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

 

Hey y'all! Hope everyone has had a great week. I'm sure it's been a hectic one for everybody with Christmas coming up. So, in case you missed your web surfing time, I've rounded up the best links of the week that I've come across. Hope you enjoy!

 

On Writing/Publishing:

Does Blogging Sell Books? - 3 Marketing Strategies Every Author Can (and Should) Use by Roberta Trahan

How Much Time Should Writers Devote to Social Media? by Jody Hedlund

The Inevitable Identity Crisis That Happens After Publication by Jody Hedlund

Social Networking's Salad Days Are Ending (basically about how we're hitting the saturation point with types of social networking) by Deep Tech

The Big Mistake of Author Websites and Blogs by Jane Friedman

How Social Media Can Change Your Life by Jane Friedman

How NOT to Blog: Beginning Blogging for Authors Part 2 by Anne R. Allen

The Darkness Within (on personal attacks and hate campaigns from the public about what you write) by Ann Aguirre at Writer Unboxed

Sara Megibow Sells Romance -What Newbie Mistakes Have I Made As an Agent? at Romance University

Why I Stopped Looking at the Numbers by Shelli Johnson

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth - a very honest post by Elana Johnson about things after her debut

My Top 5 Ways of Dealing With Reviews by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Why Writers Must Make Themselves Easy to Contact by Chuck Sambuchino at Writer Unboxed

Starting From Scratch: A Writer's Guide to Blogging by Jeff Goins

For Gits and Shiggles:

Virginity Cliches in Romances at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

 

Baby Seal Breaks Into House and Curls Up on Sofa  via Gawker  (cuteness overload, OMG)

 

Because It's Worth Watching:

 

YA Author Maggie Stiefvater on How Bad Teens Become Famous People 
(about the dangers of labeling kids found via Dawn Alexander's blog)
What You Missed on the Author Blog:
What You May Have Missed Here:
by Ashley March

CONTEST ALERT: You only have two days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win a copy of CRASH INTO YOU. Enter here!


Alright, that's all I have. What were some of your favorite links of the week? Feel free to list them in the comments. Have a great weekend!



"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.



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 has had a grand week. Mine's been a little hectic. Why do I always feel so out of sorts when I come back from vacation on a weekday? It gets me all discombobulated. But that has not stopped me from hoarding the best links of the week like always, so hope you enjoy...

 

BREAKING NEWS: Want to win CRASH INTO YOU? There's a giveaway going on at Goodreads! There are 15 copies up for grabs. Enter here. (Contest closes Dec. 19)

On Writing and Publishing:

How To Network Without Networking by Nathan Bransford

25 Ways to Build Your Author Platform Before Your Book Is Published by Meghan Ward

What to Do With Contradictory Feedback by Jody Hedlund

7 Psychological Studies Reveal Secrets to Blogging Success by Sparring Mind

Can Authors Be Rock Stars? by Jim Devitt

Are Publishers Putting the Squeeze on Bloggers? by The Guardian

The Ugly Truth About Consumer Book Reviews - Part 1 via Huffington Post

25 Financial F**k-Ups Writers Make by Chuck Wendig

The Seduction of Self-Publishing also by Chuck Wendig

6 Reasons Partnering With Other Authors Can Benefit You via Writer's Digest

Be A Tweep, Not a Tool Part 2 - Beware the #FF Fire Hose by Kristen Lamb

For Gits and Shiggles:

10 Things You Need to Stop Tweeting About via The Oatmeal

How #FollowFriday Is Supposed to Work via The Oatmeal

23 Adult Truths via Keri Ford

The Twelve Gays of Christmas discovered via Jeffe Kennedy

 

 

What You May Have Missed Here:

 

by Anne R. Allen
What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

So that's what I've got. What have been some of your favorite links this week? Feel free to leave them in the comments. And hope y'all have a great weekend!


 

 


 

 

"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.


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 Only Focusing On Your "Target" Audience May Hurt You

In the world of book marketing--or any kind of marketing for that matter--you often are told to figure out who your target audience is. This group of people is the way to the promised land of success. You need to figure out WHO will buy your books and then target your platform to that niche.

So, using that logic, I should target 25-50 something year old women who are already romance readers. Most of them are probably in relationships. Many will have children. I write sexy so I can cut out the super ultra conservative sector. And on and on it goes.

There is, of course, a lot of logic in this approach. Knowing who your "ideal reader" is can be helpful.

But, what about everyone else?

The reason that Twilight became so successful is because it didn't just get the teenage readers who like vampires and romance. It busted through the genre and got people who not only weren't typical young adult readers to read it. It got NON-readers to pick it up. It jumped the nice lines of its target market and that's why it became so big.

Now, the number of books that do that is small. Phenomenons are called such for a reason. But that doesn't mean we can't use that logic on a smaller scale.

I haven't stuck to reaching out to just that "ideal reader" profile above. By complete happenstance, I ended up reaching out to writers first then expanded a bit with my author blog. I've become friends with people who write and read every kind of genre you can think of. 

