Not Even Almost Famous
It’s been awhile since I sat down and wrote. I burnt out hard after writing the book and amid all of the publishing and marketing hoopla. But I’m starting to feel the spirit again, so here’s a first go in awhile.
Not Even Almost Famous
A year ago I was deciding whether to continue my search for a book publisher. After getting an agent and reaching out to publishers, I’d come up against a key obstacle I already knew would be a problem: I wasn’t famous. Not even close.
Book deals today are given based heavily on your platform, i.e. where can you market and promote your book? The publisher really doesn’t do much marketing for you (unless you’re super famous like Michelle Obama), so it’s up to you. Do you have thousands of followers on social media? Do you travel the world for speaking engagements? Are you an established public figure, a CEO or influencer? I was none of those things.
It was only two years ago that I decided to start writing and share it online. That led to my first series of posts on LinkedIn which, in my opinion, was a great move to establish my writing online leveraging contacts I already had. I also built a strong following over time as I posted more and shared news about writing a book. I loved the engagement, but I knew objectively it wasn’t big enough numbers to convince a publisher.
As part of building a platform and sharing my story, I started to apply for speaking gigs at Women in Tech events. For years I’d wondered how people got tagged for those opportunities. It turns out you have to ask for them, at least at first! For every five I applied for, I’d get accepted to two. I served in various roles from solo speaker to panel host. Those opportunities helped me to establish myself as ‘someone’, someone you’d request to speak at events or reach out to for a podcast. Within six months, organizers began reaching out proactively to me to ask if I would speak at events.
Key Takeaway
I was in tech for 18 years and was rarely asked to speak at events outside of my company. Within months of applying for speaking roles and posting frequently on social media, I was fielding requests to speak.
It turns out there’s no secret to this, but hard work and bravery.
If you’re sitting at your computer thinking that you have something to say, something to share, and wondering how to do it. Start small. Venues like LinkedIn and Medium let you post your content for free. Check out relevant conference websites and see how to apply to speak. Don’t get discouraged by initial rejections; it only takes one to start building up experience and resume.
Back to the book
Paying attention to that lesson helped me make my decision a year ago. I wasn’t here just to gather likes and followers; I was here to help people. I decided to move forward with publishing my book on my own because I didn’t want to wait longer to get famous. Famous wasn’t the point. I wanted to share the stories of women in tech to help us all feel like we belong, and leaning into that focus has built my network all on its own -- but more importantly, helped others.
My big lesson learned?
Don’t wait to be famous. Don’t wait to be asked. Get out there and start sharing tomorrow bit by bit by bit.
