Stone Age Science Fiction/Fantasy - marketing?

[hej]

Firstly - if the agent really likes the story it's all irrelevant. They'll offer and tell you to start a platform.

And if you have the biggest platform in the world with the worst book you would be lucky to get picked up.

Book first. All else is secondary

Very encouraging.

But I thought an agent wanted/expected you to have a platform.

I had not read/heard that an agent would have you start one.

Am I misinformed?

 

[hej]

And if you have the biggest platform in the world with the worst book you would be lucky to get picked up.

The best selling book of 2014 was Girl Online. From the excerpts I read on Amazon, under the one star reviews, I found it to be written as if by a child. I thought its prose uninspiring, to be charitable. The author's platform was a beauty vlog, for which she had 2.3 million followers.

Either her readers did not care about the book's composition, or I am just a poor judge of her literature.

Regardless, I feel that the platform -- not the content nor plot -- sold the book.

Am I wrong? Too, is her circumstance the exception that proves the rule?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Very encouraging.

But I thought an agent wanted/expected you to have a platform.

I had not read/heard that an agent would have you start one.

Am I misinformed?

The ideal world is that you would have one, of course. But it's not what matters to the agent - a story they think they can sell is the key. A platform to launch is on is secondary to that - but it could help in the event of the decision being a close thing. Also, there are some publishers - Angry Robot come to mind - who actively look for authors with a good platform.

Two things - what do they mean by platform? They look for at least one social media platform being used well - any others are a bonus. Better to do Twitter effectively, or facebook, than be half-assed on both.

But, I'm currently subbing (half-heartedly, since I have other options if it doesn't happen, but that's neither here or there). I have a twitter following of over 1000, something like 500 facebook friends, an author page with a few hundred likes and a blog that gets around 2000 unique hits a month. I also have 5 books behind me and a high goodreads rating, reasonable sales for being with small publishers, have previously been agented and have multiple writing credits, including a recommended read from Ellen Datlow.

Does any of the that matter a damn? No - not if the agent doesn't think they can sell the story. Does it make me worth looking at a little closer? Yes - from some of the responses I've received.

So, yes, having a platform is a Good Thing. The sooner you get onto it, the better. And buy your domain name early. But without the product, none of it matters. Better to have a great book and no platform, that a fab platform and an unsellable product. And there's no reason on Earth why you can't have both, anyhow.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

The best selling book of 2014 was Girl Online. From the excerpts I read on Amazon, under the one star reviews, I found it to be written as if by a child. I thought its prose uninspiring, to be charitable. The author's platform was a beauty vlog, for which she had 2.3 million followers.

Either her readers did not care about the book's composition, or I am just a poor judge of her literature.

Regardless, I feel that the platform -- not the content nor plot -- sold the book.

Am I wrong? Too, is her circumstance the exception that proves the rule?

Or you are not her target market. And, of course, there are celebrity authors who break this rule (there is quite a furore about the selected World Book Day books over that) - but you are not a celebrity (or if you are, not one I know...). You can spend the time gaining 2.3 million followers - or you can spend the time writing. But what is it you want to be - a celebrity or a writer?

All I'm saying is you don't NEED a platform of 2.3 to be a writer and get accepted - but if you had one, you probably would be accepted.

 

[Toby Frost]

I would second what Jo's said about the book coming first. It needs to be marketable and good, which overlap but are not precisely the same thing. I've got a friend who got published with a very large existing platform as a reviewer - but if her book wasn't good, it wouldn't have been published at all. What you need to do is to raise your chances of getting published/agented (that's the best anyone can do) and writing a really good book is the best way to do it.

I would also strongly recommend ignoring anything to do with celebrities publishing books or stories in the news about unusually big deals/advances. These are definite exceptions to the way it usually works and, I suspect, are often presented in order to make an exciting story. My suspicion is that sometimes an author's path to success becomes somewhat mythologised: take the contradictory things that have been said about whether the Star Wars films were planned out by George Lucas, for instance.

By the way: have you read West of Eden by Harry Harrison? It's very strange in parts but set in a sort of alternative stone age.

