If you’re reading this article it’s because you already think of yourself as an author (or aspiring author). But you might not think of yourself as an “activist” just yet.
That’s a problem…
Because, if you want to be a successful author,
you need to be both.
Why?
Even if you write fiction — like erotic fiction, let’s say — your work means something.
So, the clearer you are about what that something is (even if it’s just pure entertainment or helping people improve their sex lives), the more likely you’ll be able to communicate it clearly. And, the more likely you’ll be able to create the “author platform” you need to impress literary agents and publishers.
Don’t know what an author platform is? Click here to read this 2-part article on the topic and get caught up: Author Platform. By the way, later on in this article I’m going to show you how to get FREE 1-on-1 coaching to improve your author platform.
But first, let me give you an example of
an “Author Activist” in action…
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Meet Alesandra Rain
Cool name, right?
But that’s not why I like her.
She’s paying me to help her get a top literary agent.
But that’s not why I like her, either.
No…
I like Alesandra because she recently wrote a memoir that isn’t about her.
Sounds like a contradiction, I know.
But it’s not.
On the surface Alesandra’s story is about her dramatic struggle to overcome an addiction to prescription pills that almost killed her. But Alesandra didn’t write her book so we’d all get together and throw her a pity party.
Alesandra’s deepest desire isn’t attention.
It’s not fame or money, either.
Her main drive is a desire to reveal the sad truth that addiction to prescription painkillers has become a huge (and hidden) epidemic. Alesandra knows that she is just one of the hundreds of millions worldwide who have gotten addicted to prescription painkillers — without abusing them — by simply taking them exactly as prescribed.
And she wants to stop it.
After Alesandra got off the pills, the first thing she did was start speaking about the problem to small groups. Now Alesandra is helping people in all corners of the globe. She went on to form a nonprofit organization called Point of Return that has helped people in 63 countries – the youngest being four years old and the oldest ninety-six.
Amazing.
Alesandra is also now a prescription drug expert for ABC and FNC (Geraldo at Large). She’s given hundreds of radio and TV interviews.
And she was recently featured on CNN.
Now it’s your turn…
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Become An Author Activist
Now, how can you create a stronger promotional platform for your work? What can you do to make a greater difference in the world, and improve your promotional platform at the same time? Here’s my 3-step process that will work for any author of any genre:
- Step 1: Start thinking of yourself as an author AND activist.
- Step 2: Open yourself up to the possibility that there are things you can do right now to have more impact and improve your promotional platform (things that will fit your unique interests, skill sets, personality, and lifestyle). In other words, you can be an introvert and/or find most people annoying (and it will still work).
- Step 3: Read about my client Harold Thomas below and take advantage of his special invitation that he’s extending to just FIVE (5) people on my mailing list.
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A Special Invitation from Harold Thomas
If you’re an author who wants to figure out how to improve your promotional platform AND make a greater difference in the world at the same time, you’ll want to talk to Harold. That’s because Harold has agreed to let me offer you something that he’s not giving anyone else.
Yes, anyone can go to Harold’s site at www.ABitPolitical.com and listen to and/or download his free mp3 (which I highly recommend). But Harold has also agreed to let me offer you FREE coaching ($2,997 value) to the first 5 people that listen to his mp3 and then email him at Harold@ABitPolitical.com.
Harold is about to launch his new website and coaching programs, so he wants to beta-test a small group of people first. That means today is your lucky day… if you take action NOW! All you have to do is click here to visit Harold’s website and listen to his free mp3.
Here’s what you’ll discover:.
- Your political personality. There are five of them. Which one are you?
- Which cause (or causes) you should be focusing on right now.
- The action steps you can take to achieve your political goals – that match your personality and lifestyle.
- The 3 most important reasons people fail to make a real difference politically.
- Success stories about famous (and not so famous) activists.
IMPORTANT: At the end of Harold’s recording you’re going to hear him talk about PAID consulting. IGNORE THAT. If you’re one of the first five people from my list to listen to his mp3 and then email him through his website, you’re going to get a FREE introductory coaching call with Harold… AND you’re going to get a FREE coaching program with him 1-on-1 ($2,997 value). Here’s the link to Harold’s website one more time. Take action NOW before it’s too late.
But first, share your “cause” with me below. Mine is educating authors so they can get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals.
What’s yours???
– Mark
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MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
Insightful. I am a visionary poet and holistic consultant.I just published a poetry book dispensation
with createspace and sold on amazon.com.Your blog is an eye opener about how to build a platform
for exposure for my work.Activism is putting vision on mission control,be the change you want to
see in the world.represent have a voice.Thats what I do with poetry and anecdotal prose.Like Zorro
with the jagged sword of metaphor pierce the paradigm veill open doors of awareness.A new way
of life
Hi Godwin. Thank you for posting your poetry and kind words. Check this two-part article out if you haven’t seen it already. It goes much deeper into Author Platform: https://literary-agents.com/author-platform/. Then let me know what you think. And have a great weekend! Mark
It isn’t grand, but my cause is to tell stories that make people feel something. I want open a window into peoples minds that they didn’t know was there and gently and hopefully with humor introduce them to a perspective they never thought about.
