Tuesday, May 8, 2012

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

 or
Pet Peeves
or
Tough Love For Bloggers

Just as publishing, marketing, promotion of books and reading is affected by the changes happening every day on the internet, so writers need to step up with their blogging. There are more and more writers competing blogging to promote their published, or soon to be published, work.

To put out a good product (good blogging) it becomes necessary for the writer to axe limit the amount of time spent reading and supporting other writers on the internet. There is only so much time in a day to support fellow writers, without having one's own writing suffer. Eventually the time spent on blog reading and support will be whittled down to only those who put out a good product. So, if you blog, don’t take advantage of other writer's time by not keeping your writing at its best.

Here are the Pet Peeves things bloggers do that annoy me and are causing me to rethink who I  (and many other writers who I've heard the grumblings from) will support:
·        Author interviews—unless this is in conjunction with a book review—I  am not interested in don’t have time for hopping around numerous sites to support an author who is being interviewed umpteen numbers of times. Unless you are famous, who cares hearing the same things about you and your book is a bit self centered, eh? a little redundant, no?
·        Not everyone can be a blogger no matter how much the romance of it intrigues. If you have nothing to say don’t blog you might think about a static web page instead.
·        If you have something to say—say it in a fresh way, or develop those skills necessary to hook a reader and engage their attention enough to entice them to read your blog. You’re supposed to be a writer, so use your writer skills.
·        Don’t write words just to fill a page—that’s deadly and will soon cause your supporters to flee not return to read your blog (you know, the personal stuff most strangers don’t give a flying fig about aren't necessarily that interested in).
·        If you are just starting out, find your niche—those subjects that are aligned with what you are promoting (your book or your passion)—and write about that. If you are excited, others are more likely to catch your enthusiasm.
·        Read lots of other blogs that inspire you even though the subject matter may not be about what you are writing—think: cross pollination. Keep an open mind, something useful might drop in.

If you are trying to gain a following (to sell books) and don’t know what to blog about, here-in lies wisdom slant your post for your audience—the ones who will buy your books! Visit Linda Adams blog post: Engaging Readers with Social Media for great ideas on targeting your audience. 

Now, having posted some of my pet peeves and subjects to be wary of, you need to be inspired to do your thing by going to Alina Sayre’s blog, Illuminations to read Dance Like No One’s Watching

For great information all the time on blogging, promoting, publishing and writing, or if you just need a general (humorous) uplift, visit KristenLamb’s blog.

So, did I hit a nerve? Have you had the same thoughts? Tell me (the good and/or the bad).



17 comments:

Alina Sayre said...

Good critique, Cora: it's true, since having a blog is free, sometimes we abuse it by peppering the blogosphere with what is basically spam. I actually do enjoy certain author interviews, though--especially those that get beneath the glowy surface of "your book is great!" and uncover little-known facts about the author's personal life. And thanks for the mention :)

Unknown said...

I said "Yea" a couple of times. Some other pet peeves: cluttered pages that have 'donate' button, every badge known in the blogosphere, 1500 word posts,and/or try to be funny but aren't. Overt promotion bugs me too and I avoid their blogs. That's just my perspective.

Since I'm more of an introvert, I tend to like writers like Jane Friedman, who did a great post on % of writing to SM time: http://tinyurl.com/bsta9fx and Rachelle Gardner. Both are concise writers who cut to the chase when posting. Most of the time I like a blogger to share resources and 'finds,' I return to those posters more often.

Cora said...

Thanks for the encouragement--I really hesitated on this post. I realized I might step on some toes and it might not be so popular, but then it's my voice and I'm sticking to it! Of course, I enjoy some author interviews as well. It's the unknown writer who blog hops and wants you to visit all those sites with them that bug me. On Triberr I am in a few groups and that is all some bloggers do. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, it is spam.
I enjoyed your post and was glad to mention it. It fit right in with what I was trying to get across with this post.

Cora said...

Yes those two writers you mentioned are ones I follow as well. They are excellent. Like you, I have a few other pet peeves, but these I mentioned seem to be digging at my time lately and so I am regrouping how to spend my social networking time more wisely. Thanks for commenting.

Julie Farrar said...

Can we also agree all of this goes with Twitter and FB? Every post shouldn't be "read me . . . read me" or "buy me"

Cora said...

Amen to that. After a while it becomes invisible as I scan for real conversation.

Veronica Sicoe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Veronica Sicoe said...

Oh I love your sharp tone. I would've nixed the polite versions, though. Heh.

My main pet peeve in blogging: people who ONLY complain, all the time, about everything, even private shit I don't ever want to know. Especially that. Ugh.

Barbara Forte Abate said...

True, so true, Cora! Funny thing about author interviews, whenever I'm asked to do one myself I'm appreciative, and yet there's always the immediate thought of, "But who really cares?" There are oodles of suggestions and not-so-sound advice about promoting oneself, but none of it should rule out common sense or courtesy. Aka, if it entails clubbing potential readers over the head with a series of obnoxious, boring, self-centered assaults it's not the best advice to follow.

Marianne said...

I complete agree. It's been really hard to follow so many blogs and I find I'm only reading briefly...

Cora said...

You are too kind--you think I nixed the sharp barbs for the polite version, you should have seen what I originally wrote before I toned it down. Ha. Thanks for stopping by.

Cora said...

Author interviews are tricky. Of course they are appropriate some of the time, but when I see the same person traveling from site to site, one right after the other, I find that a bit pushy. I would feel awkward doing it. I do understand we all have different groups and want to find new followers, but some really overdo it. I'm just on a rant this week.

Cora said...

I hear that. When you have to spread yourself so thin, you miss a lot by perusing. That's why I've decided not to try and read each one, only those bloggers who put some good writing efforts into their blogs. It comes to that point of time management so you have time for your own work.

Marja said...

I've learned that I can only read so many blogs, and not one more. I try to skip around. As for me, the problem with doing many interviews is that there are only so many ways you can say the same old thing. I really enjoy interviews with fresh questions. Great blog!

Cora said...

Yes, we only have so much time and each of us has to learn the right balance so that we still have time to write on our own work otherwise there is no purpose to spending time on social networking. Thanks for commenting, Marja.

Tim Desmond said...

Good points on all of this. I was referred here by Sunny Frazier. I loved the "Change Tracker" edit marks that you left in place. Very cool and hilarious some. You had referenced a Cynthia Herron blog on "tips" for writing one's best in blogs. I commented there, and on reflection ..... all of this applies to any of our other projects as well as blogs. Thank you. Tim

Cora said...

Thanks for stopping by, Tim. Glad you got a chuckle or two. You are right, it does apply to all our writing if we want it to stand out from all the written work being put out.