Your Network Builds Your Net Worth

Networking is probably the single most important thing you can do as a professional. It is more important than your degrees, your experience or even your social media. It is not about what you know or your talent, it is about who you know-- and who you know can get you much further as an author.

Think about the great authors who have gone down in history as literary classics-- at some point in their career they stumbled upon someone great. They bumped into a T.V. producer who decided to give them an interview, a television host, another author-- but someone who believed in them, enjoyed their company, and brought them either into their social circle or extended their names to people of importance.

When it comes to writing or any fan driven career-- talent alone can only get you so far. The writing industry is flooded with talented authors just waiting to be the next Steven King or E. L. James. So, you have to do something that gives you the extra edge over the competition-- and that is when your network comes in. Your ability to network a crowd, to get your name in the spotlight, to align yourself with successful individuals creates the difference between a local author and an international bestselling author.

"Your ability to network a crowd, to get your name in the spotlight, to align yourself with successful individuals creates the difference between a local author and an international bestselling author."

Langston Hughes happened to join a network of writers such as  Zora Neale Hurston and Wallace Thurman who  created their own literary magazine called Fire!! Devoted to Younger Negro Artists. Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston created a network of African American writers that would later change the literary world.

And think about Oprah Winfrey one the richest black women in the world, who has not only had a successful journalist career, but her own production company, self-titled magazine, television network station, syndicated television shows, and has acted in Grammy nominated films such as The Color Purple. She has even been the access point to so many others in creating their fame, success, and careers. Yet, where would Oprah, the woman who grew up in rural Mississippi in a poor home be if it weren't for the people in her network like Maya Angelo and Maria Shriver. Women who Oprah had once called sister-friends. What if she had never met Robert Ebert, a well-known movie critic, the very same critic who persuaded Oprah to sign a revenue deal that he believed would increase her value 50 times? These were people that she was able to meet, become friends, and create a network of support, which helped to give her legitimacy and eventually fame. Networking as an author is the building of a community, the building of your brand, and the creation of a social ladder that can take you upwards on your journey if done correctly. You have to literally network to make your dreams work.

"Networking as an author is the building of a community, the building of your brand, and the creation of a social ladder that can take you upwards on your journey if done correctly."

This is what every author needs-- they need a way to reach fans-- a way to get people talking about them-- they need a network. They need to shake hands with the top people in the industry, and get people motivated and believing in who they are as an artist. They need to take pictures with the people who have already made it, they need to bump heads with an actress, a movie producer, a radio host, a television executive-- anyone that can bring a little attention to who they are and what they are doing. And, they have to give them something to remember-- whether it is your novel, your name, or your persona.

Networking is not just an asset; it's your bread and butter. You can't be a singer if you are not in the music scene, you can't be a Piccasso without being in the art scene, and you can't be a writer without being aware, involved and intermingled into the writing community. And oddly enough, all these scenes eventually blend and become one big metropolitan of creativity, because what you don't realize is that everyone is someone doing the same thing you are doing. They are all trying to be seen, and get noticed and go far.

"You have to literally network to make your dreams work."

Everyone is walking around with their product in their hand, trying to get the people to buy in. Because you never know who may be in the room, it could be the next Langston Hughes, or Beyoncé, or Madonna, or even a person who knows a guy that knows a guy that knows Oprah Winfrey. Each hand you shake, friend you make, person you spend time with-- could be a step on the ladder to greatness. It could be your avenue to being a New York Times Best Selling author or a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show or even a book deal with a major publisher.

Network . . . Network . . . Network . . . until you eventually start growing your Net Worth. It's your network that is gong to make your dreams work.

Dawnell Jacobs is the author of The Shade of Devotion, Brains Not Included, Black Magic, and The Monsters of Within: Heart of Darkness. She has also published a self-help book Your Story Matters: Leaning How To Be The Author of Your Destiny. You can find all of her books on Amazon, Kindle, Nook, and Barnes And Noble. She is also a motivational speaker to young audiences. She uses her personal journey to inspire hope and change. All pictures and entries in this blog are subject to copyright laws. ©Dawnell Jacobs 2018. 

