Guest Blogging Etiquette 101

As most of you know, my book released last week (squee!) and I've been embarking on a promotional blog tour. That means I'm writing not only my own blogs, but also putting together another 1-2 daily. It's been a lot of fun, but is a LOT of work. I hired Goddess Fish Promotions to help me organize mine because I just couldn't juggle everything on my own, and that's been a godsend. But it still take a lot of time and effort to manage a successful tour. 

So as I go through this, I was reminded of this post I did last year about Guest Blogging Etiquette. Using these guidelines can make the guest blogging process mostly painless for everyone. Hope you find it helpful!

GOOD NEWS ALERT!

- CRASH INTO YOU debuted at #3 on the Barnes and Nobles Trade Romance Bestsellers List!!! I'm shocked and so excited. Thank you SO much to everyone who has bought the book. You guys rock!

Now on to today's post..

Guest Blogging Etiquette 101

So if you've been blogging for any amount of time, you've probably had some experience with guest blogging--either inviting people onto your own site or doing a post on someone else's site. It's a great thing to do to cross promote and once you've got a book coming out, it's often a big piece of your marketing. Blog tours are all the rage because the internet is a great place to find readers and build word of mouth.

I get requests on a pretty regular basis both to be a guest on other sites and from people wanting to do a post here. It seems once you get past 500 or so followers, a good number of people want to hang out on your site. :) That's awesome. I love doing guests posts and I certainly love having people stop by here.

However, there is some etiquette that goes along with this process. Some people follow it and others fail miserably. So I figured I would give some quick tips I've gathered from my experience that may help you navigate the guest blogging waters.

If you are going to ask someone to be on your site...

1. Be polite when asking and give them a clear out so you don't put them on the spot. (i.e. if you're too busy, I completely understand.)

2. Give them an ample amount of time to get back to you, but it is best to give them a deadline

Don't say, "Hey, I'd love you to be a guest, can you get me a post by next week?" Give them a few weeks minimum. And you can give them an open-ended--whenever you can--kind of deadline. BUT, be warned--this may result in less success of getting that post. I am an epic failure at saying "yes" to open-ended, can you guest post for me sometime and then I never get to it.

3. Provide options.

A guest post takes a lot of time. I can whip out a daily post over here in under an hour, but when I know I'm going to be on someone else's site, I feel more pressure to get it perfect, for it to be epic. So, it takes more effort and time. Therefore, if you really want someone on your site, maybe offer to interview them instead of a guest post. This makes it easier for the person to just answer questions and not have to come up with a topic, etc.

4. If you are going to ask for a post (not an interview), provide suggestions for topics you might like to see from them (while also leaving it open for them to choose whatever topic they want.)

It is SO helpful when someone approaches me for a guest post when they say--hey, maybe you could do something on yadda yadda yadda. I may not know what topics they've already covered on their own blog, so this saves me from having to research what's already been covered on that site.

5. Once you get their post and schedule it, email the person on the day (or day before) the post is going to go live.

This a) reminds the person and b) gives them a the chance to do some promotion for you and send people there.

If you want to approach someone to be on their blog...

1. Do your research and know that blog/blogger (at least a little bit).

If someone emails me wanting to post here to promote their book and I've never had any interaction with them, their chances are way lower that I'm going to pay attention. They don't follow the blog, have never left a comment, have never talked to me on Twitter, etc. They're a complete and total stranger. I feel like they stumbled across my blog, saw I had a platform and said--ooh, ooh, let me sell stuff here! My blog isn't here as an advertisement board for anyone who wants to stick a flyer up. (2016 Update: Over the years, you'll notice that the only authors I'm promoting are ones I've read on my own time and want to share. I may occasionally share affiliate links or invite a guest, but I've gone away from doing much else.)

2. Offer the blogger a number of options--an interview, guest blog, contest/giveaway.

Show them that you can provide whatever type of post they need. And just like the reverse of the above, an interview is more work for the host blogger, so don't just offer that. It's also a lot of work to ask someone to review your book. That means they have to have time to read it, like your genre, etc. When people email me asking if I can interview them or review their book, I usually respond with--can you do a guest post instead? I just don't have time lately to come up with interview questions specific to you and your book. (2016 Update: I do not accept review requests or requests for guests posts anymore.)

3. If you get the go ahead to do the guest blog, make sure you send something with quality content, no typos, and include your bio and pic.

Don't make the blogger have to correct your work.

4. Get the post to the person on time. And do not ask them to send you a reminder. 

If they give you a deadline, keep it. And it's your job to remember when it's due--they are doing you a favor.

5. Promote that post on your own blog when it goes live. This helps you and the host blogger.

6. Offer to reciprocate. If they let you on their blog, let them know they are welcome to stop by yours

Overall: 

The key to remember with all of this is to know who is holding the power in the exchange (can you tell I write BDSM romance?) The person who benefits more from what the other person has to offer has to go out of their way to make it as convenient as possible for the other.

For instance, if I want my book reviewed on a big book blogger site--the power is in their hands. I'm the one who has to go out of my way. But if a brand new author who just self-published wants me to do a feature on their book here where I have a big following of potential readers, then I'm the one holding more cards. Sounds kind of snotty, but it is what it is. You'll be on both sides of the equation at some point.

So what do you think? Have you had any negative guest blogging experiences? How do you like to be approached for a guest blog?

"Revved up and red-hot sexy, CRASH INTO YOU, delivers a riveting romance!" --Lorelei James, NY Times Bestselling author of the ROUGH RIDERS seriesCRASH INTO YOU is now available!

Fill-Me-In-Friday - Best Writing Links of the Week

It's that time of the week where I round up the best links I've run across this week and share them with you guys. This week has been one of the busiest of my life, but also one of the best ever. :) So thanks to all of you for the support and cheerleading for CRASH INTO YOU's release. You guys rock.

 

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DAILY BLOG TOUR ALERT: 

How I Built a BDSM Ranch (in my head) and a chance to win CRASH INTO YOU at Deb's Book Bag! Plus a review that got me a little verklempt--can't tell you how rewarding it is to hear my book resonated with a reader. :)


Also, I'm being interviewed over at Love to Read For Fun where I answer questions like "Your book takes place at a BDSM retreat. Did you have to do a lot of research?" 

 

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Now on to the links...

On Writing/Publishing:

Why Traditional Marketing Doesn’t Sell Books « Kristen Lamb's Blog


Dear Readers: Publishers Think of You as Customers I SWEAR – John Scalzi


25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing by Chuck Wendig


Pitch Slapped: Why I Won't Try To Sell You My Book by February Grace


edittorrent: Your author blog or website - some tips


10 Unusual Things I Know About Writers | Jenny Hansen's Blog


12 Essential Tips for Revitalising Your Blog in 2012 by ProBlogger


Back to work – reboot your writing brain after a break « Nail Your Novel


10 Terrific Creative Writing Blogs | Copyblogger


Author, Jody Hedlund: What Will Writers Need in 2012 to Survive & Succeed?


2012 Publishing Predictions | Dear Author


Wonk-O-Mance - A New Group Blog dedicated to offbeat and quirky romance via Amber Skye

What You May Have Missed Here:


 

 

Authors Interacting With Readers Online - More Controversial Thanks I Thought

Navigating the Authorial Landmine of Reader Forums 

by Amber Skye 

Stops From my Blog Tour:

 

• The Anatomy of a Sex Scene at Romancing Rakes and a Review

• On Being a Fearless Romantic and An Exclusive Excerpt at Seductive Musings

• BDSM 101 at Riverina Romantics

• Interview at The Writer's Cocoon 

• Review at Reviews by Molly

Alright, that's all I've got. How was your week? What were some of your favorite links from this week? 


Have a great weekend!

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"Revved up and red-hot sexy, CRASH INTO YOU, delivers a riveting romance!" --Lorelei James, NY Times Bestselling author of the ROUGH RIDERS series CRASH INTO YOU is now available! Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2012 |Copyright Statement|

The 10 Commandments of Successful Authors

As I go through this whole writing journey, I spend a lot of time observing other authors--be it in person or, more likely, on the internet. I want to know what makes one so successful and the other not as much. What makes one likable and another unapproachable. In other words, what separates the good from the great. And so, based on my very unscientific observations, I've come up with my own Ten Commandments. These are the things I've seen successful authors do and the things I strive to emulate.  So here we go...

