Yeah, I’m shamelessly stealing from my daughter Marnie. When she was facing a life change, she put a note out on her facebook page, asking people to keep her in mind when opportunities came up that might fit with her skills. As an academically-minded person, she included a citation:

“In my empirical study of recent job changers, I found, in fact, that if weak ties are defined by infrequent contact around the time when information about a new job was obtained, then professional, technical, and managerial workers were more likely to hear about new jobs through weak ties (27.8 percent) than through strong ones (16.7 percent), with a majority in between (55.6 percent).”
-Granovetter, “The Strength of Weak Ties,” 1974

So in the same spirit, and with a bit of happy experience under my belt, I do the same thing here. One of my friends who comments here, and who I met through Ravelry (hi again Kelly!), has already helped me. I just finished an editorial assignment that I got from an agent Kelly connected me with. And in the true spirit of weak connections, it wasn’t actually an assignment from the agent, but rather from a friend of hers who happened to mention that she was writing a book proposal. (thank you Kelly!)

Oh, the strength of weak ties. What good is this social networking thing, if we don’t put things out there? If we don’t occasionally shake the ropes and see how far out they ripple?

So here’s what I do, and if you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who needs me, please think of me! Having been an acquiring editor for a major publisher, I know what publishers need and want, and can provide invaluable assistance to authors who are preparing proposals, or who have written manuscripts. I wear my acq ed hat, and I also wear my in-depth editor’s cap, which allows me to see the book that may be buried in a not-quite-there manuscript.

I also have a strong background in market research; you know the Harris Poll? Yeah, I worked for them and used my background in survey design as a social psychologist, along with my research and analytical skills. Most recently I used those skills to help publishers do research around new online products. But whatever! I know how to craft questions to get real answers, and I know how to program surveys and prepare the results.

Up there at the top of my site, just under the masthead, is a new tab labeled Hire me! See it? It goes to my professional site. And while I am shy about this, there’s a page in my professional site that includes comments from my authors. They were awfully nice.

Even though I have a particular grace and skill at just being myself and being charming, no one has paid me to do that just yet. So I’m in the market for work, doncha know, and if you know someone (who knows someone who knows someone…..), please think of me! I’d do the same for you, I promise.

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