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How Do You Know If You Are Meant To Be An Author. . .

Today, I was sitting at work when someone asked me: how do you know if you are an author? The question seemed simple at first glance. I am an author because I write, I enjoy writing, I am obsessed with writing, I write everyday. I wake up sometimes in the wee mornings to write-- stories, poems, blogs, etc. However, the simple fact of loving to write does not make you an author. What makes you an author is actually pursuing writing as a career: being willing to publish your works whether traditional or self-publishing, being willing to build your brand and finally, a willingness to market your abilities. Being an author is a step beyond writing as it takes hours, days, weeks, months, and even years of hard work and dedication.

It's just a fact that being an author is a difficult process. First, an author has to find his or her voice or niche-- which takes not just hours but days and even months of planning. He or she has to ask their self questions like: What genre would I prefer to write? Is it profitable? Who is my target audience? What ages? What lifestyle does my audience prefer? Where do they get their books?What is the likeliness that they will buy a new author? How loyal are they to a particular author or brand? And finally, how much does my audience spend on books? How often do they purchase? These types of questions aren't easy to answer, but they are necessary. Without asking yourself the important questions, you will just be floundering in the dark.

Without asking yourself the important questions, you will just be floundering in the dark.

However, simply creating a plan for becoming a novelist isn't the hardest part. Next, an author has to actually write a novel which can easily take 6-9 months or even years of dedication. He or she not only has to write a novel that they like, but an author has to create enough balance that he or she has written a book that their audience will also love. And that means, an author has to develop likable characters, create intriguing plots, have a climax or two or three that keep the readers engaged, and know when to end the novel that will make an audience want to buy another book. Yet, this stage doesn't even include the 3 - 6 months of grueling editing to make a manuscript so perfect that it is free from errors and typos.

Then, once the novel is published-- to be an official author-- you must market it: book tours, book signings, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, promotions, free readings, press releases, commercials, interviews,  etc. An author has to find a way to get the book in as many hands as possible to ensure that it sells. An author has to be willing to take photography shoots, speaking engagements, and even create flyers. This is a daunting task. Yet, this is a part of being an author.

An author has to find a way to get the book in as many hands as possible to ensure that it sells.

Being an author means that you are willing to go from writing as a passion or a hobby to making writing into a lucrative business or career. A person must be willing to go beyond just typing on a computer and get engaged to the highly active writing community and fight for a space among the best with the odds surely set against them. Yet, despite having the poorest odds, an author does it anyway. They keep pushing, they keep writing, they keep pursuing until the day they find their faces on the cover of New York Times Bestseller's List or may be not . . .  maybe they just find themselves on the shelves of a local library. Being an author is working hard, struggling, submitting manuscripts, marketing, building your brand with a single goal in mind-- but not really knowing how it all will truly end. Being an author is the willingness to sacrifice time, money, friends-- to establish and build a dream in hope that one day it can become a reality. It's like balancing an entire world on a tight rope, hoping that you can get across and not caring how many times you fall.

Yes, being an author is not just about having a passion for writing. It is about having the ambition to make yourself known for your writing. It's about creating a business, a brand, that other's are willing to buy into. It's about moving beyond the computer screen, beyond typed fonts, and into the world of publishing. I am an author not just because I love to write, but because it is my business to write. An author knows when they are an author, when they are willing to make the sacrifices to be one.

 I am an author not just because I love to write, but because it is my business to write.

Dawnell Jacobs is the author of The Shade of Devotion, Brains Not Included, Black Magic, and The Monsters of Within: Heart of Darkness. She has also published a self-help book Your Story Matters: Leaning How To Be The Author of Your Destiny. You can find all of her books on Amazon, Kindle, Nook, and Barnes And Noble. She is also a motivational speaker to young audiences. She uses her personal journey to inspire hope and change. All pictures and entries in this blog are subject to copyright laws. ©Dawnell Jacobs 2018. 

Follow me on twitter by Clicking Here. Friend me on Facebook by Clicking Here. Follow my Author's page by Clicking Here! Check out my Instagram by Clicking Here!