One of the things that causes the most anxiety among writers I know, myself included, is the notion that not only do we have to write a great book, we have to somehow build a sky-high platform to publish and promote said book. It really does feel impossible! After all, we're writers because we want to write, not because we want to be salespeople.

This past week I tuned into a conversation with Allison K Williams and Lilly Dancyger on The Writers Bridge to find out their top recommendations for approaching platform. I came away from this discussion encouraged. If you have time I recommend listening in, but if you're pressed for it, here are my top three takeaways:

1. Think of platform as your network or community. As Lilly Dancyger says, the world "platform" conjures this image of a huge stage with you behind the microphone and everyone else out there in the audience. The idea feels forced and inauthentic. And for those of us who have nightmares about public speaking, the mental image can be uncomfortable to say the least. Instead, Dancyger encourages the idea of community--a two-way exchange with people who share your interests. It's more authentic and organic and, dare I say, fun.

2. Build your community by genuinely recognizing others' contributions in the world. There are at least two ways you can do this: (1) Commenting on authors' social posts, even if simply to thank them, and (2) showing up at readings or literary events. Allison K Williams acknowledges that this can be hard for many of us to do. Chances are we're introverts or we're hesitant because we might say the wrong thing or we think that everyone else has already said what we would say. Williams says, "Always honor that impulse in your heart to recognize other people." It goes a long way in building your community.

💡 Hot Tip: The key is to be generous with your community without letting a "tit for tat" expectation sully the connection. You want to keep the exchange organic and flowing. There will be a time to call in favors, but the important thing is to have exchanges and conversations well before so any requests are a natural outflowing of the relationship.

3. Your community wants to hear about you; they don't want to be advertised to all the time. Doesn't that take the pressure off? Dancyger says that for every post promoting her work, she posts two that are more personal, such as what she's been reading lately (and tagging the author!) or something else she's comfortable sharing about her life.

Does this help you breathe a little easier or does it still stress you out?

My recommendation: Start small with one thing you will do every day (or, hey, every week!) to build your community. I want to be better at this, too, and I am making a real effort to post more regularly in my main feed on Instagram and re-engage on Threads, too. If you're on either platform, let's connect and continue building our community together. 💛

In Case You Missed It

Last week I wrote about how setting aside the fantasy of being a Writer (yes, with a capital W) can make you a much better writer. And there's a great tip for getting over writer's block, too.

🌟 Side note: Thank you to everyone who replied! I'm always gratified to know when something resonates and supports your creative journey.

May I Recommend?

How to Get Other People to Share Your Stuff Writer Leigh Stein delivers two actionable steps for how to invite people to share your writing. Read more​

• ". . . it’s important to keep returning to the classics and reinterpreting them, looking for new meanings, and sometimes doing a bit of sparring with them." [Olga Tokarczuk in Literary Hub]
• On switching out the publishing hat for the writing hat: "As a book marketer, I would procrastinate by writing a marketing strategy for the book, a long list of all the things I would want for my own marketing and publicity, a whole plan for building my platform. . . . What got me past that was saying to myself, 'It doesn't have to be good. It just has to be finished.'" [Andrea Jo DeWerd in Agents & Books]

Wishing you a great writing week ahead ✨

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