For every author and messenger, relationships are at the heart of your success in today’s collaborative publishing world. And, the connections you build and nurture at every step of the publishing process are pivotal to your ability to spread your idea and make a greater impact with your book.
In fact, just ONE new connection can open doors and lead you to an ideal endorsement for your book, a new launch partner, or an organization that’s perfectly positioned to help spread your message in a bigger way!
But, this only happens when you find your right people – and the organizations that are aligned with you and your message.
To help you do that, we’ve put together some tips to help you find the RIGHT relationships, build your following, and connect with key partners who can help you reach more people than you could on your own:
1. Identify the Right Individuals, Groups and Associations for YOU
In your quest to build relationships to support your idea and book, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Before taking another step, ask yourself:
- Which groups, bloggers, or organizations already serve the audience that you are trying to reach?
- Does their vision and work seem to align with your idea and book?
Sure, it’s tempting to only go after the bestselling authors or the most impressive-sounding groups. But, this narrow focus could derail your efforts and lead you away from publishing success. Be purposeful and strategic with the relationships you are building and focus on the meaning and value that each person/group can derive from the connection. And, remember – some of your most effective “champions” will come from the most unlikely places!
2. Go TO Your Audience – instead of waiting for them to discover you
Along the path to building your platform and your strategic relationships, it can be tempting to sit back and wait for followers and supporters to find you. If you do that, you may miss out on specific opportunities to gain support for your idea and book.
Instead of waiting, pick a thought leader or group that is aligned with you and your message and find ways to get involved and contribute to that group. Comment on their blog posts, attend their national conference or regional meeting, and start conversations with other members of their community.
You can take it one step further by finding ways to create and offer value for them and their communities. By connecting in these meaningful ways, you build trust and open doors to not only attract followers, but to potentially collaborate with and to receive support and promotion (including endorsements) from this group.
3. Build Rapport Before Making a Request
One of the biggest mistakes many authors make is asking potential strategic partners and influencers for help too soon – or for too much. It usually goes something like this:
Imagine you’re at a conference and you spot one of your favorite authors (who’s already made it on the bestsellers lists) standing at the opposite side of the room. You rush over and introduce yourself by saying, “It’s so great to meet you in person. By the way, I’m writing a book and I was wondering if you could help me by promoting (or endorsing) it?”
Ok, so this real-world example may be a bit extreme, but it illustrates an important point: When you make a request before the rapport is there, your odds of getting a “yes” are very slim.
The best way to attract a potential strategic partner is to demonstrate your value and relevance before asking for their help. Get to know that individual or group, explore what you share in common with your vision and message, and find ways to give first. Then, you can ask for help when the time is right.
4. Develop a Habit of Keeping in Touch
For many authors and messengers, many key opportunities are lost because they don’t know how – or don’t find time – to effectively keep in touch.
Consider that great connection you made at last month’s conference. You had a great conversation and see the potential for future collaboration, but you don’t stay in touch with them. Now, it’s a year later – and time to seek out endorsements for your book or to gain support for your launch. If you haven’t stayed in touch with them, your request will most likely be ignored (or won’t be well received) because you haven’t taken the time to build the relationship and demonstrate your relevance and value.
When you make an important or valuable connection – on any level – find ways to stay in touch and to grow that relationship. It doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. For example, if you see their name or book mentioned on Twitter, Facebook, a blog, or in a news article, send them a quick email with the link and a note of “congratulations!” Or, send them a quick message when you come across something that might be relevant to the new book they are writing. The key is to take a real interest in who they are – not just what they can do for you. That way, when it’s time to ask for their help, your request will at least be heard!
Every relationship you build and nurture can lead to new opportunities for you and your idea / book. Keep your heart and mind open to all possibilities – not attached to specific outcomes – and allow things to develop naturally. If you focus on relationships and long-term potential, you’ll find yourself with a strong, supportive community that will rally around you when you ask for their help. And, just because someone says “no” to your request doesn’t mean you should abandon the relationship or burn that bridge. After all, that bestselling author who may not have time to give you the endorsement today might become a collaborative partner tomorrow!
Ready to build the RIGHT relationships for your message and book?
We invite you to join us for Book Breakthrough NYC and to discover how to find and grow the relationships, community and “Dream Team” you need to launch your book and transform your message into a movement. By coming to BBNYC, you will walk away with proven ways to connect with well-known experts, industry leaders, strategic partners and organizations, as well as time-tested models for nourishing those relationships.
We’d love you to join us (and to meet our amazing attendees and guest experts) on July 28-30 in NYC – still the center of publishing today. There are still seats available – and at the introductory price of $697. But, this price expires on Tuesday, July 19 at 11:59 pm ET, so reserve your seat today!
