There is a term that has bubbled up in publishing with the rise of the digital landscape. That term is PLATFORM. It’s thrown around as though everyone knows what it means, but it also isn’t very specifically defined. Some people think it’s a large social media following. Some people think it’s just the new version of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Other people think you can pay to play the game and many would like to know how to do it organically, especially when they feel as if they are starting from scratch.

It once was the case that authors became authors primarily on the merit of their writing and storytelling abilities. Yes there’s a longer history of celebrity and political memoirs that would have been considered a platform of sorts once upon a time. But now, it feels like everyone is expected to be a celebrity or influencer.

And while many in the publishing industry will say it’s okay if you don’t have a platform, and to an extent I think that’s true, it sure doesn’t seem to hurt if you’re willing to build one.

So let’s dig into what it really means when we say “author platform” and how to build one that feels authentic to you by looking at a few examples of authors who do it exceptionally well.

(Before you move on, if you’re struggling to even wrap your head around what your brand is… let alone how to build a platform around it, check out this article. >>)

What is an author platform?

An author platform is the catchall term for an author’s overall reach, influence and engagement with an audience of readers. In the eyes of a publisher, this is a base of pre-existing “customers” who would be primed and ready to purchase a product (i.e. your book) from you.

This can be expressed through a wide variety of outlets:

  • Social media following/engagement
  • Pre-existing books with an audience
  • Newsletter or Substack subscribers
  • Speaking engagements
  • Media connections and involvement
  • Podcast or YouTube channel
  • Popular website/company/brand

For anyone starting from scratch, this can feel a little daunting. However, there are all kinds of ways to foster an engaged audience of readers while you’re in the process of writing. Keep in mind that platforms don’t spring up overnight so regardless of your path, time and consistency is key.

How do I start building an author platform?

If time and consistency are the key ingredient to growth, then you start building your author platform by doing something you really like. It doesn’t matter how popular this social media site is or that “everyone” is doing a Substack, if you don’t enjoy operating in a particular space, you won’t be able to sustain the effort that’s required to grow it to anything significant. So ask yourself a few questions:

  • How do I like to communicate? (Writing? Then X or Substack could be a good start. Video? YouTube or TikTok. Images? Instagram and Pinterest. Talking? Podcasts or speaking events.)
  • Where does my audience hang out? (This is where you might need to be a little flexible. If you really want to start a podcast, but your audience is Gen Z, you may struggle to find your readers on a platform they don’t use very often.)
  • What are some of my content ideas? (What are the messages/themes of your subject matter and how are people conveying similar ideas right now? Is it through short tweets or through long-form podcasts?)

Try to hone in on one outlet that checks all your boxes. While you might be excited to try it all, spreading yourself too thin and demanding too much of yourself in terms of content production will slow your growth and have you burning out quick.

Instead, start with one platform and build up a batch of content to release on a schedule. From there, you’ll find yourself organically incorporating other elements as you go to support your core platform.

For example, if you decide. a podcast is a great outlet for sharing your subject matter, begin your journey by creating 10-20 episodes that you can release consistently and build off of. From there, you might find that an Instagram account is needed to help promote your podcast. There you can share graphics of your episode covers, text-based images with relevant quotes and video clips from interviews.

Should that start to go well, you might find yourself building a website to support it that includes an email list to help inform your audience when a new episode drops and provide supporting links, notes and materials for your listeners. Creating this ecosystem around one core content product not only gives you a high level of focus, but also provides you with ways to recycle content on other outlets.

How do I grow an author platform faster?

If you feel like you’re working against a clock because you have a book that’s almost done and you’re hoping to catch the eyes of a publisher or readers sooner rather than later, you might ask yourself how you can grow a platform faster.

Though time and consistency are key, there are a few ways you can double down on efforts.

Utilize Other People’s Platform

If you are building an audience from the bottom up, it’s very hard to get traction early on. So instead of fighting through the single digit likes and zero traffic, start considering how you can collaborate with those who already have a platform. Whether that’s guest posting on a larger website, doing an Instagram live with an author friend who is further down the road or interviewing someone with a larger audience on your podcast. Make sure you’re considering what the value offer is for them and if possible, start with those who might already be in your network of friends. But often it takes partners in those early stages to get out of that “shouting into the void” phase and get something off the ground.

2x Your Efforts

The more you pour in, the faster it will go. Especially on platforms like TikTok and X. Sometimes more is in fact more. The internet is such a vast place and algorithms help protect users from bombardment from a single source, so you might find that posting twice a day instead of once, helps you grow faster. It gives you more opportunities to end up in front of your audience. It also will give you more data faster to figure out what your audience is connecting with.

