No More Publishing

This weekend I abandoned my writing.

But for a good cause.

It's been THREE years since I've written any music. THREE YEARS! What the heck? How did all that time disappear?

Well ... my mother and father, who are also musicians, convinced me to put my music up on Soundcloud. So I did. And what happened next? I started listening to all these amazing artists, and got jealous. Ha! Yup, jealous. I just HAD to write some more tunes.

So that's exactly what I did this weekend. I wrote two tracks. TWO!

But this isn't my usual style. I experimented with digital instruments, and these tracks are purely instrumental. But I REALLY enjoyed it. I think I just might end up writing a whole album of instrumental stuff. It really cleared my head and made me realize that I need to set the business of being an independent author aside for a while, and just BE an ARTIST.

In 2013, I published so many books. And I'm exhausted. So 2014 is going to be all about CREATING. Writing, music, writing, music, writing, music ...

It's going to be a STRESS-LESS year.
No self-inflicted deadlines or expectations.
Just pure artistic joy.

I NEED THIS.

And I think I'm off to a good start!
Care to have a listen?
What do you think?

PS: If you're on Soundcloud, follow me! I'll be sure to follow you back.

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Should Authors Post Negative Reviews?

As much as I like to review books efficiently and honestly, since becoming a published author, I've had to hold myself back from posting negative reviews.

Of course, there are books out there which I don't like, but as an author, I don't think it's in my best interest to publicly voice negative opinions about others' books.

If I don't like a book, I don't review it. Full stop.

But that's just me.

There are other authors out there who believe otherwise, and that is their choice, and I completely respect that. But if you are going to free yourself to voice negative opinions about books, I think you need to accept the consequences that come with such a bold choice.

Now, I know, first hand, how hard it is to receive a negative review. And I've heard horror stories about authors lashing out at reviewers, and seen these situations turn nasty and destroy careers. But FANS of authors can also lash out at a reviewer that has posted a negative review. This is scary. Because if they discover that you are an author, they could very well decide to seek your books out and review them negatively for revenge. And if the author's fan base is huge, this could mean the end of your career. I know that sounds a little over the top, but can you imagine 100+ fans on a rampage to destroy your reputation?

It can happen. And when it does, it's devastating. I've seen it with my very own eyes.

I know how it feels to want to write an honest review about a book that isn't so great. I have felt like doing so on many occasion. And I know how silly it seems to play these 'games'. But this is business. It's one big popularity contest, and the tiniest thing can set you back. So in light of this, I've decided to avoid posting negative reviews. Not only because of the possible consequences, but because I really don't believe in putting another author down no matter how bad I think their work is. It's just NOT NICE. And as an author, I think you should be able to put yourself in another author's shoes, and understand how horrible it feels.

If you hate a book, whinge about it to your close friends over the phone or email, not in a public place. As authors, I think we need to look out for each other.

My advice is, if you're an author, DON'T post that negative review. Play nice. And if you just MUST, create a pseudonym, so it doesn't come back to bite you in the face.

What do you think about authors posting negative reviews?
________________________

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Dealing With Categorization On Amazon For Multi-Genre Works

Upon the release of muted, I had a dilemma. How to categorize it. But I should start off by telling you that muted is a science fiction, cyberpunk, dystopian short story written in verse, which means it’s ultimately a very long poem. So is it poetry? Or is it a short story? I could only choose two categories on Amazon. If I just put it under poetry and short stories, it wouldn’t be very discoverable, because really, who searches for those? So I put it under “Cyberpunk” and “Dystopian” Fiction. You may argue that this is silly, because ultimately, muted is an epic poem.

But did you know that epic poetry stems from the Greek word “epos,” which means to speak or to tell a tale? Homer’s Iliad is an example of an epic poem. So is the Odyssey. And they are stories. For the sake of discoverability I did what I had to do to be noticed. Muted is a story, despite being written in verse. And ultimately, does it really matter what category you put your work in? Writing is art. There are no limits to art.

