August 15, 2014

Who's Got the Button?
Amazon Does...at Last

I have been writing to Amazon for over a year, asking them to allow indie authors to offer pre-orders on their books. I pointed out to them that requiring a manuscript upload ahead of time will eliminate the possibility of overeager authors promising and then not delivering...and I'm sure I wasn't the only one making that request. I'm delighted that Amazon announced yesterday that this feature is now available to everyone, not just a select few with very high to spectacularly high sales (including my friend, bestselling author Angie Daniels).

Surprisingly, there is no requirement to enroll the pre-ordered book in KDP Select (although I wouldn't be surprised if this changed later down the road...nothing to back this up; it's just a hunch).

There's quite a discussion going on over at the Kboards about this. Some authors who had the ability to do this in the past expressed unhappiness that their rankings on release day weren't as high as they would have been had they not had pre-order buttons. Apparently, Amazon doesn't count pre-orders when determining release day rank, only pre-release rank, something that I can't say concerns me...low rankings definitely look better than high ones, but at this point in my life as I look toward retirement, my biggest concern is what goes in my pocket, not appearances. For this reason I've always tried to steer readers toward my eStore since its inception (because I make more money from those sales).

At this point, I'm unsure how my eStore and its customers will fit into this, but I'm thrilled about being able to have an official sale date, which I feel is more professional than uploading when the book is ready (kind of a now-you-see-it approach) and then announcing its availability, or announcing a pub date ahead of time and having to upload 2 or 3 days earlier to make sure it's available...if the actual date of publication doesn't match the one announced, what's the point? (Yes, I know that bookstores often put books on sale prior to the official pub date, but eBooks are not downloadable until the sell date). Coming as I do from the traditional publishing world, I like the idea of setting a pub date for an eBook ahead of time and having it become available for download on that date, not earlier.

Amazon had my jaws tight when they would always backdate my requested publication date when uploading a new book. They could never give me a clear answer when I asked them why they persisted in doing this. At one point they did tell me that if I downloaded after midnight Pacific Time (where they're located) the dates would match. I tried this, and they still backdated it. Granted, this isn't really a big to-do in the grand scheme of things, but it irked me just the same. I felt as though this was their way of sticking it to indie authors. In the end, I simply went in after publication and fixed the pub date to what it was supposed to be, and I announced to my readers that guaranteed availability would be at my eStore, with Amazon coming "shortly." 

(Barnes & Noble is a different story; I've found it usually takes 3 to 4 days of back-and-forth emails with them complaining about this or that--and many times this and that--to publish a single eBook with them. As a result, very few of my books are available at that retailer anymore...when I switched to an LLC business model at the beginning of this year they required me to take my books down and re-load them under the new account, and I haven't been able to carve out time to spend 3 to 4 days per book for 14 indie titles. I uploaded one book and was exhausted by the process. I don't neglect Nook owners or anyone else needing an EPUB format, though; they can get these at my eStore.) 

The possibilities for fast writers who release books or novellas in rapid succession are especially bright. Writers like my friend Angelia Vernon Menchan, who writes serial fiction, have the option of timing their pub dates to allow pre-order buttons for the next book or segment. I'm neither fast nor write serials, but I've had success with releasing prequels, the strength of which has made many readers want to know what comes next, so they bought the main story. Being able to include a pre-order link should be very good for business. Pre-orders can be placed as far out as 90 days (since the final version must be uploaded 10 days before the chosen pub date, that would likely be the minimum). I'm leaning toward a 3- to 4-week window for my own prequel-to-full-book releases, with a longer timeframe for a full-length book following a related or series full-length book.

Since this option isn't handcuffed to being in Select, it's also handy for coordination purposes, since some authors already do pre-orders on Barnes & Noble and Apple via Smashwords and now can schedule release dates for the same day, depending on the vendor.

Some authors don't like the idea of waiting, not even 10 days, to make a book available if it's ready to be uploaded. I've long since thought of my books like movies, which are in the can long before they're released, certainly more than a few weeks. Trailers get shown in theaters a few months prior to the opening, and as opening day approaches, television commercials start to air.  By the time the film opens, the actors, producers, director, and other personnel have moved on to their next movie...just as a writer can have their next book partially or completely written. Again, this is probably the traditional author in me, since books are submitted for the production process (editing, cover design, etc.) well before the publication date, by which I have often submitted the manuscript for my next book. There's not a right or wrong way to roll out a book, as long as the book isn't published before it's ready.


