Ahhh the joys of social media, you can vent, you can keep in contact, you can advertise, and you can well...destroy your career. Don't want that now do you? I'll be honest with you. I hate social media, it sucks my time away, but it is honestly the only thing that has worked for me as far as building my platform and my marketing. Now you're wondering where this comes into play when it becomes to being professional. Imagine you're a reader and you're talking to an author, just in passing, an elevator or something and the first thing he/she says to you is. "Oh my fucking god, someone gave me a one star review! How dare they not appreciate my genius!"
Now I hope realize that it's rude and probably should have been kept in the authors mind. I get being frustrated, especially with drive by ratings, and reviews that just make no sense to you. I get it, I do, but here's the deal. They are going to happen. Every author gets bad reviews. Don't believe me? Go look up your favorite authors. Honestly, as a reader, I don't trust a book that doesn't have at least one low rating. Why? Because I feel like one book cannot be everyone's cup of tea. As an author you need to realize that. My point? You wouldn't do this in person, don't do it on your Facebook, tumbler, blog, twitter, whatever you use.
Best policy? Don't respond to the review or rating. Do not let your street team respond, and for the love of the writing gods do not stalk the reviewer! I can hear you now: But it's my personal page! I want to be real with my readers!
My answer to the first one: Yep, but this is the age of the internet, nothing is truly private. That's what's scary about it. Personal or not, you need to control your emotions and feelings. You are a business now, the way you act reflects on your product.
Second one: Be real with your readers, yes, let your readers know you're human to, but do that by interacting with them. Not ranting about them. I'm going to touch on that in just a minute.
Okay, so no responding to reviews. Next thing....do not go on some crazy rant about haters that you have. Seriously. We all have them, we all have people who say things mean about us or our work. Move along, for many of the same reasons above. You are going to hurt your brand if you react badly. This goes back to not ranting about your readers.
Interact with your readers, invite them to answer questions on your pages, they don't have to be related to writing or your books, they can be, but don't have to be. If they ask you a question, answer them honestly. (within reason of course) Even if the question is "What is the order of your series." You need to appreciate your readers, because without them you would be nothing.
Basically don't do anything online that you wouldn't do in person.
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Gearing Up For NaNoWriMo; Part Quatre
This is my 4th year doing NaNoWriMo. Year one was a mess, year two was productive, year three was a disaster up until the last minute and as for this year- I’m still
not sure if I am committed to it with the hectic schedule of doctors
appointments and traveling to Denver.
Even if I don’t go all in, November is a great time to re-assess my writing
journey and take stock of my projects that are lingering.
I finished Waking Up In Bedlam before NaNo was over in 2012 (year two),
and I was like this story is finished and I’m only at 38k! Then I went back,
filled in some spots and by the end of the month I came in at just over the 50k…
Then came the editing and cutting and I was back down to around 38k again and
wondering what the heck was wrong with me. But then after countless Betas and
editing it ended at over 56k. The point being, no novel is ever ready at the end of NaNo. You still have to fill in plot holes and shine it up with editing. Lots and lots of editing.
This year I might go at it again but with a story I’ve
already been working on and if I really dig in and try for the 50k goal I’ll
just make sure that whatever I write in the month of November equals 50k minus
whatever I’ve already written. Or maybe I’ll start something new and fresh. At
this point I have no idea what my plan will be. But what I love about this time
of year, this month before the chaos starts, is the excitement for writing that
abounds around the internet. People are excited about writing. Companies are
encouraging people to write. It’s fun. Go to YouTube and you will find any
number of NaNo songs, skits, information, tips & tricks. It’s so much fun
to see people get excited about something that encourages everyone to get their
creative juices flowing. It’s fun to experience, but even if you can’t devote
your entire month of November to pounding out 50k words at breakneck speeds you
can still have fun enjoying the energy and excitement of the participants.
So in honor of NaNoWriMo I’d like to share a couple of the
deals, tips, and songs that can be found around the internet to help spread the cheer of Pre-NaNo this month:
1) StoryBundle has a NaNoWriMo bundle that
includes up to 12 books about writing and also on crafting a career out of
writing. Check it out. StoryBundle lets you pay what you think the books are
worth. The minimum is $5 which gets you the first 6 books, anything over $15
gets you the other 6 for a total of 12 books by amazing authors. My favorite
has to be 500 Ways To Write Harder by Chuck Wendig.
