Inside Stephanie Moon's Author Platform Strategy: 15 Years in Book Marketing Wrapped in One Conversation
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Moon
I'll never forget sitting in that empty theater at 11pm on a Wednesday.
My friend was workshopping her one-woman show in Hollywood, and for the second week in a row, I was the only person in the audience. But she didn't perform like she was failing. She brought the same energy as if the room was packed—and it taught me everything about what building community actually requires.
Fast forward to my recent conversation with Stephanie Moon, a book marketing strategist with 15 years at publishers like Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, and Scholastic. We spent over two hours initially unpacking why so many talented authors struggle to build platforms—and it always comes back to one uncomfortable truth:
Everyone wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager.
You want readers who show up for your book launch, but are you showing up for others? You want engagement on your posts, but are you engaging first? You want a thriving author community, but are you willing to do the unglamorous work of building it?
If you've been stuck in perfectionism paralysis, scrolling past colleagues' posts while wondering why no one supports YOUR work, this conversation will shift everything.
The Perfectionism Trap That's Killing Your Author Platform
Stephanie used to spend HOURS creating Canva graphics for Instagram.
Every element perfectly placed. Every color meticulously chosen. Every word agonized over.
The result? Minimal engagement. Sometimes crickets.
"I scrolled back to my early posts recently," she told me, "and they weren't awful—they were just me. But I spent hours on them, and nobody saw them. But I had to experience that to get faster."
Here's the trap so many authors fall into: They think their first post, first video, first newsletter needs to be perfect. So they spend weeks (or months) preparing instead of DOING.
But Stephanie learned what every successful author eventually discovers: You cannot get better at something you're not willing to do badly first.
Someone once asked her: "Were you a straight-A student?"
"Yes," she said. "My GPA was over 4.0."
"Then instead of doing A+ work, you need to create B or B- work. Not the bare minimum, but not perfect either. Because the only way to improve is by doing it MORE."
Think about recipe videos. Your first one will have questionable lighting, awkward angles, maybe you'll drop something on camera. And guess what? That dropped-cake moment might be exactly what goes viral because it's REAL.
The authors who succeed aren't the ones with the most polished content—they're the ones who show up consistently, vulnerably, and authentically.
Stephanie doesn't spend hours on posts anymore. She focuses on getting her message out, refining how she says things, and learning what her community actually responds to.
Because here's what matters: Are you saying things 100 times that nobody understands? Or are you testing, learning, and evolving your message through actual practice?
Why "No One Is Watching Anyway" Is Actually Good News
Here's something that will either comfort or terrify you:
People ARE watching your content—they're just not engaging.
Stephanie experiences this constantly. She'll get on calls with publishing professionals, authors, or editors, and they'll say: "Stephanie, I LOVE your Instagram content. It's so helpful!"
Her internal reaction? "You've never liked a single post or left one comment."
But they ARE watching. They're learning from her. They're seeing her consistency. And when they need a book marketing strategist, guess who they think of?
This happens with literary agents and editors too. They're not scrolling through Instagram liking posts all day. But they ARE scouting talent, watching who shows up consistently, noticing who's gotten better at talking about their work.
So if you think "nobody's seeing this anyway, why bother?"—you're wrong. And that's actually GOOD news.
It means those "practice posts" you're embarrassed about? They're building your visibility. That awkward first video? Someone saw it and appreciated your vulnerability.
The key is understanding what people are ACTUALLY doing when they see your content:
Waiting in line at the grocery store
Walking down the street
Letting water boil for tea
Barely paying attention while their kid spills something
They might think "Oh, I should check out Amanda's coaching program!" but then the dog knocks over his water bowl and the thought vanishes.
This is why consistency matters more than perfection.
You need to show up enough times that when someone IS ready—when they DO have that moment of attention—you're there. You've built enough trust through repetition that clicking "buy" or "sign up" feels natural.
The Cold Email Strategy That Changes Everything
Want to know something wild?
I connected with Stephanie by cold emailing her after watching a masterclass she did with Everything Cookbooks. I just said: "Hey, loved this, would you have 15-20 minutes to chat?"