Do you write in multiple forms and genres and not know how to categorize your work? If so, just ask yourself this: Does it evoke emotion? Does your writing keep me engaged? Does it make me want to read more of it? Does it use vocabulary creatively, avoid cliché, kick me in the gut and make me want to write like you? Does it make me email all my friends and tell them to check out this new and upcoming genius? Yes? Then what have you got to lose?

When the time comes to release your work, put it where it’s going to be seen (within reason of course—i.e. don’t put a hardcore science fiction book in the romance category). Be open-minded. Just because your work is one thing, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be considered another.

Be creative with how you categorize your work.

Get noticed.

Get readers.

Get fans.

*For detailed information on how to get your book categorized in Amazon subgenre bestseller lists, check out Let’s Get Visible, by David Gaughran. I highly recommend this book!

________________________

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I'm over at the Alli blog: How & Why to get Published in Literary Magazines

I'm over at The Alliance of Independent Authors Blog today, with a post entitled, How & Why to get Published in Literary Magazines.

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How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

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Home Fri: Publishing How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

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Home Fri: Publishing How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

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Home Fri: Publishing How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

"Authors often overlook literary magazines, or forget they even exist. But what many fail to realize is, they offer the perfect opportunity for you to get your name and work out there, available to the public. Let’s face it, the more you and your books have the chance to be noticed, the better.

Getting your work published in a literary magazine is a bit like having “proof” that you’re a worthy read. Why? Because it means there are editors out there who loved your work enough for it to represent their publication. A publication that they consider their pride and joy. No literary magazine or journal is going to publish work that isn’t good enough. Their reputation is on the line, and they want to make sure the loyal readers they have gathered over the years, will stick around.

“What readers?” you ask. “Who really reads these things anyway?”

Writers. Lots of writers. And more importantly, ..."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post. Would love to see you there!

Have a great weekend, folks!

________________________

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WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? (My thoughts about the aftermath of John Green's recent speech.)

Since John Green's video speech about self-publishing splashed through cyberland last week there have been a lot of indie authors posting responses to it in defense/retaliation, many of which, to me, seem like various sophisticated wordings of "fuck you".

I'm not targeting anyone in particular. I'm totally generalizing here, based on the irksome feeling that pooled in my gut after reading several post-John-Green-speech-posts.

Okay, fine. I totally understand the inclination to cry "not fair!", and believe me, I'm on your side. It isn't fair. He said a few things that made me cringe. A lot. He also said a few things which were totally true. The problem is that he just doesn't realize that the things he claims authors need to publish a book (editors, designers, etc), aren't actually lacking in the indie author crowd. We don't just slap a book together from first draft and hope for the best. We take all those things very seriously. Perhaps even more so than the traditionally published author, because we actually have to commission these skilled freelancers ourselves and know how much work it involves.

Regardless of the content of John's speech, I'm pretty sure it was more the aggressive nature in which he voiced it that got under our indie author skins.

But the point I'm trying to make today is, there's this saying, guys, that is too often ignored or fobbed off for cliche: two wrongs don't make a right.

Come on, everyone. We don't need to stoop to his level of foul-mouthed aggressiveness to prove a point, do we? Everybody has an opinion about publishing. Everybody thinks their way is the only way.

But we're all still writers, folks. We're all still AUTHORS.
Why can't we just all get along?

The stigma attached to self-published authors may very well be on its way out, but we also know it's not completely disintegrated yet.

The way we publish is not yet embraced by everyone in this industry. And we know that. We've known that all along. We signed up for this challenge. We signed up to be the kind of author that some might think are lazy, rather than hardworking. But does it matter? We know the truth. Deep inside. And the best thing we can do is to keep educating people who have not yet accepted us. Let's keep producing quality work and prove them wrong in an honorable way, instead of lashing out for their ill-informed idea of what self-publishing is.

