As a debut novelist who didn’t attend a big-name MFA program or many conferences, I don’t know a ton of other authors. It can be hard wondering if your experience is typical or not, and you don’t know whether it’s weird/annoying to reach out to authors who don’t know you.

I’m here to say: reach out! Today I talked to @amyjoburns on the phone for an hour and it basically restored my sanity and made me feel so much less alone. We didn’t know each other at all before this chat.

So send those DMs! The worst that can happen is that someone won’t write you back. But if they do, you might make a new friend/get some much-needed advice/perspective/ information that will help you navigate this inscrutable industry.