2) For
Tips and Tricks the web is an abundance of information but the best place to
start is the NaNoWriMo forums. Participants throughout the years have posted
their best tips, tricks, and hints for everything NaNo related from plot holes
to writers block. Check out
the forum here to get you geared up and prepared for the 30 days of chaos
you might embark on come November 1st.
3) And
lastly. NaNo on YouTube. Oh the fun. Check out classic vids by some fantastic
NaNo folks!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Writer Tools
Writers use lot of tricks, we listen to tips, we craft our
own little ticks, spells, rituals, and habits, but every once in a while it’s
fun to take a peek into another authors bag of goodies.
Thanks to a Facebook post by Phoebe Chase I’ve found a fun
little tool to play around with and it is helpful. It can all be found on
author Shawntelle Madison’s
website.
First up is the GMC wizard, I have a blast playing around on
this. It helps you lay out your characters goals, motivation, and conflicts. It’s
everything you probably already have in your head but you enter it in and the
wizard lays it out nice and neat for you. I’ve used it repeatedly. Also if you
can pick up GMC:
Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon, I highly recommend it (I
mean really, an author can never have too many resource books)
There is also a Royalty Calculator, I haven’t played too
much with it, but give it a go while you are there.
My next go-to in my goodie bag (my bag is pretty small, but
it will grow over time) is the Emotional
Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. This book is invaluable.
Seriously. It helps cut down on flat characters and repetitive words.
I suppose the last little thing in my bag is when it comes
to names. The list of name sites I have bookmarked is ridiculous but here’s a
run down of some: (also, beware, I don’t know if these sites are safe, I use
them but that doesn’t mean that the next person who goes there might not run
into some trouble with popups or other unsavory issues)
(yes, if you haven’t figured it out by now baby name
books/sites are an excellent resource for pinning down that hard to find name
for your characters)
What are your tips, tricks, or tools that help you with your
craft? Let us know, we’d love to hear about it!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
What If You Can't Write?
What to do when you can't write?
I'm not talking about writers block, I'm talking about what happens when there is a physical reason that you can't write.
As of right now i am pecking away at my keyboard with my left hand because my right hand is currently out of commission. It's my dominate hand which means the world just got a ton harder. There is no "choosing or learning to be ambidextrous" you either are or you are not, I'm in the latter group.
So what do you do if here is a physical reason why you can't write. Let's face it one handed pecking is going to be a long and exhausting process for a 60k word manuscript. Hell I'm already exhausted just from writing this little amount. Pen and paper won't work, because like I said, the injury is to my dominate hand. So... Here are my options: 1) don't use my hand and allow it to heal after everything gets done to it and 2) try to invest in a speech to text software for my computer.
Dragon is what I'm going to go with, haven't gotten it yet, but I'm ordering it as soon as possible. As soon as I have it in hand (ha! See what I did there) I'll give you all a review. As I wait for the software and even after I get it I will be slowing down, there are several other factors that are involved and slowing down, lessening the amount of stress I have on my plate, and letting myself heal are all very important to getting better.
In the mean time, how would you over come an obstacle like this? Would you try to train yourself to use your other hand? Try a speech to text tool? Any other ideas? Let us know, we'd love to hear them.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
A note on review bloggers
So being a review blogger and an author gives me a chance to
see things from both sides of the equations. We’ve all seen it, authors moaning
and groaning about bad reviews from bloggers or readers. We all know my stance
on that. (If not it boils down to this: put your big person panties on and get
over it. You’re a professional) I may be beating a dead horse here, but I keep
in contact with other review bloggers and I’ve seen and heard some interesting
stories about authors. Okay, so authors here’s the deal…Review bloggers are not
your friends. Got it? You can’t hand them a book an expect them to lie to you,
even if you’ve built a good relationship with them.
