Latest / Show, don't Tell Writing with Suzy Vadori / 21. Q&A with Suzy: NaNoWriMo, AI, Author Platforms, and More!

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21. Q&A with Suzy: NaNoWriMo, AI, Author Platforms, and More! · Show, don't Tell Writing with Suzy Vadori

• 0:07
  Welcome to Show Don't Tell Writing with me, Suzy Vadori, where I teach you the tried and true secrets to writing fiction, nonfiction, that are going to wow your readers broken down step by step.
• 0:18
  We're going to explore writing techniques.
• 0:21
  I'm going to show you a glimpse behind the scenes of successful writers careers that you wouldn't have access to otherwise.
• 0:27
  And I'm also going to coach writers live on their pages so that you can learn and transform your own storytelling.
• 0:33
  Whether you're just starting out, you're drafting your first book, you're editing, or you're currently rewriting that book, or maybe even your 10th book, this show is going to help you unlock the writing skills that you didn't even know you needed.
• 0:45
  But you definitely do.
• 0:48
  I'm so excited.
• 0:48
  I'm so looking forward to helping you get your amazing ideas from your mind onto your pages in an exciting way for both you and your readers, so that you can achieve your wildest writing dreams.
• 1:00
  And you're going to also have some fun doing it.
• 1:02
  Let's dive in.
• 1:05
  It is time for another Q& A, and there are so many discussions and questions from writers coming up this month, and I'm super excited to dive in.
• 1:15
  First, I want to say congratulations to each and every one of you writers out there listening.
• 1:20
  Because you're working on your book and listening to this podcast to level up your writing, and that means that you have something to say.
• 1:27
  To the world and someday soon your voice is going to be out in the world and having a conversation with people that you haven't met yet.
• 1:37
  That's really exciting.
• 1:38
  So take a moment to think about that impact that your book is going to have on your community and way beyond stretching across the entire world.
• 1:48
  If you take the time to learn these writing skills that will make sure that your big idea gets out of your head and onto your pages.
• 1:56
  And then leaps into your reader's minds intact.
• 1:59
  That doesn't happen by magic.
• 2:01
  So you're doing the right thing by figuring this thing out, right?
• 2:05
  Because the world needs your story now more than ever.
• 2:09
  And I'm here to support you as you get yours written.
• 2:12
  So keep the questions coming.
• 2:14
  It lets me have.
• 2:16
  impact when I create these Q& A sessions, because they're the questions that are coming from you.
• 2:23
  This month, I want to address a few topics that are coming up in so many discussions I'm having with the industry, with writers, in forums.
• 2:31
  I'm going to address the concerns that writers are expressing surrounding National Novel Writing NaNoWriMo.
• 2:37
  I'm going to talk a little bit about artificial intelligence, or AI.
• 2:41
  I'm going to talk a little bit about I don't want to get boring about this, but there's things you should know about it as a writer, and we don't need to be afraid, we need to understand.
• 2:50
  I'll also answer a writer's question about what to do after finishing the first draft of her book, as well as give some pointers to writers on building an author platform.
• 3:00
  How do you get out there to promote your books?
• 3:02
  This is a question that comes up over and over again.
• 3:05
  Today I'm going to give you some really concrete ideas.
• 3:08
  And guess what?
• 3:09
  The time to start that is now, so listen up.
• 3:13
  We're going to go all these places today in my signature open way, letting you in on what's happening in the world of writing, so that you can make the best decisions for that book you're writing.
• 3:23
  Are you ready?
• 3:24
  Let's dive in.
• 3:27
  Okay, so it's November, and historically, November has been National Novel Writing Month, which sounds really amazing.
• 3:35
  There's an organization nicknamed NaNoWriMo for National Novel Writing Month, And it's an organization that makes this fun challenge for writers to write a novel in 30 days with a minimum of 50, 000 words.
• 3:50
  Now, writing a novel in 30 days is a huge undertaking and not one that I would necessarily recommend.
• 3:56
  And I will tell you why.
• 3:58
  It's a terrific goal, but it has a lot of positives to it.
• 4:02
  Which, you know, is really about getting out of your head and just writing and not stressing about it.
• 4:09
  Just getting the words down, which is.
• 4:10
  It's really, really amazing when you first start writing, especially.
• 4:14
  It also gets you into the habit of writing every day or finding every spare moment.
• 4:18
  It like gamifies the writing to show you that you might have space for your writing in your life that you didn't know that you had.
• 4:26
  These are all awesome things.
• 4:28
  And if you've participated in NaNoWriMo in the past, you'll know what I'm talking about.
• 4:32
  But https: TheBusinessProfessor.
• 4:33
  But https: com Where I've seen writers be successful with this approach is if they've taken the time to plan their novel before undertaking the challenge.
• 4:42
  But https: So that when they sit down and write, and write, and write, and write, and write, and write, you don't end up with an unwieldy mess that goes in all directions and is really hard to fix.
• 4:55
  But https: Because when this happens, more often than not, that finished draft needs so much work.
• 5:00
  But https: It's actually overwhelming.
• 5:02
  But https: And you can't send it to an editor like that, because there's so much more that you need to do, and that you know that you need to do already, and so you don't want to waste your money getting them to wade through your draft when it's in that shape, and it's, it's hard to decide, you get stuck in that overwhelm of, oh my goodness, There's a thousand things wrong with this.
• 5:21
  But https: And guess what?
• 5:22
  But https: People put them in a drawer.
• 5:24
  But https: I talk to writers all the time that are finally wanting to plan a novel and they're like, Oh, I've done a few nano drafts before and I never finished them and I don't know what to do with them, right?
• 5:35
  But https: It's really hard to come back from that.
• 5:38
  But https: So if you're looking at an approach like that, it's kind of a catch 22.
• 5:43
  But https: Maybe, I mean, you can get 50, 000 words down in a month, which is a novel, by the way, it can be in certain genres.
• 5:52
  But https: Most genres are looking for a little bit more, like sort of 70 to 80, 000 words.
• 5:57
  But https: But 50, 000 can be a short novel.
• 5:59
  But https: Some romance genres allow it.
• 6:01
  But https: Some mystery, especially cozy mystery, allow it.
• 6:05
  But https: If you're writing a middle grade novel, that might be an appropriate length.
• 6:09
  But https: But the point is, when you actually put in all that time in advance to think about it and everything else, it's not actually 30 days.
• 6:19
  But https: I know very few writers who can write a novel in 30 days.
• 6:22
  But https: Those who can, some of my colleagues who are writing their 10th or their 30th novel, they do a lot of planning beforehand.
• 6:30
  But https: And so don't compare yourself.
• 6:33
  But https: To people who say that they're writing that quickly, I think that, you know, that sort of write a novel in 30 days is one of the most harmful marketing messages out there in the writing industry.
• 6:43
  But https: It's not a thing, right?
• 6:47
  But https: It's, it's not a thing.
• 6:48
  But https: So don't compare yourself.
• 6:50
  But https: It takes a lot of work before and then especially a lot of work after to get that novel in shape.
• 6:56
  But https: So you can draft it if that's your issue and that's what, you know, you get stuck on is that sort of blank page, then definitely use a challenge like that.
• 7:04
  But https: But don't think that that's all the work that there is to do.
• 7:08
  But https: So that's my word of caution.
• 7:10
  But https: I want to talk about NaNoWriMo specifically because there's been a ton of controversy surrounding it.
• 7:16
  But https: A couple of years ago, they got into hot water because there was some things happening within the organization with their volunteers and they were abusing their power and.
• 7:27
  But https: We're not looking out for the best interests of the people that were in the NaNoWriMo participants.
• 7:33
  But https: And some things happened, and writers weren't really happy with how the organization dealt with that.
• 7:37
  But https: And so they, they lost a lot of their really strong volunteers, and they lost a lot of support.
• 7:43
  But https: This year, fast forward to 2024, it was announced this fall that it still counted.
• 7:51
  But https: If you used AI, and what I mean by that, and it was tried to clarify, but, but what they mean by that is that now when you do National Novel Writing Month and you put your information in and they track it and you get like, you win, quote unquote, win National Novel Writing Month if you complete your 50, 000 words in 30 days.
• 8:16
  But https: And just think about this for a second, because it starts on November the 1st, sometimes on Halloween, October 31st, people start at midnight.
• 8:24
  But https: It's kind of a fun thing, get a head start on NaNoWriMo.
• 8:27
  But https: But all I could say is, hey, write me a novel with this topic and I could get ChatGPT to write it.
• 8:33
  But https: I could be done in 30 minutes or less, right?
• 8:36
  But https: And so the word on the street was, this is okay now.
• 8:40
  But https: And there was a huge backlash for that.
