It’s a classic “Which comes first? The chicken or egg?” kind of question: Should you build your author platform or write your book first?
We get versions of this question ALL. THE. TIME. So buckle up, because we’re breaking it down just for you.
(By the way, we’re mostly talking to non-fiction writers on this one. However, the bigger your platform, the more books you’re going sell, no matter what kind of book you’re writing.)
If you want to publish through a traditional publisher and sell lots o’ books on launch day, you need to build your author platform first.
Any agent looking at your book proposal is going to care about the size of your platform. They honestly might care more about the size of your platform than your book itself. Publishers these days are very dependent on the “baked-in” buyers that the author brings to the table.
Do we love it? Not necessarily. But it’s how the publishing world works.
If you want to go the traditional publishing route, you might need to shift gears for a bit and build that platform up before you work on your book. But never fear, brave writer! We’ve got the info you need to get started. Snag our quick-start guide by filling out the form below 👇
If you want to self-publish your book and use it as the cornerstone of your platform, you can write your book first.
A lot of writers who want to build businesses around their book content choose to do things this way.
You won’t sell many books for the first year (or more) after your launch while you are busy building your platform around your book—a bit of a bummer. However, some good stuff comes out of this method:
- Having a published book in your hands can get you in the door with local media or smaller-scale speaking engagements.
- You can use the content from your book to teach a course, create YouTube videos or record a podcast. Basically, your book becomes the foundational content for your business.
- A really well-written, amazing book can lend you credibility and might increase your confidence as you build your platform.
If you decide to self-publish, be sure to snag our self-publishing checklist!
So what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Should you build your author platform or write your book first? It depends on how you want to publish your book and the purpose that you want your book to serve. Decide those two things and you’ll know how to move forward.
👉 Leave a comment to let us know what you’re going to do first!