The Ten Commandments of a Successful Author

1. I will always strive to make the next book better than the last.

This is one that keeps me awake at night sometimes. The desire to make this next book better than the first one, to improve on every new project. We put so much effort into THAT book, you know the one to get the agent and the book deal. It's the best we have to give on a page. Then the dream happens and you're faced with book two and oh, you have a time limit this time, and oh if this one tanks, there may not be another book deal. *breathes into paper bag* The best authors out there manage to do this, even on tight deadlines, even when the check is already in the bank. They keep topping their own work.

2. I will not fear risk.

It's tempting to be safe, to stick to what you know and what you know works. But the best authors don't just put out book after book that follow the same formula. They take risks, they push boundaries, hell, some of them even test out different genre waters. With no risk, there's no challenge. Write the stories you want to write. If some don't work out, that's okay.

3. I will never believe "I'm the sh*t." Well, at least not for an extended period of time.

We've all seen it. The author that hits whatever level and now seems to wear the "I'm the sh*t" tiara. Don't do it. No matter if you top every bestseller list. It's okay when you get a good review or hit a list or write a passage that rocks to think to yourself--yep, I'm kind of rocking it right now. But don't let it go to your head. No one's that awesome. 

4. I shall not wallow in a pool of self-pity and doubt when someone doesn't like me or my writing.

Someone, probably many someones, will absolutely hate your writing. It's inevitable. You can't please everyone. If you let negative feedback get in your head, it will eat away at your confidence like cancer. This goes for rejections too. Feel the sting, eat a piece of chocolate or take a shot of whiskey--whatever you're preference--and move on. 

5. I will never respond to a bad review. 

I said never. You hear? Never. I'm sure most of you saw the brouhaha on Twitter/Facebook/message boards the other day over a writer who lashed out at a reviewer online. At some point in your career, you will want to do this. It's human. You will want to yell, scream, insult, bestow your wrath upon someone who said something bad about your book. 

Don't do it. This is what friends and spouses are for--call them, let it out, cuss. But never lash out publicly or at the reviewer. This will only serve to make you look petty and childish, which will make people not want to deal with you or buy your books. Reviews are for readers, not you. If you can't help reacting, stop reading them. (And remember, the internet is viral. One untoward comment can make the rounds faster than a case of croup at a daycare.)

6. Covet your neighbor's success. A dose of envy does a writer good.

There are all these posts out there about writer envy and jealousy telling you how you shouldn't waste time being envious of other writers and what they have, their level of success, etc.  Yes, that's true. If you spend all your time burning green, you won't get anything else done. BUT, a little bit of this can be helpful. So and so got an agent and you haven't yet? Your crit partner hit the bestseller list but you can't seem to? Feel that envy and USE it. Use it as kindling under your butt and light a fire to keep going, to get what you want, to grab that success too. Envy with motivation can be very productive. Envy with whining and no action is what you need to avoid.

7. "Good enough" will never be good enough.

The best authors don't settle for good enough. If you've sold a bazillion books and you already have a deal for the next and everyone is lining up just for the privilege of sharing your air, it could be tempting to just write something that's "good enough". But the best authors don't. They put as much heart and guts into every book they put out every time.

8. I will not apologize for what I write.

Do not apologize for your passion. There are stigmas against all kinds of genres, not just romance like I talked about last week. But this is your writing, your story, and your blood on the page. Playing down what you write is playing down who you are. I know this one will be tough for me because once my book comes out, people in my life will know exactly what I write. I know some will judge me for it. I won't apologize for it. I'm proud of it.

9. I shall pay it forward.

The best writers give back. No we can't help others all the time. If Stephen King answered every email from a newbie on how to be a writer, he'd never get anything done. But he did write On Writing, which is a way of giving back what he's learned (even though, granted, he did make money writing that book.) So no matter how busy you get, try to find time to help others out. Maybe it's to offer a query crit to someone who hasn't queried before, maybe it's having a blog that gives information that everyone can benefit from, maybe it's volunteering your time at conferences or judging a contest. Whatever it is, find something. Think of those who've helped you in your journey. Don't you want to be one of those people another writer can think of?

10. Don't forget to have fun--you love this, dumbass. (Even when it's hard.)

It's easy to get caught up in the day to day--this chapter is so hard, I  have a saggy middle, why won't these agents answer my queries--rut. But never forget, this is your dream. Enjoy the act of writing. And good Lord, if you do become published, don't spend your time whining about the minutiae. It's okay for authors to tweet if they're struggling with an edit or whatever, but too much of that sounds like a whole bunch of whine. This is what your private group of writer friends are for. That's where you can whine because it CAN be hard sometimes and it can be overwhelming. But it's still a dream job. So many people want this. If you get to be successful at it, be thankful and for heaven's sake, enjoy it! You get to make stuff up for a living and pants are optional.

So those are the ten writing commandments I'm working toward, what are some of yours? Which would you add? And which authors do you think emulate these things?

Fill-Me-In-Friday - The Best Writing Links of the Week!

It's that time of week where I round up my favorite posts (and shamelessly re-pimp my own). Hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

On Writing and Publishing:

Writers Must Write First by Susan Kaye Quinn

The Number One Overlooked Skill for Every Author by Writer Unboxed

Reasons Not To Self-Publish in 2011-2012 at The Millions

Platform and Social Media Must Not Be Your Center by Jane Friedman

The New Media Melee - 5 Indisputable Truths of Author Marketing by Idyll Conversation

Can SEO Help You Sell More Books? by The Creative Penn

Is the Traditional Book Dead? by Jim Devitt

My Twitter Retweeting Policy by John Scalzi

Are You Blogging to the Wrong Audience? by Meghan Ward

When Do Readers Trust You? by C. Hope Clark

What You May Have Missed Here: 

How Low Can You Go? The All-Important Lost Moment 

by Sierra Godfrey

Slow Writer Reform School - Why Your Process Shouldn't Be Sacred

What You Missed on the Author Blog:

A Six Sentence Sunday excerpt from Grant's Story

Boyfriend of the Week Casting Call

My New Cover Revealed!!!!

Those were some of my favorites, what were some of yours?

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“...a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more!" –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order! Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Links of the Week

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm currently in a carb coma, but I tried to be lucid enough to give you my favorite links of the week. :)

Enjoy!

On Writing and Publishing:

How I Went From Writing 2k a Day to 10k a Day by Rachel Aaron (don't know if I can pull off 10k a day, but great tips)

A Social Media Survival Guide by Jenn Reese (LOVE the idea of everyone having their own guide and to not put your own expectations on others.)

How To Build a Blog Following From the Ground Up by Jody Hedlund

Amazon Reader Reviews: 12 Things Everybody and Their Grandmother Needs to Know by Anne R. Allen

Ten Things I Dislike About Your Blog by Story Siren

For Gits and Shiggles:

Five Things Romance Writers Should Know About Vaginas by Kat Latham

VIDEO: An argument via Siri. (This one is R-rated for language, so be warned it's NSFW). Found via Allison Pang's Blog

What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

A Six Sunday Excerpt from CRASH INTO YOU

Boyfriend of the Week: Matt Davis aka Alaric Saltzman

What You May Have Missed Here:

Something to Think About

by Suzanne Johnson

3 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Published Authorhood

Favorite Tumblr of the Week:

Ryan Gosling in the rain, click here for more wet Ryan pics :)

Oh, and did you hear my news?

CRASH INTO YOU was given 4 stars by RT Book Reviews Magazine!

"After reading Loren's book of bondage and love, readers will race out for their own handcuffs and whips."

Yeah, buddy. :) AND I've been interviewed in Writer's Digest magazine's Breaking In section. So if you pick up a copy, check it out! :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! (Unless you're an Arkansas football fan. Then I hope you have a really bad Friday. ;) Geaux Tigers!)