I mean, think about it. I host authors like Jody Hedlund on my blog. She writes inspirational/Christian historical romance where a kiss can be considered risque. I write seriously steamy erotic romance with BDSM elements. I am not her ideal reader and she's not mine. But you know what? I buy her books and give them as gifts because I like her and know I'm giving a quality gift to people who ARE her ideal readers.

And I can't tell you how many times I've had someone say to me:

I don't read romance, but...I'm going to buy your book because it sounds really interesting or I read your excerpt and liked it or I enjoy your voice on your blog so am going to try your book.

Those comments give me the squees because there is no higher compliment to me than for someone to say--I'm willing to take a chance on you even though this isn't normally my thing. I love that.

And I find myself doing that with other authors as well. I'd never read historical romance until I picked up Ashley March's debut. I bought it because I wanted to support her as a friend, but then loved the book and have since bought more historicals.

So what would have happened if Jody had only reached out to her "target audience"? I would've never found her or bought her books.

There is benefit in not tightening your network too much. A niche can be good but don't make it too exclusive. I have guys who have told me they are going to buy my book. Everyone in marketing would tell you that's definitely not my target audience, but hey--why the heck not? I read "boy" books. Guys can enjoy "girl" books on occasion too.

So blog and make friends across the spectrum. Don't limit yourself. If you do, you're not just going to miss out on some potential new readers, you're going to miss out on some really cool people and friends.

So what do you think? Do you try to cater to a "target audience"? Have you bought a book way outside your normal preferences because you got to know the author?

3 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Published Authorhood

Like anything else, being a writer is a journey. You go through stages. Some exciting, some frustrating, some overwhelming. Right now I'm in my about-to-debut phase, which is a combination of so many emotions I can't even describe it. It's the deep breath before the moment I've been waiting for since the day I put words on a page again.

And as I get closer and closer to that day, I feel my world continue to shift beneath my feet. Priorities change. New obligations get put on my plate. Blog tours get planned. Deadlines loom. I have a JOB. It's a vastly different playing field than it was a little over a year ago when I was in my "write when I'm inspired, blog like a maniac, live on twitter" existence.

So if you're on your own journey, hoping to get to the published stage, here are the things I'd pass along...

3 Things You Can Do To Prepare for Published Authorhood

 

1. Train for writing to be your JOB. 

Enjoy the fact that you can write only when/if you want to right now with no pressure. BUT start training yourself to be a working writer early. Once you have deadlines (which for me means having 4-6 months to write a 90-100k book), you need to know how to make yourself write even if your muse is on a bender in Tahiti.

2. Being the BEST ONLINE FRIEND EVER is not going to be realistic once you're steadily publishing so learn to let go of the guilt.

In the beginning, you comment on everyone's blog who comments on yours. You visit everyone in your blog roll. You retweet all your favorite posts. You blog five days a week and it's amazing. You respond to every comment you get. This is great. It helps you build up a network of support and friendship.
BUT when the wheels start to spin faster in your writing life, something has to give if you want to make sure your time is spent  writing your next book (or like seeing your family and stuff) and often blogging intensity is what falls off first. You can still maintain your own, but it gets harder and harder to visit everyone else. Give yourself permission to not be wracked with guilt when this happens.

3. Find your balance and know your limits.

I'm learning that balance is going to be the make it or break it component for me. I'm an all-in kind of girl. I don't want to do anything half-assed so I throw myself into things completely. But doing that in one area can create imbalance in other parts of your life. All you do is write, so you forget to read. Or all you do is blog and forget to write. Or you keep skipping that trip to the gym because you have more "important" things to do than take care of your health (I fall victim to this one all the time). Or you blog, write, and read but your poor family hasn't really "seen" you in a week. 
So learn how to manage your time and not cut out the things that are important.
This is why you may not have seen me chatting as much on Twitter. It's also why I've invited regular guests to blog here these last few months and why I do a round-up post on Friday. Blogging is important to me, but the level I was doing it at was cutting out time for other things.  
So I'm working towards my own balance. I'm holding myself accountable for writing at least 1k words every week day in order to meet my deadlines. I'm going to yoga classes to give myself quiet-mind time and exercise. I'm shutting my computer off at night so I can spend time with the fam. I'm reading for pleasure at least 3-4 times a week. And even though I still have a lot going on, I feel much happier.

Everyone is going to have their different challenges, but my guess is that these three are pretty universal. I wouldn't trade a minute of it because my dream of having my book published is coming true. But it's important to make sure we don't lose our mind in the process. :)

So what are your biggest challenges right now? Do you think you're prepared to be a writer working on a deadline? For those of you who are published or about to be, have you felt that big shift in priorities? What balls do you drop first?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it!

