Monday Mailbox ~ The Past Revisits Me- Introverts and Writer Events

It's that time to visit Tilda the Mailbox and answer your questions.
I remember you from the Southeastern Writers Conference a few years back. You have a way of standing out in a crowd. How do you do that? I'm a wallflower at these things. Why do you draw attention to yourself? In fact you do that in every writers conferences you attend. The same questions apply. You aren't disruptive but memorable. I'm in awe. Are you always like that? CR

My response...

Yes, I make it a habit to be noticed at writers conference and public events, but I am your basic introvert and hate crowds. I remember you too. You followed after me wherever I went but never joined the conversation, but remained the wallflower with your eyes cast down at the floor. Now matter how I tried to draw you out and talk, you muttered responses and refused to offer more. It's a shame really.

It takes tremendous effort on my part to go to these events. I really have to psych myself up for them and they leave me totally exhausted afterwards. I have a few goals for attending any writers conference or public event.

•  Hey, I'm here.
• I'm a writer just like you.
• To learn what I do not know.
• Teach from experience. 
• I paid for it, why not have fun.

The "Hey, I'm here" when you write a book and want to publish or have published one, you have to learn how to gain attention to/for yourself and your work. Otherwise you, won't be noticed or read. Remember one person tells ten people and so forth. I hear the buzz... "I met so and so at X. You won't believe the antics or stories surrounding her books." It gets repeated exponentially.I am remembered by those who have never met me so when they shop for books there's the recommendation.

Joan M Mas @ flickr

At writer conferences, "I'm a writer just like you" comes into play. All writers are friends you haven't met yet. They all have stories to tell because we are the storytellers. We have a common interest, desire, and love to see their books on the shelves. The hard work of finding common interest among strangers is taken out of the equation. Why not build upon it?

I was struggling with The Sacrificial Lamb. It was way too short by almost 10K words when I finished the third editing pass and was at a loss on how to expand it. I contacted a friend. Yes, I'd met here at a writers conference. Actually I'd contacted several. But these friends came up with a workable solution. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Yes, it meant a subplot weaved into the story, but I made my goal word count.

I'm going to combine "to learn what I do not know" and "teach from experience." These people at writer conferences and author forums may have forty or fifty books published or still working on their first rough draft. You can learn from the ones in the first category and teach the second. I may have fifty thousand (an exaggeration) ways to fix any problem that doesn't mean I can't have one more in my arsenal.

Even when I am the teacher, I'm constantly learning new things. My way is not the only way. There are so many variations and possibilities to make a better widget. In this case writing and publishing.

Now I tend to be frugally minded and keep my eye on the bottom line. It's the accountant in me. It is also the introvert side of me. But at public events, including writer conferences, why not have fun? You paid for it and sometimes it's a big expense. If you look on these things as a chore than maybe an author life is not something you should be pursuing.

When you have a list of needs outweighing your wants, something playing the double duty role is advantageous. I tend to look at writer events as a working vacation. Writing and promotion is what I have to do to be successful. Having fun is an option but doable. Pick one person at a writers conference like CR did. More than likely that person knows another and they know others. Become an interactive part of that group. Be crazy, but not in a destructive way and have fun.

clipart.com

I haven't met a writer yet that doesn't like to talk about their writing, their WIP, and their published works. That what I did at my first writers conference too many years ago. Most of us are introverts too. But get us started on our passion and soon you have a self-feeding bonfire. Who isn't drawn to or doesn't have fun at a bonfire? Drawn like a moth to a flame, and it is kindled by you and one other person.

Be the flame because moths will get their wings singed and die. Standing back hurts rather than help you become memorable. Take a chance and speak up even if it's to agree with what has been said and why. These are the impressions other will carry with them of you.

Why is all of this important?
Because you need to build a readership. You need to build a platform to one day be considered by an agent or publisher. Even if you plan to go it on your own, you need a readership base or you won't sell any books or very few.

Monday Mailbox ~ Reviewers and Giveaways

As many of you know I tend to spotlight my reviewer blog/friends from time to time. I actually just read their blogs and posts rather than ask them to review my books because I enjoy their style of book reviews. They are my unsung heroes. I've been conversing with several via email of late.

I rarely do current book reviews here. Most of the books I review have been out a while if not years. They are books that I stumble upon or been reviewed by others. They are based on my current needs and desires. I'm eclectic as a reader and read a little of everything because even though I'm an author, I'm an avid reader too. Ah, the beauty of word of mouth sales as an author. The best kind there is.

Most recently, I've been emailing Michelle Miller. She not only does reviews of books but it takes it a couple of steps farther. She reviews books like any reviewer does, but she hosts several other blogs as well. Read-a-thons by genre where she asks authors to donate copies of their books as prizes to those lucky few winners. She also hosts a write-a-thon for those working on their novel. Talk about being an all around type of reviewer!

I first met Michelle two years ago on GoodReads. I don't remember which section, but it must have been a horror section because I was researching and promoting my zombie wanna-be series of books, I think. She was asking for prize books for her read-a-thon so I checked her out. What better way to get books in reader's hands and do double duty promotion? She had a far greater readership than I did at the time.

I thought about it for over a week before I jumped on it. I don't make rash decisions. I always put thought into every action prior to action. It was a win-win scenario was my final decision. I donate a couple of e-copies or a signed paperback and she does all the promotion. So whenever she asks, if I have something appropriate, I give and participate when I can.

So today I'm spotlighting Michelle is her various entities. All her posts to each site are current, and she still has time to read and write too. I thought I was multitasking with two blogs. I've got nothing on her in comparison. Check her out! She has something for everyone.