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"Revved up and red-hot sexy, CRASH INTO YOU, delivers a riveting romance!" --Lorelei James, NY Times Bestselling author of the ROUGH RIDERS series

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

The Life Cycle of a Blogger - Ten Stages

Photo by Bill Stilwell

So lately there have been a lot of posts about blogging fatigue, twitter promotion overload (here and here), and the state of blogging in general. Also, many bloggers seem to have hit the overwhelmed point and are either thinking of stopping altogether or doing some major readjusting. And as I read through these posts, I often found myself nodding my head because I share many of the sentiments.

I've been blogging for almost 2.5 years now and have been on twitter about a year and a half. That's a lot of posts (both writing and reading.) And there are some days where it's still totally fresh and exciting; there are others where I want to crawl in a cave and forget all of it. There are also days where I find myself rolling my eyes at the constant promotion some people do or the same topics for blogs getting recycled over and over again.

But I realized as I was reading everyone's posts that many of us are in a certain stage of our blogging careers. When you've done something for years, there are bound to be points where you feel burnt out or annoyed or totally overwhelmed. And you may vacillate back and forth between those stages.

But for those of us who maybe have hit the cynical stage, we need to remember that every day there are new writers and new bloggers entering the blogosphere. It's all new to them. So a post on not using adverbs may be the hundredth one you've seen, but it may be another writer's first. And it will be an epiphany for them.

It's kind of like high school. When you're a senior, you look at the freshman and think--wow, I can't believe they're getting excited over that. But when YOU were a freshman, you had that same enthusiasm because it was new to you.

So I think it's important to recognize that, like anything else, blogging/social networking is a cycle. We're going to find ourselves in different parts of it at different times.

The Life Cycle of a Blogger - 10 Stages

Image via Daily HaHa

1. Bright, shiny newness. 
OMG, look at all this information that's out there for FREE!!! And look at all these cool people who want to be writers too! I must follow everyone I meet and we're all going to be BFFs and I'll comment on all of my friends posts because I want to be supportive and want them to comment on mine. And this is going to be amazing!

Photo by Rollan Budi

2. People are following me! I must be a totally killer, kickass blogger.
I must blog every day because people will wonder what happened to me otherwise and they won't be able to function in their day if they don't hear from me. They like me, they really like me.

3. Lucy in the candy factory.
Wow, it sure takes a lot of time to answer every comment and to visit every blog in my blog roll and leave a comment for them. And boy, my twitter feed is scrolling by at the speed of a CNN ticker. And crap, I need to write an apology post for not being a great blog friend and must promise to do better! *stares at unfinished manuscript*

Photo via Alex E. Proimos

4. Breaking down.
I need to take a blog vacation or an unplugged week or go to Mexico for a month because I'm not getting anything done and there's all this PRESSURE to blog and build my platform.

Photo by Nate Steiner

5. AHHH! Panic
Oh no, my Klout score has dropped and my follower numbers have stagnated. I'm barely getting comments! I must get back on the wagon because I must build my platform. But I don't know what to blog about anymore. I'm out of ideas. What am I going to do?

Photo by joseloya

6. Mania
I can do it all. Of course I can. I can be a parent and a spouse and a blogger and a writer and keep a clean house and pay my bills. Oh yeah, and write books and get published, because that was the point in the first place, right?

 

photo via BaileyRaeWeaver

7. Screw it All
I'm quitting. Blogging doesn't sell books anyway--especially ones I don't have time to write--so why bother? I need to dedicate my life to my art and writing alone. I need no one! No one I tell you!

Photo by Mr. T in DC

8. Reinvention/Streamlining
Okay, so maybe I do need someone. I miss my writer buddies. I'm going to redo my blog schedule. I'm going to take the pressure off myself. I'm going to talk about things that excite me. I'm going to stop apologizing for not being the "perfect" blogger or blogging friend.

Photo by Tim Pierce

9. Fatigue with a dash of cynicism
Why are the same posts being re-written over and over again. It's all been said before. And would people just stop freaking tweeting about their books and promoting themselves non-stop?! I want to stab everyone with a fork. My online world sounds like blah blah blah white noise.

Photo by Scarleth White

10. Finding the sweet spot 
I'm only going to do the online things I enjoy. I'm only going to read/interact/participate in the things I have time for and like doing. There are always people coming up with fresh content, I just have to be open to looking in new places. There is always something new to learn and a new friend to make.

I have to say I've probably stopped in at each of these stages at some point. I hang out at 6, 8, and 9 a little too often probably. :)

So how about you? Do you recognize yourself in any of these stages? Where are you at right now? Have any stages to add?

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"Revved up and red-hot sexy, CRASH INTO YOU, delivers a riveting romance!" --Lorelei James, NY Times Bestselling author of the ROUGH RIDERS series

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

It's time for Fill-Me-In-Friday where I share my favorite links of the week. Hope you enjoy!

On Writing/Publishing:

Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself by Rachelle Gardner

The Dark Side of Metrics by Kristen Lamb

Get in Late, Get Out Early - A Writing Tip by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Should You Be on Tumblr? 7 Business Case Examples at Social Media Examiner

Google Now Alerts for Books by The Digital Shift

QR Codes, The New Sexy by Jenny Hansen

Top 8 Tactics to Power Your Online Book Launch by The Book Designer

Top 5 Reasons You Should Do NanoWriMo This Year at MuseInks

5 Elements of a Resonant Closing Line by K.M. Weiland

On Underestimating Your Readers at Writability

Will Tweetin', Postin', Updatin', & Discussin' Get You Into Readers' Hearts at BookBuzzr

Q&A Using Twitter to Market Your Book at BookBuzzr

Do Writers Need to Think About SEO? by Erin MacPherson (via Rachelle Gardner's blog)

How To Make Your Own Book Trailer by Jungle Red Writers

Amanda Hocking on the Real Reason She Sold So Many Books

Karma, Solidarity, and the Bad Part of the Review I Wrote for You by Leah Petersen

Just For Fun:

Yoga, Jersey Style by JM Randolph

5 Things Klout Doesn't Know About Me at Aiming Low

Wendigisms compiled by Todd Moody 

You Don't Know the Meaning of the Word Epic Until You've Seen These 20 Photographs via Nea Hardy

What You May Have Missed Here:

Is It Chick Lit or Women's Fiction--An Agent Answers

by Sierra Godfrey

3 Tips For Writing Paranormals

by Mina Khan

What You Missed on my Author Blog:

 

Boyfriend of the Week: Richard Armitage

5 Reasons Why You Should Give the New Footloose a Shot

(even if you're an 80s purist like me)

13 Steps to Creating an Author Website Readers Will Love

Favorites from Tumblr this Week:

(for bigger pic, click here)

(for bigger pic, click here)

(for bigger, click here)

Alright, so those are my favorite links of the week, what were some of yours? 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween!

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"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Is It Chick Lit or Women's Fiction? An Agent Answers by Sierra Godfrey

Welcome to genre Monday! Ever wonder what kind of books fall under women's fiction? Have questions about chick lit? Today guest contributor, Sierra Godfrey, interviews my lovely agent Sara Megibow and gets us some answers.

Chick Lit vs. Women’sFiction
by Sierra Godfrey

I write women’s fiction—or what I think of aswomen’s fiction—even though most people, including my husband, think of it aschick lit. Many women’s fiction writers are particular about what people calltheir genre, because it matters to the publishing industry. We have heard chicklist no longer sells. We’ve heard editors are looking for upmarket women’sfiction. We think what you call it in a query matters. Or does it?

In my RWAWomen’s Fiction special interest chapter, one of our members definedwomen’s fiction as the story of a woman on a journey. But if my protagonist isa 22 year old woman who is searching for her sense of self, would it beclassified as chick lit? What if upped her age to 36? What if the storyfeatures none of the stereotypical elements of chick lit like martinis, a city,and shoes? Similarly, if I write a story about a 32 year old woman on a journeythat leads her to save herself, that might be women's fiction--but is it stillwomen’s fic if I nudge her age to 21? How much does age have to do with genre?

I asked Roni’s agent, Sara Megibow at Nelson Lit, whorepresents women’s fiction. She had some great—and surprising answers.

