Originally posted August 2011. I lorignove to write, but I struggled with this first blog for this website . Two years ago, I would never have imagined having a website or a blog, or opening personal thoughts to the general public. Once I decided to make the leap, though, I decided to tell the truth.
That truth is: in a way I put this website up under duress. I have a manuscript, and I hope to get it published. It wouldn’t be my first book but there’s been a protracted gap since the last one. The publishing world slid into that gap and is climbing out on the other side an industry I don’t recognize.
I joined them on that other side at a conference two years ago. When I did, I started hearing the word platform. I could tell from the context that a platform wasn’t an artifact made of wood that you stood on, but I also didn’t grasp at first what it was, and what an effect it would have on me personally.
I am the first to recognize that the changes in the publishing industry are much wider than platform, and are hitting those in the book-publishing, book-distributing, and book-selling industries much harder than they are hitting me. Whole book stores and book-store chains are disappearing. Those who work there are losing their jobs, and the pain is likely to spread to the publishing companies if it hasn’t already. Compared to the loss of a job, I have a lot less
riding on this, but it’s important to me nonetheless. I feel for all of them, and I feel for me as well.
The manuscript I have to offer is non-fiction. A lot of manuscripts by hopeful writers fall in that category, and mine is one of them. My particular manuscript is a memoir, as opposed to prescriptive or other non-fiction. Memoir straddles that awkward divide between fiction and non-fiction, and seems to have none of the advantages and all of the disadvantages of both worlds. An author friend with several books to his credit told me about deciding to write about
his pioneering Mormon great-grandmother, who came across the plains in a covered wagon. His agent wouldn’t touch the manuscript. He told my friend, probably in sorrow but probably also truthfully, “Nobody wants to read about your great-grandmother.” Of course there are exceptions. If you are a celebrity, or your subject is, it’s a different issue. If you can’t offer celebrity – if your name doesn’t ring out across the media - then you need another way to bring a large potential customer base to the agent or publisher when you bring your
manuscript.
The prevailing advice is to build that customer base, aka platform, through social media. That includes a website, a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and many other social interaction internet sites. Apparently it’s critical if you are a relative unknown trying to sell a manuscript.
In spite of hearing that for eighteen months, I have been dilly-dallying. I don’t have to delve far into my subconscious to know why. I am so bad at putting myself out there. The last thing I could be in this world is a salesman. I am so introverted I am practically off the scale. That's probably why I majored in physics and went into programming in the first place - it's the refuge for introverted nerds. Outwardly, I learned to compensate somewhat during my
career, but inwardly I cringe at the thought of asking people to do anything or buy anything or give anything. I'd almost rather give up the idea of having the manuscript published. But not quite. So I am clenching my teeth and doing this stuff because I have to. I just don't know if I have the personality to do it right.
I really envy extroverts. I once told a friend - a fundraiser - that I could never ask anyone for money. She looked at me blankly and asked me why. I could tell that it simply didn't compute with her. It was so far outside her canon of thoughts that she couldn't even imagine it.
The obverse of that outlook on life is that I can’t imagine pushing myself out there, which requires overcoming a whole lifetime of hiding inside myself. And that means that if I am going to do this thing, I need help. A lot of help. So if any of you out there reading this have gone through this process and learned the right way to do it – actions that really make a difference when you’re trying to build a platform - then please share them with me.
That truth is: in a way I put this website up under duress. I have a manuscript, and I hope to get it published. It wouldn’t be my first book but there’s been a protracted gap since the last one. The publishing world slid into that gap and is climbing out on the other side an industry I don’t recognize.
I joined them on that other side at a conference two years ago. When I did, I started hearing the word platform. I could tell from the context that a platform wasn’t an artifact made of wood that you stood on, but I also didn’t grasp at first what it was, and what an effect it would have on me personally.
I am the first to recognize that the changes in the publishing industry are much wider than platform, and are hitting those in the book-publishing, book-distributing, and book-selling industries much harder than they are hitting me. Whole book stores and book-store chains are disappearing. Those who work there are losing their jobs, and the pain is likely to spread to the publishing companies if it hasn’t already. Compared to the loss of a job, I have a lot less
riding on this, but it’s important to me nonetheless. I feel for all of them, and I feel for me as well.
The manuscript I have to offer is non-fiction. A lot of manuscripts by hopeful writers fall in that category, and mine is one of them. My particular manuscript is a memoir, as opposed to prescriptive or other non-fiction. Memoir straddles that awkward divide between fiction and non-fiction, and seems to have none of the advantages and all of the disadvantages of both worlds. An author friend with several books to his credit told me about deciding to write about
his pioneering Mormon great-grandmother, who came across the plains in a covered wagon. His agent wouldn’t touch the manuscript. He told my friend, probably in sorrow but probably also truthfully, “Nobody wants to read about your great-grandmother.” Of course there are exceptions. If you are a celebrity, or your subject is, it’s a different issue. If you can’t offer celebrity – if your name doesn’t ring out across the media - then you need another way to bring a large potential customer base to the agent or publisher when you bring your
manuscript.
The prevailing advice is to build that customer base, aka platform, through social media. That includes a website, a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and many other social interaction internet sites. Apparently it’s critical if you are a relative unknown trying to sell a manuscript.
In spite of hearing that for eighteen months, I have been dilly-dallying. I don’t have to delve far into my subconscious to know why. I am so bad at putting myself out there. The last thing I could be in this world is a salesman. I am so introverted I am practically off the scale. That's probably why I majored in physics and went into programming in the first place - it's the refuge for introverted nerds. Outwardly, I learned to compensate somewhat during my
career, but inwardly I cringe at the thought of asking people to do anything or buy anything or give anything. I'd almost rather give up the idea of having the manuscript published. But not quite. So I am clenching my teeth and doing this stuff because I have to. I just don't know if I have the personality to do it right.
I really envy extroverts. I once told a friend - a fundraiser - that I could never ask anyone for money. She looked at me blankly and asked me why. I could tell that it simply didn't compute with her. It was so far outside her canon of thoughts that she couldn't even imagine it.
The obverse of that outlook on life is that I can’t imagine pushing myself out there, which requires overcoming a whole lifetime of hiding inside myself. And that means that if I am going to do this thing, I need help. A lot of help. So if any of you out there reading this have gone through this process and learned the right way to do it – actions that really make a difference when you’re trying to build a platform - then please share them with me.
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