The True Book Addict

Castle Macabre

A Brave Heart

Stories Inside    a write-a-thon

Historical Fiction Connection

The Christmas Spirit








Read-a-thons (throughout the year)

http://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Wednesday Writerly Way ~ Online is Easy

Marketing online is easy with social media, right? I mean there are tons of sites that you can promote your books as an author. Is there such a thing as being online too much? How do you know you are reaching your target audience?

I'm on MySpace, GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, SheWrites, belong to a large number of writerly sites for authors and readers alike, and follow blogs when written. If I spent any number of hours on these sites I'd never get any writing done on any WIP. Besides there are tons of indie and traditional authors doing the same thing...get to know me, howdy, I wrote a book, buy my book blurbs in 140 characters or less, and websites and blogs. It's a disorganized mess out there with tons of competition. So what's my angle?

I've been accused a time or two of having Montezuma's Revenge of the mouth...talking too much. My blog isn't any different. While most blogging experts say to keep blogs short and sweet, I do just the opposite. My blogs are meaty chunks of succulent details that you can't help but sink your teeth into and come back for seconds. The only thing short about me is my stature, but then only if I'm not riled up because I can get ten feet tall and in your face if the circumstances warrant it. I've made full grown, good old boys cower in fear. My blog is my perfect platform for my condition and it works for me.

Those other places, I check in weekly unless there is an event going on. I get weekly digests of who said what and when that happened while I was away. I do spent quite a bit of time, several times a day, in emails. There may be a three week backlog in my answering you back.  I'm there but not there. They are my silent salesmen working 24/7 just like this blog does. My Amazon author space and Smashwords is updated automatically as I publish. My blogs and twitter comments are posted on several site usually within twenty-four hours of posting them...I'm all about double or triple duty uses with one effort. That's because I have a life too, don't we all?

Be it tenacity or pure mule headed stubbornness, however you cut it. We as indie authors face the same challenges without a Big 6 publisher holding our hand or offering support. We have our own support and hand holding network of friends and authors...like Indelibles and a host of other sites.

So how much of an online presence do you need? A lot, but if you can find options that allow double duty for the same action, grab it and run. I'm averaging 5,000 to 10,000 hits a month on this blog so for me its exposure. If everyone that stopped by bought even one of my books, I'd be rolling in money. I realize the more likely number from sales is 10% of that. I spend a lot of time doing the analytics thing. I analyze what is the best use for my money and time is money. Although the experts say that blogging doesn't relate to book sales I beg to differ...mine does. In each of my books there is a section in the about author that I add contact information. Yep, this website is listed. It works for me. I can see the numbers.

I did something really smart or very stupid during the Smashwords "Read an e-book" promotion. I set all my books for free except one. Over 100 books flew into people's e-reader formats. But Jo, that's money out of your pocket. Yes, it is. I advertised the sale everywhere listed above, but only 100 books were downloaded. That's good news and bad by my calculations. I really expected the number to be higher on the bad side of the scale considering it was five titles. Conversely, my sales to B&N and Apple accounted for 200 books paid for tipping the scales the other way. So I lost some money during the promotion but made twice as much in sales in other areas...go figure. It was a gambled risk that worked out. Sometimes an author just wants to see what happens and to get books into readers' hands.

Seeing how I advertised the sale everywhere along with quite a few other authors the numbers of downloads didn't sway the numbers too much. So the question I pose is why spend hours upon hours promoting a book online? Use your time and resources wisely. I know I do.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ Online Presence

As my leg bounces up and down, clonus, as I type,  I wonder if my being online is worth it all and long for the days when I could just write. I spend on average of 60 hours online per week between blogs, promotion, emails, writer forums, research, and games. That's more time than a full-time job. Or at least a standard job. I've never been lucky enough to have a 40-hour work week.

That leads us into your question for today.

How much time is enough when building an online presence? You are everywhere. How do you keep track of it all? LC

Start small and grow it bigger. I started with forums and blogging. To build an audience the forums are great. You just have to invest a few hours a week commenting and posting. If people like what you have to say, they'll follow your blog. This is where links comes in. I put them everywhere. They are in my email signatures, my forum signatures, my books, my author pages, etc.

For forums I belong to quite a few. Mainly the Compuserve Books & Writers, GoodReads, and SheWrites. Keep in mind that there are forums within forums. Join as many or as few as you think you can follow that pertain to information or promotion. There are many I do frequent but it's not a life long quest. It's a question of balance. I could spend hours in these places, but it would not allow me to create and that's why I joined these forums to begin with. I always keep in mind why I'm doing what I'm doing and "because" isn't a good enough reason.

My blog is my lifeline to readers and writers alike. I've got about an even distribution between the two where once it was more skewed to the writers. It's a place I can be me the expert and the novice, the doubtful and the assured, the comedian or the crybaby, the tunnel is black and goes on forever and the hope giver because the end of that tunnel is near.

I can't be in two places at once. I'm only human, but I can be with emails. While I might not be physically present in all areas, I'm just a message away. When I have a few seconds to spare I might open my twitter, or facebook, or my space, or linkedin accounts and post something or comment on something. But mostly I stay away from those time drains. Even this blog is pre written  on Thursdays or Saturdays during my non blogging days and scheduled. My Thursday and Saturday sporadic postings are the only ones that are off the cuff blogs and maybe written 24 hours in advance.

How do I keep track of it all? Digest options and emails. Those I can read or answer during the free seconds of my day or the middle of the night if I choose to. I believe in a less stress life, although I don't have one. Easy is better than hard, but hard is not without merit. While I do not promote my book per se with a buy-my-book plea I do use them as examples here in my blog. I'm all about building relationships with readers and writers alike. After all, writers are readers too.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

An Interview

Just thought I'd give my readers a heads up. I was interviewed on Thomas Wilson's blog today. Read it here.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.