Top Ten Rules for Networking as a Writer

Networking is an important skill that all professionals need to nurture, but especially those in the entertainment fields (such as book publishing), where who you know is often as important as what you know. There’s no better place to put that skill to use than at a writing conference. You never know when a contact with another writer or a reader in your genre or a librarian or a bookseller can help you in your own writing career. I found both my first and second literary agent through networking with other writers. And networking put me in contact with my editor at Five Star Publishing, Denise Dietz, who did such an excellent job at polishing my debut mystery, A Real Basket Case, that it was nominated for a Best First Novel Agatha Award.

So, what is networking? It is meeting people who can be of help to you and being of help to them. As the old Girl Scout song states: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." Networking is simply goal-directed friendship. We all do it in all parts of our lives. When we move to a new neighborhood, we talk to the neighbors to obtain names of good dentists, doctors, and decorators and to find playmates for our children. When we attend a writing conference or join a writing group, we meet others to get names of agents, editors, and publishers and to find critique partners. How do you make networking work for you at conferences and in other group gatherings? Follow my Top Ten Rules for Networking as a Writer!

1. 1.Plan your networking - identify the people you want to contact and make carefully researched efforts to build relationships. Develop a SMART objective (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, time-bound) for a networking opportunity--what you plan to get out of this conference, this organization, this email loop, this person. But also be prepared to take advantage of connections that fall in your lap.
   

2. 2.Research - Collect information on who is coming to the conference and how they might help your career or vice versa. Research the contacts you make there by asking them questions, so you'll know with whom you are dealing. Ask your contacts what they know about others. Keep your ears open for news and other networking opportunities, such as online social networking.
   

3. 3.Be professional (polite, fair, honest) - Make a good impression by making eye contact, smiling, introducing yourself, shaking hands, and asking a question. Thank people who have helped you, in public if possible. Don't stalk or corner editors or agents at social functions, in the hallways or in bathrooms and only pitch if you're asked. Give others their turn. Tell published authors if you like their books. Treat everyone as equals—all the attendees have worth and deserve your respect.
   

4. 4.If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all - Don't get involved in controversies or criticize another author's work for any reason, to any one, even in jest. Everyone knows everyone in this business, so don't assume the new friend you made at a conference lunch will keep your secrets. If you decide to gossip, be prepared to be on the receiving end someday. NEVER drink heavily at a conference.
   

5. 5.Listen, listen, listen - Use questions to identify individuals' primary concerns and at least one piece of personal information. The primary objective of networking should be to understand others' needs and problems so you can quickly assess whether/how you can help them. Most people focus on themselves and expounding on their credentials. A much better strategy is to spend most of the time asking questions and collecting information about how you can help your new contacts.
   

6. 6.Ask for help - Talk about yourself and your needs so your contacts can identify how they can help you. Don't be afraid to ask a smart question in a workshop, but be sure the question is "universal" enough to be of interest to everyone. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you know that person can provide it and make it easy for them to do so.
   

7. 7.Create a connection - Find that common place where your interests, lives and writing intersect. Keep on talking and asking questions until you find that common ground and how at least one of you can help the other. Be open to new ideas, opportunities and people. There can be answers and magic in everything and everyone. Think creatively about how to connect.
   

8. 8.Give more than you take - Provide valuable information on a regular basis for free. Don't give with the sole purpose of getting something back. You'll reap unexpected rewards from others who feel that they owe you a favor, that you're a nice person who should be helped, etc. Refer your contacts to other people in your network who can solve their problems. You’ll be seen as a problem solver, and those people who benefit from your referrals will be likely to provide you with referrals in return.
   

9. 9.Organize - Put all your contact information (e.g. business cards) in a single spot and write on the back of cards why you are keeping them. Make note of their interests, what you’ve shared with them, and when and how to contact them next. Create a database, put them in a Rolodex, or add them to the mailing list you are creating for when you sell. Make a to-do list of follow-up actions.
   

10. 10. Follow- up - Don’t let connections die. Follow-up regularly with members of your network or they’ll forget you exist. Follow through on your commitments. Send an article about the topic you were both discussing. Read her book and drop a review on Amazon or DorothyL. Join the email loop he recommended. Judge that contest, as you promised. Commit yourself to following through on help you receive. Don't abuse others by receiving their help then not acting upon it.
    

By following these simple rules for networking, you’ll reap many rewards for years to come, and most of those rewards will be ones you would never predict! Remember to have some fun, too, though while you’re forging those connections.