You might be surprised how big your author’s platform might be already. There are many different types of platforms, but they all basically mean that you have a built-in audience or fan base of people who are poised and ready to buy your book as soon as it comes out.

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As Marcela Landres says in her book, How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You, “It’s not who you know, but who knows you.” That idea is at the core of having a strong platform.

It’s important to think about this from the publisher’s point of view in order to see just how crucial your platform is in landing you a book deal. Publishers are in the business of selling books; thousands of dollars are poured into printing costs and overhead, so they want to be sure that this book will pay off. After all, their jobs are on the line.

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If you are a blogger that has at least 10,000 readers who make a point to read your work daily, or someone who regularly goes on the speaking circuit, talking to thousands of people at a time, it’s likely that you have a strong enough platform for an agent and publisher to back up. Other examples of platforms include: if you had a previously self-published book that sold at least five to ten thousand copies, or if you were once the president of a large company, association or non-profit, and continue to have the support of others in your group.

There are tons of ways that you can create a platform for yourself, but no matter which approach you take, you have to make sure that there is enough publicity and buzz surrounding you to guarantee the success of your work.

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Guest post by Jeff Rivera, who is the founder of http://www.HowtoWriteaQueryLetter.com. With over 100 clients to date, he has a 100% track record of getting at least 10 literary agents to request to read his client’s manuscripts and proposals.