Nick Cole explains why building an author platform is especially important in this age of SJW disemployment mobs.
As writers we’re always trying to get people interested in our books. And exposure helps that to happen. Making people aware of your book is key to getting them to actually buy your book. Which then increases sales, which then convinces Amazon to promote your book more, which causes even more sales to happen.
But… what if the gatekeepers on all the platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or even Amazon, decide they don’t like your book because of politics or even social issues (That’s what happened to me at Harper Collins), or the algorithm at Amazon favors a preferred writer, or even a writer who’s willing to outspend you on advertising?
What if?
And what if you get blacklisted by some small minded hatemongers who’ve decided you’re a bigot because you don’t agree with them? Or you have better sales and they’re just jelly? (The interwebz is a wild and crazy place where anyone can jump on social media and throw lies around that might stick and cause the uninformed to vote accordingly.)
What if?
Well, if you don’t have your own platform with which to correct your readers and sell your books, then you’re up the creek without a paddle.
So pretend that’s going to happen because if you prepare for that to happen you’re actually going to build a platform that’s all yours and you’re going to increase your sales.
Having a platform is a great way to stave off scurvy blacklisting dogs and SJW corporate assassins who try to pick the winners and patrol the culture at your expense. Nuking your career for the greater good, as they see it, is a perfectly acceptable casualty in their eyes. After all they view you as less than human, deplorable even.
Wisdom! Be attentive.
You can read the rest here.
Start blogging. Post as often as you can. Don’t think you’ve got enough material? Stop squandering your time on Facebook and post your ideas to your blog instead. Most FB users would be amazed how much blog post-length content they provided gratis to Mark Zuckerberg.
I’ve certainly taken Nick’s platform-building advice to heart. Let’s test it by seeing how many copies of my book this post sells.
