Over the years I’ve seen a lot of discussion on the internet about whether or not authors should blog. Nobody seems to doubt the value, or potential value, of an author’s platform. Does it matter for a writer, though, that is somebody who writes articles rather than books?
What is a platform?
First, though, what is a platform in this context? Jane Friedman, in her article A Definition of Author Platform, defines it simply:
“An ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.”
Do all authors need a platform?
In the same article as the above definition, Friedman answers this question by saying that if you’re a fiction author, the answer is “No”. She says that an agent or publisher will evaluate your work based on the quality of the manuscript you send in.
My view is that strictly speaking, you probably don’t need a platform, but I do think it is useful to have. Friedman wrote the article in 2016, and from the standpoint of the situation in the USA. I don’t know if the same thing applies in the UK, and I don’t really know the fiction market. I do know that, at least in my experience, when it comes to non-fiction works publishers seem to be interested in your credentials (have you been published before?) and whether you have a (sizeable) readership to whom you can promote your book.
How about writers?
I’ve drawn a distinction between authors and writers as people who write books and articles respectively. But these days the categories very much overlap. For example, as a writer I have the choice as to whether to turn my articles into a book, with or without a traditional publisher. As an author , I write articles to help promote my books. As I said, I’m writing from the standpoint of a non-fiction writer, but if I were a fiction writer I would probably publish short stories and articles to keep my readers happy between books — and to help promote the books.
You may have surmised from all this that I do think authors and writers need a platform, or at least that it’s better to have one than not have one — despite the fact that it’s so hard to get noticed these days (see my review of The Content Code).
Reasons to have a writer/author platform
It can serve as a central hub for all your works
Over the years I’ve lost articles because the website or blog on which they were published has archived them or deleted them. I strongly suggest making sure, when you submit an article or story to a third party, that you have the right to republish it yourself at some point — see my article about knowing your rights. Just having a link to your article is fine in the short run, but in the long run if the other website moves or deletes it then the link on your website will lead to an error message. Not a good look.
While we’re on the subject, I also think every writer should have their own domain name, for similar reasons. Free domain names like www.domain-name-provider.com/terryfreedman (a) looks unprofessional and (b) means that you could lose everything if the company changes what it does or changes hands. (I speak from experience). You need a domain name of your own name. You may think that my saying this is rather hypocritical, given that this website is writersknowhow.org, but if you enter terryfreedman.com into your web browser you will see that it takes you straight to my other website, ictineducation.org. I could change that so that it takes people to this website instead. The point is that as it’s my domain name, I can exercise the choice.
It can act as a showcase for your work
If someone like a book publisher, agent or magazine editor wishes to see examples of your work, having a website platform comes in handy. Whenever I submit samples of my work (in the form of pdfs) I always include links to an article or two published by a third party and a link to my own website, in case they want even more to look at to help them decide whether to commission me.
It can provide authority
One of the potential benefits of writing (non-fiction especially) is that it can indicate to people that you know what you’re talking about. Even if they disagree with you, having a body of work available on a subject at least shows that you haven’t just taken it up as an interest last week. (If you did only take it up last week, that’s all the more reason to build up a body of work as quickly as possible! I strongly suggest starting a blog.)
It provides a place where fans can see your latest work
Not everybody knows about or wishes to use RSS feeds to have blog posts come to them. There are many who choose to view a writer’s website. They need a website to visit! The alternative is to do searches all the time to see if your name pops up. That’s doable of course, and easy to do via Google Alerts, but why set up barriers?
It’s a basis for setting up a newsletter
Having a newsletter is a way of keeping in touch with your readers. You can let them know what you’re working on, send them free chapters in advance, and even engage in conversations with them by email. That’s why I set up Terry Freedman’s Books Bulletin and Digital Education.
Conclusion
Setting up a platform is easy. Keeping it fresh is time-consuming, and in strict accounting terms may not be worth the time and effort as far as generating income is concerned. I think that must partly depend on what you write (your genre or niche) and how well-known you are anyway. However, I do think it’s important to provide content for people who like what you write, and to have something you can use as a kind of calling card.
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