“You can now follow me on Twitter under JaneIsaacAuthor.”

What is an author platform and why do I need one? Researching the independent publishing houses raised this question time and again. So, I did what most curious net surfers do and googled it.

An author platform appears to be a foundation for marketing your potential material – a website, Face book page, Twitter account, blog. Even if your book is, as yet, unpublished you need to be out there, making a name for yourself in cyberspace, forming a base that you can later build upon.

You’ll find author platforms mentioned across the web by authors, publishers, teaching and advice sites. The best explanation I found was on The Creative Penn at http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2009/06/26/author-platform/ - definitely worth a look. Or, listen to latest Newbie Writers podcast where Damien and Catharine give excellent advice on platforms and to how to reach your potential audience.

So… my first concession – I’ve set up a Twitter account and started tweeting. Will they be interesting, inspirational, worthwhile? Who knows? In any case, I’m limited to 140 characters, so not enough to get bored – I hope!

What shall I write about? I figure I’ll start with my passions: writing, reading, travel – and see where it leads me. Why not come and join me? It’ll be great to have some fellow writers to chat to. You never know, it might end up being fun…

Jane Isaac is very much a Newbie, she doesn’t even have a website yet (one day…) and with a day job, a family and a very demanding black Labrador, she squeezes her writing into every spare moment she gets. Join her on the rocky road from pen to publication – hopefully!

Episode 2: September 23rd Platforms:’If you build it, they will come’
 
• How to build a platform?
• What does this mean?  Platform is what you stand on to make your point.  So what is your point?  
• Answer the question, why are your writing this book?
• And a  caution about a book and a platform – how much do you like it?  How committed are you?  If you are passionate about a cause, or the subject matter of your non fiction book, you will love the endless conversations, the lecturing, the book signings.  But if you wrote a book because it was trendy, you will soon tire of the subject – your platform and you’ll become bored.  You will notice, and so will your fans.

• Non Fiction – the point is the theme of the book.  
• From this articles, blogs, web site, twitter posts and targeting your audience will all flow.  Think of the platform, your passion and beliefs as what you stack all the social media and other books on.  The bigger the platform, the easier it is for people to see you over the crowd.
 
• Fiction –  What is a central theme?  Child abuse?  A discovery journey?  Find a solid theme that you are willing to discuss and expand upon and you have your platform.
• For instance in Uncle Tom’s Cabin the story was about a mother losing her child.  The platform was a call to end slavery.
• Once you find that theme, you can write articles blogs etc.  about that theme and the tie in is your fiction book that addresses the platform issue.
 
• Children’s books-  Your platform can be reading is important and your book is an example of fine children’s reading.
• Or the children’s book touches on a popular issue or theme.  Again, be cautious of being trendy, you have to discuss this subject forever, it helps if you like it or believe in it.
 
• Memoir, can be regionally targeted, time targeted, whatever group will relate to your own story, their concerns are your concerns; that’s your platform.
 
 
Prompting- Episode prompt.
 
What’s in the Garage?
 
I am playing in a golf tournament in August, for a good cause.  But I haven’t touched my clubs since we adopted a puppy a year and a half ago.  
 
What did you once do that was thrown over in favor of something entirely new, perhaps unexpected?  
 
What is stored in the garage right now, gathering dust?  
What part of your life does it represent? 
 

 
Bring Out Your Dead- Listener submission/our own personal early piece of writing dredged up from the dust pile.
 
Word of the week noggle vb. to walk awkwardly

Suggested Use In A Sentence:

Having devoured a meaty manuscript, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, as an appetizer, the masticating monster ordered “101 Ways to Avoid Reincarnation” by Hester Mudis for the main course, which is probably accounts for why after taking one bite, he had to noggle towards the little boy’s room at the Bildungsroman Bistro.
 
Courtesy of Squidoo.com

Where to contact us: podcast@newbiewriters.com
www.yourbookstartshere.com
 
 

End May 2011

As newbies, where can we look for a publisher that will read and consider our work?

It is well known that the major houses will only accept submissions via a literary Agent. So if you don’t have an Agent, where do you start? This was my next dilemma.

My former Agent suggested a few independent houses to start with but, alas, when I checked their websites most of those had recently changed their policy; now only accepting submissions via a literary Agent themselves. I did the normal things like trawl the Writers and Artists Yearbook, googled ‘Independent Publishing Houses’ in as many word variations as I could muster, subscribed to ‘writethismoment.com’, a site advertising calls for submissions. This gave me a handful.

