What I Learned in College: Author Platforms

            When I first decided to become a writer, I wondered if I needed to go to college. After all, I liked reading books about writing, and with the Internet spilling so much information, I was sure I’d find everything I’d need in order to become a published author.

            Thank goodness I decided to go to college to study creative writing! I have learned so many things I didn’t even consider while I was in high school. I didn’t know the importance of platforms, how the publishing industry worked, or that agents and publishers have different expectations. Looking back, I realize how much I didn’t know, and probably wouldn’t know because I wouldn’t know to research it.

            This post will be part one of a three-part series where I discuss certain things I have learned in college. Of course, I have learned many things, but the three things I will talk about are vital to your writing career.

            In this post, I’m going to discuss platforms. By platform, I mean social media, a website, or any other place where you can talk about your writing, promote your projects, or connect with your readers. When I stepped into college, I had no clue that authors needed a platform. I figured that those with websites and social media accounts were required to them after becoming famous. I didn’t think it was a requirement for new authors like me.

            One of my first creative writing classes discussed the importance of having a platform, and that’s when I was knocked into reality. You see, whether you are indie publishing or traditionally publishing, much, if not all, of the promoting and marketing falls on your shoulders. Yes, a publishing house will do their own share of marketing, but you are also responsible for promoting your book as much as you can.

            Which means you need a platform.

            Agents and publishers will also ask about your platform to see whether you can do a share of marketing, so having a place to promote is pretty much a requirement nowadays. I personally don’t think that should be the case (especially since statistics show most writers are introverts), but that’s just how it is.

            Besides marketing, what do platforms do?

Get your name out there

            As a twenty-year-old who’d never had social media, putting myself out there sounded scary. I had toyed with the idea of getting a private Instagram account just to keep up with college friends, but a public account where anyone could follow me stressed me out. But I realized that if I didn’t have social media or any other way for people to look up my name, then how would I become known and sell any books I publish?

            By building a public platform, whether it’s a website, social media account, or some other means, you officially put your name and what you do out there for people to find. When I Google “Caitlin Demers,” the first image that pops up is me, the first website is mine, and the first social media account is mine. This may not happen to everyone (there are few Caitlin Demerses out there, and I seem to be the only writer among them), but if someone searches your name, at least your platform will pop up somewhere online, giving you visibility (which is important).

            When you have visibility, you begin to build up your readership. Even if you don’t have any books published yet, you can still talk about writing, update your followers on your projects, or provide writing prompts. Being consistent with what you do is important too to keep those followers. Once you finally publish a book, you will already have people lined up to read it.

Readers get to know you

            Having a platform is a way to help your readers get to know you before they even read any of your works. They can get to know you through your bio, the content you post, and the way you write. Though books often have that one-paragraph author bio at the end, more information about the author is usually found on their website or social media account. For example, I might mention in a book where I live and where I go to college as well and give one random fun fact about me. But on my website, I can list those things as well as briefly describe how I began my writing journey and what inspired me.

            Readers can also learn about your goals for writing. In my author bio at the end of a book, I may not have room to say that I want to provide clean fiction for YA readers. But I do talk about that on my website. If you have a specific reason to write or have a specific goal, you can write about it on your platform. This is especially important for new authors. I wouldn’t want to follow an author only to read their book and find out they write about things I don’t like.

Show off your accomplishments

            Let’s say you do have a published work or two (or more). Your platform is the perfect place to not only promote that but to also just put it out there that, yes, you are published. On my website, I have a section titled “Projects” where I list my published works. That way, when people visit my website, they can see what I have done. (As a side note, I have an Amazon link to my short story Heirs of Power under that tab – check it out if you haven’t already!)

            If your readers don’t know where to find your books or don’t know what other things you have written, then they will struggle to find them (or may give up trying). The goal of a platform is to build up as much readership as possible. Giving your reader easy access to your projects will help that readership grow because they know where to find you and now they can read what you’ve written. This will also show agents and editors who check out your platform that you are a published author.

Keep you accountable

            This is more of a personal benefit I have discovered. This past summer, I finished the first draft of my book, but I honestly wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t post on my Instagram every week to update my followers on how it was going. I told my followers I had a goal, and that meant I had to keep that goal. Though writers don’t often inform their followers of how their entire writing process is going, I wanted to be open with my followers and let them know that yes, I really was writing and not just saying things. I also wanted to be held accountable so that I wouldn’t be tempted to slack off.

            If you struggle to write consistently, then make a goal for yourself and announce it on social media. Trust me, this is a big help. It was difficult building a website, but once I announced I would launch it at a certain date, it motivated me to work on it. This also helps me stay consistent on my social media to let my followers know I’m still there.

            Having a platform is important, and it’s never too early to begin building one. As I mentioned earlier, your platform can be a website, a blog, a social media account, YouTube, or some other means that gives you visibility to people online. Platforms will help you build your readership so that when you begin the publishing process, you can promote and market your book efficiently. There are many other benefits too, like keeping you accountable and allowing you to show off any published works you have.

            Building a platform may sound scary at first, and it is not easy, but I can guarantee you that you will feel accomplished once you do!

Everything I discuss in this series are things I have learned thanks to the creative writing program at my school Colorado Christian University. If you want to study creative writing, especially with a Christian foundation, I highly recommend this program! If you want to learn more, visit ccu.edu.