Meandering Post about Forums and the Drug of People Reading my Books.

I've been reading the forum boards at KDP again.  I had this idea that I would jump back in and be social and do some networking.  Then I read the boards and remembered why I stopped going there.

Oh, I'm sure there are many fine people who post on those boards.  I can see them.  I also see the not-so-fine people, though, and they make the experience more of a headache than I am willing to subject myself to.

This time it was a person slamming self-published authors as being particularly stupid because why would anyone spend all that money on editing when you can't possibly hope to recoup it.

Then there was the person slamming anyone who is enrolled in Kindle Select as being particularly stupid because it's so limiting and Amazon is the anti-christ or something.  

Maybe I am particularly stupid.  Wouldn't be the first time.  But then I remember each time I see someone read an entire book's worth of pages on Kindle Unlimited, or the whole damn series one after the other, or my entire backlist.  And my heart soars and I know someone somewhere is reading words I put down.

It's like a drug.  People are reading my words.  And they're enjoying them enough to read the whole book or the whole series or all of the books.  Now, there's a high.  And it's one that doesn't dull my senses or muddle my brain or make me drive like an asshole or make me do stupid things.  (Unless you're among those who count self-publishing as a stupid thing.  In which case, I say to you: Bugger Off.)

Sure, I wish more people were buying and reading my books.  I wish everyone who read one enjoyed it so much they were excited enough to buy more.  Or that they could afford to buy more.  (I get the whole budget thing.  I'm living it.  Which is why my books are as inexpensive as I can make them without screwing myself.) What writer doesn't want more people reading their books? 

Anyway, I'm off of reading the boards again.  So much for being social and networking with the ultimate goal of selling more books.  I don't have the intestinal fortitude for it anymore.  I'd rather spend my time writing books, editing books, and publishing books.  The readers will come somehow or other, and I will revel in them.

Networking Stuff

Monday, my friend, Jennifer Lyon had a most excellent post on Networking.  In it I commented that I suck at networking and she replied that I was good at networking.  The whole exchange has been on my mind ever since.  I think what's at play here is a difference in ideas of what networking is. 

The Google definition for networking is "interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one's career."

I'm good at interacting with people.  But I don't usually do it with the furtherance of my career in mind.  That's the part I'm bad at.  I interact with people I like because it's fun to do so.  I'm horrible at interacting with people I don't like because it's drudgery and it's fake.  

And I am NOT saying that about Jenn.  She's amazing and sweet and lovely.  And she would never be fake.  But you've seen them out there. The fake ones who pretend to like people who could help them. I don't have the energy for that crap. The best I can do is be civil to people I don't like.  Or ignore them entirely so I don't say something nasty.  (Mama always said 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.')

I think there's one thing that's paramount in the whole networking thing.  Be yourself.  Be friendly.  Be chatty.  And don't think about 'networking' while you're doing it.  If you have to think of anything before you go out there in the world, think about building relationships.  That's basically what I had to do when I worked in sales.  Find something you have in common.  Talk about that.  Then when the time comes, they'll help you because they genuinely like you.  And you help them because you genuinely like them.  

Oh, it would be easy enough to find a best selling author and become a sycophant.  "Oh, I love you, Mr. X. And all the words that droppeth from your fingers are like magical beans or wisdom."  Barf.  

So, yeah, I guess I am good at networking - my way.  I have friends out there who've been my friends since I started blogging in 2006.  I don't connect with them as often as I should, and that's on me.  I have new friends I've only met in the past year or so.  :waves:  And if that's networking, then more power to it.  Bring it on, baby.