By: DiAnn Mills
Most people believe writers lead a solitary life. But a professional writer thrives on community. We writers can’t achieve measurable success without surrounding ourselves with others who share our goals, dreams, and values.
In this context, a community is a group of people who have expertise and passion for the same interests. In a writer’s community, each person has a stake in the project and finds satisfaction in achieving a common goal. The community finds a home in the simple joy of a job well done. A sense of neighborhood occurs when members contribute with that they do best and forge a trust among others.
Community + Respect +Trust + Goals = Success
The community provides the means to accomplish a project that can’t be done alone. No one is more important than another, and all work together.
Who is in your writer community?
God
God is our number one fan, encourager, and Creator of ideas. He loves us unconditionally, and His love has no bearing on rejections, rewrites, and sales. He won’t lead us astray in any area of our lives.
Agent
An agent seeks the right publication venue for a writer’s work. This person negotiates beneficial terms and offers career advice. The agent attends conferences and is informed about the latest trends and changes in the publishing industry.
Critique Partner(s)
These writers offer constructive criticism to improve our writing. A critique partner reads and evaluates with an eye toward publication.
Editor(s)
An editor partners with the writer to create the most dynamic manuscript possible. This person is the
writer’s cheerleader. Suggestions, rewrites, and teamwork enable a writer to provide readers the best possible manuscript.
Marketing, Promotion, and Publicity Team
This team of incredible people opens the windows of awareness to readers. From print ads to online
opportunities and social media, the marketing team works to put a writer’s work in front of potential readers’ eyes.
Publisher
Whether we choose a traditional publisher, indie, or a hybrid model, our publisher prepares a manuscript for sale. This person or company ensures a manuscript is produced, either in print, digital, or online form and released.
Readers
Our foremost reason to write is for our readers, to entertain them with an exciting story that is unpredictable. Without our readers, we have no reason to labor hours in solitude to create a memorablestory.
Sales and Distribution Team
These are the unspoken heroes and heroines of the publishing industry. They work directly with retail outlets, physical and online to get our books into the hands of readers. Without them, we have few sales.
Street Team
These incredible people help spread the word about a writer’s brand and our books within their sphere of influence either online or in person. We writers must never take their street teams for granted.
Writer Group(s)
Online and face-to-face writer groups allow us to give to others while we receive the same benefits. When we support each other in the craft and pass on what we are learning, we pave the road for mutual success.
The Writer
We spend hours laboring over a project to target our audience with an excellent read. We have a vision for our work, and our community helps us bring our writing projects to readers.
The best part of the writer community is we all genuinely respect the others in our neighborhood of publishing. Who is in your writing community? Are you honoring their hard work?
Who is in Your Writer Community? @DiAnnMills #writinglife #writing #pubtips #ACFWBlogs #writetip #ACFWCommunity Click To Tweet
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; the Inspirational Readers’ Choice, Golden Scroll, and Carol award contests. DiAnn speaks and teaches writing all over the country. Connect with DiAnn here: diannmills.com