Unsolicited Indie Advice, Part Two: Networking Continued

Tags

author networking, building community, collaboration, how to network, indie publishing, networking, self publishing

This is part two of an ongoing series in which I identify key skills and aptitudes which I have found necessary in order to have the best chance of succeeding as a self publisher or indie micro publisher. These articles are based on both my professional training as an author, editor and commercial artist, and my experiences in the industry, running my company for the last 5 years. They are not intended to refer to any particular individual without permission, and are merely my opinion. Please read lots of opinions and only use mine if they resonate with you.

I really believe in the power of indie authors to be great, and carve out a place of respect for themselves in the market and among their peers. But, to do that, we all must engage in a process of continuous self-improvement and learning about quality and industry best practices. I am still in this process myself, but I would also like to reach out and help those newer to the community. The better you do, the better we all do. It’s time to raise the standard and earn respect for everyone!

This is the second part of a two-part post on networking for indie publishers. The first part is here.

So, you’re feeling a bit ‘out of the loop’, uninspired and alone, or you have discovered that you don’t yet have the coverage or resources to do the things you’d like to do with your book business. Networking can be a great way to diminish these issues. Plus, you’ll make some great new friends who share your interests.

Here are my top tips for making networking work for you:

1. Show up, and keep showing up.

Find events and spaces where you know other authors and artistic professionals will be, and go there regularly. If people seem not to notice you, or seem a bit standoffish, don’t get discouraged. A lot of close-knit groups are like this with new people. Make sure you give the event enough time before deciding that the culture doesn’t work for you. If it’s a weekly event, give it three months. A monthly event? At least six months. Yearly events are tricky, as they are often more costly, but even then, I would suggest going more than once unless it seems like a total rip-off.

2. Show enthusiasm.

One of the best ways to become part of a community is to listen a lot, take an interest in people, and join in on existing projects. If you show enthusiasm and support for other people’s projects, you’ll become part of the community, and you’ll learn a lot. Helping others, especially in this industry, always helps you too, so be generous!

3. Be a Friend.

Similar to the above, it takes a friend to make a friend. Concern yourself with what people can do for you, and you’ll come off as fake (and probably will be). Concentrate on making friends, no matter whether their interests interlock with yours, and you’ll find yourself with a great support network before long. Feed people. Lend them your pen. Offer rides. If you know someone a little better and feel safe doing so, offer crash space. Listen to their stories and learn about their hobbies. We’re all in this together, so it pays to work together, too!

4. Learn.

Workshops and classes double as both great learning experiences that take you further away from Dunning-Kruger land (see the first item in this series), and as great places to meet others who are on the same stage of their journey. I always sign up for workshops when I’m able, because even if I feel like I’ve got a good grasp on the subject matter, I always learn something new, and meet new friends.

5. Remember: It’s about joining a community, not dredging for opportunity.

If you have read my take on networking and still want to do it the mercenary way, be my guest. But, I’m warning you, you’re cheating yourself out of a lot of genuine friendships, and a lot of joy. One of the amazing things I’ve learned from being part of a collaborative group of authors that often vend together is that we’re really not in competition with one another. Rather, by being together, we draw people in that will be interested in a variety of the books we’re all selling, depending on their tastes. We’re also great friends who enjoy each others’ company outside of our business endeavors.

I’ve met people who treat networking as a ‘What can you do for me?’ proposition, and, since this is unsolicited indie advice, I can honestly say that I find many of them rude and self-serving, and even if they may be very nice in private, they look extremely shallow when they engage in that kind of behaviour. Just think: that person you brush off today because they seem like small potatoes may actually turn out to be somebody you wish you’d gotten to know once you see more of them. But, I know I’m very reluctant to give second chances to someone who’s come off as mercenary and fickle when my business is on the line, and I’m sure many others are too.

The old adage is true: you only get one first impression. So don’t make that impression be that you’re a shallow dick who’s looking to climb the ladder quickly, because most people aren’t game to be stepped on while you climb. Do the work. Invest the time to really get to know people. Care about them and let them care about you. Join your local community, don’t just cruise by looking for handouts.

