Non-fiction writers, you may not thank me for this one
Don't hate the player, hate the game??
Something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to recently is how Instagram (and other social media platforms) occupies a different space in time for writers depending on whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction*.
*for the purpose of this piece I’m going to ask you to put memoir to the side for a moment - I’ll come back to you towards the end
And what I’m about to say is going to make some of you very unhappy (sorry).
The more I work with writers and authors, and the more conversations I have with agents and other professionals from the traditional publishing industry, the more I understand that in many cases non-fiction writers need to have an existing platform to promote their book from before traditional publishers will be interested, whereas fiction writers don’t.
Publishing books is basically gambling in a cravat and, when it comes to non-fiction especially, the gentlemen and -women at the helm want to be as sure as they can be that the odds are stacked in their favour.
They want to know that the topic your book is about is something people are already interested in and talking about. They don’t want your book to start the conversation - that’s too big a risk - they want your book to lead or redirect or amplify a conversation that is already happening.
They want to know that you have the authority and credibility to speak on a particular subject. This authority might come via your lived experience, qualifications, or professional expertise but fundamentally they want to see that people perceive you as someone worth listening to.
They want to know why you are the right person to write this book. Are you someone that people listen to about this subject? Are you someone they trust?
They want to know that you have a platform to launch your book from.
‘A platform’ might be a profile in traditional media (TV, radio, or print), a podcast, a blog, live events, and so on - but while some of those platforms might not be available to you, one that is available to everyone is social media.
When choosing which social media channel(s) to use, you need to consider where your target audience/ ideal readers are hanging out, as well as your personal preferences - there’s little point in choosing a platform that demands video content from you if you hate appearing in front of camera!
Whichever social media channel you choose to use however, your content combined with your audience can demonstrate to publishers that there is a conversation already happening; that you have authority to shape that conversation; and that you have people who trust and respect you.
This isn’t an exact science. The betrothal of inappropriate levels of authority onto people who happen to have a profile is commonplace in modern society - see celebrity culture and the Royal Family for perfect examples of this - but internet culture has turbo-charged this phenomenon.
The dynamics we see play out across the pixels often mistake popularity for credibility but that’s not to say you can’t use social media to prove your genuine authority and expertise to a potential publisher.
In practice, what this means for many non-fiction writers is that building a platform probably exists in the same space in time as writing your book proposal.
You are in the unfortunate position of having to wear at least two hats at once:
Hat One: writer
Hat Two: content creator
Hats three, four and five i.e a day job, family, and friends might also apply. Delete as appropriate - I find my head is only big enough for three hats at a time.
Right now you might be feeling a bit sick. Please don’t shout at me. I didn’t create the game, but I can help you understand the rules.
Honestly, I don’t know exactly how big your profile has to be for a publisher to take a serious look at your book. That’s a question for the publishers. But I do know how you can use Instagram to start to build that profile today if that’s something you’re interested in doing.
Here is how I would begin BEFORE I post a single thing:
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