Part of being a publicist involves building and maintaining relationships, and probably the biggest obstacle is time – or lack thereof.

For my job, the relationships I try to build and maintain involve publishers, other publicists, book marketers, authors and book bloggers – the list becomes quite long! My job is virtual so I don’t always get to see people face to face, but the online world offers so many ways to stay in touch!

I find Twitter and Facebook are great ways to stay in touch – I can see what people are talking about, join the conversation and also keep up with what everybody is doing. I’ve found Facebook is a good way to learn about personal and professional developments, and it’s nice to get to know little things about people: their kids or pets, their hobbies… the little things that humanize people and make them memorable. Everyone appreciates being remembered in some unique way.

Twitter also has chats such as #litchat which I’ve tried to attend as time permits. The chats can be great for learning new things, meeting people and keeping up with those you know.

Image via Wikipedia

I also subscribe to a lot of blogs, broken down by categories: book bloggers, marketers, publishing news, etc. This way I can keep up with developments in the industry, marketing know-how and also see what kinds of books are being reviewed and which authors are receiving buzz. I used Feed Demon to help me manage my subscriptions and it really makes me feel like I can keep my finger on the pulse of all that’s going on.

I find the book community online, whether marketers, publishing industry people, authors and book bloggers, to be friendly, helpful and welcoming. All you have to do is jump in!

I hope I’ll get to chat with you at tonight’s Armchair BEA party!