How do you make a Major Media Breakthrough as a Writer?

Many writers are introverts. We cherish our time alone with our notebooks pondering things: a table alone at a cozy café, solitary hours overlooking a placid lake, time to ourselves with a book. That’s our comfort zone. As a result, we can drive ourselves mad wondering: How am I going to meet my agent? How am I going to meet that influencer? How am I going to make my media breakthrough?

The first thing you need to do is memorize this mantra: Wherever I am is exactly where I need to be.

Often it’s the case that we worry about being at the right place at the right time in order to achieve what we want. We think it’s a function of luck. It’s not. We’re always already there.

There’s never one thing that leads to all your success. It’s never one social media post, or magazine cover, or expert connection that will make or break you. It’s the work you do to sustain your success over time.  

When we start networking, we might think we need to meet a star agent before we even finish the book. We jump ahead in our mind, which stresses us out, and at the same time can make us feel completely inadequate for the task. We hear that somebody’s cousin is friends with a famous author and we think we’ve got to send them our manuscript. We attend a book launch and feel like we have to elbow our way to the head of a crowd of aspiring writers. And most of us don’t want to.

Relax. You don’t have to do that. It’s actually a bad idea. Wherever you are is exactly where you need to be. The people you need to connect with are sitting next you. This is where you’ll get the maximum amount of chemistry and commitment, the two main ingredients for producing great work. Imagine growing as a writer with these people growing along with you. Seriously, picture that. Everything you need is closer than you think when you have your own community growing with you.

People continually meet up because they magnetize each other. This doesn’t require any sort of off-the-wall charisma. If you’re starting out, that’s where it’s at: I am who I am and I’m where I’m supposed to be. Begin with your own social media following. Get comfortable expressing yourself and public, especially on video. Then start to build social media partnerships on top of that. Connect with other authors, collaborate and share one another’s work. This creates a strong foundation for your media pyramid, and you can add guest posts, interviews, podcasts, and even TV spots on top of that.

As you grow connections with influencers, the excellent media placements snowball over time. There’s not one breakthrough that changes everything. Breakthroughs start to build on one another as well. It’s all about momentum. Pay attention to the small things and the big things take care of themselves.

“Wherever you are is exactly where you’re supposed to be” is one of the most magical mantras out there. When we’re anxious, it reminds us to calm down and learn something. When we’re content, it reminds us to be grateful. By accepting what is, we can better realize the opportunities right in front of us, as well as the next steps.