Chicklit is selling Sara says not only is chick list selling, but thatshe would never discount a submission based on concept. Sara’s method involvesreading and evaluating submissions based on quality of writing—and looking atthe elements of a book and choose editors whose imprints are producing similarkinds of works. She said, “To that end, Ballantine Bantam Dell produces booksby Sarah Addison Allen, which I would consider solidly women's fiction.Meanwhile, Broadway - another imprint of Random House -produces THE DEVIL WEARSPRADA which I would consider chick lit.”

Knowwhere your book rests The job of the author, Sara said, is towrite the best book possible.

But you should have a general understanding of where theirbook would rest on the bookshelf in a store. But that’s it. The agent is theone who should really be familiar with the different editors, imprints, andhouses.

There isan age-range, but… Sara clarified something I saw her say in asummer issue of my RWA women’s fic chapter newsletter (RWA is a fantasticresource!). Ages do influence genre, but story elements matter. Sara said thata submission about a woman who is learning about life after college, whose daysare filled with the first job, dating, money, apartments, martinis, clothes andboys is a chick lit story. “These submissions are almost entirely ones in whichthe heroine is 22-35ish and she has the only POV (or maybe an alternating POVwith the hero). There can be a happy ending, although there doesn't have tobe.”

Meanwhile, for Sara a submission about a woman who is 35to 55ish is women's fiction. “These stories are about family, marriage, midlife crises, divorce, health and health problems (life REAL LIFE AND LIARS byKristina Riggle). Similarly, the story is in the heroine's POV or maybealternating POVs and the ending can be happy but doesn't have to be.”

But, Sara, said, “If the book is about a mature womandealing with life issues - marriage, health, career, family, children, but thatwoman is,

24 years old, I would still shop it as women's fiction.Then, I would troll through my database and choose editors looking forcommercial women's fiction. If, however, that 24 year old woman is spendingmost of the narrative talking martinis and dating, I would choose chick liteditors.”

Justwrite the book of your heart As Sara pointed out, trying to writeto genre is tough. I certainly have discovered this with a story about a 32year old woman who is learning about life – a late bloomer. I struggled a longtime with whether it would be chick lit or women’s fiction and finally decidedit fell more on the women’s fiction side. I questioned whether I should bewriting it at all. In the end, I came to the conclusion that echoes what Sarasays:

“Honestly, the only thing for a writer to do is write thebook of their heart….If the book is about a mature 24 year old and it's women'sfiction, then it's women's fiction regardless of age. Likewise I could see a 40year old woman partying, dating and etc and sell it as chick lit. A savvyauthor will look at titles on the shelves and see where their book might fit.If that author imagines a pretty pink cover with cutesy pictures on the front,then it's chick lit. If the author imagines a more complex, deeper cover indarker tones and maybe even in trade paperback or hard cover it's likelywomen's fiction.”

Thanks so much to Sara Megibow for taking the time toanswer my questions.

So what would YOU classify as chick lit and women'sfiction? If you write either, how do you feel about the the aboveclassifications? Does genre matter to you?

My recommended read for this month is Samuel Park’s" This Burns My Heart, which is probably commercial fiction, but easilywomen’s fiction. It deals with a protagonist who starts young and grows throughlife into her 30s and 40s. It deals with marriage, love, duty, and sacrifice.It’s a gorgeous story with a wonderful female protagonist who will stay with mefor a long time.

Sierra Godfrey writes stories about women who grow fromthe choices they face—and get the guy at the end. She's amember of RWA and RWA-WF, the women's fiction special interest chapter andworks as a freelance writer and designer. Visit Sierra at her blogor on Twitter.

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“...a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more!" –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order! Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

I've been visiting family in New Orleans this week and haven't gotten very much computer time so today's links list will be short but still awesome.

How To Kiss Writing Jitters Goodbye by Jody Hedlund

Master the Craft of Writing by Rachelle Gardner

Six Writers Tell About Covers and Blurbs by The Awl

Does Anybody Really Know What Marketing Works? by Susan Bischoff

Purging the Poison: Seven Deadly Words and Phrases at Shaggin' the Muse

Can the Lessons of Moneyball Play In Publishing? Runs, Hits, and P&Ls by Publisher's Weekly

65 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog at ProBlogger

Upping Your Self-Publishing Game by Kait Nolan

Contention Shouldn't Exist Between Writers by Beth Elisa Harris

The Insanity Behind the Pressure to Have Numbers by Jami Gold 

and on the same topic...Numbers Are Our Friends and the Wild World of Metrics by Kristen Lamb

What You Missed on the Author Blog:

 

Boyfriend of the Week: Brad Pitt

Author Websites: What Do Readers Want?

What You May Have Missed Here:

 

5 Tips for Not Screwing Up Character Names 

by Suzanne Johnson

Killing the Mystique: Can You Know Too Much About Your Favorite Authors?

Favorite Tumblr of the Week:

VIDEO: Joe Manganiello accepts an award, remembers to thank the author, and GROWLS. 

Worth a watch.

Alright, that's what I loved this week. What great links did I miss while I was out of town? Fill me in via the comments. :) Have a great weekend!

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"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

5 Tips For Not Screwing Up Your Character's Name by Suzanne Johnson

It's genre Monday and today Suzanne Johnson is going to cover a topic I seem to always have trouble with--naming characters in a way that isn't confusing, redundant, or just plain wrong.

For the record, these tips also apply to naming your children. :)

Take it away Suzanne...

Photo by quinn.anya

 5 Tips for Naming Your Character (aka I Screw Up So You Don’t Have To)

I’m in the throes of writing the third book in my upcoming urban fantasy series, and have spent the last hour looking at a key scene involving my heroine and a regent (think: big boss) vampire who might or might not be a murderous necromancer. So far, the vampire’s name is VAMPIRE. Catchy, eh?

Names are no different for paranormals than for romance—or any other kind of fiction. They have power. They resonate (we hope in a good or bad way, depending on the character) with readers. Sometimes we struggle to find them, and sometimes they come to us unbidden. They are important, in other words. And if we are writing series....we’re going to be stuck with them for what we hope is a very long time.

So here are a few lessons about character names I’ve learned the hard way. Think of it as “Suzanne screws up...so you don’t have to.”

The cardinal rule: LOVE the name because you never know how long you might be stuck with it.

I’m like most writers, I suspect, in using a hodgepodge of methods to come up with names. My heroine—technically the only character in my series who cannot be killed—is Drusilla Jane Jaco. What a horrific name for a young, cute blonde wizard, in retrospect. When I started the first book in the series in 2008, I thought naming her after my great-great grandmother would be fun. A little in-joke between me and, well, me. Three books later, I’m tired of finding new ways to explain how she goes by DJ and was named after great-aunt Dru and hates her name blah blah blah, because that has to be done in Every. Single. Book.

Just because Charlaine Harris got away with it doesn’t mean you should try.

Just as you don’t want names that are uber-pretentious (Lord Ar’guth’nirz) or unpronounceable (Cthulhu), you also don’t want names so plain they put your readers to sleep. In one of my manuscripts, Beth Harris was Beth Harris for 93,000 words...until I realized she was bland and vapid, and her name proved it (my apologies to any of you named Beth Harris). The exception to this rule is if your own name is Charlaine Harris. In her ridiculously popular Sookie series (technically, the Southern Vampire series, from which HBO made “True Blood”), Harris planted tongue firmly in cheek and gave the well-endowed Sookie the surname of Stackhouse. Her vampires were Bill and Eric (again tongue in cheek...Eric, who was a Viking when he was turned vampire, uses the last name Northman). But still, I wonder, now that the series has reached book number twelve or something like that, if Ms. Harris ever wishes Bill were named...Jackson, or something un-Bill-like.

Want a really cool name for your character? Use surnames. There are several good online databases of surnames, even broken down by country. One of my own favorite characters is named Mirren. And yes, he was named after Helen Mirren (but don’t tell him since he’s a big macho alpha male and would feel emasculated. I’ve managed to keep that secret from him so far).

Use a name that’s pronounced like it’s spelled.

