Interview

Episode 391 – Networking for Authors with Dale L. Roberts

Mark Leslie Lefebvre

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Mark interviews Dale L. Roberts about his new book NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads comments from recent episodes, and shares a word about this episode’s sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Mark’s book AN AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES.

You can get the book for 50% direct from Mark from now until Jan 2024 using coupon code STARK2024 at checkout. Patrons will get access to a 75% off coupon for that book and a wider range of titles from Mark’s direct sale store.

In their interview Mark and Dale talk about:

  • How long it has been since Dale has been on the Stark Reflections podcast. (Episode 96 – Sept 2019)
  • Dale’s first big breakthrough in the indie author space and how that led to him pivoting to becoming a YouTube content creator
  • Dale’s passion for helping showing other authors things related to the business of writing and publishing
  • Their mutual passion for Rush
  • How the word networking can be thought of as a “dirty” word
  • Dale’s unique approach to networking as an introverted person, by looking at it like a good movie or some other product that he enjoys and wanting to share that “thing” with someone else. IE, “This is super cool. You should know about this” translated into “This person is super cool. You should know them.”
  • Having a pool of like-minded business professionals
  • An example of a solid and long-lasting bond Dale helped two people forge and the satisfaction that comes from that
  • How this type of work connecting people is a “let me feed my soul” type of thing
  • The way that some in person events can be extremely overwhelming for Dale and how he deals with it
  • Dale’s YouTube platform being up to 1700 videos
  • How it’s not about the number of times you fall down, it’s the number of times you get back up
  • The advice Dale received from Nick Thacker whenever he’s being too hard on himself and picking apart something he has done
  • The importance of at least showing up as a good starting step
  • How S.D. Huston is so good at what she does at connecting with people and making opportunities and the way she shows up in so many different places
  • Some of the things that authors can get wrong when they are networking
  • The importance of asking questions when you’re networking not just because it makes you seem more interesting, but it also helps you to uncover more things, some of which you might have in common
  • How you should not try to rush relationships
  • Remember that authors are a rare breed (particularly when you’re in non-writer circles)
  • And more…

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things that Dale talked about.

Links of Interest:

Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and renowned video creator. With over 50 publications, he has become an authority in self-publishing, leading him to create his own YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale, regarded as one of the premier information resources in the indie publishing community. Dale lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Kelli and two rescue cats, Auggie and Allie.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Published by Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Writer, editor and bookseller who haunts Southern Ontario. Craft beer enthusiast. Author of thrillers and horror novels such as A CANADIAN WEREWOLF IN NEW YORK, EVASION and I, DEATH. Also writes a series of stand-alone non-fiction titles exploring ghosts and the paranormal which include HAUNTED HAMILTON, SPOOKY SUDBURY, CREEPY CAPITAL, TOMES OF TERROR, HAUNTED HOSPITALS, and MACABRE MONTREAL. Editor of the anthologies CAMPUS CHILLS, TESSERACTS SIXTEEN, FICTION RIVER: EDITOR'S CHOICE and FICTION RIVER: FEEL THE FEAR.

11 thoughts on “Episode 391 – Networking for Authors with Dale L. Roberts”

  1. Hi, Mark!

    First: Yes, I remember Don Rickles. And Buddy Hackett. And…. don’t get me started. It depressed me when my college students had no idea who Johnny Carson was.

    Second: I loved your discussion of introverts and networking. You never strayed into equating introversion with shyness, but I’m not sure the average listener would get that difference. If I may get a little pedantic in a (I hope) useful way:

    Shyness is a fear of judgment. It is quite possible to be a shy extrovert. You can sometimes see them hanging around shopping malls, needing to be around people for energy, but afraid to talk to anyone.

    It is also possible to be a social introvert. I’m one, and I suspect Dale is as well, although I can’t say for sure.

    Introversion/extroversion is about two things: where do you get your energy, and how do you form your thoughts.

    Energy: Extroverts need to be around people to recharge. Introverts need solitude to recharge. As a social introvert, I enjoy gatherings as much as anyone, but I will need alone time afterward. An extrovert will be more jazzed after a party. For networking events (which I think of as friend-making events), I will talk to several people in a deeper way rather than try to meet as many as possible, and I will need quiet time afterward. The bigger impact is in the next dimension:

    Thought-forming: Introverts want to form their thoughts before speaking. Extrovert form their thought BY speaking. Extroverts often have no idea what they will say when they open their mouths. On the other hand, by the time an introvert is ready to speak, the conversation may have moved on, which is why they can appear shy. It’s also why public speaking is perfect for introverts—we get to figure out what we will say before getting on stage. A lot of professional speakers are introverts.

    For me, the hardest part of a professional speaking engagement is the before and after, when you go out and meet people, conversing without a plan.

    The way I have handled that, whether it’s around a speaking engagement or a networking event, is to have three or four “templates” for conversation and three or four “mindsets.” Take it altogether, and it means that I have about 80 percent of a conversation planned before I even connect with a person. And, fitting what you and Dale talked about, 90 percent of that “prep” involves a set of all-purpose questions that connect with just about anybody, enabling me to listen without thinking about what I will say next.

    Of course, a lot of writers ARE shy, but understanding the energy/though process difference is useful for both introverted and extroverted writers, and the templates can be not only life-saving but stress-reducing so you can relax and enjoy the event.

    I hope that’s useful! I really enjoyed this episode, especially getting to know Dale and hearing your thoughts afterward.

    Reply
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