Platform Overrated?

Christian Publishing Show

You’re probably tired of hearing that you need a large platform to be a successful author.
Some industry professionals believe having a large platform is equivalent to having a large social media following.
If you’ve been listening to the Christian Publishing Show or Novel Marketing, you know that having a social media following doesn’t necessarily mean you have a platform. Nor does it mean you’ll sell more books than someone not on social media.
In fact, sometimes people sell more books by spending less time on social media.
Authors hear me say, “Your social media following isn’t very important.” But when they talk to a literary agent or publisher, those people care about social media numbers.
How do you navigate this platform predicament?
I asked Mary DeMuth, literary agent and author of more than 50 books. She’s been in the Christian publishing industry for 20 years and recently wrote about how author platform is broken.
In this episode, you’ll learn

• The history behind the prominence of author platform
• How the author-platform landscape is changing
• Your biggest advantage in a digital world

Listen in or read the blog version to learn how to navigate the author platform predicament and what you can do to help change the status quo in the publishing industry. Be sure to add your comments and questions at AuthorMedia.social.

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Fejezetek

1. Platform Overrated? (00:00:00)

2. How do authors navigate the platform predicament? (00:01:05)

3. Why is author platform broken? (00:02:05)

4. Why is the platform pressure higher in Christian publishing than in the general market? (00:05:29)

5. What happened to the platform of 2012? (00:14:43)

6. The Myth of Becoming Famous on Social Media (00:20:52)

7. How many email addresses do you need to have? (00:27:08)

8. What encouragement would you give to an author with 75 email subscribers who just heard you say 50,000 is the target? (00:35:58)

9. What can we do to turn the tide in publishing? (00:42:38)