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Yesterday, Angela Hoy, editor of Writer’s Weekly, passed along an email from a reader. Josie (not her real name) had read my recently published piece on establishing a platform. She wanted to know how to establish a platform for a poetry book.

It always surprises me when authors of fiction, poetry or children’s books seem to miss the points I attempt to make loud and clear in my articles—points designed to include them. Any author should be able to take the instructions and information in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or one of my articles and immediately begin to build their author’s platform. I’ve decided that their stumbling block isn’t ignorance, it is denial. Most authors of creative endeavors simply do not want to face the reality of promotion.

Here’s what I wrote to Josie:
Platform is not just about nonfiction hooks and expertise. You can also establish a platform related to your genre. Here are a few ideas for establishing a platform for a book of poetry:
• Get involved with appropriate poetry sites—become acquainted with the hosts, participate in message boards, write letters to the editors, submit your poetry to be posted at the sites, see about promoting your book at these sites, etc. Do everything you can to become known in the world of poetry.
• Submit your poetry to magazines, newsletters and sites in order to establish yourself as a poet.
• If your poetry focuses on a specific topic or theme, promote your work and yourself through related sites, magazines, newsletters and venues. Promote inspirational poetry through religious/spiritual sites, for example, poetry featuring parenting moments through parenting and baby sites, mags and so forth.
• Build a website and advertise (announce) your book widely at other sites and through newsletters and magazines related to poetry and literature.
• If you are involved in a church or club or you help edit a newsletter, talk up your poetry book there in and through these venues.
• Get your poetry book reviewed at as many literary, poetry and fiction sites and through as many magazines and newsletters as you can.
• Enter poetry contests.
• Run poetry contests.
• Participate in poetry slams.
• Teach poetry classes to adults or children and be sure to tell the local newspaper editor about it.
• Create a newsletter about poets and poetry for those interested in writing and/or reading poetry.
• Collect contact information and build a huge mailing list you can use in promotion.

A platform is your means of getting your name and your work out there. What you’ll notice is that this list, which is designed specifically for poets, is really no different than the list of platform-building activities suggested for authors of nonfiction books. As I said, most poets and many novelists and children’s book writers either don’t want to face the reality of promotion or the concept of promotion just doesn’t compute in their creative brains.

If you are writing a book—it doesn’t matter the topic or genre—you should also be building your platform as you go. Let these suggestions guide you in this effort. And for additional information, instructions, education and resources to see you through the writing, publishing and book promotion process, read the revised edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and use the companion book, The Author’s Workbook. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

As an author, you’re quick to tell others about your fabulous book. You beg and bribe your friends, reviewers, site hosts, magazine/newsletter editors and everyone else you meet to promote your book. And you expect radio personalities, librarians, educators, bookstore managers, newspaper columnists and mere acquaintances to spread the word about your upcoming signings and readings. This is all good. But what do you do to help other authors along their book promotion journey?

Do you try to give other authors a boost—a leg-up? Do you sometimes network on behalf of your author friends’/colleagues’ books? If not, why not?

Some authors are afraid that if they put energy into someone else’s project, it will minimize the worth of their own. Others just don’t feel they have the time to promote other books. Some of us simply don’t think about helping someone else or don’t quite know how to do it. The truth is, that by reaching out to help others, you are actually bringing attention to yourself and to your book. You are making friends, creating comrades and possibly helping yourself in the process.

Here are ways you can help your fellow authors that might result in benefits to you and your project:

1: Talk to your customers about his or her book. If it is a book similar to yours, promote it as a companion book to yours. Tell readers if you think that this book would enhance or add to the information in your nonfiction book. If readers love your novel, generously tell them about other novels with similar storylines or formats. When you come out with a sequel to your novel or another nonfiction book on your topic, you’ll have a strong base of potential repeat customers.

This gesture may be rewarded in other ways, as well. Let the other author know that you’ve been recommending his book and suggest ways that he can promote yours.

Tip 1: Piggyback marketing can be an effective way to promote books to a wider audience. Arrange with authors of books similar to yours to include your promotional material with his when doing email or postal mailings. You can do the same for him.

Tips 2: Exchange promotional material with other authors who have compatible or companion books. Include his material when you ship your book orders and ask him to do the same.

2: Create a recommended books section at your website or in your newsletter. Make sure that you inform the authors when you recommend their books and encourage them to do the same for yours.

3: Spread the word when an author is coming to town with his book. This morning, I sent an email to over 40 friends and acquaintances who I thought might be interested in meeting an author that I know through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). He will be signing books at a local bookstore and he asked me if I knew anyone to invite. Hopefully, he will have a full house and I will get additional kudos from him over time because of it.