 

[hej]

[QUOTE="Jo Zebedee, post: 2181263, member: 31403"But without the product, none of it matters. Better to have a great book and no platform, that a fab platform and an unsellable product. And there's no reason on Earth why you can't have both, anyhow. [/QUOTE]

Awesome.

I don't know about my platform, but I am confident in my manuscript. I listened to criticism. My final version my readers (beta-readers?) have reviewed and given only positive comments.

 

[hej]

You can spend the time gaining 2.3 million followers - or you can spend the time writing. But what is it you want to be - a celebrity or a writer?

All I'm saying is you don't NEED a platform of 2.3 to be a writer and get accepted - but if you had one, you probably would be accepted.

I have no interest in becoming famous. I do have an interest in writing, which I continue to pursue to complement (and later extend) my present work.

The second line gave me a hearty laugh.

 

[hej]

What you need to do is to raise your chances of getting published/agented (that's the best anyone can do) and writing a really good book is the best way to do it.
...
By the way: have you read West of Eden by Harry Harrison? It's very strange in parts but set in a sort of alternative stone age.

A heartening comment.

I have not. I will eagerly check it out.

Thanks!

 

[Montero]

Every agent is different in their requirements both for applying to them and what they want from you. Some will specifically ask for you to demonstrate where your online presence is, others don't. They may or may not expect you to tell them anyway (and your guess is as good as mine). I have seen a few ask for business or marketing plan. It really is very variable.

Regarding readers comments - their value depends on the readers and their ability to spot things and their willingness to tell you about it. One of the other things you can try, as well as posting to critiques on here when you have enough posts, is to pay a really reputable editor in the right field to comment on a sample. I'd suggest John Jarrold - he used to be the commissioning editor for Earthlight, an SFF imprint. By sample I mean say first couple of chapters. If you can afford it, the whole book. But I'd go with a couple of chapters and see what you get, and then what you need to apply to the rest of the book. There are quite a few different things that can be right or wrong - the prose itself, the believability of the characters and the situations, the structure and pacing of the book overall. Some editors offer various services and you need to read the details of what is offered.
Before any of these, try reading your manuscript out loud. Amazing how that helps with catching clunky sentences.

 

[hej]

Every agent is different in their requirements both for applying to them and what they want from you. Some will specifically ask for you to demonstrate where your online presence is, others don't. They may or may not expect you to tell them anyway (and your guess is as good as mine). I have seen a few ask for business or marketing plan. It really is very variable.

Regarding readers comments - their value depends on the readers and their ability to spot things and their willingness to tell you about it. One of the other things you can try, as well as posting to critiques on here when you have enough posts, is to pay a really reputable editor in the right field to comment on a sample. I'd suggest John Jarrold - he used to be the commissioning editor for Earthlight, an SFF imprint. By sample I mean say first couple of chapters. If you can afford it, the whole book. But I'd go with a couple of chapters and see what you get, and then what you need to apply to the rest of the book. There are quite a few different things that can be right or wrong - the prose itself, the believability of the characters and the situations, the structure and pacing of the book overall. Some editors offer various services and you need to read the details of what is offered.
Before any of these, try reading your manuscript out loud. Amazing how that helps with catching clunky sentences.

Thank you for your comment about agents. I need to keep in my mind how tastes vary.

I have some questions about editors and editing, which I will post in a separate thread when I have gathered my thoughts.

Reading aloud is a new idea for me. I have (re-)read each chapter, oh, about a dozen times. I haven't caught any typos or errors the last couple times through, but perhaps I am just numb. Still, more care is better than less. I will see if I can gather the gumption to read yet again.

Good golly.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thank you for your comment about agents. I need to keep in my mind how tastes vary.

I have some questions about editors and editing, which I will post in a separate thread when I have gathered my thoughts.

Reading aloud is a new idea for me. I have (re-)read each chapter, oh, about a dozen times. I haven't caught any typos or errors the last couple times through, but perhaps I am just numb. Still, more care is better than less. I will see if I can gather the gumption to read yet again.

Good golly.

Definitely get at least your opening up on crits

 

[hej]

Definitely get at least your opening up on crits

I certainly have posting under critiques on my radar. I am working on supporting work at the moment, and intend to share that too.

Also, I am awaiting further feedback from YA readers who have asked for my work irl.