Pigeonholed

Breaking Out and Building a Platform

No Base? No Book.

Over the past 14 months, on my journey from small business owner to full-time writer, I’ve immersed myself in the writing world. Being the type of person who feels like I have to know more about the work before I can actually do the work, I’ve attended writing retreats, filled my shelves with books on writing, listened to podcasts, and followed accounts on Instagram and Substack that are intended to instruct and inspire writers. I have set up a writing room, which has the works: stacks of notebooks, sharpened pencils, filing cabinet, corkboard, whiteboard, and my Keanu Reeves prayer candle, because he is an angel who walks among us who will surely bless my efforts.

Like a million other dreamers, I want to publish a book, and despite being told repeatedly how unlikely this is, I also fully embrace the opposite messaging that I CAN BE THE ONE and that I NEED TO TELL MY STORY.

But now, I have learned that on top of being the world’s best writer, and finding an agent who can get my book into the right hands at the right time…I need to offer more. I need to be more. Publishers require that I have a platform. A very large platform.

Here’s the gist: According to experts, unless you have a sizable following on Instagram and Substack, you will never get a book published the traditional way, because publishers are not willing to take a risk on a “nobody,” even if your book is good. That is the current state of the traditional publishing industry (please note, I’m not talking about self-publishing, or hybrid models). Daunting and depressing, right? How does one build a platform as a writer, before they are a published writer?

Pigeonholed

Since my first post on Instagram, which, BTW, was an artsy image of my cat, I’ve never really used it like I’m “supposed” to, never had one focus, one topic, or used a signature filter. I don’t post consistently, or research the right hashtags, or delve into all the tactics that experts say will attract loads of followers.

Why not? Is it the Gen-X in me that resists conformity and rules? I mean, who has time to fight algorithms and the man? Is it a Pisces characteristic, to be creative and seek attention for what I create, while wanting to scurry away and hide at the same time? More likely, I think it’s because I am not a one-dimensional person, and over my decade-plus on the platform, I’ve had a variety of interests, hobbies and side hustles, and I’ve felt compelled to share bits and pieces of them. (Also, please know, I am NOT saying that successful Instagram users with one focus are one-dimensional. I’m just talking about myself.)

When influencers, celebrities, icons and yes, best-selling authors, people who we identify with a main “thing” attain a certain level of popularity, they can share whatever they want above and beyond what makes them famous, from skin-care to gardening tips, and followers will respond, appreciating the behind-the-scenes captures of their lives.

Clearly, I am not on that level, and yet, I have been so bold–2,497 times bold–to have shared every aspect of my cooking/dining/bird-watching/skiing/traveling/hiking/fishing/community-loving life as an outdoor enthusiast/cat mom/dog mom/hiker/sister/auntie/reader/business woman/citizen activist, and managed to gain and hold onto 1580 followers. If you’re one of them, thanks for sticking around!

Obviously, as a florist and flower shop owner for decades, flowers were my “thing.” My content was saturated with pictures of flowers and captures from life as a florist. Somewhere in the middle of that, I was a food blogger for the ski industry for 5 years, and added lots of winter dining experiences to the mix. And now, fully devoted as a writer, I’m trying to break out from these past shells, at least in the eyes of the social media user, while still posting “me.” I want to share my writing life with you, along with pictures of flowers and mountains and birds and my dog.

The question is, will you stay with me? And by continuing to engage with my all-over-the-Pam-map-content, support my refusal to be pigeonholed? Will I be able to maintain and grow a following when my content is myriad?

For now, I’m looking at it like this: All I can do (besides hiring a marketing/branding expert–not out of the question), is continue to share all my passions, because that is authentic to me. Growing a community around them will be one of many commitments to this life of writing, part of the work. I hope to share content here and on Instagram that resonates with current and future followers who are interested in my life, what I’m working on, what I have to say. I know kindred spirits are out there, we just need to find each other in this wide, crazy world.

And yes, I know, I need to just write. Just write, write, write. Submit to the writing, and submit the writing. Because I do have stories to tell.

Instagram: @pamelamo

Last note, for fellow creatives who wear 100 other hats, here’s a book I’m excited to read:

In Defense of Dabbling” by Karen Walrond.

Description from Amazon: “In her new book, Karen Walrond strikes out to discover the things she loves that demand no excellence—just desire. As she cultivates practices and rituals, without any expectation of success or accolades, she shows us how to do the same. And she helps us learn Seven Attributes of Intentional Amateurism: curiosity, mindfulness, self-compassion, play, zone-stretching, connection, and awe.”