Team Building For Authors
This morning, I saw several articles on team building and networking for authors. Indie authors do not succeed by writing alone. We have a team. We have a team even if we don’t quite realize it’s a team. Wherever you are in the process, take some time to think about this. The job of writing and marketing is not something one person, however skilled, can do alone. You will drown in a sea of tasks if you try. So how do we swim in the modern publishing sea?
The first job of any writer is to write. If you get too busy trying to handle all the promotional requirements alone, you will lose focus in your primary task – writing. My first team members were, and are, my crit group. They are the first to be my sounding board for new ideas, the first to encourage, the first to advise. When it comes to marketing, they also are among the first to spread the word. But more is needed.
When I first decided (gave in to the idea after repeated prods) to go indie, my son agreed to help with the tech side, like formatting, contracts, finding some potential artists for the cover, etc. In short, some of what a publisher would do. He decided to form his own small publishing company to help other indie authors and artists who wanted to e-pub, but lacked the technical skills. That solved the first problem.
The tasks of effective marketing have become a big, scary tidal wave. You must find the right reviewers and get out requests, arrange for other eyes to copy edit, find the right artist for your cover, line up promotions. Then there is branding and social networking. That wave is looming over my head.
At the very least I needed an assistant to do the preliminary research on promotional and review options. Fortunately, my son is in the process of adding to our team, exactly what we need. This prophetic child of mine managed to be working on this about the time I fully admitted to myself that I am not able to do this alone. It’s actually funny the way it worked out. I’m about ready to yell, “HELP, I’m Drowning!” and, bless him, he already has the life preserver in hand.
Everyone’s experience is different, but we must swim that sea. Look at the team you already have. Do your members have all the needed skills covered? If not, what areas is your team weak in? Once you answer the questions, finding that life preserver for your writing is a lot easier.
Build your team and WRITE!
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