Hi everyone. This is Janice Thompson, full-time freelance author and speaker. Welcome to this lesson on building your platform.
The world of non-fiction writing is a fast-paced one, one that can give a passionate writer an even greater sense of purpose. If you’re like I am, you write non-fiction because you feel strongly about the subject matter and because you enjoy conveying helpful information to your reader. This is the goal of most non- fiction writers, after all—to inform and assist. And we happen to live in a day and age where readers abound.
Why Do You Read What you Read?
Have you ever asked yourself why people read the types of books they do? In a nutshell, readers turn to fiction to escape their problems; they turn to non-fiction to solve them. It’s that easy. Fiction meets a perceived need; non-fiction meets a real need.
What I’m about to tell you might be a shocker: Only a tiny portion of the books published each year are novels – about one in four or even one in five, depending on which statistics you believe. As one who writes primarily novels, I found this news to be a little startling. But it’s true. Readers are fascinated with non-fiction. And they buy it in droves.
Did you realize, for example, that The Purpose Driven Life sold over 20 million copies? Contrast that with the typical novel, which is lucky to sell five to ten thousand copies. Really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? I know it has for me! In the fifteen years I’ve been publishing, I’ve sold over seventy books, crossing genre lines to write both fiction and non-fiction. Want to know what my greatest selling book is, to date? It’s a tiny little non-fiction devotional called Everyday Joy, which made the ECPA bestseller list a couple of years ago. Yep. It’s non-fiction. There really is a huge market out there for non- fiction books.
Calgon, Take me Away!
Now, if you were a novelist, I would instruct you to give your reader plenty of “Calgon, take me away!” moments. Because you’re non-fiction writers, I’m going to spend our time together in this course giving you strategic instructions on how to present your reader with practical, relevant material that will guide him on his journey toward a better life.
Isn’t that what we all crave, after all—a better life? We long for things to improve—in our homes, our jobs, our relationships, our bodies, our spirits. We don’t want to settle. And we’ve tried so many things already. Millions of non- fiction books line dusty shelves across the globe, and they’re chocked full of information.
We’ve read it all before. Seen it all before. Heard it all before. That’s why it’s so important for the non-fiction writers in today’s market to present fresh, innovative materials to publishers, not the same old, same old. No rehashing outdated information. Get with the program! Spend time getting to know your reader and then write to meet his needs.
The Whys and Wherefores
Before we delve into the whys and wherefores of non-fiction writing, we must lay some groundwork. Most non-fiction book writers don’t start with books. They start by writing shorter pieces. If you’ve taken our magazine article-writing course, you know that articles are a great way to begin. You’re building your resume and learning how to write tight, all at the same time.
It’s a natural progression, to move from articles to books. But it’s a tricky progression as well. It’s one thing to have the desire to write non-fiction, another to successfully transition from blog entries and articles to life-changing books.
Why books, you ask?
Some freelancers are happy writing short pieces and never give thought to writing a full-length book. These writers are rare, however. Most dream of writing larger pieces, but don’t know how to go about it. Because of this, many never meet their goal.
Why is that? Because selling a book, particularly a non-fiction book, is harder than it looks. Oh, I know...I know. I just told you that The Purpose Driven Life sold a gazillion copies. And other well-known non-fiction books have done equally as well. What set those books apart from the ones that fizzled out? Why do some authors feel like giving up before they ever strike a deal?
Let’s talk about that.
Non-fiction books are tough to pitch to editors for several reasons. First, publishing houses look for non-fiction books from experts in their respective fields. If they want a pop psychology book, they go to someone like Dr. Phil. If they need book on dieting, they go to a well-known nutritionist or diet guru, someone like Dr. Oz. Perhaps, if they’re looking for a book on exercise, they go to someone who’s made a career out of staying in shape, someone like Suzanne Summers. If they want a Bible study, they pick up one by Beth Moore. If they’re looking for a book on child rearing, they find Super Nanny’s latest “How-To” manual. Next, publishers know that readers are fickle. They will (primarily) buy from people with large followings.
