Book excerpt: Written a Book? Good for you. Published It? Awesome. Want People to Buy It? Get a Platform. In How to Sell a Crapload of Books, Tim Vandehey, New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, and Naren Aryal, CEO and Publisher of Mascot Books, share 10 secrets about building a killer marketing platform that nobody else is talking about. We're not talking commonplace, no-duh advice like "build your Twitter following" or "write a professional press release", but straight talk like: Start building your platform at least a year before your book comes out, Press releases are a waste of time; publicists are a waste of money, Half of your marketing opportunities come because someone finds you by accident, Forget the New York Times; focus on your local paper Today, being an author is about professionalism and determination, cleverness and creativity, technological savvy and old-fashioned hustle. If you want to sell books, get a publishing deal or even turn writing into a full-time career, you have to be a marketer, not just a writer. Let Tim and Naren show you how. Book jacket.