There are still some unanswered questions...like, is it possible to offer a lower price for pre-orders and then jump to the regular price on release day? I've long felt it made sense to initially offer a new book at a lower price, so if I choose to put it on sale a few months later I can do so without feeling my core readers--the ones who buy upon publication and get me on Top 100 lists--are being cheated.

Like anything else, it will be up to every individual writer to decide whether this will be beneficial for them. I would, however, encourage writers not to use this option unless their book is 75% ready for publication. While it is possible to change the pub date after enrolling in pre-order, this won't exactly endear you to readers. Neither will having the pre-order canceled (which is what Amazon will do to authors who are unable to deliver a final manuscript 10 days before the pub date). 

It's all rather exciting, waiting to see how this will pan out. Happy Sales to You! 

April 17, 2014

Thrifty Thursday tip

After this past winter of record low temperatures, you might be looking for ways to reduce your electric bill.  Here's a suggestion:  Many electronics in use these days still draw power even when not in use (you can tell by looking for red lights on televisions, DVD players, shredders, cable boxes, some vertical fans, cordless phones, stereos, etc.).  If any of these are in a hub, consider plugging them into a power strip and turning the power off when not in use.  This might not work for cable boxes if you have the type that has to re-boot whenever you turn off the power, but if you have a television, DVD, and cordless phone in the same outlet or outlets just a few feet apart, this will cut your electricity usage and subsequently, your bill.  

March 13, 2014

Thrifty Thursday tips

Today I have a bonus tip for all you Nook owners...as well as anyone else who uses Nook screen protectors (they are the perfect size for my Panasonic tablet).  It's following this week's regular tip, which is...

With all the specials on vitamins and supplements (Walgreen's, for instance, usually has a buy-one-get-one-free special), you should probably never have to pay full price.  If you're big on vitamins, supplements, and natural products, consider patronizing a vitamin store and joining their buyer's club.  The clerks are generally knowledgeable and can help you make your selection, i.e., determine which products are more natural than others.  Every time I've gone in there, the salesperson will offer me half off the price of a similar product to the one I bought.  Since I happen to use a lot of essential oils and other oils (my hair should probably smell like a salad, since at any time I slather it with carrot oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or apricot oil) for both personal and household use, this saves me quite a bit.  Last week my hubby bought a diet jump start kit (normally $70, on sale for $35) and the clerk offered us a second set for me for just $17.50).  Needless to say, we jumped on it!

Now, for you Nooksters...y'all might want to visit your local Office Max store...just yesterday I found a bunch of screen protectors marked down to just $9.99.  Wish I'd known about that before paying $19.99 for a set of two protectors and a tiny cleaning cloth at Barnes & Noble about six weeks ago.  (incidentally, the package on the right is the one I paid $19.99 for at Barnes & Noble; the package on the left with the yellow sale sticker on it was $9.99 at Office Max).  Seeing them selling so many of them at a reduced price has all the makings of a closeout to me, which means it might be available nationwide...

Until next time, and remember...it's not what you make.  It's what you keep.

September 13, 2013

Adventures in Scrivener #2

Well, 450 people looked at my first blog about this software, and while less than 2% left comments, I guess there's an interest, so I'll continue giving a few pointers.  Note that I am not an expert in this software by any means, but I can find my way around.  If you want expert advice, I recommend Gwen Hernandez's book, Scrivener For Dummies (although I must say this works better for Mac users, who use  a more advanced version than those who use Windows).  If you're late to the party, check out the first blog I did on this topic.

Today I want to look at the Corkboard mode, which is a series of on-screen index cards that look like this:

Some writers, myself included, like to lay out their books before they start writing, so they have  a defined story (the specifics of which can always be changed) and don't end up having to abandon a project when they realize it isn't going to come together.  This can be done on a poster board with Post-It notes.  I always liked using different color Post-Its to track the plot by each character and also by the happenings in that particular thread (i.e., hero, heroine, general, romance, antagonist/conflict).

This same method can be used in Scrivener.  Simply create a new file (the how-to is in my previous blog) and choose the Corkboard view.  The first text file should already be there.  You might want to add more as you go, or hit Ctrl-N a couple of times to give you more index cards.  Fill them in, and don't worry about what order they're in...because all you have to do is highlight it, then drag and drop until it's in the order you want!  So if you want to record the point in your story where the crisis arises, or the ending, go right ahead!  I often start laying out books while actually writing other projects--because you have to record those ideas as they come--and as things occur to me I add to the Corkboard...just today I opened a file and added an index card that said, "After dinner, [son] develops the same reaction to shellfish as [heroine] described, much to the annoyance of [hero]."  (When drafting, my characters don't yet have names.)

If you want to move scenes or chapters up or down in the Binder rather than in the Corkboard, just highlight the item to be moved and use the combination keystrokes of Ctrl+Up Arrow or Ctrl+Down Arrow to move it up or down, repeating as necessary until it is where you want it.
Now, for a few special features:

Go to the General Metadata section on the right (between the Synopsis and the Project/Document notes).  There you will see sections called Label and Status.  Click on the drop-down menu by Label.  You will see two choices, Concept and Chapter.  There will also be an option to edit (when you click on the plus sign at the bottom, another choice will appear beneath the aforementioned two, waiting for you to name it; you can also click twice on the color to change it (more about that in a few).  Use your creativity here.  Would you rather type scenes than entire chapters?  Create a label called "Scene."  You might also want to use character names or character roles (Hero, Heroine, Antagonist/Villain, etc.) for labels.  If you're writing a mystery you'll probably want a Mystery label.  Be sure to pick a different color for each.

Now, go to the View menu and select the Use Label Color In feature.  Turn this on by checking all four options, and the color you've chosen for each label will show up in the Binder on the left, in the Corkboard mode (both of which can be seen in the photo above), and in the Outline mode (the fourth option, that of Icon, will change the color of the icon on the upper left of each index card, which really doesn't make a huge difference that I can see, but I turn it on anyway.

Back at the General Metadata screen, it's time to set up your Status options.  Click the drop-down menu, and you'll see the defaults:  To Do, First Draft, Revised Draft, Final Draft, and Done.  The Status is the word(s) that show diagonally across the index card (see the photo above) and serve as a quick reference of how complete the chapter is, although if there's something else you'd like to use this for there's no reason why you can't.  I personally added an Incomplete status but kept the existing selections intact.  Like the Label, the Status will show as No Status until you give it one.

You can fool around with options for the Corkboard by going to the View menu and selecting Corkboard options.  For instance, if the Status stamp across each index card annoys you, you can remove it.

A few words about Outline mode.  I don't use this feature much myself, but it is a vertical listing of your story summary from top to bottom (the Corkboard reads across, just like this blog), including the Label and Status you have assigned.  The order of the story can be changed by highlighting and moving to the desired location.

That's it for this session.  I'll be back next week with some final tips.  I won't be online much this weekend, but if you leave questions I'll try to answer them early next week...

September 6, 2013

Adventures in Scrivener #1

I posted a picture of my screen with this writing software on my Facebook page the other day, which prompted a few people to ask me if I could help them figure out how it works.  Well, I'm no expert on this, and I probably know less than I don't know about how it works...but I can find my way around it well enough to make it productive. 

Important:  If you find this information helpful, please leave a comment to that effect.  I will keep going with this only if I feel like it's appreciated.  I've got books to write and I already know how to use the program, so while I'm happy to pay it forward, I'll only do it if I know that people are getting something out of it.

That said, let's get started!
------------------------
Scrivener is, of course, a software to aid writers (novelists, nonfiction writers, screenwriters) organize and complete their projects.  It's not a magic bullet that will write the book for you (experienced writers already know this, but I figured it was worth mentioning), but more of an aid to structuring your story, with many capabilities to help you keep everything straight and monitor your progress.  Unfortunately, their user manual sucks (it's probably easier to clip a brain aneurysm than to understand it) and has turned many people off from using the product.  I work with the latest version for Windows.  I understand that the Mac version is more sophisticated, but I only know about the Windows version.

There are three main screen views in Scrivener:  Scrivenings, corkboard, and outline.  The first one, Scrivenings, looks like this:

It looks like a typical word processor, at least the middle section does.  The section on the left is called the Binder.  The section on the right has three parts, the Synopsis, General Metadata, and Document/Project Notes (today we'll only talk briefly about the Synopsis).

To set up a new project, go to the File menu and create a new project (I haven't experimented with this much, so I always use the blank template), name it (if your projects tend to undergo several title changes don't fear, you can always go back and change it later), and create it.  You will get the above screen, except it will be blank.  (I would have put a picture here, but my computer isn't recognizing my camera at the moment.)

At the very top left of your blank screen, next to the Scrivener logo, will be "Scrivener" followed by the name of your project.  In the Binder column on the left will be a blue "Draft" icon, which is the main folder for your project.  Right click this, choose "Rename" and type in the name of your project.  There will be an "Untitled" sub-folder under this, representing your first text folder, then two more folders:  "Research" and "Trash." 

People use the Research folder to store their important notes, links and even (I believe) photos of their characters, where they live, Main Street, etc.  I don't store photos, so I'm not 100% sure if this is where they go.  Hey, I never claimed to be an expert.

The Trash folder is just what it implies.  Even though anything put in the Trash folder stays there until you empty the trash (by right clicking and choosing this option), I personally do not like to throw anything out until I'm absolutely, positively sure I don't need it, so I create a new Folder called, "Leftovers."  To create a new folder, position your cursor on the file name in the Binder just above where you want the new folder to be...in this case "Research."  Select Project from the menu, click on "New Folder" and name the folder that appears.

You're now ready to start your project!  I find it's easier for me to format my work like the eBook it will eventually become, so I use single spacing, no indent, with extra spacing before and after each hard return (1.0x 12.0/12.0), which I have set as my default.  Those of you creating manuscripts to turn in to an editor will want to use the traditional double spacing.  To set line spacing, look for the box just left of the familiar bold/italic/underline icons at the top of the white section, click on the drop-down arrow, then select "2.0."  

After setting your spacing and fonts (the drop-down box for this is a little to the left of the line spacing box), position your cursor in the body of the white area in the center of the screen.  Whatever you type on that first line is going to auto-populate both the Synopsis on the upper right of your screen and the name of the sub-folder in the Binder on the left (if it's a very long passage, it will eventually cut off).  You'll probably want to assign a chapter name/number to this.  When you tab or return, the aforementioned areas will reflect whatever you have entered there:  "Prologue," "Chapter 1," etc.  In the Synopsis on the right, on the lines after the top one you can summarize the action of that particular chapter (this will be very, very helpful when viewing your project in Corkboard or Outline modes, which we'll talk about at a later time).  I personally like to start with a sense of place (Location, month, and year), but if course if your story's action is going to unfold over a period of a few weeks you won't need this and can just say something like, "Cesca and Gen are asked by Officer Terrence Gulliver to move their illegally parked car; Cesca is knocked unconscious when the car's trunk lid slams down on her."


Some people who want no distractions don't like to have anything else on their screen when they are writing.  If that's you, simply click on the Binder icon in the upper left (just below the word "File" in the main menu) to close the notations on the left, and click on the lower case scripted "i" in the upper right (just below the "x" to terminate the program) to close those sections, and you will have nothing but white screen (these will toggle back on by doing the same actions).  But you will likely want to use some of the special features, so let's use a couple:


Go to Project from the menu and choose Project Targets.  A little box will pop up with two fields.  In the first one, put in how many words you anticipate your finished project to be (especially useful if writing for a market with a tightly controlled word count).  In the second one, enter how many words you want to create in this (or each) writing session.  If you are out of practice, try for 500 words per session.  If you are more seasoned, or if you are trying to get your project completed by a certain date, you'll want to set it higher.  A trick I used to use was to do 750 words per session, with two or three sessions per day. Keep the box open, just move it over to the right so it's out of your way.  The bar will start out red and will turn orange, yellow, and finally deepen to a green as you get closer to your goal.  

Note that there will be a running total of both words and characters on the bottom of your screen when in Scrivenings mode.  As you add chapters (in the Binder, position your cursor on the sub-folder you want your new chapter to follow, click Project and then New Text) you will only see the total words and characters for each chapter on the bottom of the screen.  To see the word count for the entire manuscript in Scrivenings mode, you will have to move your cursor to the main project folder (the one with the title of the work) on top of the Binder (you will also have to position your cursor here to switch from Scrivenings to Corkboard or Outline modes).  Project Statistics (also under the Project menu) will also give you this information.

If you are writing and aren't sure of a fact but don't want to stop to look it up, you can use the Inline Annotation feature.  From the Format menu, select Inline Annotation, then enter your note to yourself: "[check this]", etc.  The notation will appear in red to stand out, and you can do a search for inline annotations to make sure you address them all.  To turn off the notation, select the function again (or use the keystroke combination listed next to it as a shortcut).  You can also type your note, highlight it, then apply the Inline Annotation to the highlighted text.

You can also put notes to yourself in the Document/Project Note section on the bottom right of the screen.  I prefer the Project Note (it toggles back and forth) because it pertains to the entire project, not just a particular chapter, and will show up from anywhere in the project and not just the chapter.  Let's say you want to add something (i.e., "give Heroine a dog"), or you need to correct something (i.e., "Julia's nickname is 'Jules'), this is where you want to put it so you don't forget.  Before finalizing your project you will want to check both your Inline Annotations and your Project Notes to make sure you took care of all these threads.
-------------------------
I think that's enough info to get you started.  Feel free to ask any questions, and I will do my best to answer them.  If there is a good response I'll give you more tips sometime next week.

Update:  Part 2 has been posted; you can find it here.

August 18, 2013

New Beta Software from the folks who brought you Scrivener

Literature and Latte are now offering a Windows version of their latest product, Scapple, a brainstorming software to help writers draft their projects and gather ideas.  It's a series of notes that can be spread out or stacked, or even arranged in columns if you like to have a story arc for each character or aspect of your book.

The beta version will work through September 15th and will be selling for the price of $14.99.  I already used it to map out a prequel...

Learn more about it here.

December 13, 2012

Sales Resistance - Not!

I went Christmas shopping for the grandchildren last weekend.  I ended up getting a pretty sweater dress for my very feminine 6-year-old granddaughter.  I didn't see anything I liked for my grandson.  The bulk of my purchases that day were for my own household.  I bought towels and matching face cloths, plus a set of sheets that had been marked down.

I find that I can't resist bed linens (last weekend while Christmas shopping I bought a bed skirt, two sets of pillowcases for the extra pillows on the bed, more towels and face cloths, and dish towels).  Nothing says comfort to me more than a bed with a lot of pillows, soft sheets, and a nice thick quilt to curl up under.  This is especially soothing during the cold Wisconsin winters.

I also find handbags hard to resist.  On my very first day of shopping, while looking for a pair of leather gloves for my mom, I found a gorgeous leather purse at Wilson's Leather, with that fresh leather smell and large enough for all the stuff I cart around, and with my two must-haves:  a zipped outer compartment and a shoulder strap.

Some women can't have enough shoes, hats, little black dresses, or crisp white blouses.  For me it's bed linens and handbags.  What are your hard-to-resist items?

December 3, 2012

Selling eBooks to the public with Ganxy

I first heard about Ganxy from a post on one of the blogs I read regularly, The Writer's Guide to ePublishing.  I found the idea of selling to readers from my website, blog, and/or Facebook page and keeping 90% of the cover price intriguing.  I decided to give it a try by setting up a test showcase (as they call product pages) at Ganxy.

It seemed daunting for someone like me, who knows squat about ePub and .mobi files, both of which Ganxy recommends be uploaded.  About all I could handle was a PDF, which is the third and last format Ganxy recommends.  I read their instructions, then did a search for a site that converts documents to ePub and .mobi formats.  I found Online Convert, which does it for free (they do accept donations, and they are on my list of places to send funds to now that I have received my September royalties).  I followed Ganxy's suggestion and named each new file with the book title, my name, and the format.

Once that was done, I was able to go back and create my showcase.  I decided to take advantage of the function that allows me to list other retailers (because some folks will always want to purchase from Amazon or BN, and while I'd gladly trade lesser Amazon rankings for higher royalties, there's no denying that reviews still stand for something).  Since I am an Amazon Associate, I had to include my personal ID in the linked product code so I get credit for any orders, which meant I had to get a product link code and only enter the part starting with "http" and ending with my Associate ID and skip the rest of it.  It's a pretty quick process once the files have been converted (and because I forgot to take out some Kindle- and Nook-specific references in the front of the first documents I converted, I'll need to go back and re-do these).