But, don’t be discouraged! The non-fiction market is huge and thousands of new writers enter it every year, many rising from near-obscurity to the NY Times best- seller’s list? How do they do it? Some of them just happen to hit the right topic at the right time. Others strategically plan for their success by building a platform that propels the sales of their book.
So, what is a platform, exactly, and why do you need to build one? Isn’t that whole “platform” concept designed for novelists?
Remember that ECPA bestseller I told you about—Everyday Joy? What I left out was this: before my non-fiction editor ever approached me to write that book, I spent many, many years establishing myself as a light-hearted humor author. Once I built my humor platform, I didn’t have to pitch myself to my non-fiction editor at all. She came to me with the idea. And that’s the goal. The longer you’re in this business, the more likely it is that editors will forge lasting relationships with you. But it all starts with one critical step...
BECOMING AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD
The first thing I suggest to non-fiction writers is to lean on their own expertise. Whether you recognize it or not, your life experiences have made you an “expert” at one thing or another. You have the answer to someone else’s question.
Pause to think about that for a moment. What areas do you excel in? Do you have answers to other people’s questions? If you’ve been writing articles for any length of time, it’s likely you’ve already answered more questions—and offered more solutions—than most.
How does this work in the transition from articles to books, though? I’m going to lead you on a step-by-step journey.
My Friend, the Foodie...
Let me start by telling you about my friend, Julie. We were good friends in high school, but parted ways for over twenty years. Still, I can tell you anything you want to know about Julie. Why? Because we reconnected on facebook.
First of all, Julie Townsend is a foodie. A foodie is someone who eats, sleeps and breathes great food. She works as a personal chef and runs her own business, preparing much of the food in her clients’ homes. Many of her homemade treats—cakes, cookies, pastries, candies, home-canned goods, and so on—she offers from her own home. Julie goes by the name Chef Jewels and has named her businesses: “Jewels in the Kitchen” and “Jewels from the Oven.” The photos she posts on facebook are enough to ruin my diet, as you might well imagine. Seriously, they’re gorgeous. And her word choices! You should hear how she describes every single food item. My mouth waters, just thinking about it. She shares from her personal journey, but she does it with great authority. So, who do you think I would go to if I had food questions? You’ve got it! Julie! She’s my resident “foodie” how-to girl.
Whether she knows it or not, Julie is building her platform. She’s figured out her specialty/her niche. She’s reaching out to a core group of people—including me—and is winning us over, bite-by-bite. Because she posts regularly, she’s made herself both visible and vocal. Best of all, she’s really connecting with her readers. She cares about them enough to share her best secrets and they care enough about her to respond to her posts. In other words, their relationships are real and honest.
Julie Wants to Write a Book
Now, let’s say Julie came to me with an idea for a non-fiction book for personal chefs, or perhaps a book for those interested in starting a catering business. How would I recommend she go about that? I would tell her she’s off to a great start by setting herself up on the web in such an appetizing way—pun intended. Then I suggest the following:
Julie should write and publish relevant articles on the topic of working as a personal chef, targeting both food and regional magazines. Her pieces might even sell in travel magazines. She could also target a variety of women’s magazines and/or parenting magazines, as well.
Julie should develop a teaching/speaking platform where she could speak to other food lovers. Perhaps she could set herself up as a teacher in her home—or in a client’s kitchen—and have photographs taken while teaching.
Julie should create a site on the WWW offering recipes and how-to tips for cooks.
Julie should create a food blog where home chefs can post their questions and she can respond publicly. This way, people (and editors) will begin to see her as an authority on the subject.
Julie should begin to think about how she could take her articles and recipes and craft them into chapters for her non-fiction book. (It’s easier to gain momentum once you’ve got a good support team.)
Julie should start talking to big-name foodies early on to see if they will endorse her book.
Julie should write her non-fiction book
Great Job, Julie!