Networking isn’t a quick fix or a way to bypass industry gatekeepers… it takes work, and time investment, and real relationship building. But, if you’re willing to put in the work, it will benefit both you, and your community. Great, huh?

If you liked this article, why not check out the earlier posts in the series?

Part Two: Networking

Part One: The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the Novice Publisher

Part One Continued: Dunning-Kruger, Part Two-ger

Unsolicited Indie Advice, Part Two: Networking

Tags

how to publish a book, how to self-publish, indie publishing, indie publishing advice, networking, networking for indie publishers, networking for writers, publishing advice, self publishing, self-publishing advice, writing advice

This is part two of an ongoing series in which I identify key skills and aptitudes which I have found necessary in order to have the best chance of succeeding as a self publisher or indie micro publisher. These articles are based on both my professional training as an author, editor and commercial artist, and my experiences in the industry, running my company for the last 5 years. They are not intended to refer to any particular individual without permission, and are merely my opinion. Please read lots of opinions and only use mine if they resonate with you.

I really believe in the power of indie authors to be great, and carve out a place of respect for themselves in the market and among their peers. But, to do that, we all must engage in a process of continuous self-improvement and learning about quality and industry best practices. I am still in this process myself, but I would also like to reach out and help those newer to the community. The better you do, the better we all do. It’s time to raise the standard and earn respect for everyone!

There’s been a lot of great feedback on this series already, and some of it has been positively inspiring!

After writing Unsolicited Indie Advice, Part One: The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the Novice Publisher, I was left thinking about one of my points of advice. In it, I advised novice publishers to beware working with family or friends due to the high probability that either a) they’re not qualified, or b) you’ll quarrel at some point over terms and lose a relationship that is more important than your business.

This advice is still sound, and something that new people need to hear. But, I think that a little bit of clarification is in order. After writing the article, I sat back and thought of all of the wonderful people that I currently do business with, and genuinely consider friends. I belong to a wonderful community of local writers that respect and support each other. So, how is this relationship different from the one I described in Part One?

The answer is about attitude. Professional friendships can be as real and lasting as any other friendship, but they generally start with networking. Meeting like-minded friends through networking is very different from the square-peg-in-round-hole method of trying to make existing family and friends fit your vision.

So, the next two articles in the series are about networking with other publishing professionals, and how to make it work for you.

Common Problems of Indie Publishers Who Need Better Networking Skills:

1. You know there must be events out there for authors like you, but you’re not sure where to look, or who to ask.

Some communities have better advertisement for their events than others, but networking is a great way to tap into more events, and hear about opportunities you might want to be a part of. It’s also a great way to share knowledge about how others are being treated at certain events, and what is available.

2. You know where the events are, but they seem beyond your reach, due to lack of funds, equipment or enough titles to fill a table.

Once you find some like-minded individuals, it’s easier to team up to fill out tables, share equipment and reduce fees. This works out better for everyone, and you’ll be surprised how quickly that event that seemed out of reach becomes affordable with a little teamwork!

3. You’ve read every article you can find online, but there still seem to be huge aspects of the business that elude you in practice.

Speaking to real people who are making their businesses work in your local area can give you a wealth of information about your local market, sales, and the kind of best practices that can really pull up a whole community of indie publishers through knowledge-sharing.

4. You feel isolated, like no one around you supports your choice to start a publishing business, or working on your titles feels like an uphill battle that you’re fighting alone.

It can be very tiring and de-motivating to feel like you’re having to go it alone. Connecting with people who are doing the same things can provide a source of encouragement for all involved, and be a ready source of inspiration when you all brainstorm together.

If these problems feel familiar, you might want to try brushing up on your networking skills. In the next article, I’ll give my best tips for growing a supportive network of friends that share your vision.

If you liked this article, why not check out the earlier posts in the series?

Part One: The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the Novice Publisher

Part One Continued: Dunning-Kruger, Part Two-ger

Unsolicited Indie Advice: Dunning-Kruger, Part Two-ger

Tags

book design, book production, dunning-kruger effect, indie publishing advice, psychology, publishing advice, self-assessment, self-awareness, self-improvement, writing advice

This is part two of an ongoing series in which I identify key skills and aptitudes which I have found necessary in order to have the best chance of succeeding as a self publisher or indie micro publisher. These articles are based on both my professional training as an author, editor and commercial artist, and my experiences in the industry, running my company for the last 5 years. They are not intended to refer to any particular individual without permission, and are merely my opinion. Please read lots of opinions and only use mine if they resonate with you.

