“What kind of a platform do you have?”

When you pitch your book to editors or agents, that’s one of the first questions they’ll ask. Having a platform is practically required if you want to become a successful author.

What is a Platform?

A “platform” is the publishing industry’s term for authors who have a built-in audience. This built-in audience usually derives from being nationally recognized in your area of expertise, and from receiving extensive media exposure.

The Top 5 Reasons Why You Need a Platform

1. To prove yourself to a publisher. Many authors work with WinePress as a springboard to traditional publishing. Having a book in print helps you build that all-important platform that you can utilize when negotiating with a royalty publisher.
2. To quantify your results. When you sit at that negotiating table, you need to share hard facts and numbers. You need to be able to say, “I have 5,000 people on my e-zine subscriber list; I speak to 10,000 women a year; I have 4,000 unique visitors a day on my Website; I’ve sold 7,500 books in the last 18 months,” and so on.
3. To sell books. Publishers want to know how many books you, the author, are going to sell. And if you are custom publishing and expect to make it a successful venture, then you’re going to need to sell lots of books. A platform will help you make that happen.
4. To develop a following. When you provide helpful information for others, you become a trusted resource for them. They will continue to come back for more; hence, you develop a following. That means people will want to hear more from you, whether it be in ancillary products or more books on similar topics.
5. To reach large numbers with your message. If God has given you a message, then your book must reach the hands of those who need to read it. The larger your platform, the more your words are read.

If you want to get beyond your local community and congregation, a platform will help you reach people you could never hope to find in your back yard. It can help you access countless people who need to hear what you have to say.

At the writers’ conferences we attend, editors declare their single most important requirement—next to a great book—is a hefty platform. So, the reality is: build a platform or perish! As you consider this necessity, seek the Lord as to how He would have you begin to build or expand.