I believe stories can touch the secret places in our heart, whether they are read, told, sung or re-enacted for us.
When I start making money writing I plan to help feed my fellow Mississippians and protect wild mustangs from BLM roundups
Hi Cynthia, that’s grand to me. The #1 job of a writer, to me, is to make people feel something. The world can be a lonely place. Or, more accurately, I should say that many people feel lonely. So reaching into people’s hearts and making them feel something other than loneliness is a big victory. When you give people energy, they have more to give. Even you posting comments on my blog makes a difference. Thank you for sharing and have a great week. And here’s to protecting those mustangs! Mark
Thanks, Mark. I agree with you about giving people energy. Sometimes, just a simple smile to a stranger can improve their day and yours, too.
I have improved my query letter based on the instructions from this website and sent it out to 5 from the top 10 agents list. Now, I am trying to follow your instructions on writing a synopsis and still struggling but working through it. My book is finished but the synopsis is becoming the boat I row. Do you have a sample synopsis for us?
Thanks:)
Hi Cynthia, I’m glad you’re moving forward with everything. I don’t have a sample synopsis on my site, but I do have this article: https://literary-agents.com/get-a-literary-agent/synopsis-for-literary-agents/. Let me know if you find it helpful and have a great weekend! Thanks for posting. Mark
“Read a book to children and you open their eyes for a day; teach children to read and you open their eyes for a lifetime.” — JEN
I love watching children discover the world of reading. I want open the eyes of children (and their parents) to literacy.
Aside from my own children, I’ve worked with youth to increase coding, comprehension, and interest. My Facebook page has ideas for parents to help their own children read, and I’ve written for children ranging from nonfiction K to fiction YA.
Amen sister, we both have literacy and a love of reading for kids as a common goal. I’m actually talking to Harold in the next week or two to see what more I can do in that area (and others). Thank you for sharing and have a great week. Hope to see you again soon. Mark
Causes are so important… not just for author platforms but for making a difference and giving back a little bit. I’ve always been a bit of a rabble-rouser so this makes sense to me. But the cause has to make sense too. When I was a battered wife and my soon-to-be ex-husband stalked me, the law could not “do” anything until he had “done” something to me. Well, now that’s changed. I helped get a petition signed so lawmakers would listen to our plight. Stalking is now an arrestable offense in NJ
Hi Lois! I’ll keep that in mind in case I ever need to get a restraining order against Ingrid. Although I doubt it. Twelve years now and I can’t get enough of her. 😉 When I think about you, and your novel, I think about you getting involved somehow with the issues you deal with in your book. Have you thought about that? Mark
Another fab example of helpful info, Mark -You probably think I just write humor but I’ve nearly finished an illustrated self-help/poetry book for people dealing with ongoing stress caused by trauma. My platform is to use public speaking to help others suffering with this kind of fallout. (My Masters is in Guidance & Counseling & I’m improving my credentials like we discussed by entering poetry competitions–one which I recently won.) I truly look forward to reading your creative postings
Hi Rhymster, I loved learning that about you. And no, I don’t make assumptions about people like that. Most of us are multi-dimensional… like the characters in a good novel. 😉 Thank you for taking time out of your day to write. Writing articles like this is a lot more fun knowing there are people like you out there. Enjoy your week and hope to see you again soon. Mark
My “cause” is to engage my teenaged readers with a good story. On a secondary level, I hope to provide kids with insights about my characters” problems in a way readers will relate.
Hi Laura, I love your answer. Not just because you included both of the important drives that should be behind every fiction author. It’s the fact that you put them in the right order! Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall weather. Thinking of you often. Mark
I’m making my (agent ) list and checking it more than twice. I mail try the snail mail route based on what an agent at PNWA said. Because she gets hundreds of emails every day and her eyes get tired, or they end up n her spam folder, she is likely to check a snail mail query faster since she gets so few of them.
I agree, since most authors don’t want to bother getting their cats to lick their stamps. All I know is that you have what it takes. And I don’t say that to all the girls. 😉 Mark
One of my cats will eat anything, so I might be able to train him to lick stamps. 😀
My cause is to educate people to understand what wonderful, misunderstood animals pit bulls are. When I adopted my first pitt puppy, I was afraid she would be a killer, but I couldn’t resist her beautiful amber eyes. I asked a sage veterinarian if the pup would slaughter my cats. The vet asked me, “Do you want her to slaughter your cats?” Of course, I said, “No.” “Then,” she said, “she won’t. She’ll be whatever you want her to be. She’s a pit bull.” She was my best friend for 13 years.