I just heard you gasp. If they aren’t our friends, what are
they? Think of them almost as a boss. No they don’t get to tell you what to do,
but let’s face it, they get to judge the work you do. You go and you write a
nice letter asking them to read this book, you make it appeal to them, you want
them to review it. Some blogs have a policy that if they rate it under a
particular amount of stars, they will let you know first and you can say if
they can post it or not. (You will find no such policy here at SPE) As an
author I think that defeats the purpose of sending it to a review blog.
I am sending my book to a stranger (if it’s the first time
that blog has read one of my books) I may be sending it to someone I consider a
friend. But they are a review blog first, I expect that they tell me the truth
about the book. If I want an ego stroke, I’d got to someone who feels obligated
to lie to me. (We all have those friends.) Giving me a chance to say no or yes
to posting a review tricks the readers into thinking that all blogs will only
give me a certain rating or higher. As a reader, that pisses me off. I’m the
person who reads the bad reviews to see what I’m getting into.
As a blogger I don’t think it’s a good policy, which is why
you won’t find it here at SPE. Authors say they want honest reviews, that is
what they are going to get. Readers deserve to see those 1 or 2 star ratings.
The problem is that there are mobs out there so quick and ready to label
reviewers as bullies because of low ratings. That is not right and is a whole
other blog on it’s own. That being said, author’s if bloggers give you a choice
and a low ratings, suck it up. Do not be rude back to them. They have spent
their time reading your book. Just because they didn’t like that one doesn’t
meant they won’t like the next. Being a pompous twat isn’t going to help your
relationship with them. And by the way, just like authors talk so do bloggers.
My point is. You are an author, learn to take feed back and
deal with it. You don’t get to screen your readers’ reviews, why should you get
to screen your review blog reviews? Honest feed back, it’s what we need.
Remember, especially as an indie author, you’d be no where without your
readers. Your readers turn to those bloggers, if they shut down because of rude
authors, you’re only hurting yourself.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Spotlight: Ashley Nemer's Blood Green
The Art of Safkhet Presents – ASHLEY
NEMER
BLOOD GREEN
April 28th,
2014
The three worlds have collided and are coming to an end. Zayn
and Nikole face off for the final battle with Haydar and Leigh in a match to
the death.
Who will come out alive, and who will come out in the afterlife?
Good does not always triumph over evil, and in the Algula world,
that is even more true.
Life as they know it is forever changed when heads roll.
Will Adara's child survive after Haydar has taken her prisoner?
Will Alec's death go avenged?
What will happen to Nasir now that Leigh is here?
Will Alec's death go avenged?
What will happen to Nasir now that Leigh is here?
Blood Green, because all good things come to an end.
EXCERPT
There
was only one destination that Haydar had in mind while he was pulling Adara
through the forest and mountains of Colorado, Leigh’s training camp. He had to
control Adara’s body while they traveled. She fought against him tooth and nail
every second of the journey, and he had to respect that, an Algula woman not
scared to fight. When they made it to the facility, he pointed to one of the
guards that were standing watch at the entrance of the building.
“You!
Come here, now,” he bellowed, his voiced laced with authority. When the guard
came to stand beside him, he pushed Adara into his hands and began to bark out
more orders. “You take her to my chambers. She isn’t to leave. As a matter of
fact, I want her secured in my room, not to move.”
Two
words left the guard’s mouth, “Yes, sir.” Haydar watched as the guard began to
pull on Adara. Her shrill voice shrieked then, “No, let me go! My baby! Let me
go!”
Haydar’s
violet eyes scorched Adara’s body. He couldn’t help thinking what a foolish
woman this was for not only trying to defy him, but to escape his custody as
well. “I do not care about that infant you carry inside of you. I hope it dies.
One less family member to kill. Hmm, maybe I should just kill it myself.”
“No!”
Adara screamed out.
Haydar’s
back was now turned on the situation, and he hoped that his guard would take a
hint and remove her from his presence. Normally violence wasn’t such an
appetite builder for Haydar, but today, for some reason, he felt like he could
eat a cow.
“You!
Yes, come here,” he called out to another servant who happened to be walking
past him. “Yes, you. Come!” Haydar watched as the man ran up to him and bowed.
