All About The Platform

Dublin-based literary agent Marianne Gunn O'Connor made her name when she wrangled a huge deal for Bertie Ahern's little girl.

Reviews of Ms. Ahern's debut novel were mixed, but it sold. Her father was the taoiseach, after all, and that connection alone generated all sorts of buzz in Europe. Cecelia Ahern, you see, had a firm platform on which to stand.

For the same reason, Kathleen MacMahon will be blessed with an advance of 600,000 shiny British pounds for two books, the deal concluded by Marianne Gunn O'Connor. Say what you will about the quality of her clients' prose, but she's unbeatable as a literary agent.

Ms. MacMahon also has a sizeable platform from which to launch her sales campaign. She's been with RTE for ages and she's not exactly a complete unknown.

News of the deal serves as pre-launch buzz-building. Then there's the favorable review that one would expect from the Irish Times, where Ms. MacMahon's auntie is the literary editor.

For publisher Little, Brown, it's a risk worth taking. A first time author with name recognition goes a long way, as compared to a first time author who is unknown outside of their immediate area.

Authors hoping to break into the publishing fortress should not point to this deal as an achievable dream that could apply to them. Some things are reserved for those who can construct a platform, sparing the publisher some publicity costs.

It doesn't matter if This Is How It Ends is as smarmy as Cecelia Ahern's offerings, if it takes an entire box of tissues to soak up all the tears. It doesn't matter that your prose is superior or your plot less hackneyed.

It's all about the platform. If you don't have one, it's a very large strike against you.