Bestselling author and Morgan James Publishing founder David Hancock encourages authors to increase their networks by meeting people outside of their current circles. They can then utilize who these new contacts know, leverage their platforms, and hopefully improve their own connections. The best place, he says, is to go where other authors are — conferences, retreats, writing groups, etc. Networking is a great way to avoid common pitfalls, learn from other authors, and get introduced to other authors' audiences. Hancock believes building relationships in-person is a very powerful tool that can lead to word of mouth marketing and more opportunities for authors and their work.