Just for your own peace of mind. I love my merman twins Rene and Robert Delachaise and their daddy Toussaint, but I know people are going to pronounce their names wrong unless they’re from South Louisiana. It really doesn’t matter except that I like their names with the correct pronunciation: “Renny” and “Row-bear” and “Too-sont” “Della-shay.” So if I’m the only one who enjoys the way a name sounds tripping off the tongue, isn’t that kind of like a tree falling in the woods with no one to hear?

Check your history.

This is a lesson most applicable to writers of historicals or paranormals. Poor, dull Beth Harris’ love interest in my paranormal romance was a 400-year-old Irish vampire named Galen, born in 1570 in the area near Kinsale and turned vampire when he was in his early 30s. I loved Galen Murphy. He was Galen for months and months...until a savvy beta reader, damn her, did a little research and pointed out gleefully that the name Galen was not in use in Ireland in 1600—in fact, it didn’t make it there until the 1800s. So Galen bit the dust, replaced by Aodhan, a fine bit of Gaelic that today is Aidan. But he’ll always be Galen to me.

Variety is good.

Look at your cast of characters as a whole and make sure there aren’t similar names. Not starting with the same letter, certainly, but also not all hard consonant sounds or soft vowel sounds. Did I follow this advice? Of course not. It’s why, three books into my series, I still have major characters named Jean and Jake. Never mind that Jean is an undead French pirate and Jake is a honey-tongued devil from Picayune, Mississippi, who owns a Bourbon Street bar. Jean and Jake; Jake and Jean—and throw in DJ, just so we’ll have another J going. And remember Aidan, who replaced Galen? His brother’s name is Owen. Aidan and Owen. Owen and Aidan. Vowels. So confusing. Don’t do it.

So, there you have it. Now, I’m still looking at my new vampire, who has to compete on the playing field with DJ, Jake, Jean, and Alex (my only character with the good sense to take a unique, likeable, pronounceable name). Perhaps Adam? No....

In honor of names, my recommended read this month is Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)
, a funny, sexy urban fantasy by Kim Harrison and the first in her long-running Hollows series. In it, you’ll find Rachel, Ivy, Trent, Jenks, Kisten, and Al. (AL, you might ask? Well, yeah, he’s a demon and it’s short for Algaliarept.)

 

What’s been your most problematic character name?

Suzanne Johnson is an author of urban fantasy “with romantic elements.” Her first book, Royal Street, a magic-based fantasy set in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina, will be released by Tor Books on April 10, 2012. Two more in the series will be released in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. Find Suzanne online at her Preternatura blog, or read about her books at her website.

*Look for more from Suzanne here every 3rd Monday of the month!

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“...a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more!" –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

Woo-hoo, it's Friday! Time for a round-up of the most fantabulous writing (and just for fun) links of the week!

On Blogging:

First, everyone (including me) was abuzz about blogging these last two weeks, so here's a sampling of those posts:

I Am Tired of Blogging by Natalie Whipple

5 Reasons Why Blogging Works for Writers by Sierra Godfrey

Dueling Agent Advice on Blogging by Anne R. Allen

Purpose of Blogging for Fiction Writers by Jody Hedlund

What Does It Take to Sell Books? by Jami Gold

Now a few others related to blogging...

On Group Blogging by Elizabeth S. Craig

I Am Not a Niche...Sorry and All That by ExMoor Jane

Is Blog Fatigue on the Rise? by Nathan Bransford

Top 3 Things Bloggers Do That Drive Readers Nuts by Sophia Chang

How to Use StumbleUpon by Lorie Huston

On Writing and Publishing:

Will Self Publishers Survive? by Bob Mayer

5 Bits of Wisdom from a NYT Bestselling Author at Jenny Hansen's More Cowbell

A Time to Kill...Your Novel by Marcus Brotherton on Rachelle Gardner's blog

Tips of Marketing Your Novel at Adventures in Agentland

Meet the Salesman...Every Deal Needs a Closer by Kristen Lamb

25 Ways to Prep, Plan, and Plot Your Story by Chuck Wendig

Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks by Candace Havens

Standing on My Skyscraper Eating Some Crow by Roxanne St. Clair (her experience using Candace Havens' fast draft method.)

Type Hard, Type Fast by James Scott Bell  (This and the previous two links above are really convincing me that I need to give this fast draft thing a try.)

For Gits and Shiggles:

Things the 80s Child Shouldn't Have Thrown Out 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip (Food P0rn at its best. Someone try this and tell me if it's as delicious as it looks.)

Wedding Photos + Zombies via Badass Digest (These are great, dorky in the best way.)

Brilliantly Smart-Ass Responses to Completely Well-Meaning Signs at Happy Place (BEST LINK OF THE WEEK, hilarious)

What You May Have Missed Here:

Why No Sex Doesn't Mean No Tension by Guest Jody Hedlund

The Post In Which I Rant About Blogging, Platforms, and the Pressure on Writers

What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

Boyfriend of the Week: The Twilight Edition

Life Lessons From Poltergeist: These Could Save Your Life, People

Favorite Tumblr Pics of the Week:

for larger pic click here

for bigger pic, click here

AND WINNER OF JODY'S BOOK FROM MONDAY'S CONTEST IS...Leona Bushman! Congrats

Alright, those are my picks for the week, what are some of your faves this week? And I'd love to hear feedback on this feature. I know it's not a comment-inducing post, so it's hard for me to judge if you like this round up each week or not. So let me know in the comments (or by clicking the like thumbs up/down button in the top left corner of the comments section.) Just want to know if y'all find this helpful or not. :)

Have a great weekend! 

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"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Why No Sex Doesn't Mean No Tension by Author Jody Hedlund

Today I have the super fabulous Jody Hedlund with us. Jody is one of my favorite bloggers to read and is just an all around lovely person. I feel like I learn something every time I stop by her site.


And today she's going to talk to use about something I have no expertise in--writing romance with *gasp* no sexy scenes. :)  I love this topic because it shows how wonderful and diverse the romance genre is. There truly is something for everyone.


AND make sure and leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS because Jody is giving away a copy of her newest release, The Doctor's Lady, to one lucky winner!


So without further ado, take it away Jody...

Are Sweet Romances Boring?

Does including sex in your romance novel help it to sell better?

There are those that might argue that, “Yes, sex sells.” And to some degree, that’s true. Why else would commercials use scantily-clad Victoria Secret-like models to sell everything from chewing gum to dish soap?

Okay. So I might be exaggerating just a tiny bit. But the point is that even in the book world, readers are attracted to covers with beautiful women who have lush bosoms and bare-chested men with sculpted abs.

But what about the sweet romances, books like mine, that have demure women on the front (literally covered from head to toe), and usually have limited (if any) sex in them? How do they sell? You might be asking, do they even sell at all?

My first book, The Preacher’s Bride (debuted in 2010), had to do with Puritans in England in the 1600’s. So even things like kissing and touching were fairly taboo. After my main characters get married, I depict them on their wedding night, sharing an intimate moment alone in their small house. But . . . I end the scene before they head to the bedroom.

Does that make my book boring?

Well, most of those who’ve read my book so far don’t seem to think so. In fact, my book has made the CBA best-seller list a couple of different times and has garnered first place in RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award and Award of Excellence.

Could my debut book have done even better though, if I’d thrown in a little sex?

I don’t think so, and here are three reasons why:

1. I’m writing for a niche market.

My publisher, Bethany House (a division of Baker Books), specifically targets readers of religious fiction. A reader who picks up a book with a Bethany House logo has certain expectations about the book, including that it contain some spiritual themes, and that it won’t have explicit sexual content.

In the editing of my book, my publisher has asked me many times to tone down especially passionate kissing scenes, because too much intimacy could alienate readers who expect a sweet romance when they open up a Bethany House book.  I realized those expectations going in to my contract, and even though I tend to push the boundaries every now and then, I respect the standards of my readers.

2. Diversity within the romance genre is important.

Roni and I are at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to sex in our romances. While mine have none, hers are so hot the words sizzle off the pages. But the diversity between our books and within the romance genre is reflective of the diversity of life, the varying tastes people have in their reading, and their own personal preferences.

If writers were all trying to hit the “middle group” we’d leave out some readers who like more and some who like less. Besides, if we were all writing the same thing, our books and lives would end up being boring replicas.