Sure, we should speak up. We should tell the world that we are just as good as the big guns. But I honestly think, the best way to do that is to do it through our books and our experience as indie authors.

Let people believe whatever they want to believe. Don't worry, we'll fight back. We'll fight back with books that our readers cannot bear to put down at night, and support our opinions on self-publishing with knowledge gleaned from personal experience. Not by putting others down.

What do you think? Is it right to lash out at John for this? His opinions are only coming from a world which he is used to living in. He hasn't experienced our world. He doesn't know. I think we should cut him some slack.

__________________________ 

PS: I have a mini review tour for The Book, through Xpresso Book Tours happening for a week starting from today. There is a rafflecopter going for a signed copy of The Book. Two available internationally. If you're interested, you can enter below. Cheers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 20p e-book, paid 5-star Amazon reviews and tags, Facebook bollocks and disappointments ...

There are a few things on my mind today. I could probably write a whole post about each, but I think, for my own sanity, I'm just going to gloss over them all so I don't get too worked up ...

1. The 20p e-book is starting to reshape the e-book market. You can read about it here. I'm scared. I'm scared that this will go on longer than just a marketing ploy and it will become the new 99 cent-er. Why am I scared? Not because of the price itself, but because of what the price represents. I feel that the industry is destroying the whole magic of buying and reading a book. With these prices, it's not special anymore. All it is, is competition. I feel the beauty of literature is being destroyed by greedy corporations. It's devaluing what we do. My opinion. There are many that would disagree with me.

2. There is a corporation that is selling 5-star Amazon reviews. You can read the full email Jodi Picoult received, on her Facebook fan page. But I shall copy and paste bits here. I quote:

"Hello. We’re an advertising studio Star5Amazon. ... We’re ready to work towards creating and maintaining an impeccable reputation of your books that will allow you to increase sales and attract new readers by means of excellent reviews. The price of one published review is $50. ... We know how to make the way of your book to five-star rating without causing suspicion. ... Neither automatic filter, nor people can tell where a review is written by a real user, and where it is written by our employees. If the review was banned, it will be replaced by a new one, free of charge. ... all activities are performed secretly, and no one will know that you are buying reviews."

I. AM. DISGUSTED.

3. Amazon seems to be removing tags from books. This is not good. Tags help readers find books. If there aren't any tags, then it's Amazon dictating the keyword searches, not the readers.

4.  Facebook have new advertising rules in place that are absolute bollocks. This is the email I received yesterday after trying to promote a post.

"Your promoted post wasn’t approved because more than 20% of your image is covered by text. As of 1/15/2013, this violates our Advertising Guidelines. Photos with too much text can be disruptive in news feed, where people are used to seeing photos of their friends and places in their lives. Use text sparingly to brand your image or add emphasis to what it’s showing."

What the HECK?

5. My contract with my small press has fallen through due to some unforeseen circumstances on their end. I am not lucky when it comes to publishing my books. So I'm back to square one. And I feel like crying. Seriously thinking of embracing the self-pub route completely. But I might just try my luck with a few more agents first ...

6. Now onto something a bit more positive. Check out this video of a brilliant Newfoundlander who has worked out how to make powerful solar panels out of soft drink cans! Maybe there's hope for us after all ...

Any thoughts on anything I've mentioned here? How do you feel about the 20p e-book? Buying 5-star Amazon reviews? Amazon removing tags? Facebook and all its illogical glory? This brilliant Newfoundlander? Tell me. I want to hear ...

This is why I still can't tell people I'm an author.

Stranger: So, what do you do?
Me: Um, I'm an editor for English Language Teaching text books.
Stranger: Oh, that's interesting.
Me: Yep, so um ... tell me about you.

days later ...

