When showing author platform, many writers talk about affinity groups. That is, hobbyists, organization members, and people in a particular stage of life who might buy the book. For instance, an author may say that her devotional book titled Single Parents Who Fly Kites will appeal to:
1. Kite flyers
2. Single parents
3. People who work in kite factories
4. People who love windy days
5. Members of Universal Kite Flyers, Inc.
While listing affinity groups shows those who might be interested in a book, the author needs to tell how she can reach those people. Some groups, such as those who love windy days and kite flyers, are indeterminable.
On a concrete level, if the author is a Universal Kite Flyers, Inc., member, does she attend regular meetings? How many people there know her?
What about single parents? Is the author a single parent? Does she speak regularly to large groups of single parents? You get the idea.
How about: The author is a Sister Beautiful Sister International member, with a current roster of 1,000,000.
That’s wonderful; but again, how many sisters know the author’s name? Certainly not a million. Let’s drop the number down to 100,000 members in America. How many of those members are active? If the author runs the national newsletter and her name is in the masthead every month, how many members see her name or care who she is? Of those who care who she is, how many will want to buy her devotional book, or any devotional book? That is the real number of interest to publishers, a number that’s impossible to determine at the proposal stage. So, while an author can and should list organizations where she’s a member, those might not be a massive slice of the author’s platform.
And by the way? If you’re an author mentioning being employed by a large corporation, the rules above apply.
On a different note, an author may say, “I’m a pastor.”
Even if the pastor leads a church large enough to justify a publisher’s print run, he must reach his audience concerning the book. Will he teach a class based on the book? Will he hold a churchwide signing? Of course, a membership of 1,000 will not, for various reasons, mean 1,000 books are sold. For instance, families are likely to buy one copy for the household, and some people might love the pastor but not be interested in the topic. Some Christians only read the Bible. Considering these factors, pastoring a church is unlikely to be a significant part of an author’s platform.
With platform, being part of a large group is only part of the picture. The fundamental platform is how many people the author can reach with a book that is meaningful to them. Keep building, keep writing, and keep submitting!