That was a few years ago. Now I recommend her to everyone who mentions book marketing.
But most people don't send that email. They're too afraid of rejection.
Stephanie recently started following a creator who shares something brilliant: She cold emails at least THREE people she wants to connect with every single day. Before getting out of bed.
The result? She got invited to New York Fashion Week on companies' dimes—because she ASKED.
Here's the reframe: If you don't ask anyone, you're already getting a NO.
Every day you don't reach out is an automatic rejection. So what do you actually have to lose?
Stephanie applies this to author platforms constantly. If you want to build community:
Every day, interact with three people you admire or want to work with.
This could be:
Leaving a thoughtful comment on a post
Sending an email
Engaging with their content
Sharing their work
Not spammy networking. Real connection.
And here's the secret: Most people LOVE when you reach out. Stephanie does. I do. We want to know what other people are working on, how we can help, what they're seeing in their industries.
The worst that happens? They don't respond. But you've practiced being brave, and that muscle gets stronger every single time.
Being a Villager: The Unglamorous Work That Actually Builds Community
Let's go back to that empty theater.
Two weeks in a row, I was the only audience member at my friend's show. It was inconvenient—11pm on a weeknight, I was already exhausted from my own classes and performances.
But I showed up.
Because that's what being a villager means: Community is never convenient.
Stephanie experienced this deeply while making meals for friends who were sick or just had babies. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes putting someone else first.
But here's what happens when you consistently show up as a villager:
→ You build the exact community you're craving → People remember who showed up when it mattered → You create reciprocal relationships (not transactional ones)
For authors, this looks like:
Commenting on other writers' posts (even when you're tired and just want to scroll)
Writing book reviews (instead of just hoping others will review yours)
Sharing colleagues' book launches (not just your own)
Showing up to small events (even when turnout is low)
Responding to your own small community (instead of obsessing over growing numbers)
One piece of advice Stephanie gives clients: Go interact with your existing 100 followers. Yes, really. Even if 100 feels small, would you be nervous speaking to a room of 100 people? Probably.
So stop dismissing the community you already have while chasing thousands more.
Nurture those connections. Reply to their comments. Go to THEIR pages and engage. Build relationships, not just follower counts.
Because here's the truth: The authors with the most engaged communities aren't always the ones with the biggest platforms. They're the ones who showed up first, who went first with vulnerability, who were willing to be villagers before demanding a village.
What Publishers and Agents Are Actually Looking For Stephanie sees this from both sides—as someone who worked IN publishing for 15 years and now as someone who helps authors build platforms.
Here's what agents and editors are really scouting:
Not perfection. Consistency.
They want to see:
An author who keeps showing up
Someone who's gotten better at articulating their message
A person who understands their audience
Proof that you can sustain long-term visibility
They’re looking for: Does this person understand what their audience wants? Have they improved over time? Do they share the process, not just the polished final product?
When Stephanie worked at major publishers, she saw this constantly. The authors who got opportunities weren't always the ones with the most followers—they were the ones who demonstrated they could build and maintain a community.
This is why starting now matters, even if you think "no one is watching." Because when that agent or editor DOES look at your platform, they'll see a history of showing up, providing value, and building genuine connections.
That's infinitely more valuable than a perfectly curated feed with no real engagement.
Your Author Platform Journey Starts Here
Building an author platform isn't about having millions of followers or creating perfectly polished content.
It's about showing up consistently, even when you think no one's watching. It's about going first with vulnerability. It's about being a villager, not just wanting a village.
Stephanie's advice keeps coming back to the same core truth: You have to do B-level work to eventually create A+ work. You have to be willing to be bad at something before you can get good.
So if you've been waiting for permission to start, this is it.
Film that recipe video. Send that cold email. Comment on three posts today. Write that newsletter to your 10 subscribers.
Someone is watching. Someone is waiting for you to go first. And your consistency—not your perfection—is what will build the community that shows up when your book launches.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Stephanie Moon on the Babe Cave podcast.
Special Offer: Stephanie's "First Five" program (workbook + 30-min strategy call) available for $75 with code BABECAVE through the end of 2025!