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

 

Sorry this is so late going up. It's been a crazy morning. First there was my squeeful news, then I had to take kidlet to get all his 4 yr old shots. Nothing says happy birthday like getting five needles stabbed into your thighs. :(  But anyway, I'm here now. Hope you enjoy the links!
On Writing and Publishing:
Should Authors Comment on Reviews? by Squeaky Books (make sure and read the comments, interesting to hear perspectives from book bloggers)
DeKloutifying by John Scalzi
What NOT to Blog About by Rachelle Gardner
I'm There But I'm Not by Tess Gerritsen via Novel Rocket
For Fun:
Romeo, Ripley, and Bella Swan by Rosemary Clement-Moore via PopSmart Books (really interesting essay about how the Twilight books have roots in Greek tragedies.)
What You Missed on the Author Blog:


What You May Have Missed Here:

by Ashley March

 

 


All right, that's what I have for this week. What were some of your favorite links this week? Have a great weekend!


 

 


“...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.



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 has had a great week! It's time to gather up the best links of the week.

 

But first, I wanted to announce the winner of Mia Marlowe's Sins of the Highlander from Wednesday's contest. Congratulations to Buffy Leonard!

All right, now on to the links. Enjoy!

On Writing/Publishing:

Fascinating Interview with Stephen King in NY Times

On Ebook Pricing from Indie Author Selena Kitt

The Craze for Long Books Goes On and On an On by The Guardian (found via Anne R. Allen)

8 Press Kit Elements for Your Author Website at The Fearless Self-Publisher

5 Mistakes Writers Make with Virtual Book Tours by Working Writers

On Humor in a Romance by Sierra Godfrey

The Creation of an Agent's TBR Pile by my lovely agent Sara Megibow via Romance University (This fascinated me.)

It's Not a Competition by Beth Revis

Book Bloggers: The New Publishing Gatekeepers by Jennie Coughlin

When to Modify Your Name for SEO Concerns by Jane Friedman

Why An Author's Early Works Are Usually Most Original by Vicki Hines

On Your Mark: Marketing Your Novel by Janice Hardy via The Bookshelf Muse

On Writers Covering a "Territory" In Their Novels by Laura Oliver

Are Social Media Sites the New Publishing Slushpile? by Publishing Perspectives

For Fun:

Okay, so I usually stay away from politics on here, but I was watching the Daily Show last night and knew I had to share this. Dude, I almost fell out my bed laughing at "I smell toast!" You have to watch it to understand. Go to the 6:30 mark in the video, that's when the funniest stuff starts. Hilarious.

 

 

What You May Have Missed Here:

 

What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:
(GREAT discussion going on in the comments)

 

Alright, that's all I've got for you this week. What were some of your favorite links of the week? Have a great weekend!

 

 


"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.


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!

 

Been busy? Haven't had time to hang out on Twitter or catch up with your blog reader? Well, Fill-Me-In-Friday is here to help. This is where I post the best writing, publishing, and just for fun links of the week.
On Writing/Publishing:
50 Problem Words and Phrases by Daily Writing Tips
Social Media - What's It Good For? by Jen's Book Thoughts

What Makes a Dream Author by Editorial Ass
Social Media Ennui by Kait Nolan and related to that...
Klout's BIG Mistake by the Marketing M8
5 Reasons You Should Write Like a Speed Demon by the Fearless Self-Publisher

 

For Gits and Shiggles:

The Deleted Harry Potter Character by College Humor

More Brilliantly Sarcastic Responses to Well-Meaning Signs via Happy Place

20 Biggest Idiots on Facebook via Smosh

Angelina Jolie Halloween Costume (hilarious and disturbing at the same time) via G4 tv

Parents Jokes and Quotes: Great Truths About Life via Berkeley Parents

Best Catch Ever? via Dump

Mind = Blown via I Can Has Internets

What You May Have Missed on my Author Blog:


What You May Have Missed Here:

by Ashley March
Favorite Tumblr Pic of the Week:
Click here for full size
That's what I've got for the week. What were some of your favorites this week?


 

 


"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.



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

 

Wash Rinse Repeat
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!

 

Dog chillin' with red sunglasses
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*

 

 

Head in Hands
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.

 

panic

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?

 

 

Crazy Sister

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?

 

 Perfect.

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!

 

 

Pioneer Zephyr Train

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.

 

EVERYTHING SUCKS!
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.

 

 

Relax

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?

 


 

"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.


 


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|

 

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

Last night I was reading this fabulous post over at Dear Author on Three Must Haves for Author Websites. The tips were great, but what was even better was reading all the comments from readers on what they liked and hated about author websites.

Interestingly enough, not many commenters mentioned anything about author blogs.  Most were more concerned with having a user friendly site and easily finding book information. It really was all about the books--that was there main focus.

One commenter even said that she doesn't like to have the blog on the first page because she avoids blogs--reading the author's blog ruins the book experience for her. 0.0

Now I don't know if anyone else out there feels that way, but it did get me to thinking--at what point does our open-book online presence affect a person's reading experience? Having our lives and personality so easily accessible does kind of reveal the wizard behind the curtain a bit.

It used to be that we could imagine what we want about our favorite authors, just learning about them from the occasional article or interview. So we could picture that horror writer living in some old, spirit-filled house and typing away his manuscripts in a half-lit attic. We could weave our own image that matched the type of books they wrote.