4: Promote non-competing books when you lecture, do signings and present workshops in your topic or genre. Of course, your main promotional effort is your book, but you can mention books of others while speaking and in your handouts.

I met an author of a spiritual book in Atlanta last year. I noticed that she was recommending some writing-related books to some of the people she spoke with. I made it a point to have a conversation with her and discovered that she travels extensively promoting her book and always responds to questions from hopeful authors. She likes to have books to recommend. Of course, I gave her a copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I asked her to read it and then let me know if she would like to recommend it in her travels. She loved it so much that she bought 5 copies before the Atlanta seminar was over and places a new order every few months. I give her a booksellers’ discount of 40 percent.

5: Offer to take other books to book festivals with you. Again, this would be non-competing books and books that would enhance yours. When you are selling books for someone, be sure to negotiate a percentage of the profits for yourself. And encourage other authors to take copies of your book to the bookselling events they attend. Promotion is tremendously time-consuming and all-consuming. We can’t be everywhere. This is why it is so helpful to have others spreading the word about your book in venues that you might not reach.

Some authors actually believe that when they give to someone they lose something. I’m here to tell you that it is just the opposite. The gesture of giving always comes with a generous payoff. Give and you shall receive.

Now that the dust of Christmas has settled, don’t stop giving. Consider how you can contribute to someone else’s success. If it is publishing and book marketing guidance they need, be sure to tell them about my hallmark book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. and the companion, Author’s Workbook. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html Your friend or colleague WILL thank you and, most likely, reciprocate in a meaningful way.

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

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Am I up to the challenge? I promised you a blog-a-day, which means I have to come up with something meaningful to say each and every morning of the year. Yikes! What have a done? Hopefully, I can keep my word and keep the words flowing in your direction. Your job is to remember to visit this blog. Support my efforts while learning, gleaning information and becoming aware of resources you might have overlooked.

I spent most of yesterday in follow-up mode. I contacted all of the magazine and newsletter editors, etc. who had received review copies of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, and the companion Author’s Workbook, but who had not responded. I followed up with a few editors who are still holding my articles. I emailed reminders to people who offered testimonials for my website. And I checked in with some of my clients who hadn’t been in touch for a while.

Follow-up is an important part of any writing or publishing business. Not everyone is on your schedule. There are always those who are lackadaisical about responding or too busy to return your emails or calls. In most cases, the bookseller, web host, editor, reviewer, etc. is not anywhere near as interested in your project as you are. You can’t expect these people to have the same level of attachment to your book as you do. They don’t have the same motivation to see your book succeed as you do and you can’t always count on people to do what they say they’ll do on behalf of your book. Instead, make sure that they do it. This means following up. Here are some pointers:

Schedule Follow-up Days
It’s easy to get busy and forget the promise the ABC Bookstore manager made to get back to you about carrying your book. You’ll work right past the date your review was supposed to appear in XYZ Magazine. You may even miss the opportunity to be interviewed on local radio because you sat around waiting for the producer to call you. Don’t automatically expect people to do what they say. Make sure that they do it. Why not dedicate one morning each week to making follow-up contacts? Devise a schedule and stick to it.

Keep Good Records
Write down the name and contact information for everyone to whom you communicate with regard to your book project. Note the date of your conversation/email messages and the expected outcome. Once the book has been reviewed, the bookseller has called you with his decision, your article has been accepted or you have been approved to speak at an event, for example, log the details of this information. If you do not hear back from the individual within a certain time frame, you need to contact him or her.

Log the Tracers
Note the date and content of each follow-up transaction or communication. Over time, you’ll deal with a whole lot of book reviewers, editors, etc. and it’s easy to lose track of who’s who and what’s what.

Keep it Cordial
You may be frustrated, angry or down right upset because someone didn’t call or write when they said they would. But don’t let it show. Keep your email and phone messages professional and cordial. As a friend used to tell me when I’d become angry with someone who cut me off in traffic, for example, “You don’t know what’s going on in his life—he could have just lost someone or received a bad diagnosis from his doctor.” There could be a good reason why this person neglected to contact you, but there is no reason why you can’t follow up and find out.

The follow-up process is almost as daunting as making cold calls, but it is so very important to the health of your writing or publishing business. If you’re a freelance writer or published author, you are a business owner. Do the best job that you can on behalf of your business. Get into the habit of following up.

Read more about operating a writing or publishing business in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Use the Author’s Workbook to help you move more smoothly and successfully through the writing, publishing and book promotion process. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html And sign up for my online courses-on-demand at: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

Read some of my articles on publishing at http://www.matilijapress.com/articles.htm#publishing