3. Your characters don’t need to have sex in order to develop sexual tension.

What makes a story riveting and enjoyable isn’t necessarily the amount of sex it has in it. Instead, one of the key factors in making a captivating romance is how the author develops the sexual and romantic tension.

I like stories best that keep tightening the relational tension—that enigmatic push and pull between the hero and heroine. The two continually grow more attracted to each other, but the obstacles keep growing too. Their passion is igniting, but insurmountable conflict keeps them apart.

Developing an intense emotional relationship, creating flirtatious and fun banter, and the tender building up of intimacy—those are the things that make a romance truly satisfying.

In fact, one reader said this about my new release, The Doctor’s Lady: “For a story with no sex scenes, you have some very sexy moments in there. Love that.”

What do you think? Do romances need to have sex in order to sell well? Have you tried a sweet (sexless) romance? Were you bored?


And don't forget to leave a comment and your email address to be entered to win a copy of The Doctor's Lady!

©Jody Hedlund, 2011

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning historical romance novelist and author of the best-selling book, The Preacher's Bride. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Michigan with her husband and five busy children. Her second book, The Doctor’s Lady released in September 2011.

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CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order! Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

Hope everyone had a fantastic week! I'm *thisclose* to finishing the draft of my novella, so I'm thrilled about that. Now in case you've been busy as well, here's the weekly roundup of the best stuff I've come across on the web this week.

On Writing and Publishing:

Is Blogging A Waste of Time? by Meghan Ward

Yes, Authors, You Can Respond to Negative Reviews (with hilarious illustrations) by the League of Reluctant Adults

Up the Wattage: Highlighting Your Books and Byline at Cynsations

10 Things You Should be Doing Right Now by Janet Reid--which turned out to be a bit of a controversial post and inspired "kool-aid" responses like...

Jami Gold's How To Avoid the Publishing Kool-Aid

And another related one by Chuck Wendig: The Publishing Cart Before the Storytelling Horse (BEST post of the week IMO.)

Tips for Twitter by Lauren Dane in which she makes this great point: "when you retweet (RT) an entire list of @ from a #FF (Follow Friday) just to say thank you – this ends up in the feeds of EVERY SINGLE PERSON who was in the original #FF tweet. This happens over and over and it’s getting worse. What this means is that even if I don’t follow you, you’re messing with MY feed"

10 Rules for Twitter Success by BookEnds

8 Ways to Grow Your Social Media Footprint by Jenny Hansen

10 Tidbits About Author Platform by Rachelle Gardner (though I do disagree that for an author blog to be worthwhile it needs 15k hits a month. That's a little high IMO.)

25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer on The 99 Percent

25 Ways to Stay Creative by Moby Picture

Body Language - Reading Signs and Gestures at Learn, Think, Inspire

Build Your Name and Brand Through Networking (great list of sites to network on) by Curiosity Quills

The Secrets I Don't Tell You by Tawna Fenske (on balancing how much of your personal life you share
online)

Just for Gits and Shiggles:

T-Shirts with Classic Book Themes  at Out of Print Clothing

Top 100 Best Movies of All Time by Lifed

How To Read More: A Lover's Guide at Zen Habits

25 Pictures Taken at Exactly the Right Moment at Buzzfeed

20 Sexy Advertising Campaigns at DeMilked

20 Cool Home Library Design Ideas by Shelterness

Celebrities that Could Be Twins by Faithfully Frugal

Awesomely Creative Celebrity Photos

What You May Have Missed on my Author Blog:

Boyfriend of the Week: George Clooney

Do You Trust Reviews? Some Readers Are Saying No

What You May Have Missed Here:

Why Self-Promotion Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word

Don't Be a Poser: Write What You Love

My Favorite Tumblr Post of the Week:

For a bigger pic, click here

Okay, so those are my picks for the week? What are some of yours? Fill me in via the comments. And have a great weekend!

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"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.

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All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Why Self-Promotion Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word

Okay, so today I'm talking about something that I've touched on briefly before on my author blog, but after reading this post by the lovely and talented Lydia Sharp (who you should all follow on Twitter because she tweets some of the best stuff for writers), I thought I would expand on it here.

Lydia's post is about how we'll always need blogs for writers, which I agree with. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found blogs when I started querying two years ago. Bloggers were my writing saviors. But one of the things Lydia talks about in her post is authors promoting their books on their blogs.

Here are her thoughts:

"I do not blog about writing as a way to sell my books. I bet a lot of you didn't even know I have books out there available to purchase. I do. But that's not what this blog is about. This isn't my 'author blog', this is my writing blog -- a blog for writers. It's about writing and reading and publishing and how all of those go hand in hand.And just between you and me, it kind of annoys me when I see 'buy my book' pimpage in my Google Reader. I'm not following those blogs because I want to buy the author's book. If I want to buy your book, I'll find your book on my own, I'm not stupid, I know how to click on a link in your sidebar and how to use an Amazon search box..."

This part of her post inspired me to write today's post because I think this idea that authors shouldn't promote their own work on their own blog is a little extreme. When Nathan Bransford did a tongue and cheek post promoting his book, people jumped his case and I didn't understand all the ire. (I blogged about that here.)

I totally get that we don't want to be beat over the head with advertisements and book spam. God knows there are people out there who do it all day long on Twitter and such. And my guess is that those types of self-promoters are who many people are frustrated with. Obviously, that is the wrong way to go. Social networking and blogging are about building relationships and community. However, I also think swinging so far in the other direction in that promoting your own work at all is some sort of insult to your followers is a bit ludicrous.

I am a service-minded person. I genuinely write this blog hoping that my posts provide you guys with solid information or something to think about or tips or whatever it is that day. I take a lot of time to (hopefully) provide you with quality content. And I have kept my writing blog a writing blog and started a separate author blog because I didn't want to bait and switch you by changing the focus once I needed more of a broad online presence.

I enjoy the blogging process. I enjoy talking with everyone and hearing people's feedback on different topics. I love the blogging and social networking community.

BUT I also hope to sell books so that I can continue to follow my passion and do what I love for a living. And  if I told my agent or editor that I wasn't going to promote my book on my writing blog that I've spent two years building, they would look at me like I had grown a third head.

And I understand the thought of--you don't need to talk about your book because if I want to see if you have a book, I'll go look for it. But really, that's not the case in a lot of ways. If it's not obvious, I'm not going to go hunt down to see if a blogger I like has a book out. I don't  have that much time on my hands and there are hundreds of books I want to buy at any given moment. So if I have to "work" to find out if there is a book, I'm probably not going to.

I WANT bloggers I like to tell me about their book. No, I don't need a weekly post about it and a thousand "check out this latest review" tweets. (One of my personal goals is that once my book comes out, I don't turn into someone who only talks about things having to do with my book. I've seen that happen to many a blogger who transitioned from pre-pubbed to post-pubbed.) But mentioning your book and talking about it on occasion are good. Having a book link in your sidebar and even at the bottom of your posts (like I do below because you can't see sidebars in google reader) is a good way to advertise your book without smacking people in the face with it.

If someone stops by my blog for the very first time, I want it to be glaringly obvious that I have a book if they are interested. They shouldn't have to hunt the info down.

And I refuse to feel ashamed or apologetic about promoting my own book on my own blog. Blogging is a give and take relationship. I expect when I go to someone's blog that I am taking away something (information, a laugh, whatever) and in exchange I'm giving that blogger my attention to their platform/their book/whatever it is they may be promoting. It doesn't mean that I have to buy their book, but it means that I have to expect to be exposed to it.

So what are some things you can do to make sure you don't become one of THOSE people who give self-promotion a bad name?

6 Ways to Promote That Won't Make People Want To Punch You in the Face

1. Make sure your online content offers something to your reader. 

You are writing these posts for them. It is not about your own agenda. This is why posts in which the blogger whines about something never work. You're not offering the reader anything, you're looking for someone to soothe you--not a good blog post.

2. Be a cheerleader for others.

Like Lydia suggests in her post, promote other people's stuff if you've enjoyed it whether that be a book or a blog post or whatever.

