Welcome to Episode 4 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author! We’re once again revealing everything we wish we knew when we started out as tiny baby authors at Big 5 publishers and have learned along the way.

This week, we’re chatting about finding and leveraging your author community (aka your group chat). We’ll discuss…

* The #1 mistake authors make in group chats

* Where to find fellow writers and how to make them your friends

* How to evaluate your current authorly crew and identify any gaps in support or intel

* The power dynamics and challenges in working with agents, editors, and other publishing professionals (and your secret weapon for tricky situations)

* Strategies for building meaningful relationships with booksellers

* The pros and cons of debut authors groups (and what went down in ours)

* Why it’s so important to have friends in different spots in their writing careers

* The age-old question: Does my agent like me?

* The right (and wrong) ways to support other authors’ work

…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Hit subscribe and you’ll never miss an episode!

Next week, we’ll focus on everything you need to know about the agent-author relationship. Happy listening!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com