I didn't network

I made friends...

When I started to write, I was advised to network, a word I associated with getting a job. Writing was my passion; I didn’t want to taint it with “have to’s.”

But yesterday signing books at the beautiful cozy Forgotten Bookshop in Satellite Beach, Florida (stop by if you’re ever in the area), I worried that no one would show up.

There, for the first time, I realized I had networked. Consider…

• A woman I met years ago in a French class came. During our short but vivid conversation, I mentioned I was going to have an event in Raleigh and she’s going to tell a friend.

• A fellow from a writer’s group where I gave a talk bought a book & asked me about marketing. We had several conversations, and he helped me carry out my stuff at the end.

• From the same group, a woman who saw the announcement on line dropped by and bought two books. She and her friend are in the same book club and want to consider mine. I told her if they chose it, I’d be delighted to Zoom in to their meeting.

• When I got home, there was an email from my roommate at Sewanee Writers’ Conference 2019. She works at Cleaver Magazine and helped me edit the piece I’m reading tonight; she said to to have fun, that it was a good story. She took the time to write me during her trip to Paris!

I’ve met friend-of-friends, started a soiree to introduce new writer friends to old, emailed (grateful for my computer).

Federico Zandomeneghi: Young woman writing a letter

I’ve texted and called and face-booked and instagramed to stay in touch. If this is networking, I’m all for it. It’s fun, stimulating. And I try to give back, buying books (you don’t want to see my To Be Read stack), acknowledging events I can’t attend, reading substacks, and cheering other writers on. Keeping up with everyone is time-consuming but a joy. I highly recommend it.

If you’re curious about my debut novel, here’s some info.

You can order it at Simon and Schuster by clicking on the image below, or at your local independent bookstore.