What is an Author Platform?

In my first Busy Author's Guide, I'll cover ways you can build your all-important author platform no matter how much, or how little, time you can invest.

What is an author platform?

Your author platform is essentially your presence and reach among your target audience. When you have a strong author platform, you have a built-in fan base of people who are literally waiting to buy your next book.

What Your Author Platform Does

If you're an indie author, having a strong platform helps you sell more books directly. If you want to go the traditional publishing route, an established platform can make you more appealing, and less risky, to publishers.

When to Start Building Your Author Platform

What many new authors don't understand is that you can start building your author platform long before you have a book on the market. This is quite common in nonfiction publishing where an author might have an established reputation based on professional credentials, past speaking engagements, freelance articles, their own niche or industry blog, and other means. They build an audience with an interest in what they have to say, and then when they're ready to release a book members of that audience are ready and willing buyers.

If you write fiction, it's certainly easier to focus on your author platform after you've published at least one book. But it's not impossible to start early, and by doing so you can make yourself stand out among the competition when your book is released (or when you pitch agents and publishers). In an upcoming post I'll go into fiction author platforms in more depth, sharing some specific ideas on what you can do before your book is released.

Beyond understanding what an author platform is, it's also important to understand that your platform is something you will never stop building. It's a part of your long-term author PR and book marketing strategies and nearly everything you do, everyone you meet professionally, and everything else you publish will contribute to it.

This was originally published at BusyAuthors.com. 

Profile image for Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance business writer, consultant, and indie author. She runs numerous websites & blogs including All Freelance Writing, Freelance Writing Pros, NakedPR, and Kiss My Biz.

Jenn has 25 years' experience as a professional writer and editor and over 20 years' experience in marketing and PR (working heavily in digital PR, online marketing, social media, SEO, new media, and thought leadership publication). She also has 19 years' professional blogging and web publishing experience (including web development) and around 18 years of experience as an indie author / publisher.

Jenn also writes fiction under multiple pen names and is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association.

Subscribe to the All Freelance Writing newsletter to get freelance writing updates from Jenn in your inbox.

Get More Content Like This in Your Inbox

Did you enjoy this post? If so, please subscribe to the All Freelance Writing newsletter where you'll be notified of new blog articles and receive subscribers-only content.

Subscribe now.


2 thoughts on “What is an Author Platform?”

Leave a Comment