3. Once you are published, do not contract "published author disease."

This disease is characterized by only posting about YOUR book ALL THE TIME and linking to review after review, awards, contests giving away your book, and what magazines you've made it into, etc. Some of that is fine because you're excited and want to a share. But make sure that kind of stuff is no more than 10-15% of the content/tweets/etc. you're putting out there.

4. Expand your online presence in a way that doesn't alienate your original readers and followers.

I knew I needed more of a reader-focused blog once my book was getting closer to publication. I needed a place where non-writing readers would want to visit and hopefully hang out. Had I kept this blog more broad in its focus, I could've just expanded that here. (Ah, hindsight.) But I hadn't. This was a writing blog. So instead of pulling the rug out from under that, I started a separate author blog on my website and kept this one the same. That way people could choose which kind of content they wanted.

5. Promote your books in a way that is very visible but still subtle.

I don't blatantly blog about my book unless I'm revealing a cover or blurb or something. I will, however, have a big fat glaring post the day it releases, just warning ya. ;) But in general, having a clickable cover in the sidebar, a book page with buy links, and a link at the bottom of each post (so that people who only read you in a reader can click) are all unobtrusive but effective ways to go about it.

6. Be genuine, friendly, and helpful.

Of all the things above, this is the most important. Social networking is about building genuine relationships. We can all spot a faker a hundred yards away.

So how do you guys feel about self-promotion? Do you get annoyed if a blogger talks about their book or are you fine with the give-and-take relationship? What are some self-promotion methods that you think are effective and non-annoying? What makes you want to punch someone in the face? :)

Is Blogging Dead?

Last week I read a post by Wendy Lawton over at Books & Such Literary Agency in which she talked about "What's Not Working?" when it comes to marketing. One of the things that surprised me was that she listed blogging as the first one that is "not working." She even goes so far as to say this:

"I wouldn't recommend a writer start blogging in order to publicize his book in today's climate. It would be tough to picture a scenario where the outcome would justify the means." 

I have to admit, the statement shocked me a bit. Obviously, I'm a bit biased because I'm an avid blogger and really enjoy that part of social networking. But after I got over my initial pause, I read through the post again to think through what she was saying more rationally.

Her argument is that unless you've already built an uber-blog, then you're going to have a nearly impossible task of standing out in an over-saturated blogosphere.

Okay, I can see her point there. The blogosphere IS glutted. And when it comes to writers blogging, we're a wall-to-wall crowded room of writing advice, writer ramblings, interviews, giveaways, and randomness. After a while, click after click begins to blend together and sound the same. I know my blog reading has gone down in the past year because of lack of time and because much of it feels like reruns. It takes a great headline on Twitter at this point to get me to click over to something. My google reader goes neglected.

So how in the world do any of us stand out in that crowd?

I'm not entirely sure. My guess is that it's often like books--it comes down to the voice of the blogger, the freshness of their take on things (even if they are old things), and their engagement with their readers. And even then, many times the audience on the blog is comprised of other writers--so we're still really only reaching a niche group. A fabulous group, but a limited one a best.

Wendy also, by the way, isn't big on blog tours for the same reason. Authors put forth all this effort to write up new posts and interviews for tour stops--which takes a crapload of time--and then "tour" on sites that pretty much appeal to other writers. So you're swimming in the same pond, promoting to the same school of fish.

Believe me, that is weighing heavy on my mind as I try to formulate my plan for my book release. I am planning to do a blog tour, but now I'm wondering if my time might be better spent doing something else. I mean, there are only so many interviews people want to read. And I'm hard-pressed to think of sites that I could guest on that would expose me to a totally new group of people. I honestly think getting reviewed on the book blogger sites is probably much more effective.

So in that respect, I can see Wendy's point about blogging's effectiveness. (For the record, her exception to the "blogging doesn't work" belief is the person who has a particularly unique slant, some previous celebrity, or an already established audience.)

Does that mean I'm giving up blogging? Hell no. I love blogging. It makes me happy and I feel blessed that you guys are still reading me after two years, lol. (Thank you!) And I really do love reading others' blogs. But this post is not about me (shocking, I know.) ;) This post is for those of you reading who are in the early stages of your blogging or who are considering starting a blog or who have been blogging but kinda sorta loathe it. Here's my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

Even "If" Blogging Is Dying, You Should Blog If...

1. You just love blogging and don't care if it's promoting you as a "brand."

2. You are a published author who has or will have fans seeking you out online.

(Caveat: If you are a published author and don't like to blog, that's fine. Just find some online outlet where readers can get to know you and interact--twitter, facebook, whatever.)

3. You have a unique slant to offer (like Wendy mentions).

Meaning, you have something to offer your readers that would sustain a popular blog even if you weren't an author with a book.

4. You write non-fiction.

I'd be hard-pressed to imagine how blogging wouldn't help a non-fiction writer.

5. You're not into short-form social networking like Twitter, FB, Tumblr, etc. and feel more comfortable connecting online in long form.

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that come to the top of mind for me. Number one is my reason (and hopefully number two will apply to me soon too, lol.)

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think blogging is dying? Do you find yourself reading fewer blogs, leaving less comments, or do you see traffic on your blog trending down? How do you connect with the authors you love? What makes a blog a must-read for you even when you develop blog reading fatigue?

Wait For It...Waaaait For It: The Nuance of Suspense by Joan Swan

Welcome to genre specialist Monday! :) Today I'm excited to introduce you to one of our new regular columnists--Joan Swan, who is a romantic suspense author who debuts in February 2012! Today she's going to talk to us about...

The Nuance of Suspense by Joan Swan

Wait for it... Waaaaait foooor it...

The whole point to suspense is drama development within a story. To have suspenseful drama, you must have:

• Stakes--what will the character win or lose in the situation

• Character--do I connect enough with this person to care whether they win or lose

• Conflict--someone must want one thing while another (even if that is an natural force) wants another. 

And these elements must be utilized in a delicate balance.

Suspense is about proposing a story question, then making the reader wait for the answer. How long? It depends...usually on the question itself.  Some are big, some are small, but regardless of the size (or relative importance) every time an answer is revealed, another continues to linger. Like that childhood game leapfrog, some question that the reader needs answered is always in place, which creates a need-to-know atmosphere: hence, suspense.  When done well, the story skips along, with answers coming at intervals and new questions popping up.

Timing is everything, and it's a skill I believe develops on a gut level.  There are "rules of thumb" that can be applied, but in my opinion the development of your sixth sense is more valuable. If you're bored...the reader will be bored. If the scenario feels off to you...it will feel off to the reader. If your attention is scattered between three different story lines...the reader will also be distracted. And if you allow the suspense to linger, making the reader wait too long for answers, they will get exasperated and put the book down. 

There are different types of suspense a writer can employ to keep the pace moving in creative, thought-provoking ways:  the dark, slowly-twining-around-your-throat suspense, the emotional, life-altering-twisting-your-stomach suspense, and the well-known and loved physical-threat-to life-and-limb suspense.  And because I write romantic suspense, I'm also twining in the romantic conflict along the way. It's fun and challenging and when it all comes together, the result is priceless.

Joan's recommended read for August:

MARKED, by Elisabeth Naughton

THERON – Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendant of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Pick up MARKED here:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters, IndieBound, Powell’s

Joan Swan is a triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist. She writes sexy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, and her debut novel, FEVER, with Kensington Brava releases February 28, 2012. A second in the series, BLAZE, releases October, 2012. You can find Joan at her blog, One Word At A Time, her website or Twitter.

What do you think creates a suspenseful read?

Fill-Me-In Friday

Howdy, y'all! : ) I feel like I haven't talked to you guys all week with all the awesome guest posts. Hope you enjoyed them.

All right, now it's time for the weekly links round up where I fill you in on what you may have missed and you can feel free to fill me in via the comments on your favorite post of the week. 

A few of you have asked me how I find the posts that I put up here--i.e. when do I find time to go through my google reader when we all are suffering from blog overload. Well, to be honest, it's as simple as this--I pretty much only read blogs these days that I see links to via Twitter. 

