Blogger: Wendy Lawton
I’m reposting a blog from a couple of years back because it is the advice that I most want to give to writers. It bears repeating.
At a recent writer’s conference a not-yet-published writer asked me, “Aside from writing the perfect book, what’s the most important thing I can do at this stage?” The most important. Hmmm. So many things come to mind. Like start a blog to get used to writing on deadline and to begin to build a following. Or begin the process to get an agent. What about start showing your work to editors at writing conferences? Build a website. And those are only the tip of the iceberg. But the most important thing. . .
I would have to say, start collecting people. It’s all about people. Let me explain. There are a number of ways you are going to begin collecting people:
Resource People. From the very beginning of your writing career you are going to want to create a contact file for everyone who has helped you on your journey, in your research, helped you with your manuscript or assisted in connecting you to those people who can help you get published. Why? For one thing, many of these people will be mentioned in your acknowledgements. When you do, you’ll want their contact information to send them a copy of the book. Those people on this list will become enthusiastic marketing mavens for you and your book. Also, you may want want to circle back to these resource people in the future for further help. Don’t leave it to memory.
Influencers. When your book is ready to release, your publisher is going to ask for your list of influencers. Don’t be caught unaware. Begin now to build this list. An influencer is that person who has a following. He is the person who can hold your book up and say, “gotta read this book,” and it will mean a sharp uptick in sales. When you meet these movers and shakers tell them a little about your book. And then put their name on your influencer list. Your publisher will send them a complimentary book when the time is right, thanking them for any influencing they can do on your behalf. You are going to want to keep building and refining this list over the years. When Angelina Jolie sends you a little note saying, “Loved this book,” put her on the list. If one of your state senators is a cousin, put him on the list. Keep growing this list.
Readers: It’s never too early to develop your data base of readers or potential readers. If you speak, always have a door prize so you can collect names and addresses– both home addresses and email addresses, if possible. If you have a website, see if you can offer a place to sign-up for a quarterly newsletter. If you meet someone who loves the topic you are writing on, get their contact info. This list will grow as your career grows and it is one of your most valuable collections. Later, as readers write you, always enter their names in the database. You’ll use this list to send out bookmarks and tell of coming releases.
Characters: It doesn’t matter if you are writing fiction or nonfiction, you need to collect interesting characters and their stories. You’ll want to set up files for these. Again, don’t rely on memory. Trust me, it won’t be there when you go to retrieve if it isn’t written down.
Those are just a few of the people you’ll want to collect. Why is it important to start even before you are published? I’ve worked with a number of authors who’ve written for decades and never collected names. It’s impossible to go back and try to recreate. All those potential people are forever lost to them. If you set up these systems from the get-go, you’ll build that all-imortant readership with the very first name. You’ll have all your systems set and ready to go. It’s all about people.
Someday you’ll thank me. In fact, you can put me on the acknowledgement list right now. 😉
Your turn. How are you coming your people collection? What do YOU think is the most important thing a writer can do pre-publication?
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Shirlee Abbott
The most important thing a writer can do in the pre-pub (or any) stage? PRAY.
*Lord God, bring the right people into my life to encourage me in my writing journey. And may I be the right person to encourage the people into whose lives you bring me. Amen.
Jeanne Takenaka
What a great prayer, Shirlee! May I borrow it?
Shirlee Abbott
Pray on, Jeanne. I don’t think God copyrights prayers [giggle].
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Shirlee…
Ay-a-a-men
Ay-a-a-MEN
Ay-a-a-MEN, ay-MEN, ay-MEN!
* (Trivia contest, quick, name that movie!)
Jeanne Takenaka
Ack! I’m no good under pressure! Can’t wait to see where it’s from. 😉
Carol Ashby
Lilles of the Field with Sidney Poitier. He got the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Kathleen Wright
I love you, Shirlee. Now, I’m encouraged!
Wendy Lawton
Amen, Shirlee. There is no more powerful strategy.
Shelli Littleton
“Again, don’t rely on memory. Trust me, it won’t be there when you go to retrieve if it isn’t written down.” Amen to that, Wendy. And the most important thing to do pre-publication? I like that Shirlee mentioned to pray … and I’ll just add to read this blog, learn from it, comment. I daily learn a wealth of information … I know so much more than I did two years ago when I first found B&S. I can’t wait to wake up each day to see what I can learn. 🙂 And I have made true friends here. Jennifer Major has spent this last week with me here in Texas on research, and I was telling her this week that if I had been too afraid to comment here, I would have missed knowing her.
Jeanne Takenaka
I love what you shared, Shellie. Building community—it’s so helpful for so many reasons!
Shelli Littleton
It is, Jeanne. You all keep me striving … keep me encouraged. 🙂
M. Simone Boyd
Shelli! Your comment reminded me to add the librarians at a local university to my list of contacts. I was doing some research earlier this year and they were SO helpful. Hope your research week is brilliant and productive.
