I called my parents this week and before we got into a conversation I blurted, “I need your help. I need your prayers. I’m trying to sort out pricing for my book and I need a miracle. I simply cannot figure out what’s going wrong!”
My parents don’t know anything about publishing a book, but they are prayer warriors. I made the same request of my best friend. Then the answers began to come.
I remembered that I’m part of several communities. I know people. A lot of people.
And I know that people like to help other people. That’s what gives us purpose. It’s motivating. So I tapped into community.
Community #1 – Family and Friends
When I think about it, there are a few other authors in my extended family. Who knows, maybe they could help? If nothing else, I would take the moral and spiritual support and they were happy to give it!
Community #2 – My agent
I hired a PR agent to help me land speaking gigs because she has connections that I don’t. So I asked her if she might know other authors that could help and she readily agreed to forward my request to people she knew.
Community #3 – REX
I’m a member of a group of entrepreneurs called Recognized Experts (REX). There are lots of authors in the group from around the world, so I posted a plea for help on our Facebook group.
Dave
Would you expect to get help from a real human at one of the largest chains of booksellers in the country? Well, Indigo.ca has a person who liaises with authors who want their book added to Indigo’s shelves across Canada. Dave not only said he would list my book, but has responded to every note and question I’ve sent to help me figure out my pricing issues.
The Answer?
Today something clicked. Between Dave’s troubleshooting and a response from the REX community, I saw the light of pricing answers! Well, partially at least. I still have a few steps to go.
I often “go it alone” but there’s no question that communities have greater reach and resources than any individual. This is a critical level for instituting change. Community members have power to make change happen, imposing conformity pressure on members to get on board.
When you need to make a change, consider whether there is a community that can help you get the job done faster. Find the leaders and work with and through them first.
Thoughtfully yours,
Jeff Skipper