Now instead we can hear about how that super scary horror writer spent his weekend taking a cake decorating class. It's real, but it does take away some of the mystique. (Kind of like when Ozzy Osbourne got a reality show. Or when Britney Spears actually started talking to the media without her people telling her what to say.)

But beyond that, I think the bigger concern may be that we can, in essence, create a new kind of "author intrusion." I covered traditional author intrusion in your writing here, but what I mean in his case is--you know so much about an author by following them that when you read their books, you *feel* the author's presence there and it pulls you out of the story.

For instance, a romance author tweets "I wish I could eat M&M's off Joe Manganiello's abs." (A valid wish, I might add.) But then you read her book a few months later, and her heroine is eating candy off the hero's stomach. Your mind is automatically going to scream "AUTHOR is here!" and it can yank you out of the story's world. Now, some people may not mind. It might be like a little inside joke--you know something another reader who doesn't "know" the author does. But it can go either way.

I don't think it's something we need to stress out about. But it does make a case for not venturing into TMI territory with your online presence. I definitely don't want to be reading a love scene in a book and thinking that the author is writing an autobiographical scene, lol. That definitely will pull me out of a story. *awkward*

I'm okay with sacrificing the mystique because the result is that you get to know an author and see that they're a real person. But there are also times when I wish I didn't know so much.

This is why when I went to a 30 Seconds to Mars concert and they were signing autographs in the lobby after the show, I didn't want to go meet them. My husband could not understand it. He was like--but you have this ridiculous crush on Jared Leto, don't you want to meet him? And I'm like--no, I don't want to ruin the fantasy image in my head. Of course, hubs then says: "This is because you don't want to truly accept that he's shorter than you, isn't it?"

Word.

But what do you think? Do you like knowing everything about your favorite authors? Have you ever been disappointed when you found out you really didn't "like" the author once you got to "know" them online? Do you sometimes miss the mystique? And have you ever had one of those moments reading a book where you felt the author standing there in the pages?

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

Typically, I am not one to rant. I'm a pretty easy-going, live-and-let-live kinda girl. But this past week, I was pushed a bit to the brink with this whole author blog thing.

I wrote this post last Friday and since then, the lovely Anne R. Allen has tackled the same topic, so I suggest you read her post as well because I'm going to attempt to not be redundant and to come at it from a different angle.

*Warning: This is a ridiculously long post. I apologize in advance. Grab a cup of coffee and a pastry in case you get peckish halfway through.*

Writers are under a lot of pressure to build their platform. We talk about it ad nauseam here and there are posts everywhere you turn in the writing blogosphere. When I read those posts, I try to pull out the tidbits that may help me and let the rest roll off my back.

But lately, it seems like the noise of what we should and should not do is becoming not just loud but cacophonous, contradictory, and oftentimes, unrealistic in my opinion.

Luckily Agent Sara and my lovely editor are perfectly happy with my web presence and never put pressure on me to do any of it. But this doesn't mean I don't put pressure on myself. And I know many of you out there are doing the same.

So let's look at what's being said as of late about blogging...

1. "Writers should not blog about writing." 

Okay, first Kristen Lamb said it and I understand where she's coming from--you want to reach readers, not just writers. Then Janet Reid said it because she thinks writing about writing makes for a "boring" blog. (From Twitter: booooring. your website is about your finished writing, not your process. Its like watching sausage being made: nooooo")

My reaction: I GET it. I understand why it behooves us to have a broader audience than just writers. This is why I bought Kristen's book and started my separate author blog. But I disagree that blogging about writing is boring and something that should be frowned upon. Anything can be boring if done the wrong way. Also, I think for the writer just sticking their toe in the blogging waters, writing about writing and getting connected to the online writer community are not bad things. It can help you find your blogging voice and build a support network. Then you can gain the confidence to experiment to branch out and expand your topics.

So I trudge along with my "shouldn't be doing it" writing blog and my "more for readers" author blog. I'm not on the ledge yet. I'm doing alright.

Then...

2. There's that post by Wendy Lawton that inspired my Is Blogging Dead? post where she says that blogging may not be worth the time because the blogosphere is glutted and it's going to be impossible to stand out.

My reaction: You can read my full post, but basically, I think if you love blogging, do it. If you think it's going to put you on the NYT Bestseller list, you're probably going to be disappointed. I see fellow authors all the time who've built significant online presences, but I don't see there names rocketing to the bestseller list because of it. I'm sure it doesn't hurt their sales, but you have to think realistically. Even if you have 5000 blog followers and EVERY one of them bought your book--which believe me, will not happen, maybe 5-10% will. You're still not going to make any major list (unless those 5k people bought your book all in the same week--also not likely.)

So off I go, still typing my little blogging heart away, but being realistic. Then...

3. People start talking about what kind of stats you should be getting to be considered a decent blog by NY Publishers.

Agent Rachelle Gardner puts out the statistic that a blog should get about 15k hits a month to be considered good. Then Meghan Ward hears from agent Andy Ross that 100k hits is where it needs to be to get attention and an editor says less than that, but 10k Twitter followers is a good range. So Meghan's research reveals somewhere around 30k hits is what they want us shooting for.

