If you’ve ever purchased a book that a friend wrote and published, read a fellow writer’s essay and provided feedback, or passed along an article to someone who needed to know about self-publishing, then you know what it means to be a literary citizen.
Literary citizenship is a fancy term meaning “forming professional networking relationships,” writes freelance writer Robyn Roste. In the freelancing business, it might be referred to in other ways, such as:
* Investing in relationship building
* Finding ways to help people
* Becoming part of a writing community
The key to becoming an effective literary citizen, Roste says, is to approach it with a collaborative mindset, not a competitive one. There’s plenty of success to go around if you go into literary citizenship with an attitude of abundance rather than lack.
Because most writers work solo, there’s a tendency to look at fellow writers with an attitude of competitiveness. There’s a certain paranoia about sharing your work with others because someone might steal your idea or they might be overly critical of it. Sometimes you might feel envious when another writer gets their manuscript published while you’re slaving away on your third draft.
With a collaborative mindset, you approach writing as an opportunity to learn and share and grow along with other writers. The fact is we’re all on similar paths and we can learn from each others’ failures and successes. We might work alone in a corner of our home, but there’s a whole company of people who make our efforts pay off. No matter how much experience writers have or what genre of writing they do, writing is still a collaborative effort. It goes beyond clients, agents, editors, proofreaders and publicists. It also includes teachers, book reviewers, and bookstore owners—and yes, even our friends and family. It truly does takes a village.
Publishing expert Jane Friedman has a similar definition. Literary citizenship is any activity that supports reading, writing, publishing and the growth of your professional network. “It’s a more palatable and friendlier way to think of platform building.”
Which is critical if you’ve got a book you want to promote.
So how can writers become good literary citizens? Here are a few ideas:
*Join a writing community or writers’ group. As part of that group or community, you can provide writing advice to other writers, offer friendship, and give feedback on their works-in-progress. You can usually find writer’s groups at the local library or bookstore or online. But if you can’t find a group that fits your interests, consider starting your own group.
* Mentor other writers. By mentoring others, you share your knowledge and expertise with others, and guide them in their professional growth. Less experienced writers can benefit from your experience.
*Share tips and resources with other writers. Whether done informally at networking events or meetups, or through other resources, like blogs and newsletters, you can offer writing advice and resources that can help other writers further their careers.
* Post job opportunities for writers and creatives. In the creative field, you might hear of a job opening or about a client looking for a freelancer. Though you may not fit the bill, you might know others who are a better it. Don’t be shy about sharing career opportunities through your social media.
*Write book reviews. When fellow writers publish their books and you’ve taken the time to read it, write a short book review and post on your social media. You’d be doing that fellow writer a big favor by getting the word out about their published work. People do read reviews when they’re considering what to read next.
* Interview authors. Another way to help out a fellow writer is to interview them. Perhaps they’ve just published a new book or they earned some industry recognition. Highlight their success by interviewing them, and write up a summary for your blog or submit the story to a local newspaper or magazine.
* Develop relationships with indie bookstore shop owners. Don’t overlook the role of indie shop owners. Get to know them by visiting their store. Find out what authors and genres are trending. When you’re ready to promote your own new book, they’ll be easier to approach about displaying it in their shop.
* Sign up for an author’s newsletter or follow them on social media. I follow several of my favorite authors on Facebook but I also like to connect with writers I know. As writers, we’re always looking for ways to expand our audiences. As they get to know you, they may eventually decide to follow up in return.
* Celebrate the successes of other writers. Share their news about book signings, new releases, public appearances, etc. on your own social media sites. As the saying goes, “What you put out in the world comes back to you.”
I’ll end with a few final tips, courtesy of TweetSpeak.
- Be generous. Whether giving of your time or sharing your knowledge, don’t be shy about spreading your wealth.
- Reciprocate. If a fellow writer has done a special favor for you—read a draft of your novel, given you a positive review or started commenting on your blog, try to do something similar in return.
- Be grateful. Express your gratitude for whatever your fellow writers have done for you, whether you received a valuable piece of advice from them or got a referral for a prospective freelance client.
The more you share of yourself with other writers, the more likely they’ll want to do the same for you. That is what makes literary citizenship a valuable asset to cultivate.
The Regal Writer 