• 8:42
  But https: I'm going to talk about AI in a minute and what you need to know as a writer.
• 8:47
  But https: But just think about that for a minute.
• 8:48
  But https: And the answer there was that from the organization, some people need those supports in order to write a novel, novel.
• 8:58
  But https: And so it's ableist to not allow them to use AI to write a novel.
• 9:04
  But https: And I just talk about that for a few minutes because it's As this world is changing, there are things that are evolving.
• 9:12
  But https: And this is, you know, people feel really hotly about it one side or the other.
• 9:16
  But https: I'm going to talk specifically about NaNoWriMo and then I'm going to talk about AI and what you need to know as a writer right now as it's evolving, without getting too into the weeds.
• 9:27
  But https: Because it kind of takes the fun out of a contest where it's you against the page if you can let a computer write your book for you.
• 9:35
  But https: NaNoWriMo.
• 9:35
  But https: com I can also tell you that whatever gets generated, yes, you might get your 50, 000 words.
• 9:40
  But https: It will not be your voice.
• 9:41
  But https: It will not be your story.
• 9:42
  But https: It will not be you.
• 9:44
  But https: And so a computer can't actually replicate your voice.
• 9:48
  But https: It can't do that work for you.
• 9:50
  But https: What it can't do, I'm going to talk about in a minute, because there are definitely ways that you can use AI to support your writing.
• 9:57
  But https: And especially if you need those supports, and to make it easier for more and more people to get their voices out there, there are some things that you can do.
• 10:06
  But https: But asking it to write a novel for you isn't one of them.
• 10:09
  But https: There are some great tools there.
• 10:11
  But https: There are a lot of fun things, but it is losing support in the writing industry.
• 10:15
  But https: I've never been a huge fan of the program unless you have a novel that you just need to knock out that you already have planned, as I said at the beginning, but now it's, it's losing more and more support.
• 10:25
  But https: There's other neat programs popping up, so definitely if that motivation and that gamification of it is something that you enjoy and motivates you to write, do it.
• 10:36
  But https: Do it with friends, do it with colleagues.
• 10:38
  But https: Do it in that organization if you like, but just be aware, be aware of what's happening right now.
• 10:45
  But https: Here's what you need to know about AI and your writing.
• 10:48
  But https: There's a lot of fear for writers surrounding AI right now, and a lot of discussions, and the questions that people seem to be asking is, Will it replace me as a writer?
• 10:58
  But https: Will I still have a place in this world?
• 11:01
  But https: And what if we can't tell the difference between something written by a human and something generated by a computer?
• 11:09
  But https: These are the questions that I'm hearing from writers over and over again, but they aren't necessarily the right questions to ask, so let me explain.
• 11:16
  But https: Here's my hot take on this changing landscape.
• 11:19
  But https: Some types of AI have actually been around in writing for a long time, without any controversy, really, at all.
• 11:26
  But https: They can be a great tools for you to level up your writing.
• 11:30
  But https: So some examples of this might be spellcheck or a grammar check, which is a step above spellcheck.
• 11:37
  But https: These programs make suggestions.
• 11:39
  But https: Or what about predictive text that we use when we're text messaging?
• 11:43
  But https: Or if you're in Gmail and it sort of can predict what the phrase might be, there's some shortcuts, right?
• 11:50
  But https: These things are making suggestions, but here's the distinction.
• 11:55
  But https: You as the writer are making a decision.
• 11:58
  But https: Do you want to do this or not?
• 12:00
  But https: Is this what you meant or not, right?
• 12:03
  But https: This is the same thing that happens when you work with an editor.
• 12:07
  But https: So when I work with a writer, I like to say you are the God of your own story.
• 12:13
  But https: I can make suggestions.
• 12:15
  But https: But guess what, as an editor, I gotta be a little bit brave sometimes, if I don't know what's going on in a scene, because it happens.
• 12:23
  But https: You know those scenes that you've written, where you're, you know, you forgot to tell me what's going on, or show me, or anything?
• 12:29
  But https: You just forgot to put it on the page, and me as the editor, and if it gets to your reader like that, and you don't have a strong editor, and they miss it, they won't know what's happening.
• 12:39
  But https: So me as an editor, I gotta guess, and so when I'm providing suggestions, When I do a developmental edit and I make a correction, it's, it's not, you know, I would never make it on your actual page.
• 12:50
  But https: You need to accept it.
• 12:51
  But https: I use the editing tools, I make a suggestion, you need to accept it.
