Most writers want to meet agents and editors of literary journals and publishing houses in order to make it easier to submit their works. A few years back, many publishers could not easily be accessed by writers. Authors had to use snail mail or phone calls which were usually received badly. The Internet came and changed all that with social networking. Now almost any person has access to agents and editors.

Twitter: Many literary agents and editors are tweeting. They are now reaching out to authors by making calls for submissions. They are also talking about the works they have accepted and are proud of. Others even hold contests for submissions. Twitter is a very open network that can enable any author to follow agents without raising privacy concerns.

Blogs: Many literary agents today have blogs which they update constantly. They are very easy to find using search engines. If you are an author you should visit these blogs and make frequent, meaningful comments. You should be polite in the comments and sooner or later the agent will notice your participation in his/her blog. You should let the agent know that you are worthy of his attention by your actions.

Online writing classes: Literary agents and editors sometimes teach writing groups on the Internet. These classes are usually not accredited and any person is free to join. When you join these classes, you will not only be able to meet agents, you will also learn a thing or two about writing and getting published.

Facebook: Although literary agents usually have personal profiles on Facebook, few of them will accept your friend request if they don’t know you from somewhere. However, there are many communities of writers on Facebook that can help you with matters concerning your writing. Facebook is not recommended if you want to get in contact with literary agents and editors.

How to succeed in online networking

Although the Internet has opened up the world of agents, editors, and publishers to ordinary writers, there are several things that you should know.

1. Check your emails for grammar errors, have a friendly tone, and most importantly, keep them brief.

2. Don’t stalk agents and editors. There is a thin line between closely following an agent/editor and stalking him/her. You should be careful not to spook an agent or editor.

3. Always be positive. Do not talk about your bad day at the office or any other misfortunes. People usually stay away from negativity.

4. Keep it light. Regardless of which online network you are using, avoid going overboard. Always weigh your posts before you submit them. When communicating with agents and editors, be enthusiastic but not too much.

5. Don’t ask for things, seriously. This is the biggest mistake that people do when trying to network with agents/editors. The only thing you should do is to make your contributions and when an agent/editor notices you, he will ask if there is anything he can do for you.

6. Start an author website. When you interact with people on the Internet, you should already have set up your own author website where they can find information about your books and other works.