Seth Godin on Building an Author Platform

Seth Godin gives a good dose of modern marketing reality with his blog post titled "The platform vs. the eyeballs." It's not intended for authors only, but the message certainly applies. Especially this excerpt:

Authors have traditionally relied on publishers to bring them readers. The author gives up the majority of the income and the publisher brings them the readers.

But then you see someone like Frank at Post Secret who builds his own audience for his (sometimes nsfw) content. He owns a platform, it's not something he rents.

Now, using a publisher is a choice, not a necessity. Just about every successful author going forward (except for the lucky exceptions like Dan Brown) will own her own media channel.

This dovetails perfectly with my own philosophy -- and the factors that allow me to make a living from my independently published books and resources for musicians and authors.

For years I have implored creative people to stop looking outside themselves for all the answers. Yes, you have to work with other people to share your message. But it all starts from a position of self-reliance.

Instead of asking, "How can I get the approval of a gatekeeper at some conglomerate and get access to their audience?" ... ask, "How can I build my own audience -- one that is loyal and supportive because I deliver value to them in an authentic and personal manner?"

That's the key to success today!

-Bob

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