I have been on a quest for awhile now to become a published writer. Long story short, I wrote a manuscript over a period of about three years, took it to a point I felt I could take it no further without help (Step 1). Then I started searching for a literary manager (Step 2). Based on her input, I then made several modifcations to the manuscript (Step 3).
She then began shopping for publishers (Step 4). Where do things stand now? Thus far, feedback has been positive on the quality of the story and the writing. But the more traditional publishers' latest buzz term is "platform", as in "we want writers who already have an established platform," as in writers with a built in audience. It may seem a little cart before the horse-ish...we will only publish writers who have people following their writings. Added dilemma...publishers generally frown upon self-published authors. Not always, but generally. But there are ways to get there.
So, the next step is to find myself a "platform". I am hoping to do this in two ways. One, through this blog site. Two, by making available (for free) short stories for electronic download to devices such as kindles, thru sites such as Amazon.com. With any luck, via these and other methods, I will establish a "platform". Will keep you posted on progress.