Blessings…Simone
Shelli Littleton
Simone!! You are the cutest thing. I was so thrilled to meet you at the conference. You know seeing your comment made me so happy! 🙂 And I’m glad my comment helped you. Blessed by you!
Shelia Stovall
So glad to hear praise of librarians. I know the librarians at the desk love to recommend books.
Wendy Lawton
We’ve all been jealous of your visit with Jennifer. It looked like you had way too much fun. Aren’t people the best part of this journey?
Shelli Littleton
Yes, the people are the best. 🙂 Absolutely.
Wendy L Macdonald
Shelli, I enjoyed your blog post today. You and Jennifer are great together. 🙂 I’ll best the last week was one fun giggle-fest.
Shelli Littleton
Thank you, Wendy. It was a fun week … yes, we giggled ourselves silly. 🙂 She had my girls rolling with laughter, too. 🙂
Kristen Joy Wilks
I’ve been writing seriously for 14 years and it is amazing how many writing people to meet. Conferences, facebook, blogs, this writing community here is invaluable. I am blessed.
Wendy Lawton
I look at the writing friends I first met. It’s amazing how many of them are now editors and marketers I work with every day.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Whenever it’s about people, it’s about responsibility –
* Responsibility to resources people, to use what is given well and give credit where due, and to pass on the help to others when you can.
* Responsibility to influencers, to make sure that their reputation is only brightened by the quality and standards to which your work adheres, and that you continue to maintain those standards
* Responsibility to your characters, to treat them with respect, because some may become mental companions and spiritual guides to your readers in the years to come.
And the responsibility to your readers to always give them that which they deserve, but never that which they expect.
Lara Hosselton
Great post Wendy. Lots of good info. Andrew, I love your comment to respect our characters as they might be an important influence. This is my goal exactly. And yes, Shirlee, above all pray!
Jeanne Takenaka
Andrew, I love your thoughts. I hadn’t thought about the responsibility aspect in these terms, but you’re spot on. Thanks for giving me food for thought this morning.
Wendy Lawton
Good reminder, Andrew.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
People are why I’m still here at all.
* There would seem to be no good days left, and writing – both thinking things through and actually typing them – has become difficult. No one ‘wants’ to do the difficult.
* Or do they? You’ve got to have a reason, and following my muse isn’t enough…neither is a privately written witness to God, because He already knows.
* So the reason is people; the people who care what I have to say. My duty has become the litter on which I am carried by my friends.
Wendy Lawton
Those who carry the stretcher are equally blessed. If the truth be known, we are all in need of stretcher bearers in some area of our life. It is a rich gift to our bearers when we become vulnerable enough to let them know we are in need.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Yes, Wendy; sometimes the greatest gift we can give others is to swallow our pride, and allow them to be kind.
Janet Ann Collins
Andrew, God is using you to bless all of us here.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Thank you so much, Janet.
Jeanne Takenaka
Wendy, what a great post. I’m gathering people about me slowly. On the personal side of writing, I’m learning to let people into my struggles, asking for prayer and for help.
*On the professional side of writing, I’ve met some wonderful people through my blog, and as others have said, through the community here at B&S. I’m much richer today because of people I’ve met here. I still need to begin a newsletter, but I haven’t nailed down what I want my focus/format to be. I’ll be studying others’ newsletters in the coming months to figure that out. 😉 Then, I’ll need to get serious about collecting email addresses. . .
*As for other aspects of writing, Shirlee touched on what came to my mind. Keeping my relationship with God vibrant. When I do, I’m better able to hear His guidance as I craft and refine my stories. I can’t imagine walking this writing road solely in my own strength!
Wendy Lawton
Thanks, Jeanne. We are also blessed to have gathered this community.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
And of course, it’s all about the person to whom we owe so much…well, besides you, Wendy…
* I’ve even written some lyrics about Him, to the tune of “This Land Is Your Land”…
“This Lamb is your Lamb,
This Lamb is my Lamb,
He’s the only Way-ay,
We can be say-aved!
So give Him our stories,
our blogs and books…
’cause this Lamb gives far more than He took!”
* I am SOOOO hesitant to click submit. But what the heck. If it’s all about people it’s all about really BAD lyricists as well.
Wendy Lawton
🙂
Lori
What do YOU think is the most important thing a writer can do pre-publication? Pre-publication be humble, post publication be humble. God is putting these people on your path for a reason. Learn from it and never ever take it for granted. The people you meet on the path going up may be the same people you meet on the way down.
Wendy Lawton
Superb advice, Lori.
