Building Your Author Platform
You’ve heard that writers need a platform. But what does that mean? Do you need thousands of followers? A newsletter? A podcast? A viral TikTok account? A speaking career? And how are you supposed to build all of that while also writing the book?
This 90-minute workshop will cut through the confusion and help you understand what author platform really is: your ability to reach and engage the people most likely to care about your work. Platform is not about becoming famous, chasing trends, or posting constantly. It’s about becoming visible to the right readers and building trust with them over time.
In this workshop, we’ll look at what agents and publishers mean when they ask about platform, why it matters more for some books than others, and what kind of platform makes sense for your genre, message, personality, and goals. We’ll talk about newsletters, social media, speaking, podcasting, community-building, credentials, professional networks, and other ways writers can become known for their work.
You’ll leave with an understanding of what you already have, what may be missing, and what practical next steps you can take without trying to do everything at once.
In this workshop, you’ll learn:
What author platform means — and what it does not mean
Why platform matters to agents, publishers, booksellers, and readers
How platform expectations differ for fiction, nonfiction, memoir, prescriptive nonfiction, and other categories
Why follower count is only one piece of the picture
How to identify the readers you’re trying to reach
Which platform-building activities make the most sense for your book
How to build visibility without wasting time on tactics that don’t fit you
How to talk about your platform in a query letter or book proposal
How to create a realistic platform-building plan
This workshop is for you if:
You know platform matters but don’t know where to start
You feel overwhelmed by social media
You’re unsure what agents or publishers expect from you
You’ve been trying to build an audience but aren’t seeing much traction
You want a traditional publishing deal and need a stronger platform
You’re self-publishing and want to reach more readers
You want a practical plan instead of vague advice like “be online more”
By the end of this workshop, you’ll have:
A view of your current platform, an understanding of what publishing professionals are looking for, and a practical plan for building visibility with the readers who are most likely to care about your work.