Do I need a platform?

This is a question every debut author asks themselves largely because we hear it time and time again: “If you want to get published, you need a platform – expert status in something, a significant social media following or celebrity /influencer / notoriety status.”

Indeed, my recent literary agent rejection came with the added note: “to publish a book like yours, you will need at least a million social media followers!”

What is “a book like mine” I wonder?

– a book set in Nigeria?

– a book about someone who is conned?

– a memoir?

– a book written by a woman of color?

– a book that infuses the cultural, political, historical and social context of the story into the narrative?

– a book about a reversal of fortune?

– a tragedy?

What is it about MY book that means it needs a platform? 

Perhaps it’s because when you look at rankings of books, say the latest New York Times non-fiction best seller list, 6 out of 10 of the books, the books I highlighted, have been written by a celebrity or someone with a platform.

My book coach says publishers are lazy, they don’t want to invest time and money to market a book therefore, leveraging an existing platform makes the PR and marketing easier.

I think there is an element of truth to this and it’s depressing for sure. 

That said, #JaneFriedman found that of 159 memoir deals in 2022, only 22% went to celebrities. The other deals went to established writers, event-driven books, and a notable 23% to “others” who didn’t have a high profile at all. 

This is more promising!

So, like I said in one of my other posts, there is hope. Books from non-celebrities like me DO get published, they key is to find that agent, that publisher that believes in your story.

Rejection is going to have to be my best friend now as I embark on the journey to try and find the one – the agent who gets my story, who believes in it, who is willing to try and sell it in-spite of the fact that I am a nobody. A nobody with a story.

I hope he or she is out there.