Carol
Typo: Lilies of the Field. Fantastic movie with deep spiritual message. If you haven’t ever seen it, it’s worth buying if your library doesn’t have it. It was made in 1963, adapted from 1962 book by William Edmund Barrett. Amazing and well-deserved success for an African American actor in racially charged times.
Would a quality book every make the transition to major motion picture that quickly today?
Wendy Lawton
I’ll bet Sidney Poitier found it and put the project together. That’s how those things happen so fast.
Sheila King
I would put this blog and its commenters on my list. I have learned a lot and also found this to be a safe place to be a clueless newbie.
It has also taught me that dialog can define characters as much as detailed description. We all know Shelli, right? Without meeting her we know the kindness of her heart and the genuine sweetness of her spirit. We have not met Andrew, be we see courage in print every day. And we know that every church should have a pastor’s wife like Shirlee, full of wisdom, but offering grace. We pour a cup of coffee and meet with our friends, pray for their needs, and all become a little better at our craft every day.
Thanks, Gang.
Shelli Littleton
Sheila, that is so sweet! 🙂 Jennifer and I did an impromptu vlog last night. It’s just plain silly … but we both have a silly side. 🙂 She is so funny … and I just can’t even look at her without giggling. She posted the vlog to her blog, and I posted it to mine. You don’t even want to know the assortment of items used to place the camera at the right height … hay bales, books … she said to bring her the Velveeta cheese box, but I refused. 🙂 She likes to tease me about my accent, so I play it up for all it’s worth! 🙂 By the way, she’s traveling home today … I know she would appreciate prayers for safe travels.
Wendy Lawton
It’s all about people, right?
And you claimed cluelessness– the fact that you knew enough to find your way to online resources took you way out of the clueless category! If you wanted to see clueless, you should see what comes to our mailbox. . .
Jenni Brummett
Sheila, when you started describing the ‘characters’ in our B&S community I thought, “Boy, I want to hang out with those people”. So glad I get to. I completely agree with your comment about “a safe place to be a clueless newbie”.
Meghan Carver
Wendy, when you first posted this, I saved it. I reviewed it just recently, and now that I’m a little further along on my writing journey, it’s even more helpful than it was a couple of years ago. Thank you!
Wendy Lawton
I’m so glad it helped. Seriously, it is the key.
Wendy L Macdonald
I’m bookmarking this post, Wendy, and I echo the comments others have made about how helpful this blog is to all of us. After my quiet time in the morning (most important thing a writer can do), I read this blog. I’ve noticed your name in an author’s acknowledgement list and feel as though you’re already on mine because of the encouragement you’ve given.
I love blogging, so that’s an easy one for me to do; however, I was struggling with how to reach out to my own community, that my manuscript and blog are so strongly influenced by, until I started posting my nature pictures on a local Facebook group page. Now I’ve been invited to post on another one. I watermark my pictures with my blog address too. I’m saying yes to invitations even though I’m scared, including writing a regular column for a small Canadian Christian magazine. It’s the wisdom I’ve found here that’s helping me to be brave and reach out. I’m not good at collecting people, but I do love to write in a way that inspires others and this is slowly drawing a readership. Writing is my favorite way to communicate. I used to think it was my handicap, now I think it’s a gift.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Shelli Littleton
Keep saying “yes” on this journey, Wendy Mac. You are such a blessing to me. 🙂
Wendy Lawton
Thanks, Wendy.
Carol Ashby
It truly is about the people, no matter what we’re doing. One of the best parts about gaining recognition in a nonliterary career is the opportunity to open doors for other people. An introduction or a simple mentioning of someone as having potential to contribute can make all the difference. I could name three older scientists who gave me that gift when I was young, and it transformed my career. I miss being a mentor most of all now that I’m officially retired.
I don’t ever want to slip into the habit of thinking that building the email list or the social media following is the point, even though I know it’s vitally important to do it as an author. The temptation in that is to think of readers as a group symbolized by “my ideal reader” rather than as a collection of many unique individuals, each of infinite worth to God. My mission is to write novels so emotionally engaging that anyone who reads one can see both the real power of Jesus to transform wounded people into healthy ones and the role a faithful follower plays in helping that happen. If even one person were to tell me that reading my book created a desire to know and follow Jesus, I would consider that the pinnacle of success.
I echo the comments of many about the vast amounts of knowledge and encouragement I’ve found here since I started following the blog about a year ago. I’m usually still online after 2 a.m., and I can’t resist checking to see if the next day’s blog post is up yet before I shut down the computer. Then I have to check back often during the day to see what’s going on in the conversation. Is that addictive behavior or maybe obsessive/compulsive?
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
I think it just means you really like being here, Carol. For what it’s worth, this is what I think the posting times seem to be –
* Monday (Janet) – usually posts about 7pm Sunday Pacific time
* Tuesday (Wendy) – usually around midnight Mon/Tues Pacific
* Wednesday (Rachelle) – Usually around 7 pm Tuesday Pacific
* Thursday (Mary) usually about midnight Wed/Thurs Pacific
* Friday (Rachel) – usually about 6am Friday Pacific
* There is some variation, but that’s when I typically see them come up.
