Learn networking
secrets from a best-selling author
I have known Susan RoAne since
working at my first job in publishing a quarter-century ago. She was one of the
first authors that I promoted to the news media – and one of the .best ones I
have ever worked with. She has a promotable topic, promotable credentials, and
a promotable attitude. We can all learn from her. I reconnected recently with
her and interviewed her here:
1.
Susan, as a best-selling author, what advice do you have for
today's author? Marshall your forces….and your network. You are in for an extended
"ride"! Do your "due
diligence". You don't need formalized focus groups; just ask
questions, listen, pay attention to what people say they need/want, are their
issues, want solutions. In summation, write books that people want to read, not
that YOU Want them to read. Do
the research…beyond "googling". Read a variety of
sources and make sure you know what the market and the research are saying. Go
to a bookstore and a library. Spend the time thinking, planning, assessing and drafting a SUPERB Table of Contents. Best
Way to do this is to think about the timeline process of what you're subject
is. That's how I parsed How To Work
a Room, What Do I Say Next and my other books.
Save
money to hire a book publicist. Be very aware of and include the relevant research. Be
sure to attribute all ideas, themes,
research correctly. (DO NOT LIFTor BORROW, ETC). Write as though you're talking to that one person
reading/listening to your book. Make it conversational. LIST your chapters in a logical progression. Give
them a topic/title. Write one page about each chapter. Gather stories/vignettes/anecdotes that
support inform and support your points of wisdom. Make sure your book has an index if it's non-fiction.
The initial version of How To Work
a Room did not because of a cheap publisher. We sent the indexable terms to
him but he wouldn't go the extra. I made sure every book since has one.
Use a professional indexer. Know that no-one loves or cares about your book as
much as you do! My best advice: DON'T write or self-publish Dreck.
2. The
Silver Anniversary Edition of How To Work A Room® is out. Did you ever
imagine being so successful with this book? I may have been naive
but I never thought it wouldn't be a bestseller. Being relevant for over
25 years…that is a stunner! I gave my book a 10th Birthday party, a
"Book Mitzvah" complete with a cantor and Chopped liver flown in from
NYC and at 21 it has a Champagne lunch as it was "legal". I
hosted these events to celebrate with friends, give them a chance to meet each
other and honor the milestones. Almost all of those people are still friends! The
updated Silver Anniversary Edition is important because it speaks to our world
today! I hosted a smallish dinner to celebrate the actual anniversary
month with 3 of my dearest friends…including my best friend from Mobile.
3.
You are the master at networking. what are some strategies
you can impart with us? Knowing
how to "work a room" and "Networking" are 2 separate
skills. I know because I wrote 2 completely different books of 250 pages
per. (The Secrets of Savvy
Networking). " You can be superb at circulating, socializing,
mingling and be a lousy networker: no follow-up skills. And you can be
wonderful networker who follows up, supports and shares and still find the
thought of walking into a roomful of people to be daunting. Together
these 2 skills are synergistic!"
To Work a Room:
Strategy One: PREPARE self-intro (7-9 second pleasantry),
conversation (read a local and national newspaper or news aggregator), and
Attitude. GO EVERYWHERE with the intention to meet people and have a good time
and you will.
Strategy Two: Don't
wait…initiate. Walk over to people who
are standing alone and pay attention to them. Introduce them to other people.
Strategy Three: Act like a
HOST not a guest (attribution to
Dr.Adele Scheele, who wrote this in 1985 in Success mag.)
(plenty more in the book and
audio book).
To build a network, show up. Talk to people at events. FOLLOWUP with them after. Be
NICE to Everyone you meet! Stay in Touch!
4.
Where do you feel the future of business books is heading? The change in 7 years, let alone 25, has been
dramatic. The plethora of books…especially the tsunami of self-published
books... has had an impact on the ability to garner even a tiny corner of media
attention. Books that deserve some print coverage don't get it. There will
always be books and book lovers …or so I hope. But the good news is that now
there are options: audio/digital and print. I'm old school and prefer to
read a book in hand but I want people to read books…in whatever modality best
suits them.
.
5.
What are you working on these days? I'm working on getting my "First Born"
launched, covered in the media, publicized via social media, print and
electronic media. And of course, speaking about the book to promote it as well
as being hired to keynote speak for clients who want their team, staff,
partners etc to know how to mingle, connect,converse and how to be a SAVVY
networker. That is my speaking business. I also coach would be writers and
people who need to gather some "Mingling Moxie" and strategies. Of
course, I've been a blogger for 9 1/2 years so I write. And I've been on
twitter for almost 6 years so I write…in 130 characters (to leave room for
Retweets).
6.
How are social interactions in the digital age different or
similar, in principle, to what is done in person? First, we must remember to RSVP and SHOW UP
for face to face events and behave accordingly. We must know the culture
of each online "room" and behave accordingly. in. We
need to know the rules of Tweeter, linkedin, google plus etc. Online
rooms are also about connecting/being part of the conversation. In face to face
opportunities, DON"T KEEP YOUR SMART PHONE on. That would be a dumb
thing to do.
For free and interesting info and
posts, see www.susanroane.com and check out infographic.
You can connect with her on Twitter @susanroane
or @howtoworkaroom
RESOURCES
The best blog post on time management!
Excellent speaking toolkit for authors
Can you write a book that never ends?
Brian
Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and
not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter.
You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.
This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014.
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