• 12:54
  But https: And I never, never, never just say, hey, this is wrong, fix it.
• 12:58
  But https: I'll be like, hey! This isn't working for these reasons, and this is the information that, as a reader, I'm missing.
• 13:05
  But https: Here's a suggestion.
• 13:07
  But https: And then, sometimes I write little snippets or whatever.
• 13:09
  But https: I don't write it in there, I'll put it in a comment and be like, something like this.
• 13:14
  But https: And guess what?
• 13:15
  But https: If you love it as the writer, if you love what I've written, cool.
• 13:18
  But https: It's yours.
• 13:18
  But https: Take it.
• 13:19
  But https: But sometimes it's even better if you hate what I wrote.
• 13:22
  But https: Or you're like, Susie, you're out to lunch?
• 13:24
  But https: Because I'm totally guessing blind.
• 13:26
  But https: If I have no idea what's happening in the scene, I'm gonna make something up that makes sense, to me, but it might not be where you wanted to take it at all.
• 13:35
  But https: And that's totally, totally fine, because then you're like, Susie, you're out to lunch, and you can have a good giggle, and, and say, I hate that suggestion, my character would never do that, but then you know what they would do, and you can fix it, right?
• 13:50
  But https: That's that dance between an editor and a writer where we push you, but you are still making that decision.
• 13:58
  But https: The same thing happens when you are working with those types of grammar tools, right?
• 14:04
  But https: They can make a suggestion, but you can't just take everything they say and do a find or like replace all or something because you know they're gonna introduce garbage because those tools just are not a substitution for the human eye, and they are not a substitution for your brain and your thoughts.
• 14:24
  But https: And, especially in fiction, they get it wrong.
• 14:28
  But https: There are some norms or rules that aren't necessarily incorrect, right?
• 14:34
  But https: Or they're actually correct.
• 14:35
  But https: If you're writing an academic paper, that's the way you do it, but in novels, we edit that out or we simplify it.
• 14:41
  But https: So, for example.
• 14:45
  But https: It might be perfectly correct, and you can go through and make it that way, but it's going to drive your reader nuts.
• 14:50
  But https: It's not what we want when we sit down to read a novel.
• 14:53
  But https: So there are things that we do that might be different than the strict grammar rules, especially in fiction.
• 15:00
  But https: So, These types of AI can be very supportive, right?
• 15:05
  But https: It's kind of like getting an editor suggestions and then you make the decisions.
• 15:10
  But https: Some of my favorite tools for grammar tracks are Autocrit, ProWritingAid, Grammarly.
• 15:16
  But https: If you want to check these tools out, I'll leave some links in the show notes for you to find them easily, but use these tools to make your writing as accessible as possible so that your ideas are clear and concise.
• 15:27
  But https: But don't use them blindly.
• 15:29
  But https: As I said, these tools have been around for decades, and they are not what the controversy is about.
• 15:34
  But https: So don't get confused.
• 15:37
  But https: This newest wave of AI tools is called Generative AI.
• 15:42
  But https: This isn't taking what you've already written and making predictive suggestions for you to make the decisions.
• 15:48
  But https: The most commonly talked about one right now is ChatGBT.
• 15:53
  But https: These generative AI tools can be used in a lot of different ways.
• 15:57
  But https: They are more powerful than you can actually imagine if you haven't played with it yet.
• 16:02
  But https: You could feed your text in that you've written and have it make all the corrections for you versus going through and making those yourself.
• 16:09
  But https: ChatGBT I wouldn't suggest this for a lot of reasons, because again, it's not a substitution for the human eye or the human brain.
• 16:18
  But https: And in my experience, doing this introduces more errors than it fixes.
• 16:23
  But https: But the second reason not to do this is more important.
• 16:28
  But https: You're actually sharing what you've written with the tool, which can take that information with your permission since you shared it and use it to learn from.
• 16:39
  But https: What that means is that it can use your writing to spit out similar, or in some cases, the same phrases for others who ask it to write something for them.
• 16:50
  But https: We can literally use your work.
• 16:53
  But https: Let that sink in for a moment.
• 16:55
  But https: Because a question that I get from writers coming from outside the industry all the time is how do I protect my work from being pirated?
• 17:03
  But https: Their biggest fear is that somebody is going to take their work and claim it as their own.
• 17:08
  But https: By the way, that doesn't happen very often.
• 17:11
  But https: If you write that book on your own and do not use generative AI, Your work is actually copyright just by virtue of you writing it.
