Allyson Johnson

The Publishing Journey – Step 7: Build Your Network

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Turns out that old adage applies to publishing a book, also. I want all my connections to know about my book, to buy it if only to demonstrate their respect for my efforts, better yet to read it, review it on Amazon and Goodreads, and recommend it to their book clubs!

OK, World of Allyson, I’m going to have to call in my chips. Let’s see… who do I know? Who am I connected with, however loosely?

The Johnson family – including ten households. Maybe twelve if I include some cousins who we still send Christmas cards to, though we haven’t seen each other in years.

The Young family – ten more households

The Sutton family – we had a reunion last year and I met some new cousins – seven more households.

Attendees at the Women’s Fitness Camp I help organize – maybe fifty over the last several years

Members of my Overseas Campus group – sixty survivors

Subscribers to the Morning Forum lecture series – I’m on the board – about four hundred and fifty, if I could use the mailing list – uncertain

Followers on my blog – about 300

Members of my high school graduating class – we have an active website – about two hundred and fifty

Members of the local Garden Club – I’m on the board – about one hundred and fifty

Members of my college graduating class – about five hundred, but getting in touch might not be easy.

Subscribers to the Los Altos Town Crier – I have written op-eds and other columns for fifteen years – if only one in one hundred of the 16,000 subscribers buys my book, how wonderful would that be?

It doesn’t add up to a best-seller, but it’s not bad. World of Allyson, prepare to hear from me!