My reaction: *jaw drop * *rant starts boiling within me*  I respect all of these agents who are giving this information. However, this is a seriously intimidating bar to set for people. In summary: Blog, but not about writing, and only if you can get a crap ton of hits, otherwise don't bother because it's worthless. 0_o

This blog, which I think most would consider respectably successful (including my own agent who is totally excited by my numbers), has taken me two years and 500 posts to build. I have roughly 2k followers when you combine RSS and google connect. I definitely don't get 30k hits a month. Not even close to any of those numbers thrown out above.

And 10k Twitter followers? You know how you get 10k twitter followers easy peasy? You go follow 10k people. The number of twitter followers can be completely misleading. People who follow everybody and their daddy will get people following back. But are they engaging with you? And are you going to be able to engage with all those people in a genuine manner if you're following everyone just to get your numbers up? It becomes a meaningless number. (Read Kristen's Having the Right Friends for more on that.)

So after all of this piled up in my brain, here is what I wanted to shout at the heavens: "I am not a blogger who writes. I am a WRITER WHO BLOGS!" *insert expletives that aren't appropriate for this blog*

My main goal is not to become one of the uber blogs that gets 100k hits a month. People who are doing that are BLOGGERS. That is their job. MY job is to write books that people are going to want to buy. My blog and twittering and everything else are accoutrements to that goal. If I wanted to be a blogger for a living, I would've gone and worked toward that.

So I'm begging those out there to take the pressure off of writers.

Yes, blogging and social networking are great tools for your platform. Even though, frankly, the jury is still out on whether it actually sells any significant amount of books. (Check out this post on the supposed uber blogger/writers that Anne linked to in her post.) There will always be "break out" cases and hopefully some of us become one, but the reason why people always say Seth Godin, Neil Gaiman, Konrath, etc. is because there are so few who actually reach that level with an online presence. For every one of them, there are thousands who blog and network their little hearts out and go completely unnoticed.

And yes, blogging about something other than writing will give your readers variety. But almost every "big time' author who regularly blogs, blogs about writing sometimes. Readers like to hear the behind the scenes on occasion. So you don't have to cut it out cold turkey.

And honestly, post-publication, readers go to author blogs to get to know you better. Writing is obviously part of who you are, so why not include some of that along with other things you're interested in.

Niche blogs do the best hits wise (i.e. blogs on cooking or celebrity gossip or crafts), but listen--once you are a published author, YOU are the niche. YOU. Readers aren't coming to you to learn how to scrapbook or play checkers (unless you write books about those things.) They want to know about topics related to your books and you as a person.

This idea that you're going to build some crazy big blog and people are going to flock to it for tips on playing tiddlywinks and think--ooh, look, she's a paranormal romance writer too, I'm going to go buy her book!--is unrealistic in my opinion for fiction writers (non-fic is a whole other animal). If you are not blogging about something that is related to the kinds of books you write, the two dots are not going to connect. I could build a cute puppy pics site, but it's not going to make people want to buy my erotic romance.

And even if it's related, it still may fall flat. I enjoy reading historical romances. But I do not have any particular interest in learning facts about the Victorian period. So if you make your blog about that, I'm not going to be interested. You've gone too niche-y. So try to think of things that are appealing to a broad group of readers. Meg Cabot has a great blog. It's just her using her voice to talk about whatever. And it works because she's an established author and people seek her out--then they see her blog is interesting too, so they stick around.

As for those numbers thrown out there, the only reason you'd need a blog with 100k followers pre-publication is if you want to get a book deal BASED on your blog like that Julia Child book/movie. And your chances of that happening are about the same as striking oil in your backyard. I doubt that's what most of us are going for.

In my humble opinion, here is what a writer should be focused on...

1. Write the best damn books you can (duh). Because ultimately, that's what's going to give you a lasting career and draw people to you.

2. Build an online presence that is meaningful to you and that you get excited about. 

3. Blog about what you want but try to find things that you think will appeal to your target audience. If you're passionate about whatever it is, that will come through and people will want to read it. You are introducing people to yourself and your voice first, the topic is secondary.

4. Do not obsess on the number of followers and hits. It's about building engagement with others NOT about a statistic that may or may not be meaningful. (There are even authors like Natalie Whipple who are so frustrated with that focus on numbers that they are deleting their follower gadget.)

5. Be visible to readers  -- get book bloggers to review you, do interviews, hang out in forums. Don't just stick in the little writing corner of the the world.

6. Genuinely engage with others. Be helpful, be funny, be entertaining--whatever works best for you. A thousand engaged followers is way more valuable than 10k strangers.

7. Decide if you want to be a writer who blogs or a blogger who writes. Big difference. We only have so much time and creative energy in a day, where do you want to channel the majority of yours?

Which path do you think is going to be more likely to lead you to a book deal or writing success?

Spending the majority of your work time writing and honing your craft, while doing social networking and blogging in between?

Or, spending all your time building a mega blog and hoping New York will notice you?

