For Writers Who Don't Think They Can "Do The Business Side" of Self-Publishing

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For Writers Who Don't Think They Can "Do The Business Side" of Self-Publishing

Traditional publishing is far from dead but self-publishing is one helluva scrappy kid.

Seems, though, that either method now demands a writer get up and do some "Business"…

I really don't like current connotations of the term Marketing, Promotion can sound like a selfish activity, Building An Author Platform can seem an insurmountable task, and Gathering A Tribe could scare the most introverted writers.

In a post back in December, Getting Published Is Easy ~ Getting Readers Is Hard Work, I posed a few questions about the effort writers need to find readers:

"Is all this talk about the hard work of finding readers going to make you give up?

"If you have a book, in your head or written out, does its Life justify lots of hard work?

"Does it seem unfair to you that sensitive, creative people need to roll up their sleeves and build a sustainable author platform?"

Plus, that post has a link to the article I wrote for Joel Friedlander about my unique process of finding readers.

It may seem like an over-simplification but, to me, having a readership is having relationships…

What kind of relationship is engendered when the Woo-er dresses up in flashy clothes, flagrantly promises huge returns for Immediate Action, and leaves the Woo-ie high and dry after the one-night-purchase?

If you're a writer, will you only write one book?

If not, wouldn't it be nice if those who bought your first book actually liked the relationship they have with you and are breathlessly awaiting your second and third performance?

So, grabbing myself by the ears and making myself pay closer attention to the title of this post, I offer an article orriginally published in Fortune magazine then republished in CNN Money.

It's written by Ben Casnocha (serial entrepreneur) and Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn) and gets deeply into the nature of one's business relationships—what works long-term—what gains traction for the long-haul—what writers could really use for the present-day challenges of getting books read.

It's called, The real way to build a social network, and here's a brief excerpt:

"Old-school networkers are transactional. They pursue relationships thinking solely about what other people can do for them. Relationship builders, on the other hand, try to help others first. They don't keep score. And they prioritize high-quality relationships over a large number of connections….it's only when you put yourself in the other person's shoes that you begin to develop an honest connection."

Hope you check it out and hope you come back and Comment :-)

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