Me: Hey, we should hook up on Facebook.
Stranger: Yeah good idea. I'll find you. Jessica Bell, right?
Me: *blank stare* Um, no, actually, you won't find me with that, it's Author Jessica Bell.
Stranger: Author?
Me: Um ... yep. *my insides are doing somersaults and my teeth are clenching*
Stranger: Are you published?
Me: Yep.
Stranger: Cool. Tell me the titles and I'm pick them up in the bookstore.
Me: Oh, um, they won't be in the bookstore, but you can find them on online.
Stranger: Online?
Me: Yep.
Stranger: *confused expression* Oh ... you're one of those authors.
Me: *tight-lipped smile* Yeah, anyway, what were you saying earlier?

Vine Leaves Literary Journal anthology cover options. Help me choose a colour?

So I'm skipping retreat questions again this week because I have something a little more pressing ...

The best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012 anthology.

I can't decide on a colour. Would you like to help me decide? I'm leaning more toward black, but that's because I love black and I always choose black. You should see my wardrobe!

Maybe I should give colour a little more of the limelight for a change.
What do you think?

Black? Blue? Red? Yellow? Or white?

Please VOTE!

The Artist Unleashed: HOW TO GET INVITED TO SPEAK AT SCHOOLS, by Karen Bass

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

I'm very excited to announce ...

... that I have just signed over the print rights for String Bridge to the magnificent Aussie publisher, eMergent Publishing.

I am seriously seriously blessed to have crossed paths with the amazingly talented founding partner of eMergent, Jodi Cleghorn. She is a breath of fresh air. Her passion, commitment, and enthusiasm for encouraging emerging writers is awe-inspiring and inspirational. In 2011, the Chair of Queensland named her the 2nd recipient of the Kris Hembury Encouragement Award for Emerging Artist at the Aurealis Awards in Sydney. You should check out her blog and follow!

I first crossed paths with Jodi, when a short story of mine was accepted into eMergent's anthology, 100 Stories for Queensland, which was published to help raise money for Queensland flood relief in May of 2011.

Since 2009, eMergent Publishing has produced "conceptual fiction anthologies which push the boundaries of form and structure. [They] seek to find new permutations and relevance for the short story in the rapidly changing digital landscape."

String Bridge will be their first single author mainstream novel. I am so so proud to be a part of their team, and to help establish them as a publisher of full-length fiction.

On another awesome note, I've changed my author website! Like?

How opinionated is TOO opinionated?

Yesterday, I got into a somewhat heated debate about THIS ARTICLE in a Facebook Writer's Group. The discussion was civil, but I could feel the frustrated undertones of the other commenter. I was also feeling frustrated myself. Because we strongly disagreed with each other. And I began to wonder ... am I too forward?

I asked a close friend of mine whether she thought I was too forward with my opinions before continuing the discussion and letting it evolve into something sticky. She told me that I wasn't. She said that there is overbearing and there is assertive, and that I was the latter. I was relieved. But then I also wanted to kick myself. I realized I was taking it all too personally. And so was the other commenter. (Funnily enough we both ended up admitting to this and cooled off each others' egos. I was so intrigued by her that I ended up purchasing her book! But that's not the point of this post.)

My questions to you are: How do you deal with conflicting opinions on the Internet? Do you hold back? Do you go too far? Do you pretend to be all cool and collected and swear at your screen? Or do you stay away all together because you're afraid of tarnishing your reputation? How do you know when you're straddling the line?

On another note, have you read the article I linked to above? What's your opinion about it?

PS: If you missed Monday's post, go check it out and contribute a question about the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop, for a series of posts I'll be writing about it.

In which I let it all hang out ...

Okay okay ... I'm letting loose. Just this once. I promise I'll be back to my professional self tomorrow. But today I drop some bombs and let it all hang out (you think I can add another cliché to this? Of course!) ... Today, I'm going to spill the beans without a care in the world. (ooh, look at that, two clichés!)

Well, the beans don't have much sauce, but they're beans nonetheless ...

I AM SO TIRED.