“Bring me food. I want to eat a cow. Make sure it is nice and tasty for me,
won’t you?” The servant gave Haydar a quick bow of his head again and started to
walk off, “Make sure it’s a big, feisty one this time!”
Haydar
enjoyed demeaning the humans by calling them cows. He thought it was amusing
since the humans, in fact, ate cows practically daily for their own nutrition.
The different types of bodies that the
humans possessed made it even more fun for him when he got one that was a
woman, and plump, especially around the center.
Once
he was alone, he stripped from the clothes that he had borrowed from the
hospital and tossed them onto the floor next to his feet. The putrid smell of
dead Algula on his clothing, even though it had been tossed aside, festered
inside his head. He went to the pile of discarded clothes and lit them on fire.
He enjoyed the smells of his enemy rotting away in the ether.
Behind
him, the door to the room opened, and when he turned, he saw his guard pushing
a plump human forward. His smile crept slowly across his face, allowing his
fangs to drop and expose themselves to the worthless piece of meat. “Release
him.” With a single command, he doomed the human for eternity.
The
guard backed away and left the room to Haydar and the man. Haydar looked his
prey up and down slowly, making sure he saw the purple irises that were now
flashing and swirling off and on shades in violet and lavender. When the man
started to back up, Haydar rushed at him and pounced onto the thick man in a
split second. His fangs were already pulsing and thrusting for a bite. It took
virtually no effort to penetrate the soft, moist skin of the human and sink his
pearly white incisors into the man’s blood stream.
The
man fought for a few moments before his body became dead weight in Haydar’s
arms. Once the last drop of blood was drained from the man, Haydar tossed the
carcass onto the stone floor and lit it on fire. As it burned the stench began
to permeate the air, and Haydar thought about how much he would miss this smell
if he had been a, quote un quote, vegetarian, like some of the foolish Algula
he had met. He licked his lips. The droplets of blood that remained gave him a
fresh taste of his kill. This was what he was made for, killing.
Haydar
walked out of his chamber and spotted the guard who had brought him dinner.
“Fetch my daughter,” he demanded curtly. “Have her meet me in my chambers. We
have things to finish.” He stormed down the hallway and walked directly to his
chambers. Adara should be nice and ready for him by now. The thought of the
fear that would be festering inside of her gave him pleasure.
He
took a second to reflect on what his Sarah would think about this situation.
Haydar was aware that Sarah would be against him killing Adara because of the
pregnancy, but sometimes in war, people didn’t always get what they wanted. He
had to justify it with that logic. Adara and the unborn child would simply be
casualties of war and not a slight on the Gods who’d created them. Sarah would
understand the need for survival, for keeping their race alive and thriving
with no one to stop them.
As
he approached his chambers, the metal doors prevented him from entry at first.
He grabbed ahold of the handles and pushed before walking directly into the
room where he was met by a wonderful display of victory. It was as if she was
his prize, a token he had won during a carnival game. He walked over to Adara’s
bound body and ran his fingers along her soft, smooth skin. He knew he was
causing her something, fear, excitement, anything, when he saw the goose bumps
pop up along the trail his fingers took.
About the Author
Ashley, also
known as Niki Becker, is married and lives in Houston with her husband Tony.
They have two dogs, Toto and Doogie. They have been together for over 8 and a
1/2 years and he brings her more joy than she could ever imagine as a child.
She loves to read and has been hooked on the romance genre ever since her
lifelong best friend gave her "Ashes to Ashes' by Tami Hoag to read when
they
Ashley finds
her strength through her family, especially her parents. They always support
her in life; they push her to strive for greatness. There once was a motto that
Ashley heard in her youth through her Taekwondo life 'Reach for the Stars' and
that is what Ashley has always done. It was through her upbringing that the
values Ashley has and displays come from. With her parents always cheering her
on in life she was able to grow up having faith in herself and her ability to
conquer the world.
Ashley enjoys writing many different
genre’s of fiction. Her areas range from science fiction/ paranormal, mystery,
romance, poetry and erotica (using pen name Niki Becker.)
Links!
http://www.facebook.com/ashers83 (Add Friend)
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