Connections
Sep. 19th, 2006 09:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistymasseyMiss Snark posted a question today from a publishing hopeful whose relative's wife was vaguely aquainted with an agent who might be able to help get him published. The writer wanted Miss Snark to clarify the etiquette involved once he sent in his pages for consideration.
It reminded me of an encounter I had three summers ago at a writing conference. In between attending sessions with agents, published authors and other writing professionals, I was asked to teach people how to run their own critique groups. In order to show them how it worked, I volunteered to read my own work first, and let them have at me. When I was finished, a woman insisted that my book would be a fabulous movie, and that she knew a fellow in Hollywood who would want it. I admit I became excited at the prospect*, and gave her permission to get in touch with the man on my behalf.
As it turned out, she didn't really know the man at all. She'd met him once; he was a friend of her brother-in-law's in college. Bless her heart! She meant well, and I appreciated her enthusiasm. She had misunderstood the nature of networking and relationships. Often it is about who you know, but you have to actually know the person first. Your cousin's wife's sister's nephew's college buddy is just not what you're looking for.
* And yes, I did fantasy-cast my book. Claudia Black as Kestrel, James Marsters as McAvery. Although since then, I've rather changed to wanting Josh Holloway as McAvery.
It reminded me of an encounter I had three summers ago at a writing conference. In between attending sessions with agents, published authors and other writing professionals, I was asked to teach people how to run their own critique groups. In order to show them how it worked, I volunteered to read my own work first, and let them have at me. When I was finished, a woman insisted that my book would be a fabulous movie, and that she knew a fellow in Hollywood who would want it. I admit I became excited at the prospect*, and gave her permission to get in touch with the man on my behalf.
As it turned out, she didn't really know the man at all. She'd met him once; he was a friend of her brother-in-law's in college. Bless her heart! She meant well, and I appreciated her enthusiasm. She had misunderstood the nature of networking and relationships. Often it is about who you know, but you have to actually know the person first. Your cousin's wife's sister's nephew's college buddy is just not what you're looking for.
* And yes, I did fantasy-cast my book. Claudia Black as Kestrel, James Marsters as McAvery. Although since then, I've rather changed to wanting Josh Holloway as McAvery.
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Date: 2006-09-19 01:51 pm (UTC)~falls over dead~