I really believe in the power of indie authors to be great, and carve out a place of respect for themselves in the market and among their peers. But, to do that, we all must engage in a process of continuous self-improvement and learning about quality and industry best practices. I am still in this process myself, but I would also like to reach out and help those newer to the community. The better you do, the better we all do. It’s time to raise the standard and earn respect for everyone!

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This article builds on the arguments previously made in this installment of Unsolicited Indie Advice. I highly suggest you read it before continuing on, as it elaborates psychological concepts that not everyone may be familiar with.

Beginning indie publishers usually have one, maybe two or three skill sets that they do well that are applicable to the publishing process. If they’re lucky, those three skill sets are writing, visual art and marketing. If so, great… but guess what? There are way more than three skill sets that go into publishing a really good book, and it is quite literally impossible for one person to do them all flawlessly, especially at first, and most especially if they are publishing their own writing. Many people don’t even know what all these skill sets are when deciding to publish a book. Even if you were to execute a perfect performance in all of the technical aspects of producing the final book, no writer can edit themselves. That’s another weird human psychological thing for which I don’t know the technical name, but it is nonetheless true.

So, you’re starting out with a dream and very little technical knowledge, and you have decided to wing it mostly on your own. Sometimes, due to budget or lack thereof, there is little choice but to go some of the process alone. But, you’re inexperienced, and everything we know scientifically (and a lot of what I’ve experienced over the years) has shown that you are highly likely to overestimate your own abilities and be blind to the ways in which your product needs to improve in order to meet the standards of the wider industry. How do you avoid the exceedingly common pitfalls caused by the Dunning-Kruger effect that will affect how seriously people take your products?

Based on my experiences, I have compiled a handy list of key skills to develop in order to be more successful at self-assessment. These will be a common feature of all the Unsolicited Indie Advice columns, and are intended to be used as jumping-off points that can be easily implemented in daily practice.

1: Approach all tasks with an attitude of humility.

This point applies even more strongly to disciplines that you think you know than those that you know you don’t. Read. Listen. Explore what others have done and been successful with. Sit at the feet of those who have come before and absorb their insights and process. Read up on what steps go into any given task, and what the risks are for taking shortcuts. When you are humble and take the time to listen, you absorb the attitudes and mental orientation that you need to be successful. That brings me to the next tip:

2: Be patient.

It is better to bring out one amazing book in five years than five terrible books in one year. Books are a slow medium. They take time to read, and time to produce. Make peace with this, and take the time you need to learn and work with the appropriate professionals to develop your product right. I budget at least six months between the delivery of a finished manuscript and release, and many people would say that’s far too short a time frame. I’m actually working at lengthening my production window to enable further quality safeguards and better strategic planning.

If you’re anything like most indie publishers, you haven’t bet the farm on publishing. You’ve got a life outside of publishing, so live it. Keep doing what you do for your day job, as hard as that may seem sometimes. The project will keep while you’re learning to do it right, I promise.

3: Learn to seek out, and take, critique.

This one can sometimes be a sticking point for those who have never pursued the arts professionally before. Critique is hard to take, and often when we are unused to listening to criticism of our work, it can raise feelings of low self-worth, anger and resentment. For me, critique has been a part of how I do things since my late teens, and I like to think that I’ve worked through most of the bumps and jolts that come from exposing my work to others. You might still need to go through that process, and it can be a very vulnerable one. But let’s be clear: if you want to avoid Messrs. Dunning and Kruger, you cannot avoid taking critique. And, once you receive critique, you must make every effort to listen to what the critiquer is trying to convey to you and actively make changes.

4: Enlist professional allies to help you find your way.

Once you’ve identified your areas of weakness through humility, patience and seeking out critique, you will want to find experts who can help you smooth over your weakest areas. This can be done on a variety of budgets. Editors, professional, experienced editors, are an absolute must for any self-publisher. Barter, save, pay however you must, but you must get a good editor on board somehow or your book will be severely lacking. This is the same for writers of all levels of fame and quality. You may also find that there are other things, like layout and cover design, that are actually cheaper to farm out if you don’t have the proper software licenses. Once you know what you don’t know, don’t ignore this information and cut corners. Every dollar you don’t spend to make your book right will inevitably be compounded by poor sales when the book doesn’t look as it should, and vice versa. While there are no guarantees, a fine looking, well-produced book will inevitably sell far better than an amateurish offering. Also, don’t fall into the false economy of hiring less-qualified artists because you’re getting a deal. Consult with experts before signing on with any amateurs! Deviantart is often not your friend, especially when you still don’t know what you don’t know.

If your budget really is rock bottom, my advice is to put your money into good editing and glean the rest from study and information gathering with design professionals. After all, services cost money, but advice is often free, and many professionals use free advice as part of their online platform these days. Be aware, though, that with this route comes a steep learning curve. I went this way, and even with a lot of professional design training, I still made rookie mistakes for ages.

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So, that’s my list, and those are my unsolicited tips for beating the Dunning-Kruger effect. This advice is going to serve as a base for the other articles in the series, as we should always begin each phase of learning with humility and understanding of our lack of knowledge. Coming up next, I will break down book production into its various stages and skill sets, and provide a no-nonsense guide to making it work with little previous experience.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and found it helpful! Feel free to ask for some solicited indie advice in the comments section, or to weigh in on my strategy!

Unsolicited Indie Advice, Part One: The Dunning-Kruger Effect and The Novice Publisher

Tags

book design, book production, dunning-kruger effect, indie publishing advice, psychology, publishing advice, self-assessment, self-evaluation, self-improvement, writing advice

This is part one of an ongoing series in which I identify key skills and aptitudes which I have found necessary in order to have the best chance of succeeding as a self publisher or indie micro publisher. These articles are based on both my professional training as an author, editor and commercial artist, and my experiences in the industry, running my company for the last 5 years. They are not intended to refer to any particular individual without permission, and are merely my opinion. Please read lots of opinions and only use mine if they resonate with you.

I really believe in the power of indie authors to be great, and carve out a place of respect for themselves in the market and among their peers. But, to do that, we all must engage in a process of continuous self-improvement and learning about quality and industry best practices. I am still in this process myself, but I would also like to reach out and help those newer to the community. The better you do, the better we all do. It’s time to raise the standard and earn respect for everyone!

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A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

These are old sayings, but they point at something intrinsic to human psychology that wise people have always known is there. Wisdom is self critical, and yet inexperience is bold and brash.

It wasn’t until 1999 that psychological science was able to put a name to this phenomenon, and proactively measure the ways in which the inexperienced are blind to their own failings. Two scientists, named Dunning and Kruger, conducted a series of experiments which measured people’s performance on different types of tests versus their estimation of their own abilities. The results are well summarized in this wikipedia article.

In brief, the Dunning-Kruger effect states that those who are under-qualified in a particular set of skills are more likely to rate their abilities highly, whereas those who are highly skilled in a given discipline are more likely to under-rate themselves, be critical or their own performance and overestimate the ease of doing what they do. The research implies that although the severity varies, these behaviours are intrinsic blind spots in our psychology, hard-wired into the human brain, and everyone does them at one time or another. It has no correlation to intelligence, but often causes others to perceive the person suffering from it as clueless at best, unintelligent and arrogant at worst. But, this is not true. It’s a failing common to all of us, and it’s possible to break through.

The Dunning-Kruger effect can have many manifestations in the world of indie publishing. In each article of this series, I will compile a list of some common possible problems people may encounter if they have an issue with the skills addressed in the article.

Common Problems of Indie Publishers Exhibiting the Dunning-Kruger Effect:

1. Over-inflated ideas of where the project will go.

Yes, some authors do hit it big right away, but in my experience, their great luck is also combined with a lot of research, skill and hard work, no matter what. Expect a slow start. The common turn-around time for an arts business of any kind to turn a profit (of any discipline, even if run by experts) is ten years. Expect people to be skeptical of you at first, and to pay your dues and build relationships in the community. Also, you will quickly learn that a huge marketing budget and a lot of flash and branding can’t make up for a shoddy product. Readers are, by and large, some of the best critical thinkers, not to be swayed by window dressing. Resources, especially at first, are almost always better centered on the core product.