• 17:19
  But https: The moment that you write it, it is copyrighted.
• 17:21
  But https: You don't actually need to register for copyright on your own, although you may choose to do so if you've got like a complex legal situation or you're writing with a partner.
• 17:30
  But https: Instead, it's actually automatic.
• 17:33
  But https: But when you use generative AI, this copyright area and whether or not you own it is getting really fuzzy.
• 17:41
  But https: And for now, the assumption being made by many in the industry is that any work where you use generative AI is actually not copyrightable at all, because you've actually stolen or borrowed it from other writers that the tool learned from, which means you may have no legal protection for your work.
• 18:00
  But https: In addition, when you go to publish, whether you want to publish with a traditional, hybrid, You're going to self or independently publish or, heaven forbid, you sign with a vanity publisher, you must declare that you used partial or full AI.
• 18:15
  But https: Again, this has major copyright implications, but it's also going to limit your ability to publish it at all because most publishers won't touch it.
• 18:24
  But https: So what's the difference between this kind of help and the grammar checker help that I talked about?
• 18:29
  But https: Here's the thing.
• 18:30
  But https: You, the writer, when you're using generative AI are no longer making the decisions about the work.
• 18:37
  But https: You're actually letting a computer do that.
• 18:39
  But https: So the writing and all of the decisions are no longer yours.
• 18:45
  But https: Decision making, word choice, what to highlight in your book, what to cut.
• 18:50
  But https: All of these decisions are what we talk about on this podcast because they're decisions that a writer makes along the way.
• 18:56
  But https: And that is the skill that you need to hone.
• 18:59
  But https: That is what separates.
• 19:00
  But https: A first draft, or barfing an idea on the page from something that's readable.
• 19:06
  But https: The decisions that you make along the way Are what will make your story stand out and the decisions that you make as you're writing are going to determine the quality of the book.
• 19:16
  But https: So do your research and understand what you're doing before you use generative AI tools.
• 19:21
  But https: They are having far reaching implications for publishing, but maybe not for the reasons that you think.
• 19:28
  But https: It's actually changing the industry a lot.
• 19:31
  But https: The issue, remember I said that the, at the beginning of this rant about AI, that we were asking the wrong questions, right?
• 19:39
  But https: The issue has not been that these generated stories or books are so good that they're indistinguishable from stories written by humans.
• 19:49
  But https: That is not the problem yet.
• 19:51
  But https: AI generated content tends to be really bland and repetitive and so devoid of a writer's voice.
• 19:58
  But https: That they aren't a threat at all.
• 20:01
  But https: They may be one day, but they are not yet.
• 20:03
  But https: But they are a huge problem, instead generating so much garbage for agents and publishers to wade through from people who are trying to skip the learning curve and get AI to do the work for them and just throw it against the wall and see if it sticks.
• 20:19
  But https: Let me be clear.
• 20:21
  But https: The issue isn't that the publishers can't tell, they can, but I've spoken with acquisitions editors at small presses especially who've seen their submissions explode.
• 20:31
  But https: Sometimes they're getting ten times what they used to get in a month and somebody still has to look at the submission and kick it out.
• 20:40
  But https: They will kick it out and they will know.
• 20:43
  But https: I'm not saying that things are getting by and this is a problem.
• 20:46
  But https: It's just creating a huge logistical nightmare.
• 20:50
  But https: And what a waste of time.
• 20:51
  But https: So many of those publishers have actually closed to submissions for this reason, meaning that you now have less places to submit your legitimate work for consideration.
• 21:00
  But https: So that's super frustrating.
• 21:03
  But https: It's inevitable.
• 21:04
  But https: Change is coming with these tools, but there are actually ways to use them.
• 21:09
  But https: that are legit.
• 21:10
  But https: You can use them for brainstorming or for planning.
• 21:14
  But https: They can give you some great ideas and be a partner to you as you get ready to write, but keep the decision making for yourself to make sure that your book truly reflects your views.
• 21:27
  But https: That is what's going to keep your integrity.
• 21:29
  But https: That is what's going to keep your book being something fantastic and something that readers really, really need to hear.
• 21:37
  But https: Okay, I'm going to switch gears for a minute because another question or something that I've been working on with quite a number of writers this month is building an author platform.
• 21:45
  But https: Now this comes up a lot.