Janet Ann Collins
That’s odd, Andrew. I’m on Pacific time, but often don’t get the messages until around 10:00 a.m. or noon the day after they’re posted.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Janet, there’s a delay on the email notifications. I don’t now why it happens; I almost always get the messages about noon mountain time, when a lot of the conversation’s already over.
* When I looked at when the first comments went up, that twigged me to approximately when the post itself went live, so now I check around the times I mentioned.
Teresa Tysinger
Carol, I agree about the importance of the individual (both whom we meet and hope to reach) with our writing. Without it, what is all this hard work worth? And, I can’t wait to check this blog for new content, either!
Wendy Lawton
Thanks, Carol. Good insight.
Teresa Tysinger
Wendy, thank you for reposting this. Great insights. I sometimes get bogged down in the numbers game. I need more Twitter followers. Am I posting often enough? Why don’t I have more newsletter subscribers? But my biggest concern is whether or not I’m reaching people on their level, by which I mean connecting. Connection is something I believe we long for as humans. Connection, then, links to purpose. Which, in turns, links to our writing. Like several others have expressed here, I pray my writing connects me to my readers, and my readers ultimately to God.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Teresa, I’m trying to build Twitter numbers, and paying a lot of attention to #hashtags seems to work best for me; numbers are increasing. As it happens, I was just posting today’s first tweet, so here’s an example, if it helps.
* The tweet is – “Being #terminallyill, I nurture the #hope that there is yet a reason for hope.” (Got two hashtags in the tweet itself.)
* The additional #hashtags are:
1) #Cancer
2) #Cancerproblems
3) #caregiver
4) #dying
5) #faith
6) #courage
Teresa Tysinger
Thanks, Andrew. Great example.
Wendy Lawton
You’ve hit the very element we are looking for– connection. It’s much more important than numbers.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Teresa, with Twitter I’ve found it useful to be fairly far-ranging in the application of #hashtags; I’ve shared quotes from everyone from the Pope to Keith Richards. I see Twitter as a way of developing ‘narrow’ connections; I might share the feeling about Keith Richards’ quote “If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you may as well use both feet” with both a hippie who never found his way out of the 60s and a rapid environmentalist just out of college. I’d be likely to meet these people otherwise, given that we have so little else in common.
* Well, I DID bring the 60s with me. Can you dig it?
Norma Brumbaugh
Wendy, thank you for this wise and wonderful advice. It will be helpful to me. My writing/speaking journey is beginning to blossom. I find it fascinating to watch it develop in new and different ways. And I see what you’re saying, that it comes back to collecting people. They are our resources, fans, and encouragers. I have faithful people who back me up. A few of these pray for me most every day. I figure they’re doing the ministry with me! Thanks for rerunning this post.
Wendy Lawton
And with speaking you have the opportunity to collect those people in person.
Rick Barry
On target with each point, Wendy. Although I never thought of it as people collecting per se, simply going to writers conferences and making friends in the industry proved to be huge. I never did this is a Machiavellian way, but when my most recent novel neared completion, publishing colleagues were there, volunteering to endorse and help in other ways. What a blessing!
Wendy Lawton
Nice surprise when it just happens naturally. You are a great connector.
Jenni Brummett
Wendy, when people comment on my blog they’re required to enter their email. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have subscribed to get notifications of my new blog posts (that’s a different step altogether). So, in my mind, when I send out a newsletter, I would not send to them, right?
As a side note, I’m still putting their names and emails into a contact list, but I want to be respectful in how I use that information.
Carol Ashby
Jenni, you just raised some interesting issues in my mind on options and etiquette for inviting/permitting people to comment on blogs, sending newsletters, enabling contact more personally than via blog comments, etc. Wendy, I hope you’ll consider doing a blog post on some of these questions and on other related ones I didn’t think to ask.
Jennifer...almost home...
Ahhh, the people!
First, let me say that other than seeing B&S peeps at ACFW, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Jeanne Takenaka, Andrew Longlastname, and Shelli Littleton.
And frankly, Jeanne was the best behaved. She’s just too calm and collected. Most of the time.
Whilst sitting in the shade with his lovely wife, Andrew sang Christmas carols. Yup.
And Shelli had slight difficulties with certain words. Just the English ones. 😉
What a massive blessing this blog has been!
Jen Harwood
When I read posts like this, I realize how much more goes into being an author that I’d imagined. Its a good reminder that being an author is similar to being in any other professional position. Perhaps I should know that already, but the reminder is good.
Jeane Daly
Such a wealth of information and ideas. I love meeting all of you via this blog site.