I'm putting my money in the first basket for 99% of cases.

So I'm here to tell you, fellow scribes, to give yourself a break. Stop stressing. My publisher didn't even ask about my blog when they gave me a book deal. As long as I have a website and they know I'm on the social networks, they're fine. They are much more concerned about me writing great books and making deadlines.

And my small potatoes writing blog has gotten me a lot of opportunities. I've been invited to speak for groups without even having a book to sell yet. I've been blessed to meet all kinds of people who are willing to promote me without me asking. I've had people recognize my name who I had no idea were even aware of me.

Will it help me sell books? *shrug* Maybe, maybe not. But I wouldn't go back and change it. The people I've met through blogging have made this more than worth the effort. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong, but it's working for me.

That's not to say that I'm not always striving to do better and that I wouldn't love to get those crazy number of blog hits at some point, but that is not what is going to keep me up at night. I've got enough sleepless nights with my characters chattering at me, thankyouverymuch.

*end rant*

So has any of the recent blogging advice gotten you all stabby? What frustrates you the most about the advice out there? What have you found most helpful? What do you want your blog to be? And do you think blogs sell books?

How I Built My Platform and What I'd Do Differently


Hey guys, I've been interviewed over at Laura Barnes' blog for Savvy Sensation Saturday about building an online presences, social networking, and what's worked and failed for me. I'd love for y'all to stop by and say hi!

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!



“...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.


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:

 


What You May Have Missed Here:

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!

 

 



"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.



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? :)

Fill-Me-In Friday

 

Hope everyone has had a fantastic week. Welcome to Fill-Me-In Friday where I share some of the best links I've come across this week (and also shamelessly update you on what you may have missed here.) :)
But first a quick announcement: If any of you live in the DFW area, I am doing my first public reading along with a few other authors at the Authors' Roundtable at Bedford Public Library at 7pm on Saturday. (Here are the details if you're interested.) Come see me blush profusely as I try to skip past the parts that I refuse to read aloud in public. :)
Alright, now on to the links...
On Writing and Marketing:
Blogging Tips: Make Your Text POP by Angela Ackerman at The Bookshelf Muse
Your Only Real Competition Is Yourself by Cynthia Leitich Smith on Adventures in Children's Publishing
Meet the Maven: We're Here Whether You Want Us or Not (types of social networkers you should know)  by Kristen Lamb
10 Tips For Planning a Blog Tour by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Flick Chicks by The New Yorker (found via @Jamie_Wesley 's tweet)
Expect To Work Hard by Jody Hedlund
7 Ways Successful Creatives Think Differently than Unsuccessful Ones by Michael Hyatt (link found via Jody's post above)
Writers Must Kill Self-Doubt Before Self-Doubt Kills Them by Chuck Wendig (and Jenny Hansen's post bouncing off that Do Writers Need Validation?)
Have You Read a Self-Published Book? by Nathan Bransford (make sure and read the comments, interesting thoughts from people.)
For Fun:
Swagger Wagon (found via KB Owens' Blog)
What You Missed on the Author Blog:
What You May Have Missed Here:


 


Favorite Tumblr Posts of the Week:
(click here for bigger pic)
(click here for bigger pic)
(for bigger pic click here)
(for bigger pic, click here)
Alright, that's what I have for you this week, what were some of your favorite links of the week? Hope everyone has a great weekend!


 

 


"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.



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

 

Yay, it's Friday! And that means it's time for my favorite links of the week....
On Writing and Promotion:
5 Reasons I'll Read Your Blog by Wendy Thomas Russell
Goodreads Launches a Book Recommendation Service (a la Netflix Recs) by Techland
So What's an Author to Do? by Wendy Lawton (The follow-up post to the post that sparked my Is Blogging Dead? post this week.)
Writing Your Fears at Writer Unboxed

What You Missed on the Author Blog:
What You May Have Missed Here:
by Suzanne Johnson
(lots of great comments on this one)


My Faves from the Tumblr this week:

 

 

This made me LOL--bigger pic here
Bigger pic here


So those are some of my favorite links of the week, what were some of yours? Fill me in via the comments. Hope everyone has a fab weekend!


*All links open in the same window. If you don't want to leave this list, right click and choose "open in a new window". I'm trying to figure out how to get the links to open up in a new window in Blogger without having to individually alter the html of each link. If anyone knows of a way to do it globally for all posts, please let me know. Thanks!

 

 


"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.



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 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?

Fill-Me-In Friday

 

It's that time of the week again to round-up my favorite links of the week! But first I want to direct you to a guest post I'm doing today over at the fabulous Writers in the Storm. I'd love if you could stop by and leave a comment! 

 

My Guest Post:

 

Okay, now on to the links...

