A lot goes into launching a successful writing business, and networking can be one factor in that success. This post focuses on the networking aspect of your writing work.
Writers might not think of networking as an element of their new businesses, and that could mean losing out on valuable ways to learn about the craft and business and to develop connections that could not only improve those aspects of what they want to do, but also to lead to a greater likelihood of getting published.
All writers probably share a common goal: for our words, thoughts, and perspectives to find audiences and outlets. Individuals might be at different stages of creativity, visibility, or success, but every writer wants—even needs—to be seen and heard. For the new writer, that first sale or outlet is so exciting, and networking is one way to get there.
Whether you’re writing a novel or a press release, a poem or a white paper, a play or a case study, a how-to book or a personal blog post, you want what you write to be seen and appreciated. Beyond being seen, we also want everyone who sees our writing to understand it, respond to it positively by publishing reviews or acting on it somehow, recommending it to others, and reading or buying the next piece we write. Networking can help that happen.
Where networking comes into play is in providing resources for learning to write better by joining critique groups, taking classes, or lining up beta readers; identifying reputable editors and proofreaders and understanding and managing their input; finding appropriate agents and publishers for our work; getting paid; and related details of a writing business or the writing life.
Through networking, you can meet colleagues who will provide advice, insights, and resources, and who might become beta readers or refer you to prospective clients and their writing projects. You could be seen by and connect with potential agents to represent your work or publishers who might consider bringing you into their houses, saving you the effort of searching for the ideal agent and outlet. If you plan to self-publish work that needs illustrations, networking can help you find the artist you need.
It’s important to remember that networking is a two-way process. In fact, that might be the most important aspect of networking. A writer needs to create a net of contacts and colleagues who can help them do their work better and enhance their likelihood of publication. One of the best ways to do that is to be a useful strand in the nets of colleagues. Ask questions and look for ways to provide answers to other people’s questions.
And don’t let being new to writing or networking make you feel that you can’t contribute to the networking process. You can! If you don’t have any answers yet, look for resources you can share—books, courses, blogs, organizations, etc.—that you have found useful or have seen in your real-world and online visiting. Keep in mind that we all had to start somewhere, first by actually writing something, next by getting it published, and then by becoming visible and active in some corner of the writing world. Even extroverts like me had to learn the ropes of networking effectively; it isn’t just a matter of paying dues and showing up or using the resources of an association to enhance our own writing work.
In the continuing pandemic era, we can’t do much networking in person, so the introverts among us don’t have to worry as much about fitting in at events as in the past (and, we hope, the future). Nowadays, you can use the virtual world to your networking advantage by “lurking” in online communities and professional associations while taking the temperature of the environment and deciding whether they will be helpful before you spend money on a membership or speak up with your questions and suggestions. Oh, and the membership dues are tax deductible!
Learn and profit from networking, and try to give as much as you take. Your writing business and efforts will blossom as a result, along with your reputation.
Ruth Thaler-Carter has been a full-time freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and desktop publisher for more than 30 years. She has been published locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in, and does writing, editing and proofreading for, publications, associations, nonprofits, websites, service firms, and businesses. She sold her first freelance articles when she was still in high school. Renowned as a skilled networker, Ruth is active in about a dozen professional associations, serving as a newsletter editor, webmaster, publication author, speaker/presenter, blogger, program host or planner, and chapter leader. In 2006, Ruth launched the Communication Central “Be a Better Freelancer” annual conference to help aspiring and established freelancers find greater success and connections with colleagues. Ruth is the owner and editor-in-chief of the An American Editor blog and received the Philip M. Stern Award of Washington (DC) Independent Writers for service to freelancers; the Writers and Books Big Pencil Award for teaching adults and contributions to the literary community; EFfie awards for writing, editing, and newsletters; and the APEX award for feature writing. She was also an IABC/DC Communicator of the Year.
Barbara McNichol is a nonfiction editor, who works with authors, speakers, and business professionals to add power to their pen through the written word. Barbara wrote Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters. She offers helpful writing tips weekly and a course to take your writing and editing to the next level: “WordShops: Strengthen Everything You Write.”
You can start by eliminating extraneous phrases that clutter your writing. But which phrases can be “whacked”?
Stephen (Steve”) Colwell serves as CEO and head of strategy for Clarify Media and Completing, two Southern California–based firms specializing in marketing and project management. With over 10 years of hands-on agency experience as a copywriter, brand strategist, and project manager, he brings a broad and deep range of both marketing and operations expertise to the community. From strategy and design to growth and performance, Steve offers a rare mix of creative and analytical thinking toward helping creative professionals, teams, and small businesses accelerate their progress and achieve more. He has led project teams responsible for over $100+ million in annual revenue across four continents. A certified Agile practitioner, Steve is fanatical about helping others work in teams more effectively and operate at their best using the same proven routines practiced by today’s top-performing companies.
Consider these sentences: