Publishing is a People Business
At some point, whether you are a reader, a writer, an editor, a publicist, a marketer, or whatever, you are going to need to interact with people inside and outside the literary community. How you go about these interactions will greatly impact your present and your future. One conversation, one job, one panel has the potential to make or break you.
I don’t say this to make anyone anxious. Rather, I bring it up because the notion that something as trivial as a conversation while standing in line for a cup of coffee has the power to alter the trajectory of your place/role in the literary community is astounding. You never know if, or when, or how that person you met at a conference, or someone you work(ed) with, or the guy you met on the street might help you grow as a writer, a person, and/or a creative professional. This is why I believe it is so important to make mindful connections and take the time to maintain them.
Be genuine. Be giving.
Recently, a friend of mine recommended I read a book called The Go-Giver: A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It argues that in order to be successful you need to be willing to give rather than constantly try to get. According to Burg and Mann the “Five Laws for Stratospheric Success” are as follows:
The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment
Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them
Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first
Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself
Law of Receptivity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving
In other words:
Your knowledge, your skills, your passions are more than the money you make or the number of publications you have.
While I don’t necessarily agree that you need to continuously increase the number of people you connect with, work with, etc., I do believe that the quality of the connections is important in growing your personal ‘wealth’ (and I’m not just talking fiscal wealth).
Step outside your bubble and take a genuine interest in the triumphs and hardships of those around you. Be in tune with the world. Be mindful. Listen!
Just be yourself. You're enough.
Be open to new opportunities, consuming knowledge, learning skills, and building connections.
While The Go-Giver is marketed as a guide to building financial success, I would argue it is more about developing your professional reputation and just being a good human in general. Going back to publishing being a people business, reputation is everything. Think about someone in the community you admire, and then think about someone who you can’t stand. Why do you admire this person? Why do you detest that person? Whatever the answer is, I would be willing to bet it can be traced back to one or more of these five laws.
Now, I’m not encouraging you to be a yes man or woman and constantly be in a state of giving. Know your limits, and don’t be ashamed to carve out time for yourself and your creative projects. But what I am saying is that small acts like showing up to a friend’s reading, taking a workshop class to better your craft, talking with your author about something other than their deadline, generating positive discussions on social media, maintaining a blog, or reaching out to someone you know is struggling can make an enormous difference. And while these small things may not bring about immediate results they add up over time and somehow, somewhere it will come back to you.
Works Referenced
Burg, B. & Mann, J.D. (2015). The Go-Giver: A little story about a powerful business idea. New York, NY: Portfolio.
