week. Then limit it to a half hour or so each morning using Hootsuite.

Then I can focus on writing in the other time I have between baseball games and princess parties with my kids. Translated, a bit of time in the morning while they play if I’m lucky and after they go to bed.

Yay, the reassurance I need! Of course, I’m trying to continually improve and be consistent with blogging, and I’ll probably create a writing-related Twitter account at some point. But whoo for getting the book written first! After all, I’ll need something to promote once I have that platform.

thanks rachelle!! I read this as I was listening to Hyatt’s platform teleseminar, so it what a great balancing encouragement. You mention differences for non-fiction. What are your ratio recommendations there? Why the difference?

I just finished listening to Michael Hyatt’s teleseminar. It was wonderful and I will be buying his book for sure, but your post is a confirmation on what I need to be doing at this point in time.

Thank you.

You are 100% spot-on here with this post. Amazon lowering the barrier to entry did not change the dynamics of readers who want to spend 6-12 hours with a great writer well edited and not a stream-of-consciousness rant.

Having spent ten years getting to the point where I hope/believe I’m ready to publish novels, I accidentally became a beacon for other wannabe writers (had to close my first website and open http://www.seeleyjames.com). Many beginners sent me unsolicited manuscripts for help/advice. This led me to write a reality-check series about writing called The Architecture of Writing (Foundations, structural integrity, engineering, and a bit of art).

Write to entertain (insert your mantra here) and the platform will find itself.

Peace, Seeley

I am an avid lurker but I had to speak up after I read your post today. Thank you for clarifying this for me. I’ve been struggling for years with this need to be present online and get my writing done (while homeschooling four kids…lol). It is reassuring to hear you give the 90/10 rule. I can write without feeling guilty about not blog hopping as much as I want to.

Um – to actually address the question asked — ratio of Social Networking to writing –
that is hard to answer.

My “partner in crime” and I started a blog to sort of “promote” the work — but to share details while her friends are waiting for the finished book to be available. Since we haven’t really nailed down the novel and its plot points, it has been hard to know what to post there. So, very little has been done there. .0001% of my time is spent on that …

Then I started another blog to comment on life in our fictional town, now that some “nibby-nosed busy bodies” are digging into events that happened there a few years ago. Haven’t added to that in a while either. But this one reveals some of the town’s history that may relate to the events in the novel, and may share some of the backstory.

Actually writing and posting this stuff? .000009% of my time. Thinking about the backstory and the town’s history – 12% of my time.

Time spent reading blogs? .5%
Time at Facebook reading posts? About 5-10 hours a month. Meaning, I log in once or twice a month and spend a couple of hours catching up.

I do not Twitter even though I may be a twit. Twitter makes no sense to me.

And on Facebook, I have “unliked” and “unfriended” quite a few of those that used to fill up my news feed with FB Spam — stuff that was not interesting or engaging. It was just more marketing of products or other sites that are all about selling me their product. On Facebook, I want to find things of interest — Yes, an author should share news of a books being started, having first draft completed, heading to the publisher, coming back in galley form for proof reading, and when it hits the shelves. But I sure hope there is more to the scope of the FB presence.

Rachelle’s blog is the ONLY one I have ever allowed email me when a new post is put up. And I have “liked” about 10 authors on FB — some disappeared when the new look came out and I don’t miss them because they weren’t all that engaging and spent their FB time and space marketing the next book or even older books in their series rather than telling me about themselves as a writer or person.
I mentioned in a response to a commenter that there is one writer on FB that I “like” whose books I’ve never read but if I do, it will solely because of his FB presence. Which is kind of strange. If I’ve never read this author, how did I actually find him to “like” his FB page? Usually, I look for an author on FB after I have read his/her work and decide I might want to know more about the author. He bought a FB ad and announced he was running weekly contests for a year and prizes included copies of his books.

So — how does FB or Twitter actually help an author build a platform? I understand how blogging can help, but if you aren’t already known, how does anyone find you?

Not only am I absent from Facebook, I actively promote my non-member status with a “You Won’t Find Me On Facebook” link image on my blog.

I feel Facebook has reached its nadir, and a new author might generate more interest (even controversy) by not being on Facebook.

Q: “Why aren’t you on Facebook?”
A: “I prefer to spend my time writing.“

hi i need advise on how to write my bio

I have been pretty lopsided. I mostly write. I would like to begin building a platform because I have a lot to say about the topic: being parented by a single mom but I don’t want to go too far off on the topic and neglect the book.