Even though she doesn’t know me, I have a fantastic writing mentor in Jane Friedman, one of the top editors at the Writer’s Digest empire. She’s always posting a lot of great, free advice for writers all over the Web. I found this fantastic article on why netting and platforming is so important to do BEFORE you finish your first book.
I was so glad to find it because even though Dakota Blues isn’t quite polished enough to start querying, I’m netting like mad. I even took an officer position at the Palm Springs branch of American Pen Women to upgrade my netting skills and expand my reach. In that job, as in so much else that I’m doing, I’m working my ass off on a lot of things that don’t directly involve writing (e.g. raising money for scholarships for local women.)
I long to sit at my keyboard and hang out with my main two characters, Kristen and Frieda. They’re somewhere in the Black Hills, camping and bickering as usual, with newly-fired workaholic exec Kristen chompin’ at the bit to get back to the corporate world, but 90-year-old Frieda trying to put on the brakes because she knows that as soon as she arrives at her daughter’s house in Denver, she might as well curl up and die.
But I digress. I was thinking, “All this advertising and still no product!” However, Jane says if you wait until your book is done to start netting, you’re stoopid. Well, I’m paraphrasing. Miss F would never be so uncool. But that’s seriously her point, so adios! I gotta go platform…
Jane Friedman says
Thanks so much for the compliment, Lynn! All that non-writing work will pay off for you in the future — especially as it trains you to do all the things that make a book successful in the market. Plus you’ll undoubtedly meet people who will be able to help you later. 🙂
krpooler says
Lynne,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Though I feel like I’m a very loooong way from publishing my memoir, at least I feel all my blogging and social netting is all for a good purpose. Thanks for the reminder. Jane is awesome!
Kathy
http://krpooler.wordpress.com
Margie Smith says
Love your posts, Lynne. Sounds like your book is nearly ready for a second draft. Mine is not. Yet. I’m stuck. I have about 6 chapters to go. Thirty-four finished. First draft, of course. But I’m dithering myself to death about how to get my protagonist out of trouble and on the road to salvation of sorts. I know. I know. Just sit down and write. I am now in Florida (I live in Michigan) and I have my laptop and lots of time and good intentions. I WILL finish this novel.
I am writing a lot. Blog. Local news web site. Local magazine. Some of it even pays! But my novel is suffering from neglect. Do you write for other publications as well?
Margie Smith