On Writing:
Heartbreaking Borders Photo via GalleyCat -- This gave me the sads.
Twenty Obsolete Words That Should Make a Comeback by Matador Network. <--These are full of awesome.
When the Going Gets Tough at Writer Unboxed 
So How Am I Doing? (the difficulty of tracking your book sales and how Amazon rank doesn't mean much) by Books and Such Literary Agency
The New Facebook Subscribe Button at Mashable -- great explanation on who should use it and how
Happy Endings by Sierra Godfrey
What You May Have Missed 'Round These Here Parts:
(And even if you're not into the pics, the post is worth reading for my husband's comment and answer to this question at the bottom of the post.)
September 12 - 16, 2011



So those are my favorites of the week--what were some of your favorite links out there? It's your turn to fill me in. :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

 


“...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.


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

 


This week was a short online week for me because of the holiday and the fact that I had company in town over the weekend. So my favorite links list is a bit short this week and I'm sure I missed some good ones out there. So hopefully you can fill me in with your favorites too.

 

But first I do want to let you know that I have been interviewed and am answering such saucy questions as What is you favorite non-digital writing tool?--a dangerous question to ask an erotic romance author! To see the answer and lots more Q & A about writing and social networking, stop by Amy Beth Inverness's site.

Alright, now for the links...

On Writing:

Who Wrote It? Author Franchises by Julie Glover

Social Media and Your Author Brand over at Writers in the Storm <--great list of hashtags for writers included

Why Are So Many Literary Writers Shifting Into Genre? at The Millions

How To Build a Loyal Twitter Following by James Killick

Agent Jenny Bent on Why Social Media Savvy Is So Important

25 Things You Should Know About Synopses, Queries, and Treatments by Chuck Wendig (R-rated language included)

Have You Given Yourself Permission? by Jami Gold

For Fun:

Spark Facts (in which Nicholas Sparks is roasted) over at Evil Wylie which includes such tidbits as: "Nicholas Sparks once delivered a woman's baby during a reading, then signed the baby."

What You Missed on my Author Blog:

 


What You May Have Missed Here:

 
(my guest post at Janice Hardy's blog)

 

 



And for those of you who are interested in following my Tumblr, here is my fave pic of the week from over there. *Remember this is an 18+ site and is sometimes NSFW unless you work from home like me ;) 

So there's my update, what are some of your favorite links this week? 


 

 

 


“...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.


 

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|

Building a Following: The Four Types of Bloggers

Today I feel a bit like Casey Kasem--I'm blogging by request. : ) Shain Brown asked if I would mind blogging about how I found my niche as a blogger, which is a great topic idea. So Shain, (*said in my best Casey Kasem voice) here is your request and dedication...

There is a lot of information out there about building your social media presence and your author brand. You can hear from experts from every walk of life. And oftentimes, you hear conflicting points of view, which can leave you frustrated and unsure of what direction to go in.

I most often refer you guys to Kristen Lamb because I think she really focuses on what works best for writers. However, as I've noted before, I've broken many of her suggestions. My biggest one being that I created a blog for writers vs. something more broad that could attract both writers and readers.

I totally see her point about why blogging about writing exclusively kind of paints you into a corner. It's put me in the position to where I now have two blogs because I don't want to do a bait and switch with you guys and move away from the reason you signed up to follow this blog in the first place.

But here's the deal: This blog wouldn't have the following that it does if I hadn't made this a niche blog.

If you are trying to build a presence online, you are going to get a lot more traction by keeping a specific focus then you will being all over the place. People like to know what they're getting when they come to a blog. Consistency = following and Consistency + Great author voice = Magic

So hopefully you guys enjoy my voice and style and that's part of the reason you read my posts, but ultimately you probably come here to get writing and publishing info. If that weren't the case, then all of you would've hopped over to follow my author blog as well. But you haven't because you may not be interested in things like Boyfriend of the Week or Sappy Sunday. : ) And that's fine. 

But before you get all freaked out if you don't have a niche or clear focus, also give some thought to what you want from your blog and what you want your blog to be.

Four Types of Bloggers

 

1. Community Blogger

Purpose: If you are blogging mainly to connect with other writers who are on the same journey as you so that you can all provide mutual support and cheerleading for each other, then you may be a community blogger. You are blogging as part of a specific community. You each comment on each other's blogs.

Action Plan: You don't need to have such a tight focus or niche. You're hanging out with friends and any topic is fair game.

Benefits: You can build a very loyal, very supportive group that you feel totally connected with.

Drawbacks: You may have trouble building a massive following. Posts about your word count or how far you are in your goals probably are not going to get lots of retweets or traction.

2. Information/Niche Blogger

Purpose: You are providing information or service for your reader. Maybe that's writing tips like this blog or maybe it's giving book reviews or keeping people up to date on the latest movie releases.

Action Plan: This is where a niche is helpful. What types of information, advice, or tips are you going to give? Make sure you blog in a way that gives people a takeaway when they read your post. You give them some nugget they can deposit in their mental bank after they close your post.

Benefits: If you are giving good information, you can build a significant following because people know they are going to get something worthwhile most of the time when they visit you.

Drawbacks: It can restrict you in your topics and you may only be appealing to a specific group. If you go too far afield from your main niche, you will lose follower engagement.

3. Entertainment Blogger

Purpose: Most often, this blogger's purpose is to make you laugh--that's your takeaway.

