Connections - Guest Post by Laura Segal Stegman, Author of Summer of L.U.C.K. and Ready or Not

If I had to come up with a word – other thanperseverance – to describe the most important tool in my middle grade writer’skit, it’s “connections.” Not someone who “only got the job because ofconnections…” I mean "connections" defined as building relationshipswith other writers in my genre. Those connections have been essential during myjourney as a traditionally published middle grade author with ananything-but-traditional path to publication.

 

First of all, it took almost twenty years from when Ibegan to write Summer of L.U.C.K., my debut middle grade novel, to whenit was first published in 2020. Although I'd already developed excellentbusiness writing skills in my profession as a public relations consultant, myfiction writing abilities were nonexistent. After working with an amazingdevelopment editor, my abilities took a giant leap when I learned to makeconnections in the middle grade writing community, mostly through social media.These included other writers in my genre with whom I engaged and got to know ascritique partners, Beta readers, fellow query-ers, fellow cheerleaders, andsimply listening ears and reading eyes.

 

Despite the decades it took to make Summer ofL.U.C.K. good enough to attract a publisher, its sequel, Ready or Not,took less than sixteen months to write. The Chambered Nautilus, thethird and final in the L.U.C.K. trilogy, took only twelve. The progress I’vemade is due in large part to everything I learned (and am still learning) aboutwriting and publishing middle grade kidlit from my connections.

 

When I secured a three-book publishing contract, beginningwith Summer of L.U.C.K., the connections I made by joining a 2020 MiddleGrade/YA Debuts Facebook group opened doors in ways I never expected, fromadvice about dealing with agents and editors to news of promotionalopportunities, such as interviews and other publicity, including the chance tobe featured in a TikTok/BookTokinfluencer’s video. No, I didn’t become an internet sensation, but it wasfun anyway.

All the books in Laura's co-marketing group.

 

Like so many of us, my post-debut publication roadwasn’t smooth. Less than a year after Summer of L.U.C.K. was publishedand several months before Ready or Not was set to follow, my publisherclosed its doors, leaving L.U.C.K. and the two sequels out in the cold.At that low point, my connections provided moral support. It's amazing how muchit helps when you hear, "That [or something like it] happened to me too,”especially from more than one person.

 

With a lot of luck, I was signed by a new publisher,which reissued L.U.C.K. lastyear, published Readyor Not in August of this year, and will issue TheChambered Nautlius next year. That’s the good news. The not-as-good news isthat I knew much of the marketing and promotion would fall on my shoulders. ButI turned that lemon into lemonade by reaching out to my connections andstarting the MightyMiddle Grade Authors, a co-marketing group of middle grade writers, whichhas opened more doors than I ever could have imagined.

 

I'm no social media expert, but if you’re wondering howI found middle grade writers and published authors with whom to follow andengage, I used hashtags like #MiddleGrade, #Kidlit, and #MGLit as a jumping offpoint on Twitter and Instagram. #WritingCommunity, #BookTwitter,#AuthorsCommunity, and #WritersCommunity are others, although they’re verygeneral. On Facebook, I searched Groups for “middlegrade” or “middle grade” or“kidlit.” I also started following authors of middle grade books that I liked,and checked who they followed.

 

Once I began making connections through social media,it was easier to make more. And while social media has changed dramaticallyover the last few years, there remains a strong writers community on everysocial platform, be it X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Slack, Discord,BlueSky, or Threads. I found the platforms and the hashtags that worked for meto establish my connections. So can you.

 

A final note… It goes without saying (but I’ll say itanyway) that you’ll need to tread carefully and learn all you can about peoplebefore establishing connections, ESPECIALLY agreeing to in-person meetups.Avoid anyone who wants you to pay for reviews, interviews, basic writinginformation, or the information you can find with a Google search. The internetis filled with free resources. Keep your eye on sites like Writer Beware and top-quality publishing sites likeJane Friedman's andJaniceHardy's.

 

Connection-making takes a lot of time but consider itan investment in yourself. It's been worth it for me, and I hope my experiencehelps others.

~

 

Daniel Reichert Photography
LauraSegal Stegmanis a Los Angeles-based publicity consultant and author whose middle grade debutnovel, Summer of L.U.C.K., and its sequel, Ready or Not (both Five-Star Readers'Favorite Award winners), are available wherever books are sold. The ChamberedNautilus, third in Young Dragons Press’ L.U.C.K. trilogy, follows in2024. L.A. Parent Magazine lauded Summer of L.U.C.K. as a "good read," and middlegrade/young adult author Frank Morelli praised Ready or Not as “filledwith magic, time travel, and a healthy dose of courage from its deeply authenticcast of characters.” Laura’s PR Tips for Authors workshop, a step-by-step guideto building a digital author media kit, has been presented by SCBWI, TheWriting Barn, and elsewhere. Non-fiction writing credits include collaborationon the travel book Only in New York.Her feature stories and guest posts have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox, among others. A Phi Beta Kappa graduateof UC Irvine with a B.A. in Drama, Laura serves as a judge for kidlit writercompetitions and shares her author journey in visits to schools and libraries. www.LauraStegman.com

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