• 21:47
  But https: And, you know, there's a lot of in depth ways, but I want to give you some just ideas about what that even means because people say, Well, publishers are saying I don't have a strong enough platform.
• 21:58
  But https: So what can I do?
• 22:00
  But https: It seems really daunting.
• 22:01
  But https: It kind of feels nebulous.
• 22:03
  But https: So I'm going to give you some straight goods on this thing called an author platform.
• 22:07
  But https: All it means Is that you're out there and you have a way to market your book and yourself, right?
• 22:14
  But https: People don't buy what we wrote.
• 22:16
  But https: They buy why we wrote it.
• 22:17
  But https: Remember that.
• 22:18
  But https: They want to know you.
• 22:20
  But https: And so this is one of the reasons, too, why it's really hard, especially if you're trying to hide behind a pseudonym.
• 22:26
  But https: Or a pen name.
• 22:28
  But https: There's lots of really good reasons to use a pen name.
• 22:31
  But https: Hiding behind it because you don't want anybody to know that you wrote the book is a really poor decision.
• 22:36
  But https: Because you can't create this author platform, right?
• 22:41
  But https: It's really difficult if you're hiding and you don't want anybody to know.
• 22:44
  But https: How do you get out there and talk about your book?
• 22:46
  But https: It's like an oxymoron.
• 22:47
  But https: So, here's my suggestions.
• 22:49
  But https: This is slightly different if you're writing fiction than if you're writing nonfiction.
• 22:53
  But https: So I'm gonna give you a couple of tips for each.
• 22:56
  But https: If you're writing fiction, this author platform isn't as important, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
• 23:03
  But https: The publishers, especially if you want to go traditional, sometimes it's even better if you are a debut author.
• 23:11
  But https: They would rather take a chance on a debut author true story than somebody who's kind of done something mediocre ish.
• 23:18
  But https: Because they have faith that you're gonna make it happen.
• 23:22
  But https: Now, what does an author platform look like?
• 23:24
  But https: They will Google you.
• 23:25
  But https: They will, they will look you up and see what's out there.
• 23:29
  But https: If your social media accounts are spewing hatred or something else, you're probably dead in the water.
• 23:35
  But https: So be careful, right?
• 23:36
  But https: Be careful about your image.
• 23:37
  But https: Be careful that what you are sharing out there in the world is something that's going to support your book and not hurt it.
• 23:44
  But https: So social media is one place, but give yourself credit.
• 23:48
  But https: For what you have done already.
• 23:51
  But https: Okay, this is something that we forget about.
• 23:53
  But https: So if you are thinking about author platform, whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, think about this.
• 24:01
  But https: Where do you have influence?
• 24:03
  But https: What groups are you in front of?
• 24:06
  But https: Are you part of a large organization?
• 24:08
  But https: So it's not just about, okay, you need 10, 000 followers.
• 24:11
  But https: 10, 000 is kind of a number on your newsletter or on your podcast or on your, on your social media accounts in order to say that you have influence.
• 24:21
  But https: What if you speak in front of an audience or you write for an audience that has 10, 000 people?
• 24:27
  But https: You can borrow other people's audiences and get in front of those as well.
• 24:31
  But https: So, think about that now, right?
• 24:33
  But https: Whatever stage you are, if you are writing a book, if it's already out there, if you're just thinking about it, it doesn't matter.
• 24:40
  But https: The time to start is today, right?
• 24:43
  But https: Time to start is today.
• 24:45
  But https: Make a list of all the places that you have influence, whether that be in your community, whether that be online, whether you're writing for something, whether you show up in a certain way, whether you are part of a visible minority or an invisible minority, right?
• 25:00
  But https: Whether you are part of any type of group, think about the ways that you could extend that reach.
• 25:07
  But https: I could list on this podcast probably hundreds of ways because I've helped hundreds and thousands actually of writers talk to them about their platforms and help them build it and seeing what works and what doesn't.
• 25:19
  But https: Here's what I will say.
• 25:21
  But https: There is no one cookie cutter way to do this.
• 25:24
  But https: Figure out what lights you up, because you have to do something that is sustainable and consistent, right?
• 25:32
  But https: You cannot do it all.
• 25:33
  But https: Don't try.
• 25:34
  But https: Don't compare yourself to that author out there.
• 25:37
  But https: Do get inspired by the authors that you admire.
• 25:41
  But https: Notice what they do, and if that lights you up, also try it.
• 25:46
  But https: See if you can be consistent.
• 25:48
  But https: For me, there's a million things I want to do.