I work and work and work and work. And Vine Leaves and Vine Leaves and Vine Leaves and Vine Leaves. And I revise 2nd novel, revise 2nd novel, revise 2nd novel, revise 2nd novel (which I finally have a publisher for, but I'm not supposed to tell yet, WHOOPS!), and I Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop organize, Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop organize, Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop organize, Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop organize, yep there's lots to do, hampers, dinners, mini-van bookings, drivers, workshop schedules, following up payments, budgets, organizing tax dilemmas! CRIKEY! And ... oh there's that thing called cleaning (never do it) and laundry (rarely do it) and eating and cooking, wait, I need to cook before I eat, I should keep that in mind for next time. The dog! OMG, the dog, I've ignored her for days ... WEEKS. And there's those bodily functions I tend to forget exist, and friends I try to catch up with now and again in a hurried dinner near the Acropolis and go home feeling sick because I ate TOO MUCH AND TOO FAST and pass out watching who knows what on boring Greek TV, and what about my PARTNER, whom I adore, who I seem to perpetually ignore because I'm working and working and working and working ... when do I spend time with him?

*inward heave*

So what's the poster got to do with this? Nothing. I just thought it was funny.

Yup. Can I go to bed yet?

I can't wait till August. Can you?

Afraid to get an agent ...

So, I KNOW, my work is not quite fit for the commercial market. But despite it being classified as 'literary', I do believe I can hook my readers into thinking that's it's not really. I can tell a story. I know how to keep the suspense going, even though the suspense is hanging from emotional threads, rather than action threads.

I think if I worked hard enough to get an agent, that I would eventually get one. Especially with my latest work in progress, MUTED. But I know, from my attempts re my last two novels, that I gave up after not getting anywhere with my "priority list". For some reason, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm a "Small Press" magnet. I'm happy being published by a small press. I don't need that six-figure deal to feel successful. And the pros behind these presses "get" me. And are passionate enough to get my work out there the best it can be.

But there's a certain someone in my life who keeps insisting that I need an agent. She's convinced that there's an agent out there who will be as passionate about my work as she is, and as the Small Press pros are, and as some of my readers evidently are. And after her constant pushing to get me to promise that I will seek an agent for MUTED, and not give up, I started to wonder why I'm so hesitant about it.

I've come to realize that I'm SHIT SCARED.

Why? Because I'm worried that I'll get that passionate agent, and they won't ever be able to sell it in this whacked publishing climate of today because of its "literaryness" and that the book will be in limbo for years on end, and then I'll end up having to publish it with a small press anyway. I HATE BEING IN LIMBO. And I predict that if I score that agent, that I will be in a perpetual state of frustration. It will mess with my head.

On the other hand, I could get that agent, and score an awesome deal with Penguin, or something, yeah? But, of course ... I can't bring myself to be that optimistic ...

Thoughts? What are your agent fears?

Our writing is worth every penny you pay ... or ... is it in fact, worthless?

With Amazon's free promo facility, there are so many readers that don't "buy" anymore. They just scan the free lists. I know this for a fact. I recently read it in an Amazon forum.

What is the future for us? Don't you think the value of our work is being degraded? Isn't this giving out a message that literature isn't worth paying for? I think it's only going to get worse.

I did a free promo for Twisted Velvet Chains at the beginning of the year. Initially I thought it was a good idea. Easy way to get exposure. But I also noticed, after doing the free promo, that it stopped selling. So was it a good idea after all? Will any of the 3000 that downloaded the book actually read it? Who knows ...

There's nothing wrong with giving away free work. In fact, I would advise that writers give away as many copies of their work as possible. But after a lot of thought, I think it's more beneficial to have control over who gets it for free. Give give give, but give wisely. Ultimately, I think the randomness of Amazon's free promo is going to destroy us. It's sending out the wrong message: Download me for free because I'm not really worth the money.