Action Plan: You can have a niche (like Chuck Wendig) or you can be more broad in your topics while keeping humor the theme (like Tawna Fenske).

Benefits: People love to laugh, so you can get a lot of followers and interest in your posts. You're not limited to a tight niche on topic because humor and your voice are the binding element.

Drawbacks: Being funny all the time can be hard. And if you don't have a natural talent for it, it can come across as forced.

 

4. Established Author Blogger

Purpose: These bloggers already have their books out there and followers typically come to them BECAUSE of their books.

Action Plan: This is when niche can go out the window. YOU are now the niche. You can write about the tomatoes in your garden and fans will be interested in seeing a peek into your life. However, the authors who stand out in this group are the ones who aren't just writing about their tomatoes. They are the ones who can attract non-fans to their sites based on their blog and THEN get them to buy their book. Think John Green, Seth Godin, etc. This last group is what we all should strive to be once we're published.

Benefit: When done right, you can engage with your current fans and make new ones who may have never thought of buying your book.

Drawback: Easy to get complacent and just phone in your blog.

So there is no wrong or right type of blog to go with. You just have to know what your goal is and what you want your followers to get from your blog. And obviously, if you do any of these types and have a boring voice or don't engage in conversation with your readers, then you won't get traction regardless. Connecting with others is the first goal no matter how you go about doing it.

I could write a ton more about this, but I'm going to stop before I ramble on too long. : )

So what type of blogger are you? Which type do you hope to be? Which kind do you prefer to read? And do you think having a niche is important?

Is Your Blog Fluffy? 5 Questions to Ask (and Contest Winners)

So last week I celebrated my two-year blogging anniversary (see winners to that contest at the bottom of this post.) That milestone along with my recent obsession with trying to figure out What READERS Want From an Author Blog and some anticipated tight writing deadlines next year has led me to do a lot of thinking about how to streamline my online time.

Right now I am blogging six days a week--three posts on this blog and three on the author blog. I love to blog and that's why I do it, but I also know it's a good way to suck up writing time before you know it. I get about 3.5 hours kid free writing time each morning and blogging usually takes up about 45min-1hr of that. So if I have any chance at increasing my writing output, I need to slim down the schedule and build in some flexibility.

I have a tendency to like structure and themes when it comes to blogging. It makes it easier to keep on track, but it also can start to make you feel a bit boxed in like--crap, I have to blog about THIS today because I have a theme for this day of the week.

And then many times with theme days (though not always) you end up with "fluff" posts--those posts that fill space and let you check off "blogged for the day" but don't really do much else. They don't resonate with your readers, they aren't particularly unique or different than anyone else who's blogging that day, and really when it comes down to it, are a a waste of time for everyone. This all hit me after reading this post: The Unproductive Writer's Guide to Success.

And this doesn't mean that all posts have to be long and serious. My Boyfriend of the Week theme posts on my author blog are fun, don't take a lot of time, and seem to be well-received. So I don't consider that fluff. (Plus, my editor says she likes them, so there.) ;)

But I really want to make sure that the posts I'm putting up are worth everyone's time, including mine. So I'm going to be more selective and also give myself some breathing room with what I'm calling my Flex Blogging Schedule.

So here's my new flex-y blogging schedule (for now):

  • Monday: Writing/Publishing Post (this blog)
  • Tuesday: Boyfriend of the Week (author blog)
  • Wednesday: open/flex day
  • Thursday: open/flex day
  • Friday: Fill-Me-In Friday/links roundup (this blog)
  • Saturday: open/flex day

So on those open days, I'll post if I have something worth saying and if I have the time to do it. If it's a writing post, it will be on this blog. If it's something broader or more personal, it will go on the author blog.

Of course, this is all experimental, so subject to change at anytime. :)

And here's how I'm going to determine if a post is fluffy or not.

Five Questions To Ask To Determine If You're Posting Fluff

1. Does this post add anything unique to the blogosphere?
2. Does this post provide my blog readers with something (whether it be usable advice, interesting information, or a fun experience)?
3. Did I feel excited writing this post or did it feel like I was dialing it in?
4. Is this post true to my voice?
5. Does this post engage readers in discussion? (may have to be something to evaluate after the post)

Okay and before I forget, let me get to the contest winners. Thanks so much to everyone who entered and welcome to those of you who may be new to the blog!

Let's all congratulate these lucky winners!

WINNERS! 

  • Taryn Elliot - Writing Craft package
  • Carrie Butler - Paranormal romance 
  • Karen Taveres - erotic romance 
  • Natalie Ham - TEMPEST arc 
  • Jami Gold - Historical Romance 
  • Febe Moss - Contemporary Romance 
  • Jessica Anne - Historical Fiction 
  • Julie Glover - Historical Fiction 
  • Natasha Hanova - YA Package 

I will email the winners some time this week to get your addresses so that I can send you your prizes! :)

Alright, so am I the only one reevaluating my blog these days? What do you love to see on other blogs? What do you consider "fluff" posts? How do you feel about theme days (reading them and posting for them)? Which of your posts get the most reader interaction?