Get Known Before The Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform [Paperback]

Christina Katz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2008 | ISBN-10: 158297554X | ISBN-13: 978-1582975542

Sell Your First Book & Develop a Successful and Sustainable Writing Career

Before you can land a book deal—before you can even attract the interest of agents and editors—you need to be visible. How do you become visible? You develop a platform, or a way of reaching your readers. Everybody can develop a platform, and this book shows you how to do it while you're still writing.

This book offers:

• A step-by-step approach to creating, growing, and nurturing a platform
• An economical approach to self-promotion (no need to spend thousands)
• A clear way to uncover your strengths and weaknesses as an author
• The strategies that are essential (or not) to online promotion
• A philosophy of authorship that leaves you confident, empowered, and equally partnered with agents, editors, and publishers (instead of waiting to be discovered)
• A diverse set of tools and methods for getting known (not just web-based tools or ideas for extroverts)

After you read this book, you'll be able to answer the inevitable question: What's your platform?" You'll learn the hows and whys of becoming visible and how to cultivate visibility from scratch. Best of all, you won't need any previous knowledge or experience to get started.

Growing a writing career isn't just about landing one book deal and then scrambling like crazy. There is a more strategic and steady way to lay the groundwork so you can avoid scrambling altogether—and Get Known Before the Book Deal is the only comprehensive book that shows you how.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christina Katz is the author of Writer Mama. She started her platform for fun" seven years ago and ended up on Good Morning America. She has been encouraging reluctant platform-builders via her e-zine Writers on the Rise and has been covering the topic for the past two years. She recently launched the e-course, Platform Building Basics for Writers, and writes a monthly column on platform development for The Willamette Writer.
www.christinakatz.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (November 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158297554X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582975542
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christina Katz, AKA The Writer Mama and The Prosperous Writer, is the author of three books from Writer's Digest: The Writer's Workout, Get Known Before the Book Deal, and Writer Mama. Her writing career tips and parenting advice appear regularly in national, regional, and online publications.

A "gentle taskmaster" over the past decade to over a thousand writers, Christina's students go from unpublished to published, build professional writing career skills, and increase their creative confidence over time. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in English from Dartmouth College.

Known as a champion of mom writers, Christina is a popular speaker on creative career growth and writer prosperity. She keynotes for writing conferences, literary events, MFA writing programs, and libraries. She lives near Wilsonville, Oregon with her husband, her daughter, and far too many pets. Learn more at ChristinaKatz.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Too bad it's titled just to target authors. A gem of a self-promotion book that is equally applic to consultants&public speakers April 6, 2009

By Jeff Lippincott VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I liked this book. There certainly is lots of meat in it. And it is well organized and well written. It tells the reader how to be successful at self-promotion so one can become a recognized expert or noted authority. It is often said that if you want to become known as an expert or authority you need to write a book. But often times to get your first book published by a third-party publisher who will get your book distributed through the big book chains you need to get known as an expert or authority BEFORE your write your book. This book tells you most of what you should consider doing to get that publisher to sign you up.

The book is split into three parts. First we are told how to pick an expertise or what authority to become. Secondly, we are told about many of the marketing tools and techniques available to establish yourself as an expert or noted authority. And lastly, we are told how to pull all those marketing efforts together into a package (or platform) in order to self promote oneself. Basically the book falls together as follows:

Part I. WHAT EXPERTISE OR AUTHORITY?
>>Platform basics (chapters 1-3)
>>Niche development (chapters 4-6)
>>Audience identification (chapters 7-9)
>>The write attitude (chapters 10-12)
>>Mission acknowledgment (chapters 13-15)

Part II. MARKETING TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
>>Join in (chapter 16)
>>Connect with others (chapter 17)
>>Volunteer up (chapter 18)
>>Teach to learn (chapter 19)
>>Make an appearance (chapter 21)
>>Host something (chapter 22)
>>Get articles in print [& online] (chapter 23)
>>Offer a service (chapter 24)
>>*Establish an Amazon presence by reviewing books
>>*Write an ebook or ebooks
>>*Create a popular ezine