I rarely have time to go through my reader lately, so I'm left with "bright, shiny link" method. Meaning, as I see post titles pop up on Twitter, I go--ooh, that sounds cool, and click over. Then when I come across ones that I want to share with you guys I use my Feedly toolbar to click "save for later". Then at the end of the week, I have this nice page I can go to that has a list of all the ones I've saved. If you're not using Feedly, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, on to the links!

On Writing: 


What Does Your Author Bio Say About You? by Jami Gold

10 Twitter Hashtags for Writers at Publishing Talk

Why Query Letters Matter by Tawna Fenske (I so agree with this)

Are You Wasting Your Time Trying to Get Published? by Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest

Why Every Author Needs to Know About Cover Design--Even If You're Not Self-Publishing at BubbleCow

Eve Berlin on Research and Writing Sex via Genreality

How To Get an MFA in Five Steps at Glass Cases (I don't totally agree with everything she says--particularly that you can't learn anything you don't know about writing from reading non-literary books. But there are some good tips in there otherwise.)

Building a Facebook Fan Page by Ebook Endeavors  (cool tip on how to create a welcome screen for your fan page)

On the Author Blog:

Shameless Saturday with Guest Author Dianne Venetta (talking about shameless flirting)

Boyfriend of the Week: Ryan Reynolds

Seven Things That Make a Book 5-Star Worthy

So those are some of my favorites of the week, what were some of yours? And how do you decide which blogs to read? Do you use a reader, email subscriptions, bright-and-shiny Twitter method? I'm curious to know.




Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

Hope everyone had a good week! 

Here are my favorite links of the week...

On writing:

If You Normally Blog About Writing, How Will You Promote Your Fiction? at Nail Your Novel

To Blog or Not To Blog--Blogging About Writing by Laura Pauling

Why Some Reviews Matter...And Some Don't by YA Highway

The Inevitable Traffic Jams on the Journey to Publication by Jody Hedlund

Authors,It's Really Okay to Keep Your Money (on how to spend promotion money) by Lisa Schroeder

Allison Brennan's View on Editing at Murder She Writes

Spam Toad vs. Author Brand by Kristen Lamb

The 23 Blogger Breeds--Which Are You? by ProBlogger Blog Tips

What You Missed on the Author Blog:

 

Boyfriend of the Week: Anderson Cooper

 

Are Book Giveaways and Contests Effective Promotion?

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! What was your favorite link of the week--your turn to fill me in?

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

Whew, it's been a busy week. I think for the first time I've felt like a "working" writer, meaning this week I felt like I was working a job. Not that I wasn't enjoying what I was doing--there was just a big to-do list to check off instead of just sitting in my office and writing stories.

Okay, so first before we get to the link roundup, I do want to let y'all know that I'm one of the authors who has been interviewed over at Writer Unboxed for Lydia Sharp's post: Orange Rinds and Apple Peels - Finding Comfort in Your Own Skin with regards to social networking. So I hope ya'll will check it out. :)

Now on to the links of the week...

On writing:

The Unproductive Writer's Guide to Success by Michael Hyatt -- I LOVE this. Rachelle Gardner tweeted this today saying it was a lightbulb moment for her--and it was for me as well.

A Debut Author's Take on Self-Publishing over at Regency Seductions -- Great thoughts on why you shouldn't just assume you're going to make all this money going into self-pubbing.

What's the Magic Number? How Often Should Writers Blog? by Kristen Lamb

Build Diversity in Your Online Presence with Jane Friedman --complete with the graphic below, which makes my head hurt

10 Ways to Prepare in Advance For Publication by Jody Hedlund

20 Most Awe-Inspiring Writer's Rooms by Bachelors Degrees Online

3 Benefits of Building Your Own Platform by Michael Hyatt

How To Keep Up Online Without Losing Your Mind by Kate Hart via Janice Hardy

Book Addict Patti Discusses Why Some Book Bloggers Are Reluctant to Post Reviews on Amazon - I had no idea these things were issues.

Kinda Funny Frankly:

Foo Fighters vs. Glee - found this via Chuck Wendig. I'm a big Foo Fighters fan. And though I enjoy Glee, this made me laugh.

What You Missed on the Author Blog:

Shameless Saturday: Childhood Comfort Food

Boyfriend of the Week: John Krasinski

What do READERS Want From an Author Blog? 

(lots of great comments on this one too)

And remember, today's the last day to enter my MEGA AWESOME BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

Alright, that's it for now. Hope you all have a great weekend!  Are there any kickass links I missed that you'd like to fill me in on?

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

How Fast Do You Have To Write to Build a Successful Career?

So I've talked before about how I'm a perfectionist. I always have been. I'm the girl who got a grade on my final trigonometry test that would bring down my final average to a B+ instead of an A  and went to my teacher to go problem by problem until we found a place where he took off too many points for a simple mistake. I got my A, kept my perfect 4.0. Yes, I'm that annoying girl.

So when it comes to my writing, this perfection monkey sits solidly on my back squawking and whining as I try to draft my book. It's frustrating and it slows me down. On average it takes me about 6-7 months to write and revise a 90k-100k book. Six months of that is drafting. Six months of drafting.

In previous decades in publishing, expecting an author to write one book a year was pretty standard. And for the most part, it still is if you're writing literary fiction or if you're an already established author. But if you're a new author, the situation is different, especially with the advent of ebooks and self-publishing. Readers are expecting your next work pretty quickly. You don't want them to forget about you (or if you're writing a series, your characters.) You need to stay top of mind.

And if you want to make money, you'll hear it over and over again--backlist is king. To earn a sustainable living as a writer, you need backlist. One book (unless you're part of the Oprah book club or Stephanie Meyer) is not going to set you up for life. One book isn't going to allow you to quit your day job. You want readers to pick up one of your books, love it, and then have a whole slew of other books by you that they can click the "buy" button on.

But the caveat of write, write, write, get a backlist out there is that you also have to make sure you maintain the quality of your work. One horrible book can send your readers running for the hill and for all the other reading choices they have bombarding them from everywhere.

And I know it can be done--writing fast and producing quality books. Maya Banks stated in her Dear Author interview that she writes 8-10 books a year. (!!!) Some of those are novellas but still, my jaw dropped onto my space bar. She also says she usually is done and sends it to her editor when she finishes the first draft.

And I can tell you, I read Maya. Her books are fabulous. She's one of my favorite romance authors. She's also hit the New York Times list and this year, had a book nominated for a RITA (the Oscars of romance writing). So clearly her quality is not suffering. And last year, she said that she made 600k for income. And this year, she's on track to hit 900k. Yes, people, she gave out her numbers. And if you don't read erotic romance, this is not an author many of you have probably even heard of. There is clearly money to be made if you put out quality work in good volume.

Now, I know I will never be able to pen 8-10 books a year. I have a three year old and a husband who would like to see me sometimes. And I'm a new author, so all this getting my name out there and social networking stuff is a time eater. But I KNOW I have got to be able to write more than 1-2 books a year.

So I am going to challenge myself with these next books to write faster and edit less. Here are some of the things I am going to be putting on post-it notes to remind myself courtesy of author Candace Havens, who gives Fast Draft workshops on her online forum.

1. It is okay to write a sh*tty first draft.

I like revising. Why am I so dead set on getting it perfect the first time?

2. I will write a basic synopsis before I start writing.

I'm a pantser so the story will change and I will not outline every point, but to have a general overview will help me. (Plus, I'm going to have to do this if I want to sell on proposal.)

3. I will know the basics about my book before starting--mainly the Goal, Motivation, and Conflict of my main characters.

4. I will not get hung up for five minutes trying to find the perfect word. I'll change it when I revise.

5. I will refuse to believe in writer's block and will keep writing even if I feel like I'm not sure where I'm going.

And though this doesn't have to do with writing faster, I will also learn to write shorter stuff in addition to my full-length novels. I think the successful author of the future is going to know how to write in varying lengths and is going to utilize multiple avenues to get their work out there (traditional publishers, e-pubs, self-publishing, etc.)

So what kind of writer are you? Are you a fast drafter or a slow and steady one like me? How many books do you think you could legitimately write in a year? What do you think the future of publishing is going to look like?

UPDATE: I did a follow up post in response to the discussion in the comments - The Beauty of Books: Why the Literary vs. Genre Debate Isn't Necessary