• 25:51
  But https: People that I work with are always like, Oh, you know, Susie just thinks of something and then she does it.
• 25:55
  But https: And sometimes that's true.
• 25:57
  But https: But the things that I do consistently, this podcast, my weekly newsletter, if you don't get my weekly newsletter, go get it.
• 26:05
  But https: Because I show up every single week in your inbox with tips, with tricks, supporting you.
• 26:12
  But https: I answer every single email that comes in to me.
• 26:16
  But https: I'm sometimes slow, I must admit, but I answer them and I talk to you about your book and that's what I do.
• 26:23
  But https: That's how I show up.
• 26:24
  But https: That is my platform.
• 26:26
  But https: For you, it's going to be something different, right?
• 26:28
  But https: So find something that lights you up.
• 26:31
  But https: If you are writing a non fiction book, This author platform will make or break your publishing options and it will make or break your ability to get that book out there.
• 26:41
  But https: So publishers in that case will ask for your platform.
• 26:45
  But https: In fact, to even query that type of book, like a self help book or sometimes even a memoir, I suggest that you do a full proposal.
• 26:54
  But https: So a proposal can be like 20 to 50 pages and it's basically a marketing document.
• 26:58
  But https: And if you can't complete that, then they know that you're not ready to poke that book out in the world.
• 27:03
  But https: So start it as early as you can and think about it.
• 27:07
  But https: Again, what are your spheres of influence?
• 27:10
  But https: Don't forget, it's not bragging if you've done it.
• 27:13
  But https: If you are part of a community that is huge, somewhere, something that you have influence or that you could ask to speak at, Or to write for?
• 27:24
  But https: Do it.
• 27:25
  But https: Do it now.
• 27:26
  But https: Because here's the thing, when you're talking about your author platform, I could send out a proposal that says, if and when you buy my book, I am going to start a podcast.
• 27:37
  But https: I'm gonna make it huge, right?
• 27:40
  But https: Anybody can say that, but it's way stronger.
• 27:43
  But https: When I go to pitch my book to you and I say, start at a podcast.
• 27:47
  But https: My podcast is in the top 10% of podcasts worldwide.
• 27:52
  But https: We've had over 3, 000 downloads this month.
• 27:56
  But https: Those are actual stats that I can share that are way more predictive of whether or not I am ready to promote that book.
• 28:04
  But https: So the time to start is now and chip away at it.
• 28:08
  But https: You're not going to do that overnight.
• 28:10
  But https: But if a publisher can see that you are taking strides to get out there and that what you are saying has influence, start doing it now.
• 28:19
  But https: If you already have a blog, let's say, or you already write articles or something, or you post on LinkedIn, or you have somewhere that you're sharing your ideas.
• 28:29
  But https: And you're writing a book on a specific topic, start writing things on that topic and show the publisher this has legs, this has traction.
• 28:40
  But https: Because the time to start that is right now, not after the book is out.
• 28:45
  But https: We often ask for a runway of about four months and start promoting your book about four months in advance.
• 28:52
  But https: And whether you're writing a fiction or non fiction, deciding on a publication date and getting things shored up, even, some people are disappointed when, especially if you're going to work with traditional, they're like, what do you mean my book isn't going to be out for two more years?
• 29:06
  But https: I've been writing it forever.
• 29:08
  But https: It took me forever to get an agent.
• 29:10
  But https: It took me forever to get this deal.
• 29:11
  But https: And now you're saying two more years?
• 29:13
  But https: What I want to say is, unless your topic is super timely and is going to expire and won't make sense in two years, it doesn't matter.
• 29:22
  But https: Because you can start promoting it now.
• 29:24
  But https: If you know the date and you know that your book is coming out, it's a game changer for being able to create your platform.
• 29:30
  But https: To be like, My book blah blah blah is coming out in two years.
• 29:35
  But https: That's a powerful statement You can get all the hype behind it, right?
• 29:40
  But https: And so and if you're not a hype person, don't let that scare you I know some of these people are like, but Susie, I don't want to do all the things that you do to promote And that's fine, because as writers, you can write, you can do it quietly, you can be supportive, you can join communities, you can be a voice.
• 29:56
  But https: You can do all the things that will make people intrigued about what you're going to write because people want to buy why you wrote it, not what you wrote, right?
• 30:04
  But https: So let them know why you wrote it.
• 30:06
  But https: Start talking about it.