Now, let’s imagine Julie has done everything I’ve suggested thus far. She’s built her platform. She’s written dozens of articles and/or recipes along a common theme. She’s established relationships with bloggers or other online readers through social media sites. As much as she’s able, she has established herself as an expert. Now what? How does she turn those short pieces into one long book?
I would suggest that Julie begin by creating files on her computer, divided by themes. Let’s say she’s written a dozen articles on the ups and downs of preparing food in clients’ kitchens, five articles on preparing food for people in the corporate world, ten on catering birthday parties, and seven on catering weddings. She’s got a couple of pieces on baking up the perfect sweets for fundraisers and at least one article on baby shower cakes. She’s got nearly a hundred recipes in her stash and several how-to articles for cutting back on costs.
Now what? Julie would need to look for the common thread in her pieces. Can she fit them together somehow? I’m not talking about force fitting here. Apples are apples and oranges are oranges. It’s likely she’s got enough material for two or three books. She doesn’t have to try to press everything into one.
Here are a few possible titles if she went with the “cooking in your client’s home” angle for her books:
“Jewels” of Wisdom from Your Personal Chef
A Dozen Kitchens: Cooking Stories From the Road Cooking. . .From Kitchen to Kitchen
Here are a few possible titles if she went the catering to kids route:
The Ultimate Party Foods for Kids Catering on a Dime. . .for Kids Cooking for a Child’s Theme Party
Here are some title suggestions if she went with the idea of catering to the corporate world:
The Business Bash: Catering to the Business World The Best in Office Party Foods
Food for Thought: The CEO’s of Catering
Office Party Catering 101
Here are some suggestions if she went with wedding catering:
I Do, I Do! The Wedding Caterer’s Primer
Special Occasions: Catering the Ultimate Wedding The Ultimate Wedding Caterer’s Handbook
What if she wanted to merge all of her ideas into one book? She could choose a title like:
Ten Tips From a Personal Chef Cooking on a Dime
Have Cooking Skills, Will Travel
The Personal Chef: A Kitchen-to-Kitchen Journey
The Joy of Catering!
Jewels from the Oven: Selling Sweets From Your Home
If she chose a broader title like one of the ones I’ve just mentioned, she could divide the book into sections: one section for catering to kids, one for office parties, one for weddings, one for bridal and baby showers, one for fundraisers...and so on.
Here’s the point: Julie has taken the time to establish herself. A lot of thought has gone into this before she ever sets out to write her book.
What other suggestions would I give to Julie to help her succeed as a non-fiction book author?
- First, I would tell her to choose the most appealing topic possible, one that will really resonate with her audience.
- Next, I would encourage her to tie her chapters together with a creative thread, one that will hook the reader. I’ve devoted an entire lesson to the topic of threading and braiding, so check it out.
- Finally, I would encourage her to develop a “tribe” of readers (a group of friends/family members/readers who will help her promote her book on their blogs, social media sites, etc.) A tribe consists of people who are genuinely excited about what you’re doing and willing to let that excitement spill over to others.If Julie follows these instructions, she’ll stand a better chance of getting her foot in the door at a publishing house. And who knows! Maybe that catering book will hit the bestseller list. And all because she took the time to build her platform.
- EXERCISE: So, what about you? Have you started building your platform? Have you established yourself as an expert? If not, then let me give you an exercise to correspond with this lesson: Make a list of practical things you can do to garner a following. Begin to think of ways to connect with people. . .really connect with them. To hear their heartbeat and tune in to their needs. Next, begin to build your tribe. Your tribe will consist of a small group of encouraging people, willing to surround you with their encouragement and support.Once you’ve completed this exercise, begin to write and sell articles that line up with your book’s theme. Stash them away to be used as chapters later on. Then, when the time is right, you can create non-fiction books out of your shorter pieces.
Remember what I said at the beginning of this lesson about the reader wanting a better life? Julie’s going to give them that with her non-fiction book on cooking. And you? Well, you’re going to give them that with the amazing non-fiction book you cook up, too.
That’s it for now, non-fiction writers. You can see that building a platform is key to your success as a non-fiction writer. So, get busy! You’ve got a lot to do!
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