A Pile of Unsolicited Manuscripts Taken by Editor Kate Sullivan

Some people may write as a hobby, but those I will term “authors” write because they enjoy it AND because they want others to read and enjoy their work. Publishing is not the uphill battle it used to be, since so many good venues for self-publication are available for authors with specialty topics or works that aren’t accepted at traditional publishing houses. –And believe me, non-acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean poor work! Traditional publishers might have 50 – 150 slots for new books each year, yet receive 5,000 manuscripts. To gain an acceptance anywhere is like winning the lottery!

For nonfiction authors in particular, publishers will ask: “What is your platform?” What in the world does that mean? Publishers are simply asking authors what sort of built-in audience they might have access to. For instance, someone who regularly lectures or speaks in public will already have a name in his or her particular specialty. If the person writes a book on the topic, that author has an established audience familiar with his/her name. Publishers love this!

It pays, of course, to establish your platform before you approach publishers. It is so discouraging to send in your proposal only to hear that question over and over–and to know that you don’t have that built-in audience they want. What can you do, then?

One easy first step is to create a website and write a blog. Work on your blog and write the actual book at the same time–you’ll be in the right place mentally and creatively to make the most of your research. Even if you don’t reach a huge audience, over time you will accumulate material that you may be able to use for an ebook that doesn’t cost much (if anything) to publish. The material shouldn’t be anything you plan to cover in your proposed book, just information you couldn’t include or which goes off on interesting tangents that are related but not usable for your purposes.