Part III. PULL IT ALL TOGETHER INTO A PLATFORM
>>Create a killer Web site (chapters 25, 29 & 34)
>>Definitely include a testimonials page on your Web site (chapter 32)
>>Work one or more blogs that promote your killer Web site (chapter 33)
>>*Social media marketing (chapter 28?)
>>*Get connected in the blogosphere (chapter 28?)
>>*Continue to promote using the marketing tools & techniques cited above

I would have liked the book more if the three points I star under Part II above had been included. If an author writes and sells ebooks that become popular, then that fact goes a long way in convincing a publisher to take you on. If you have a popular ezine (defined as one with a large mailing list), then that will go a long way in convincing a publisher to take you on. And if you establish an Amazon presence by reviewing books similar to your ebooks or the one you seek to have published, then you will be on the road to establishing yourself as an expert or authority. See "Sell Your Book on Amazon" (ISBN: 1432701967) regarding your Amazon presence.

I would have liked the book more if the three points I star in Part III above had been included or better explained. It's one thing to make blog posts. And it's another thing to get connected in the blogoshere. See "Pro Blogger" (ISBN: 9780470246672), and "Secrets of Successful Blogging System" (ISBN: 0978806018). And I didn't see any real coverage of Social Media Marketing. Definitely give "Social Media Marketing" (ISBN: 9780470344026) a look to get an action plan together.

This really is a gem of a self-promotion book. There is a ton of great content included. The tools and techniques are inexpensive or free if you ignore the time commitment. It does a better job of covering the material than a similar book entitled "The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform" (ISBN: 1884956823), but it still falls short to garner a 5-star rating from me. 4 stars!

>>Sell Your Book on Amazon: The Book Marketing COACH Reveals Top-Secret "How-to" Tips Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writers
>>ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
>>Secrets of Successful Blogging System
>>Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day
>>The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leveraging the Internet to Sell More Books

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome new addition to book-writing scene November 28, 2008

By Freudian Slips VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Writing is a hobby for me which I occasionally turn into a profession by getting articles accepted for publication. Last year I secured my first book contract and have a book coming out in May from Viking Press. It has been quite a learning process and I have had books to guide me all along the way-- from finding an agent to writing a book proposal, etc.

But the one aspect of book-writing I found challenging was the notion of a platform. It was one of the first questions my agent asked me and it has followed me throughout the process. I am by nature rather introverted and the notion of having to do all that networking and marketing was not too appealing. I was fortunate, though, because my article writing and my teaching and training programs (however unintentionally)served as a platform.

I discovered this book through a writer's blog- it was praised for the valuable new information it provided. I immediately found the book and literally read it in one day- constantly marking it with notes and sticky-tab reminders to return to certain sections, follow the instructions, etc.

In the field of books about writing, where many titles and topics stumble over one another offering the same tired advice, Ms. Katz's book is a bright new light providing new and valuable information. If you're a writer or thinking of becoming a writer, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore, or click the order button here at Amazon and get it. Unless you're already a marketing whiz, this book will open up new avenues and strengthen what many consider the most important part of any book proposal- your platform and marketing plan.

Good luck to all wanna-be (and already are) writers out there-- success is possible and this book will greatly help.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide for building your business -- writing or otherwise October 31, 2008

By Martha F. Junge

Format:Paperback

Writing may be an art, but getting published is a business. This is the first book I've read where the author not only understands that, but also makes it easy for the reader to take action. Christina Katz defines a platform as "...all the ways you are visible and appealing to your future, potential, or actual readership." Substitute the word "clients" for "readership" and in this book you'll find everything business owners need to learn how to position and promote their companies or their first book. Plus, the info is presented logically, in easy-to-understand-and-implement chunks, without the hype that pads so many self-marketing books. There is an incredible amount of practical advice and real-world tips packed into 260 pages, along with encouraging statements to convince even the most self-promotion-phobic readers that, "Yes, I can!" I'm glad "Get Known before the Book Deal" came out in November because it's going to be a stocking stuffer for every writer and entrepreneur on my list!