I’ve been asked what I learned at the giggle of writers last week so here goes.
We writers must use social media to promote our work and to build our ‘brand’. (Not sure what my brand actually is but I’m hoping it’s pink and fabulous.) To get in the thick of it we’re encouraged to join various social media networks. I can tick off Facebook, although I’m having a great deal of trouble building up a fan base for my author’s page: W. A. Noble. (If you haven’t “Liked” it yet, please feel free to do so.)
I’m already on Goodreads. I joined a year or two ago, as someone who likes to read. Imagine my amazement when I discovered my book is on Goodreads and even has some nice reviews! (Thanks, chaps.) I was encouraged to ‘claim my author page’. “It’s easy,” they said. “Just Google Goodreads, type in your author name, scroll down to the bottom of the page and answer the question, Is this you?, with a yes.” So, I found a page for my book quite easily. I’m on a roll, I thought. Then I searched for my author’s name and was told, “This person does not exist.” Whaaaaat? I tried scrolling down my book’s page and my member’s page but there was no question to answer. I exist but I don’t exist. Gosh, I’m good at this stuff.
We were then given tips about how to write a blog. It seems I’m doing a lot of things wrong. 1) Don’t be negative or complain. Damn, that’s pretty much my modus operandi. 2) Don’t blog about writing. And to think, I was just trying to be helpful . 3) Don’t blog about social issues. But, the issues I blog about are important to me. It’s how my mind works. I care about the world. What is more, my stories include stuff about social issues (in a non-threatening manner). 4) Do book reviews. Alright! I’ve actually done a couple of those. 5) Do movie reviews. The only problem with that is I so rarely go to the cinema. But, I did talk about the movie, The Book Thief… or was that on Facebook? I know I made a brief mention of Ishtar once. 6) Take questions from your readers. I’m happy to do that so ask away. 7) Give book updates. I would if I had something to say. 8) Talk about the theme of your life. Not sure what that is. Any suggestions?
Looks like I’ve either got to do a huge overhaul of the blog, or not bother. At this stage I’m heavily leaning towards, not bother, but if you have any comments or suggestions to make I’d appreciate it.
There was stuff about Twitter, Pinterest and some other thing but I made a mental note right then and there not to go there.
There were some websites listed that should prove helpful so I’ll list them here for your benefit, even though I’m not supposed to give writing tips. www.smallbluedog.com/how-to-market-a-book; www.thecreativepenn.com; www.smashwords.com; www.createspace.com
The biggest thing I learned is that when the younger generation get tap tapping on their computers and use the phrase, “It’s easy”, I know I’m entering a strange and foreign land.
your blogs are great – don’t change them- they are real, fun and relevant.
Why, thank you, kind Sue. Real, fun and relevant sounds pretty good to me – almost (but not quite) pink and fabulous. 🙂
I don’t think you should change a thing. Too many people are telling us how we should live our lives, what opinions we should have and to be mindful of offending or upsetting someone with our thoughts and feelings. Why can’t you just be who you are?
Oh I’m still me. It doesn’t hurt to take the advice of more experienced people. I just have to weigh up what will work for me and what won’t.
Hey Wendy
LOL. I do like your take on things :). There is more than one purpose to a blog so there is no right or wrong. Trevor H ample has a very different approach where his blog is an end in itself – not just a means to an end ;). Your ‘end’ could be wanting to encourage people (which you do). Last week we were talking about what people in internet land said about using a blog as a means of marketing a book. Which is a different thing entirely. It all depends on what your purpose is. So maybe Wendy Noble, blogger extraordinaire, will be like Trevor and known for her blogs in their own right. And if so your fiction will benefit too :).
“Blogger extraordinaire” hey? Wow. I’m aware of Trevor’s different approach to blogging and he’s certainly very successful at it. He’s also not the only one to give that sort of advice. I have to work out what works for me and what doesn’t. I was very impressed with the information given at the writers’ thingo, but I found it a bit hard to catch up. I was still trying to work out how step one was done when everyone else had moved on to step four and five. I still can’t work out why I can’t find my “author page” on Goodreads when I have a book page. Any ideas? I know I need ideas on how to promote my book and my FB Author page and my blog, which is why the session was so interesting and helpful, but it was also a bit overwhelming. Oh well. I’ll soldier on. Thanks for your kind words.
Hi Wendy,
I do wish I could have been there. I’m sure it was a really interesting day, but I realised earlier the same week that it clashed with my dad’s 82nd birthday. It’s good to hear some of what was said.
I hope you had a lovely day with your family. They should always come first. I wish I could have told you more and/or explained things better but, as you can probably see, I was a little overwhelmed. Sue Jeffrey had some handout sheets. Why not contact her and see if she’ll post some out to you?