Announcing New Community Resources at DIY MFA

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Community

It’s tempting to think of writing the way it used to be in days of old. You hide out in a cabin in the woods, pour your words onto the page and then *poof* you have a book. But the truth is that these days, you can’t go it alone. Writers need community.

There are three key different groups of people with whom writers need to connect: trusted writers, ideal readers and publishing professionals. Building a support network of writing colleagues is important because these writers will give you feedback and push you to improve your work. Readers, of course, are essential because without readers, you’re just putting words out into the void. Finally, it’s crucial to understand the publishing industry and how to share your work with the world at large.

Check out these community resources to help you connect with these key people.

Building Community with Writers, Readers and Publishers

Connecting with other writers can happen in a variety of ways. From conferences to critique groups, there are many ways that you can build that network of writing colleagues. In addition to in-person events, there are also many online resources that allow writers to connect with each other.

Finding readers is a key skill and one that many writers often ignore. These days, writers play a huge role in marketing and selling their books and the critical step in doing this is identifying and connecting with ideal readers. Don’t worry, you don’t have to get overly “sales-y” to do this. This is about making genuine connections with people who love reading books like yours.

Finally, there’s the publishing industry. Whether you’re trying to place a short piece in a magazine or you want to find a publisher for your book, it’s important to understand how the industry works so that you can approach the process in the most effective way.

Want to learn how to build your writing community?
Check out the Community Resources for tons of links and info.

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