Hi Lynn, I don’t know that much about pit bulls… but I can imagine that it’s their owners (for the most part) that has perpetuated the stereotype by treating them improperly. I like your story about your pitt puppy. My only experience is my neighbor’s dog that nipped me in the ankle one day when I simply approached my neighbor casually to talk to him (in my own front yard). My neighbor was mortified but I’ve dealt with animals all my life and told him it wasn’t a big deal. Mark
You might want to get A Bit Political on behalf of the pit bulls. There are many cities and maybe some states that impose greater restrictions on the ownership and handling of pit bulls than on other dogs. Check out my site’s Get Involved! tab to get started, or take advantage of my fr*ee offer.
I appreciate the clarity and simplicity of your articles. (You MUST be a writer!) The enthusiasm shines through and encourages me to get out there and share my expertise to build my platform. I’ve done it in the past (built a psychotherapy practice, created publicity for agencies, created a food business) so I know something about the territory. And I just created a FB page for the book. Now, to call agencies, start a parent group, look into Twitter, phew!
Hi Rosemary, and I appreciate YOU. Check your email since you are this week’s randomly selected Amazon gift card winner for posting a comment. It should have just been delivered. My enthusiasm partly comes from having people like you in my community who appreciate my information. I love what I do, but I REALLY love what I do when authors take the time to connect. So thank you for that. And thank you for sharing about your current platform efforts. See you again soon I hope. Happy weekend! Mark
Thanks for the Amazon card. I order ‘Clean’ by David Sheff. It relates directly to my memoir.
ordered!
I love it. Enjoy! Mark
Hi Mark
That’s a refreshing perspective – author activist. Never thought of myself in that light. My ’cause’ is actually to tell people through my memoir that the mind can be managed, disciplined and cultivated through Buddhist meditation to its highest potential and a disciplined mind helps overcome daily stress and other adversities in life. And anyone of any religion can practice it.
Hi SawLian, thank you so much for sharing that. Just make sure you include much of that language and description in your query letter. That’s one of my insider secrets. 😉 Mark
It sounds kinda like some of the stuff I do with Hidden Thoughts Press. I’ve edited a book about caregiver’s burden with them, and have a story about infertility and losing babies in one of their collections too.
Happy Anniversary, again! (I know it’s over now.) I just realized we’ve been married the same amount of years. Jim and I celebrated our 12th anni this past June. We’re old married people! AHHH!
Hi Becca, thank you for the Anniversary wishes. And you’re not too late. I’m a hopeless romantic so every day is a love poem in my mind. Here’s to being married so long that you can’t always remember how long. 😉 Have a great weekend and talk again soon. Mark
WONDERFUL photo of you both, AND a fabulous column! As a Motivational Wine & Food Evangelista, my cause is to link people up to the notion that food is their healthful friend; (whether a vegan, pescetarian, or carnivore too), and that a downright “Religious Experience” with one’s daily meal, is essential to meaningful living! Food & Wine are blessings, and a celebration, on every day! Thus to evoke passion in the food phobic, or in those who just eat to survive, is a challenge I adore! Cheers!
Thank you Leah. Oh, we always take 10-15 photos with my iPhone so we’re sure to get a good one. Ingrid looks good in 99% of photos, but I’m more like 1%. I have an excuse though because I don’t have her model background. 😉 Now, here’s to you and loving food and making it a religious experience. Your passion is contagious! Mark
My name is Harold Thomas, and I authorized this message 🙂
And yes, I will give you FR*EE, $2,997 worth of coaching if you are one of the first five people to hear my .mp3 and send me an e-mail at harold@abitpolitical.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
While I’m not personally interested in taking up a political issue in full vigor right now, I’ve looked around your site and shared the info with some friends of mine who might have more interest. 🙂
I wish you all the best!
Thank you, Becca, though I’m wondering how much “vigor” you think it takes. Very small things done in the right way can pack lots of punch! Send me an e-mail if you would like to talk about it a little more — and yes, I do really appreciate your offer to share my info with your friends!
My best to you,
HAHAHA! I’m one of those all or nothing people. I don’t do anything halfway if I can help it.
I will be listening to your MP3 as soon as I locate it.
Listening now!
Hi Harold, it’s wonderful of you to offer this. You have so much experience and you genuinely want to help people… so anyone who takes you up on this is lucky to have you. Enjoy your weekend and talk soon. Mark
I neglected to say congratulations on your 12th wedding anniversary! I’m glad that you had a great time. You are a great couple with incredible synergy that we all benefit from.