Keep in Contact With Your Contacts

Every author is busier than they want to be. We have to balance our creative work, our marketing, and in most cases, our day job, families, and splintering sanity.

With so many drags on our attention, we often let our industry friendships fall by the wayside. These relationships really only last as long as the lines of communication remain open. Go too long without touching base, and you’re no longer top-of-mind when an opportunity opens up. Somebody else ends up getting invited to that mastermind, that anthology, that event. Somebody else’s career advances. Not yours.

The good news is staying in touch takes very little. Just keep a record the people you meet, and reach out every few months to see how they’re doing. Best is if you can offer them an opportunity when you do. Still-good is if you send them a link they might be interested in. And totally a-okay is if you just inquire about what’s new. Whatever you choose, keep it short and kind. That’s it!

Sometimes, the person in question won’t get back to you. Unless it happens multiple times, think nothing of it. People are busy, and even if they forget to write back, they’ll still be happy to see someone’s interested in what they’re up to. But more likely than not, they’ll reply with a status update and ask for the same from you.

If you’re like most authors—an introvert at heart—the idea of spending fifteen minutes a week shooting off emails might seem like a stretch. Just remember that building friendships is without question the easiest way to advance your career. And as those relationships grow, it becomes easier and easier. Don’t let those relationships wither.

Build a network, and build a career.