Can you imagine a supermarket opening an online shop which gives away Kellogg's cereal for free? No one would want to buy their cereal anymore would they? They'd just go and get it for free. Why spend money when you don't have to, right?

This is dangerous.

What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts.

PS: Many thanks to Tricia and Elizabeth for highlighting Fabric on their blogs today!

If it were a year ago I'd be bawling my eyes out thinking I've failed ... But today I refuse to. Here's why ...

Source

I don't really know if I've spoken to you all about my hunt for an agent. Actually, I don't think I have. So I'm going to bite the bullet today and let you know what I've been up to ...

I've queried about 70 agents for my second novel Bitter Like Orange Peel. Probably about half of these agents have replied, the other half ... total silence. Of the half that replied I got four partial requests and one full request. I've now heard back from all these agents and I'm afraid I've had no luck. I'm not really upset about this. But it does somewhat scare me. Here's why ...

Not one of these agents disliked my writing. In fact, I even got a few rejection letters that told me how much they appreciated my talent and creativity, and how they believed I had a strong future ahead of me. You know what else is even scarier? I can tick all these boxes ...

• I have a kick-ass query letter (thank you Matt and Dawn for your help with this). And for literary fiction, I think that can be quite difficult to master.
• I have a good platform. Blog following, Website, Facebook, Twitter ...
• I have previously published works. A novel by a traditional press, a poetry book, short stories and poems in anthologies and literary magazines.
• I've won a poetry award with Writer's Digest.
• I have interdisciplinary skills. I'm a musician, and I've taken advantage of that skill to give my debut that little bit of extra drive. This means that I have another way to market myself. Double-whammy.
• I'm not a one-hit wonder. I want a career out of this. I'm currently writing my third novel. And I don't plan on stopping there.
• I have wonderful relationships with published authors and aspiring authors alike. I have one of the best support systems I could ever ask for.
• Almost 100 blogs have signed up to participate in my blog tour for String Bridge, during November 1st - 20th. That is not a number to laugh at.
• I have proof that I'm a good writer from all the amazing reviews I've received so far from my target audience on Twisted Velvet Chains, and String Bridge. I'm not afraid to say that. No, some people may not be a fan of my work, and that's to be expected, but others are, and I'm proud and thrilled to have achieved that. Let me say that again. I'm proud of my work and I believe in myself. There's nothing wrong with having confidence.

So what am I doing wrong? Nothing. That's what. So, I shall continue the Small Press route and strengthen my base of readers gradually. (Unless some sort of miracle happens between now and January.) The harder I work, the bigger my fan base will grow, I know that. And I'm willing to put in the effort. But you know what I'm worried about now? I'm worried about YOU.

Yes. YOU. All of you who are just starting out and dreaming to make it big. I'm not saying that this isn't possible. Of course it's possible, and some people are just super lucky and I'm TOTALLY happy for those of you who have achieved that dream ... 

But what about all of you out there who are a little bit like me? A little different in their approach to writing? Those who write in a genre which isn't likely to hit the bestseller shelf, or can't be pigeon-holed? I'm worried because I don't want you all to think that you won't make it, or that you can't write because you keep getting rejected. I don't want you to think that you aren't GREAT. Because you are. You are just different, and I think you should embrace that. I mean, for goodness sake's, take another gander at my bullet-pointed list up there! If it's difficult for me to get an agent with all those achievements, I hate to imagine how hard it is for those with even half of them.

What I'm saying is, having an agent isn't the be all and end all. Okay? Having an agent is just one of MANY routes you can take to have a career as an author. And most of all, I want you to believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you can make anything happen. It may not be the Hollywood ending you dreamed of, but it might be a step closer to that Hollywood ending, you really never know.

Can you believe that a year ago today, I didn't even have ONE of those things in that list up there? So yeah. I'm proud of myself and I'm standing tall and flaunting it.

So my message to you today is ...

Be proud.

Stand tall.

And find another way to make it happen.

