When I first started my website, it was a daunting task. At the time, I had only a handful of articles published on a site which no longer existed. I struggled to figure out what I could put on its pages that would be of interest to anyone other than me.
But, I had participated in the Muse Online Writers Conference and was still active on their forum at Yahoo and I also spent a fair amount of time at StoryCrafters (SC)--getting to know my fellow writers, offering critiques, requesting feedback, and sharing cool links.
It was because I took part in the Muse Online Writers Conference that I became a staff member for Writer2Writer (http://writer2writer.com/). Editor, Cheryl Wright had seen one of my comments and asked to see some of my past articles.
Then I decided to mold my blog into an online presence to connect readers with talented authors and good books. Once again, the contacts I had gained from the Conference and from SC came in handy.
In any given month I interview from two to seven authors and write book reviews, which I post to my blog. Lea Schizas, the Founder of the Muse Online Writers Conference, discovered a book review I did and asked me to become part of The Muse Book Reviews (http://themusebookreviews.tripod.com/). An author will be sending out to me this week the first book I will review for The Muse. And I am also working with Lea and a group of other talented writers on a new project titled Musing Our Children with the mission to encourage reading and writing in young people.
None of these things would have occured if I hadn't made a point to network with people within the industry. Attending conferences, participating in writers groups, and getting to know some of your fellow writers, can make a big difference in your writing career.
Nowadays, my website doesn't look so sparse. I added an Upcoming Events page to announce all the author interviews I have scheduled. Amazingly, I have people asking if I'm interested in interviewing one of their authors, instead of me having to seek out willing participants. My Articles page is being added to on a regular basis, and I always have new links to share with my readers. I also added a Writing Samples page, so people can get a feel for my style.
And I have the power of networking to thank for it all.
Cheryl
2 comments:
Networking in this business is really more important than we are led to think.
It's funny in a strange kinda way too. Writing is a solitary thing and most writers like it that way. Yet we really need to make those connections that come by networking.
Of course it still takes hard work to be a success but all our hard work can come to nothing if no one sees it:--)
Great job Cheryl.
Speck
I dunno if you would be interested but I've just started a site for authors. If you are interested, please see www.feelswrite.com
Thanks
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