Capitalize on Opportunity

When opportunity does arise, jump on it. Let’s say you land a really stellar interview with a New York Times bestselling author friend for your new YouTube channel. Well, when you’re pitching other potential interviewees, tell them that this author was on your show. The same goes for even a slight spike in engagement on social media. If you have been posting videos on TikTok for a month and are stuck in that 200-300 view slump then all of a sudden one of your videos hits 1000, make more content like that! You can even make the same video in a different way (i.e. one that is all text, one that is funny, one that is serious, all covering the same subject).

Can you just tell me what the best platform-building avenues are for authors?

No. In short, no. What’s stellar for one author could be completely useless to another. What’s fun for one person can be torture for you. But I’ll throw you bone anyways if you still feel like you have no idea where to start.

  1. TikTok is HOT: In 2020 when lockdowns were at their peak, #BookTok took off and sold books in a way publishing hadn’t seen in a long time. And though that fervor has cooled a bit, publishing has A LOT of eyes on the platform still. And it continues to be a source for mega sales for a lot of authors willing to put in the time. So, if you can stomach the volatile nature of that platform, it has a lot of potential and publishers like it.
  2. Email List: If TikTok is the sexy, flashy new toy, email marketing is old faithful. Despite the fact that it is no longer the new girl on the block, publishers know that a solid email list is perhaps the best way to sell a book directly to an audience.
  3. Connection-forming is KEY: Finally, publishing is in a lot of ways about who you know. Has this agent heard of you or anything you’re associated with? Do you have author friends who will be willing to blurb your book? Are you making connections that elevate your status in the eyes of a publisher? Though all of these questions might make you squirm a bit, the truth is, this is a relationship business in a lot of ways. So whether it’s through a podcast, a YouTube channel or a Substack, if you have the chance to interview and collaborate with other authors and industry folk, that’s a good addition to your platform.

Who are some people doing it well?

There are a ton of authors who have found their way through the Wild West of digital marketing and created a tribe of loyal readers excited to pick up their next book. But it truly does look different for everyone. For some, they may have one platform that is their primary focus. For others, they might have a vast network of outlets through which they convey their message. So let’s go through three examples that vary greatly, but are each extraordinary.

Emma Noyes: Single Source Platform

Bio: Emma Noyes is the author of Guy’s Girl, How to Hide in Plain Sight, and The Sunken City trilogy. She grew up in a suburb outside Chicago and attended Harvard University, where she studied history and literature. She started her career at a beer company but left because she wanted to write about mermaids and witches — eventually publishing her first YA fantasy series.

Emma is a prolific TikTokker. She has over 500,000 followers and one of her top videos is nearing 50 million views. She shares very real and honest depictions of her mental health as well as discussing books and other aspects of her life. The mental health topics she discusses are also found in her books bringing a perfect marriage of her brand and her product. She is someone who has focused in very intentionally on a single format. One that extends to a large Instagram following as well. But the fact of the matter is she isn’t trying to do 20 things well. She’s doing one or two things on the author platform front VERY well.

Glory Edim: An Evolving Platform

Bio: Since 2015, Glory has promoted diverse voices in literature and inspired conversations around societal issues, from banned books to gender equality to reproductive rights.Whether hosting her literary festival or interviewing authors on the Well-Read podcast, Glory highlights the beauty and expansiveness of Black culture. She welcomes readers to join the conversation with curiosity, community, and civic engagement in mind.

Glory’s work started with her book club. A fun reading group who enjoyed supporting black, female authors. Now it has evolved into a podcast, Well-Read Black Girl, a platform that celebrates books, authors and diversity, a festival and a nonprofit organization. From that, sprung two anthologies and now a memoir. The platform continues to blossom into a multi-pronged brand that is far reaching with connection at the core of its existence. From the people featured on her podcast to the authors included in her anthologies, Glory’s platform is an interwoven and self-generating platform.

Valarie Kaur: Multi-Faceted, Expansive Platform

Bio: Valarie Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, and best-selling author of See No Stranger. She is the founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, where she leads a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. Valarie burst into global consciousness when her Watch Night Service address went viral with 40 million views worldwide. Her question — “Is this the darkness of the tomb, or the darkness of the womb?” — is a beacon for people fighting for our future.

Valarie’s platform is one that might overwhelm at first because it is so multi-faceted, but it is a great example of a how one endeavor can lead to the next and the next and the next. Starting as a civil rights advocate and lawyer, Valarie’s speaking platform led to the virality mentioned above. But that core of her beliefs and message has sprung into a nationwide tour, Ted Talks, two books and a children’s book, a large social media following, courses and more. Valarie’s platform is what it looks like when someone is very assured in their messaging and knows how to translate it into many formats.

As you approach developing your own platform, it’s important to examine what is working with others. But it is essential to check in with yourself. Where will your message best be heard? Who is your message for? What platforms do you enjoy working on? And then simply understanding that your job is to serve your intended audience. A platform isn’t a billboard for your book, but rather an invitation to others to join the conversation and if they like it, expand on it by purchasing your work.