Over and out ...

Blurbedy blurbedy blurb ...

Source

Short post today as I'm hot and bothered, have too much work to do before I go on holiday, and am itching to get responses from ten awesome authors to write little blurbs for my cover of String Bridge. (oh look! I used an Oxford comma. Sorry folks, I'm afraid I'm not going to kick the habit.)

Anyway, I'm not going to reveal who I've asked, but I will say that if even ONE of them says yes, I will be so excited I might deafen myself from my own scream.

So let me ask you this: who would you DREAM to have write a blurb for the cover of your debut?

Please stop apologizing ...

Source

So, you're a debut author and you've got your first book coming out this year and you want to tell me about it by sending me a direct email. Or you run an online support group that you think I might be interested in joining. Or you've got a short story coming out in the latest issue of Glimmer Train and want to show it off. Sure, go ahead and email me about it. I completely understand. I understand how difficult it is to spread news of your own accomplishments without sounding like you love yourself. It can be embarrassing. BUT ...

... for goodness sake, if you're going to email somebody a plug, DO NOT apologize for it! It just makes you sound wimpish and inexperienced and kinda stalker-ish. Yes, stalker-ish, because then it doesn't sound like a business letter anymore. If you want to plug something in a direct email to somebody, be confident about it. Sell it to them. Think along the lines of a query letter. Connect with the person you are emailing and tell them why you think they, specifically, would be interested in your work.

Forget about your insecurities. If there is any place you can disguise low self-esteem, it's via email. If you really really want to plug something to an individual via an email, you really really need to take advantage of that.

Anyhoo, that's my thought of the day. I like to respond to all the plugs I receive, despite how they're written, but someone else might not.

What do you think when you receive a plug for something from someone you don't know from a bar of soap? Do you read them? Do you cringe? Do you not even bother and delete them? Do you respond to some and not others? Why? What is it about the ones you read that sparks your interest?

Don't EVER write anything online that you don't want thrown back in your face. Trust me. Here's why ...

Source

I wasn't intending on posting today, but something happened to me yesterday which I need to share with you all. I can't let the freshness of this experience dwindle before writing it down for you all to read.

This month there will be an article about my poetry collection published online. A very long and in-depth article focusing on a variety of things including my background AND the background of my parents' music career. I did NOT provide the critic with ANY of this background. NOTHING. He found it all online. ALL of it.

Thankfully he was kind enough to let me read it before publishing it. Boy am I glad he let me read it. It's not all praise. And this is totally fine with me. I'm not out looking for only praise, especially when the criticism is coming form an extremely educated mind and from someone who has done their homework. I really truly appreciate how close a reading this critic gave my book. I was in absolute awe. Now. I'm rambling a bit. My point here is, he found something I had said online a while ago that wasn't very nice. I'm not going to say what that something was. I removed it from my blog. And I kindly asked him to remove it from his article too because it could very well end up being read by someone closely related to that comment and jeopardize a future endeavor I have planned. Not to mention turn a whole community of people against me. Yes, it was that bad. I did not think anything of this comment when I wrote it. BUT the context it was in, in the article, made it sound just ABSOLUTELY awful.

So, if you want a career in writing, trust me when I advise you to NEVER write anything you don't want repeated. The smallest of an 'off' comment can bounce back up and bite you in the face. Even in people's comments. You may feel like you're just chatting to a friend, but you're not. It's very easy to forget that anything you put out there--here--in cyberland, is available to the world for scrutiny. I'm lucky. I'm very lucky the person who wrote this article allowed me to review it first. Imagine if he didn't. I think I might have had a heart attack. I've learned from my mistake now. And I want you to learn from it too.

I think I might sift through all my old posts soon and make sure there's nothing else I don't want repeated!

Anything like this happen to you? Are you careful about what you say online?

Being published sometimes makes me feel misunderstood.

