How Writers Can Build (and Warm Up To) Their Community

Practical advice for all writers across all platforms

This article is in response to a delightful comment by Kemi Bateye on my July recap article. You can learn more about Kemi and follow her here:

Writing is about building a community. It’s important that all writers understand that they are not giving a lecture, they are having a conversation. Writers tend to be loquacious, but it’s important to remember to pause and give other people a chance to speak every now and then. In fact, it’s critical.

Like any other social interaction, working as a writer entails a power dynamic. Even though many writers work from a home and spend much of the day in solitude, writing is a social activity. Because of this strange introvert/extrovert dynamic, some writers can inadvertently become cyber bullies. No matter what field you’re in, becoming a bully will hurt your professional advancement eventually.

A bully? Seriously?

Becoming a bully is an extreme example, but it does represent the worst case scenario for any writer that fails to engage in proper community building and engagement. No matter what their status, writers must read the work of other writers, leave comments, and participate in a fair, intellectual discussion of the topic at hand.

Throughout the years, I’ve done a lot of work as a reviewer for independently published books. I’m happy to read the works of these novelists and I feel it’s exciting and rewarding to bring attention to undiscovered talent. However, it’s amazing how often I meet writers who have a sense of entitlement and seem to feel that I only exist to help them achieve the legendary status they believe they deserve.

Some of the authors I review won’t even do so much as share the review I’ve written about their work. They won’t leave a comment, they won’t engage in any way. This behavior strikes me as absolutely absurd, after all, it’s in their interest that as many eyes as possible see what I’ve written about them.

In the very worst case interactions, they might even become haughty if my review doesn’t lead to an instant increase in sales. It’s bizarre that they don’t understand that an article represents an ongoing opportunity for discovery, and it shouldn’t be judged by how it performs in the first 45 minutes after publication.

How to build a community

The fundamental component of building a community is simple: you must be generous. Remember that your time is a commodity, and even if you don’t have a massive following, writers appreciate when you engage with their work.

In fact, some of my most treasured friendships have developed out of the simple act of purchasing a small-press novel and writing a review. Making that effort endears you to a writer in a way that few other actions ever could. Given the choice between a sincere review of their book and a check for a thousand dollars, most writers would take the review. Therefore, writing reviews represents a currency that will help you fortify a very strong writing community.

Of course, it doesn’t always happen, occasionally you’ll review a book and end up meeting one of those bullies I mentioned before. But more often you meet writers who understand what you’ve done and are willing to bring you into their network for further promotions. It’s that ongoing relationship that truly helps you build something special.

Look among the new authors

Everybody always has the misconception that they need to get in with the writers that have tens of thousands of followers. Sure, if one of those writers happens to share something of yours, it can provide a huge surge of visibility. However, it’s likely that the surge will only be a spike and will not represent sustainable traffic.

Instead of sitting around getting ignored like a beggar at the estate of some vaunted gatekeeper, you need to spend your time in productive construction. Seek out other writers who are at or below your level of community and join with them. Together you become stronger.

Gatekeepers don’t have any time

I have been working as a writer for a long time. I’m fully aware that I’m nothing close to a household name, but I do have good visibility across a number of platforms. Most mornings I wake up and find I have between 50 and 100 notifications to attend to (it’d be two or three times that, but I don’t check Facebook notifications anymore).

I’m pleased with the level I’m at now because it allows me to provide thoughtful responses to everyone who engages. However, writers with larger platforms might have 10,000 daily notifications. They aren’t being mean, they just don’t have the time to respond to everyone who writes to them.

You’re much better off sending out 30 messages to 30 writers with 100 followers, than you are sending out 30 messages to 1 writer with 10,000 followers. The 1 writer might never notice your messages, meanwhile the 30 authors can combine to provide you with a reach of 3,000 people.

Send personal emails and check web pages

I spend a bit of time everyday reading author biographies and sending out notes. When an author provides his/her email in a biography, it’s because that person wants you to write them! When I receive an especially nice comment, or a comment that indicates a shared idealism, I often hunt down an email and send a thank you note.

Again, remember that all writers are busy people who receive a lot of messages a day. You have to distinguish yourself to create a network. If you send a private email that says, “I really enjoyed your article,” the author will stand up and take notice.

Writers are nourished by this kind of engagement, and it gives them the strength to keep writing. We live in a world that seems to be always on the verge of succumbing to madness, and writers are aware of that more than anyone. A little message of support can make an incalculable difference.

Pick the writers you agree with

There are a lot of snooty individuals who fill up the internet with articles that you read and think, “that can’t be right.” However, much of our conditioning as social animals influences us to put aside our perceptions and assume, “well, that person couldn’t have become successful unless they know what they’re talking about.”

Newsflash: that’s not the case.

I would much rather have a community of 1,000 people that I actually agreed with and felt a connection to, than a community of 10,000,000 crazy people. I’m 45 years old now, and frankly I’m tired of not saying the things I truly believe out of fear that I might insult somebody. It provides for a much happier, satisfying life when you feel empowered to say and stand for the things you truly believe.

Be sincere

I think, fundamentally, sincerity is the ultimate key to connecting with people. So many writers look for a “get rich quick” scheme, and they try to replicate tactics that seemed to have worked for others. However, what you don’t see is that sometimes those tactics were supported by a lot of advertising money, or some other artificial factor that enhanced the perception of success.

Sincerity is a thing that’s sorely lacking in the world, and people know it when they see it. I understand that it’s difficult to share your true experience. Sharing a true experience makes you vulnerable, and outside forces will always feel threatened and attack you. But risking the attack is the only way to achieve a sense of personal satisfaction.

Actually, this is the fundamental crux of the whole human experience. You always have to take risks and put yourself in a position where you might be hurt to achieve anything wonderful. There will be painful setbacks, but the alternative of not even trying leaves you zero chance of success.

Summary

The big thing about creating a writing community is that it’s going to take time. You have to sit down, take a deep breath, resolve to be committed to good practices, and not get frustrated if you don’t see the results you want right away.

You don’t have to spend all your time engaging with other writers. Make sure you leave enough time for yourself to write the articles that are of importance to you. But in those down moments at the end of the day, don’t scroll randomly through social media posts. Instead, make the effort to be deliberate in the articles you pick to read, and send out some good will in the form of comments, follows, emails, shares, etc.

To build your writing community, you must be on the lookout for other writers who share your values and are doing good work to spread a message that’s dear to you. Thank them for it! Those writers need to hear it, and you will feel better for having said it. By committing to this course of action, you truly come into the kind of power which is capable of changing the world.

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