2. Stopping at ‘good enough for me’.

Many people suffering from this phenomenon fall into the thinking of ‘I’m an average person, and it’s good enough for me, so it’ll be good enough for other average people.’ Wrong. So wrong. People are learning creatures, and their entire reading lives, they have been taught that traditional publishing standards are what they should look for in a book to read. They do, to rehash an old chestnut, judge a book by its cover. It’s a snap, split-second judgement. Do you really think that any amount of argument or charm on your part is going to change an ingrained, instinctual reaction? Changing those types of assumptions takes time, and colossal societal movement, and I guarantee that it is not in your budget unless you’re a Gates or a Disney.

So, why not take the time to learn industry best practices and make people’s assumptions work for you? It’s much better and more fulfilling than playing the misunderstood starving artist/martyr, I promise.

3. Working with friends when it’s bad for the business.

This is another one that I, unfortunately, have had to learn the hard way. Naturally, you want to think your friends, lovers and relatives are talented, and cool, and give them that big break they’ve been waiting for all these years, or maybe just some good work experience and a reference. And, they’ll usually work for cheap to free! What could be better than that?

A lot of stuff, actually. First of all, I know it would be fun to work with all people you know, and cost is on their side, but the likelihood that you are going to be able to pull the level of people you need in order to be taken seriously from your friend and family pool — from volunteers among your friend and family pool — is exponentially low. You’re sinking a lot of money into this process, or at least a lot of time and heart. Don’t you want to make it work the best it can?

Secondly, you need to think about the potential complications, and whether your personal relationships are worth sacrificing for this. What if someone does a bad job and then either won’t listen or gets angry when you can’t use their work? What if they start getting indignant about all of the work they’re doing for you and think you should start paying them, or paying them more? What if they offer to work for a reference, then don’t perform to your satisfaction, and don’t get the reference? You think it won’t happen now, but people change the agreements they’ve made all the time, and conveniently forget what they signed on for, no matter how up-front you are. Depending on the circumstances, you could get sued, or they may threaten to smear you on the internet to anyone who will listen.

These are all things that can be devastating to your personal relationships, and result in substandard books being put out into the world. Don’t let emotional attachments trip you up. It may seem cold at first, but in the long run it is much kinder and saves a lot of hurt on both sides. Trust me, I’ve been there, and it wasn’t pretty.

4. An overall sense of being ignored, dismissed, or not taken seriously.

A huge problem with suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect is that often, other people will be too embarrassed or not assertive enough to tell you what is wrong. They will simply ignore you, exclude you, and walk right on by your booth. Just like the clueless guy with his fly undone at the club, very few people, unless they have a very specific personality and relationship to the subject, will step up and address the issue. The people that do stop to help may seem blunt, harsh, and a tad on the rude side. Chances are that if they are assertive enough to break the taboo, these things are true of them, and that can cause barriers to improvement because it is easy to get indignant. But, they are actually giving you a great gift, and you must learn to treat it as such.

Many indie authors encounter resistance, questioning, and even outright hostility from some people when they do their first few events. It is not necessarily a quality indicator if you meet one or two genuinely rude people. But, if you sell less than perhaps ten books per show, if people seem to be glossing right over you when they walk by, or treating you with open disdain or dismissal, it might be that your product is obviously inferior and people are embarrassed for you. If you get an overall sense of dismissal from people and it’s hard to pinpoint why, your answer most likely lies with the Dunning-Kruger effect. Your work looks okay to you, but it is far from meeting industry standards in some key way. You need to dig down and figure out what the problem (or problems) are.

So, we’ve identified a key problem facing indie publishers today, and identified some of the ways it can manifest in our business practices and attitudes. But, how do we ditch the Dunning-Kruger effect? The short answer: learning and patience. In part two of this blog, I’ll give you my tips for breaking down false images of your work and building attitudes that lead to more accurate self-assessment.

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I hope you enjoyed this article, and found it helpful! Feel free to ask for some solicited indie advice in the comments section, or to weigh in on my strategy!