I've had a couple of hurtful confrontations over the past couple of weeks and I feel hopelessly misunderstood. I walked away from them, after offering a logical and calm defense, feeling the sting of 'why now?' in my throat like bile. No one has ever spoken to me like this when I was an 'aspiring writer.' What's changed? Is it because I'm published? Have I turned into a different kind of person because of this? No, I haven't. So why am I treated differently? I don't want to be treated differently.

For some reason I feel like people think I am assuming some sort of superiority, or am just concerned about making friends to market my books. I'm not. I had been making friends online way before I ever signed that publishing contract. I'm not going to stop now.

I value the friendships I have made online. In fact, I have made some of the most wonderful and strongest friendships through this blog than I have in my entire life. And I would still be friends with these people regardless of whether they helped promote my books or not. The thing is, I am so excited to have my debut coming out this year that I want to share it. It is a dream come true. Why would I not want to celebrate that?

I'm doing everything possible to give my debut a decent kick-start in this crazy jungle of books without over-doing the promo and making people sick of hearing about it. There is a fine line and it's difficult to know where that is exactly. And I'm also trying to make it super easy on the the people participating in my tour. I don't expect them to remember dates. I don't expect them keep track of what they've signed up for, nor do I expect them write their own Amazon Chart Rush plug. I do all of that and I email them with all the necessary info. I have 90 people participating in my blog tour and I have to know, and keep track of, exactly what everyone has signed up for because there are five different things going on: Reviews, print ARCs and PDF ARCs to send and email out, simple release announcements, 44 interviews to answer and Amazon Chart Rush plugs. I am trying to make one of the biggest, most exciting events in my life run as smoothly as possible. Hence the rules and guidelines, and dates and deadlines and all that jazz. I'm just being organized. That is all.

On another, slightly humorous note, I'd like to make a few things clear:

• I am not rich. In fact, this year I'm financially struggling the most I ever have.
• I am not always happy. Life does still get in the way of that sometimes. This, however, does not make me any less thankful that I have my debut coming out. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize that it's actually happening.
• I have opinions. I like to share them. I'm not out to step on anyone's toes by doing so. That's just me. I'm an honest person and I like to speak my mind. I have never, once, shared an opinion with the view of causing offense. I've always been outspoken and I don't plan on changing that. I don't want to have to censor myself. I do not want to be fake. I will NOT be fake.
• I don't have a problem with swearing. I don't think that is a crime.
• I don't like it when people make assumptions about me. It feels like being accused of a lie you never told and still being punished for it. It hurts. A lot. And I don't think I deserve to feel like that.

Have you ever felt misunderstood? Why? Were you able to fix it?

"...don't forget that behind an easy laugh is a real person."

A recent review of a self-published author initiated a response from the author that was sad, and embarrassing. I read the author's multiple comments and aggressive retaliation toward the reviewer and felt physically ill. I was almost in tears because this author's reaction, more than likely, tarnished her career forever. I'm not going to link to this review. I think it has made enough rounds around the Internet. Comments have also been disabled on the post. But what is lingering in my mind, now, is not the author's profanity and unprofessionalism, it is the very last comment on the thread, by a commenter named Selene Coulter.

She said,

"For everyone revelling in this -- a quick story. I had something similar happen with a colleague who ranted and swore at me. Face to face. When I took him aside in private he broke down and admitted his father had just died the night before. Me pointing an error out to him had been the final straw.

Please don't forget that behind an easy laugh is a real person. And you've no idea who she is or what might have prompted her behaviour.

It doesn't excuse her. But it doesn't excuse you either."

And THAT dear readers, is what we should remember from this horrible and unfortunate situation. The author is a person, who we don't know, and therefore should NOT judge. She made a mistake, and I think we should leave it at that.

You might also be interested in reading this incredible psychologist's, Sarah Fine, take on the matter. The post is brilliant. I urge you to check it out.

PS: I'll announce contest results tomorrow with my first A-Z post.