From the "Queen of Networking"

Dee gives far too much credit.
I have this quirk in my personality which makes me remember people [not necessarily their names] and what they said to me or what happened when I was around. This quirk served me very well as a nurse, later as a victim advocate, even later as an insurance investigator and now as a writer.

As far as incresing your "sphere of power" so to speak, if you belong to writers' groups either face to face or on line you will pick up who has their act together and who's so full of themselves they aren't worth the air inflating their gigantic egos. Either way, their names will stick with you. When you talk to or read about the same names over and over that's networking. I'm not a queen by any means [other than the Reigning Queen of Man Haters which has managed to stick over the years]. Perhaps a lady in waiting.

I think Dee has a good idea with regard to marketing. Perhaps we should focus on that, maybe make it a group goal for next year. We could spend meetings on marketing tools, perhaps have a published author come in to speak on marketing [one who is SUCCESSFUL] strategies.

One way to get your name out there is join writer's groups and VOLUNTEER to do something at their conference. To avoid days [literally] of traveling, stick to chapters in this part of the state: Buffalo [Western New York RWA], Syracuse [Central New York RWA] STAR--Southern Tier Area Romance Writers [Vestal/Johnson City/Binghamton area]. Offer to do a workshop for them. Of course it helps if you have a marketable skill which writers are dying to know more about.

And you don't need to focus on RWA chapters. If you're a mystery writer, google Sisters In Crime [they accept males] or Mystery Writers of America. They have chapters all over the country. Google them for locations, membership rules etc.

Google "writers groups in Rochester/Monroe County". There are a number of small grass-roots VERY LOOSELY organized groups locally who connect on-line and in person. I know this because my daughter's sister-in-law works with someone who's in the group and they want a published author to speak to them about how to get published. I gave them the names of Kathryn Shay, Patricia Ryan and Lorraine Bartlett, all published, all former members of LCRW. Each of these women [two write romance, the third writes mystery/suspense] are multi-published; each write for SEVERAL DIFFERENT HOUSES ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!

As for being computer literate--I am not the source to go to. In fact, I pay one of the editors in my line to do all the formatting and data entry on the TWRP books I edit. Nicole McCaffrey handles all my personal computer problems. Nicole is a member of a number of on-line romance writers groups; she blogs her butt off and has earned herself a rep for being kind and gentle. Now there's a Queen for you.
Kat