6 Reasons to Check Out My New Book, CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM (Plus a Giveaway Contest)

It's a very exciting day for me. That's because my most recent book on writing, CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM (Writer's Digest Books), is now available everywhere. So very cool! This book is near to my heart because I've long taught on the importance of platform and feel like the topic will only be more prevalent as time goes on. So read below to learn 6 very good reasons to check out the book and then see about the giveaway happening right now (ends Dec. 3, 2012)!

6 REASONS TO CHECK OUT THE BOOK

1. Your writer platform is more important than ever. Platform is your visibility, your self-marketing ability, your reach, your network, your discoverability. In a crowded marketplace where more books are getting published than ever before, it's incredibly important to be able to spread the word about your book. If you're writing nonfiction, agents and editors won't even consider your idea (no matter what it is) unless you have platform.

2. This book delves into how to use the different avenues of platform for success. There are chapters on the following:

3. The book explains, in detail, the 12 Fundamental Principles of Platform. The truth is that everyone's journey is different and everyone's book topic is different. But if you stick to the principles of good promotion, it doesn't matter what your book is about or what planks of platform you decide to use. While one person can be writing a memoir and love using Twitter just as another can have public speaking success for their self-published book, everyone can benefit from the fundamental principles. Some of the principles include:

4. Platform helps all authors on all levels. If you're writing nonfiction or are self-publishing your own books, then you need platform. If you're writing fiction, you simply want platform. Platform means better marketing -- and that makes you a more valuable author. In fact, the book explains how writers with platform can not only get a book deal, but actually procure a higher advance ($) because of their hard work.

5. Ten wise literary agents share all kinds of advice in this book. These 10 agents answer important questions about platform, such as "How much is enough?" "Do you Google prospective clients, and what are you looking for when you do?" "What avenues of platform are the most effective?" and manhy more.

6. The book concludes with 12 in-depth author interviews. These long-form interviews are with writers of fiction, nonfiction and memoir (some of them bestsellers) who built their platform from scratch. The goal is to show you detailed individual journeys so you can learn by example. The interviewed writers share what they did right, what they wish they knew at the beginning of their career, and what platform avenues (social media, blogs, etc.) were worthwhile for them vs. those that turned out to be ineffective time sucks.

THE GIVEAWAY!! (ENDS DEC. 3, 2012)

As of today (Monday, Nov. 26, 2012), there is a one-week-long giveaway contest going on for the book over at the Writer Unboxed site as part of my most recent column, How to Start Your Novel. So click on the WU column and leave a comment on that post to win. I'll pick two commenters randomly (must live in the US/Canada) at the end of Dec. 3, 2012, and mail them a free copy of CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM. Good luck to all who enter!

Check out CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM here. If you were one of the many people who helped me put the book together (interviewed authors, interviewed agents, beta readers), I thank you deeply. I think this book can really help people and am very excited for its release!