It's Not Rocket Science

The question seemed like a simple one to me, "Do you work with children's publishers?" I found it on the network LinkedIn. It allowed me to send a question and learn more information about the need. It turns out this person worked in television and reached a large audience. He wanted to reach a children's publisher to explore a publishing relationship. I had never met this person.

I regularly answer all sorts of writing and publishing questions to help new and professional writers. Often I answer questions or respond with my opinion at a couple of different writing related forums. Some times it leads to some business opportunities and some times not. It's not why I'm answering the questions. Repeatedly I've seen as I engage people in the publishing process and help them with their need, then the business and work will come my direction. I’m in the middle of the mixture.

With this person that asked about children's publishers, we've just engaged in some conversation. I'm unsure where it will lead but without LinkedIn, I would never have had the connection in the first place. I'm beginning to learn the power of this connected network.

Several months ago, someone approached me and asked me to join their LinkedIn network. I glanced at it and refused. It was just one more "thing" for my involvement and at the time I couldn't do it. Then a few months later, someone else approached me about LinkedIn. This time I put some additional effort into exploring their system and adding to my profile. I filled out the request and slowly added my resume information and background to the online system.

Let's face it. People tend to move around from position to position. Some times that person is good about notifying their network about the move. But many people are not skilled at such communication and lose part of their network with a move to a new company or a new location. Through LinkedIn, I've reestablished a number of relationships in the publishing community and in other places such as the tech community. You can control how much or how little information you include in your profile. I've found it another area that is good put into circulation. You never know what can happen from it--if you are using it.

Why Social Network?

The majority of writers are introverts. It's something that I've read as well as personally observed over and over. Yes, we dig down deep inside to write words and get them out to others. A few writers are extrovert in personality but the majority are not. An editor from a well-known Chicago-based company told me their entire office took the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory Test a few years ago. This company has many different print and online publications. Of the group of editors something like two of them were extrovert and the rest were introvert.

Even someone who is basically an introvert can rise to the occasion. It's what I do when I teach at writers conferences and in other situations. Yet selling books is about creating relationships. You have to reach outside of yourself to create those relationships. The more relationships, the more people who know about your writing and you as a person.

John Kremer at BookMarket.com included a tip about the Book Marketing Network in this week's Book Market Tips. I’ll admit when I read it my curiosity got the best of me—so I went to it and joined. John is the creator of this social network which is a growing network of people interested in the topic of book marketing. If you get real fascinated with social networks, you can even create your own social network. It's another free networking spot. I've not spent a lot of time on my particular page but I have added a few links to some of my resources. There are several hundred people on this spot--and it is growing all the time. I exchanged greetings with a few old friends and have been meeting some new ones. It's another resource to check out and become a bit more social.