• 30:07
  But https: Start sharing it.
• 30:08
  But https: Pick one or two things.
• 30:09
  But https: Do not try to do all the things.
• 30:11
  But https: And when you start your new social media channel or your new podcast, Or you write for something, send me a note, I'll go support it.
• 30:19
  But https: Ask your friends to go comment on it, right?
• 30:21
  But https: Go comment on it, because then the algorithm will love it more, right?
• 30:26
  But https: They will love it more, and then if, if you know, the first people that do it are your supporters, that's great.
• 30:32
  But https: That means that it's going to get in front of more people.
• 30:35
  But https: And if you've nailed what you want to say, then they're going to love it too, and they're going to help you, and it's all just going to feed it.
• 30:42
  But https: Make sure that it's what lights you up.
• 30:44
  But https: I can't wait to see what you all do.
• 30:46
  But https: Drop me a note.
• 30:46
  But https: Let me know what you're going to do this week to help your author platform.
• 30:50
  But https: Start now.
• 30:52
  But https: Okay.
• 30:53
  But https: And last but not least, I know I can go on a rant on some of these topics, so hopefully you guys find this helpful.
• 30:59
  But https: When you have questions, drop us a line.
• 31:02
  But https: We will answer them on the podcast and I will give you the straight goods.
• 31:05
  But https: What's happening in the industry.
• 31:08
  But https: The one that I'm getting the most this month in my inbox is I have finished a draft and I don't know what to do next.
• 31:15
  But https: And can I tell you that this question is the entire reason that I started the inspired writing community and the show don't tell podcast because I was in that position where I wrote a novel draft and I had no idea where to go next and you can go all over the internet and it's hard to tell who to trust, where to go, what to do.
• 31:36
  But https: And sometimes I forget to circle back to this for new people who've just joined this community.
• 31:41
  But https: I feel like I've talked about it so much over the years, but go take my quiz at suzyvidori.
• 31:48
  But https: com forward slash quiz.
• 31:50
  But https: It will tell you where you're at and whether or not your writing is ready for readers based on the steps that you've done so far.
• 31:56
  But https: It's also got, when you answer that, it will send you a PDF that has some next steps for you to do.
• 32:03
  But https: So go take advantage of that quiz.
• 32:06
  But https: Even if you've taken it before, when you first joined the community, it's the way that a lot of people come into this community, go take it again, because chances are you've moved yourself along that path and there's different to do's at this stage.
• 32:18
  But https: So go check it out, right?
• 32:21
  But https: You don't want to be publishing too early.
• 32:23
  But https: None of us want to do that.
• 32:25
  But https: And your first draft, I can tell you without reading it, it's not ready.
• 32:29
  But https: There are things that you can do to level up.
• 32:31
  But https: Remember I talked about when AI earlier in this podcast episode.
• 32:36
  But https: I talked about the fact that the decisions that you make now are going to affect the quality of the book that you produce, right?
• 32:44
  But https: So there are a bunch of decisions that you get to make as the writer.
• 32:47
  But https: Don't outsource it to AI and ask it how to make those decisions.
• 32:52
  But https: Make them yourself because that's what's going to make your book unique.
• 32:55
  But https: That's what's going to attract people to your writing.
• 32:58
  But https: That's what's going to actually change your life when this book gets published.
• 33:02
  But https: I can't wait to see what you do.
• 33:04
  But https: Make sure you send me a note and let me know all your burning questions and I'll answer them on the next Q& A.
• 33:18
  But https: Thanks for tuning in to Show Don't Tell Writing with me, Suzy Vidori.
• 33:21
  But https: I'll be continuing to bring you the straight goods for that book you're writing or planning to write.
• 33:26
  But https: Please consider subscribing to this podcast and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you're listening.
• 33:33
  But https: Also visit suzybedore.
• 33:35
  But https: com forward slash newsletter to hop on my weekly inspired writing newsletter list where you'll stay inspired and be the first to know about upcoming training, events, and writing courses that happen in my community.
• 33:48
  But https: If you're feeling brave, check the show notes and send us a page of your writing that isn't quite where you want it to be yet for our show to tell page for you every week.
• 33:57
  But https: Remember, that book and your writing is going to open doors that you haven't even thought of yet.
• 34:04
  But https: And I can't wait to help you make it the absolute best.
• 34:07
  But https: If you're feeling called to write that book, keep going and I'm going to be right here cheering you on.
• 34:13
  But https: See you again next week.