While telephone and e-mail may be sufficient for basic communications with these people once you’ve identified them, the Internet provides a wealth of opportunities to meet and connect with other authors, agents, publishers, retailers, readers, and others who can help you throughout the lifecycle of your book.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of online resources for authors—you can find that at some of the sites below. The focus here is on online communities where you can network and meet people—real people, and lots of them—who can help with your book project. Remember, though, that while you will undoubtedly receive even more than you give, you must give first. Contribute to these communities and add value yourself before you start asking for it in return.