I saw in the news that the London Book Fair had just finished in London. This is an event frequented by Agents and Publishers – so I checked out the stall holders and came up with some new houses this way.

The search took weeks. It seemed that I was spending every spare moment, looking for sites, checking their genre requirements, submission guidelines, making sure they would accept contact from new writers. There were many that fell at the first hurdle; either they didn’t accept my genre or they were closed for submissions. Eventually, I ended up with a list.

Submitting novel queries (introductory letter, synopsis and first three chapters in most cases), by snail mail can prove expensive in terms of printing costs and postage. So I decided to only try those that accepted submission by email, and sent my novel off to the first tranche. Back to the waiting game…

Author’s note: I would like to share my list of potential publishing houses with any budding novelists out there who are looking to submit their work. You will find a list of independent publishing houses, open to submissions, in the forum under Writing Goals – Goal to being published. Good luck to you all!

Jane Isaac is very much a Newbie, she doesn’t even have a website yet (one day…) and with a day job, a family and a very demanding black Labrador, she squeezes her writing into every spare moment she gets. Join her on the rocky road from pen to publication – hopefully!

Mid May 2011

Feedback arrived about a week later. My Agent alerted me that these were unguarded comments between Agent and Editor. The literary world is a subjective one, we all love some authors, hate others. Editors have personal opinions too. But that doesn’t necessary make those authors’ bad writers.

So, with trepidation, I opened the email and….was pleasantly surprised. The feedback was positive! In fact, very complimentary in places. There were a couple of Editors that didn’t quite gel with the characters, a few that would have liked another twist to the plot, but most of them really liked it – it was just bad timing.

My Agent was disappointed to say the least and, since he only submits to publishing houses that pay an advance large enough to satisfy his commission requirements, unable to continue representing me. But he left me more confident in my work, strongly advising me to try the Independent Publishing houses myself.

So, I was back at the beginning. But I couldn’t let this knock me back. I had to keep going…

Jane Isaac is very much a Newbie, she doesn’t even have a website yet (one day…) and with a day job, a family and a very demanding black Labrador, she squeezes her writing into every spare moment she gets. Join her on the rocky road from pen to publication – hopefully!

Hey everyone.

Catharine Bramkamp (www.yourbookstartshere.com) and I have recorded the first Episode of the Newbie Writers Podcast! Find us on Itunes by searching for Newbie Writers. Give us a star rating and I’d love a review or three.

What do you guys want to hear on there? Have anything to contribute? So far we have the outline for 5 episodes but that’s irrelevant as the content can be pushed further down the line if we get more input from you. Be it a 5 star review (which I’ll read out on the show) or a piece/topic you want us to chat about.

So check us out, our goal is to make talking about writing more enjoyable.

Damien

Early May 2011

With the interest in my novel to date, I should be ecstatic. Two Agents interested – should be a fiction writers dream. But I was about to learn that securing an Agent doesn’t automatically ensure publication. It just gives you a foot in the door.

In May I received the rejection of all rejections. With the major UK publishing houses passing on my novel, my Agent struck out. He was unable to secure a deal which offered sufficient advance to satisfy his commission requirements. I was back on my own.

Jeffery Archer was rejected by thirteen publishers before he secured a contract for Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less which later became a bestseller. Even J K Rowling received rejections. I was joining an established club. The problem was that this information didn’t ease the tension of the arrow now embedded in my heart.

Oh, this wasn’t my first rejection. Not by a long shot. Like others, I have received many over the years. It’s all part of the writing game. But this was the one that hurt the most.

I guess this goes back to the personal versus business argument. To publishing houses, my book was a product, one that had to fit with their lists, one they would have to love (not just like) in order to spend a small fortune marketing, one that needed to be original/different/stand out from the crowd. To me it was my baby, lovingly created, nurtured; I had watched it grow. It was hard not to take rejection personally.

So, after the tears and soul searching, what comes next? Feedback. If I was able to salvage anything from the experience, I needed to know why…

Jane Isaac is very much a Newbie, she doesn’t even have a website yet (one day…) and with a day job, a family and a very demanding black Labrador, she squeezes her writing into every spare moment she gets. Join her on the rocky road from pen to publication – hopefully!