I then embed the code on the main page of my newly re-designed blog for an easy purchase link.  The showcase is pretty big, and since there's no way to fit six of them (and counting!) on one page, I skipped this for the page that lists my other titles in favor of linking each title to the showcase page.  Take a look and tell me what you think!

This is still new to me, but I'm learning how it works.  These are the pluses of hooking up with Ganxy for me:

• A 90% cut of the price of all eBooks sold, rather than the 65% and 70% offered by BN and Amazon.
• The ability to offer free eBooks to readers, choosing an end time by whichever is reached first:  A maximum number of free downloads or an end date.  Doing this on Amazon and BN is next to impossible.
• The ability to offer sale priced eBooks to readers, with automatic end dates/criteria I set (i.e., "The first 150 people to download this eBook will get $1.50 off the cover price").  I didn't have my current giveaway ready in time to offer a Black Friday or Cyber Monday special this year, but I can offer new releases at reduced prices for a temporary period to entice readers to buy from my eStore rather than Amazon or BN (I think that works better than saying, "Please buy from my eStore; I'll make more money," don't you?).  Price changes go into effect immediately, another plus.
• A good payment plan.
• Superb and prompt customer service.  I had many questions along the way, and they got back to me very quickly...even on Sunday.

This is an overview of my experience I'm sharing today, not an endorsement.  That decision to Ganxy or not to Ganxy has to be made by each individual indie writer, just like everything else in the business.  I strongly suggest reading their Terms of Service thoroughly.  But if you do decide to set up one or more Author Showcases, it's always nice for them to know the source of the new business.  For that reason, I ask that you drop an email to Lonnie Rosenbaum at Ganxy at lonnie @ ganxy.com (please remove the spaces) and let him know I referred you!

I hope you found this column helpful!  Let me know by leaving a comment!

July 22, 2012
Behave!

Recently, I’ve heard quite a bit about authors behaving badly, both online and at a recent literary event I attended.  Those who have witnessed this find it distressing, a black mark on the literary community.

There’s no such thing as an Author Code of Conduct, but if there were, these would be my suggestions:

In general:

1) Be dignified.  Sure, we all want to sell books, but there’s a way to do it without looking desperate.  If you’re traditionally published, consider following the example of many traditionally published authors as they inform readers that first-week book sales, just like opening weekend receipts for a movie, are crucial, and that they hope readers who are planning to read the book anyway will either place a preorder or get it within a week after publication.  Doesn’t that sound gracious?  On the other hand, saying something like, “Please buy my book, or my publisher is going to kick me to the curb,” or even (for indie authors who don’t have that first-week pressure to contend with but want sales nevertheless) “Please buy my book,” sounds too much like…begging.

2) I have not witnessed this behavior myself, but I’ve heard it said that authors have been known to publicly accuse other authors of getting all their friends to write favorable reviews of their books.  Well, so what if they do?  Is that really any of our business?  Does this affect us directly?  So why bother with it?  The best thing a writer can do is concentrate on their own career, not somebody else’s.  Positive reviews are definitely a good thing, but the number that counts more than anything else is the number of net units sold, not the number of "likes," not the number of reviews, or any other number. 

3) If you have encounters with other authors who act like they don’t want to be bothered or are otherwise less than pleasant, just get away from them pronto.  I remember my own encounters with a writing colleague, who never failed to make a catty remark within 30 seconds of “hello” to remind me that they were miles ahead of me…with all the subtlety of the lights of the Las Vegas Strip.  It happened with never-failing predictability, and I found it quite amusing, because I never considered myself to be in competition with that writer or any other.  But their behavior gave me an idea for a book about people who felt they had to own bigger, better, and more expensive belongings than anyone else and who really had to scramble when wealthy people moved into the neighborhood.  That result, my first novel of women’s fiction called The People Next Door (and its sequel, Trouble Down The Road), made me a nice amount of change and attracted attention from film producers (even if it went nowhere, as these things often do), and many readers wrote to comment on it, saying they had neighbors just like that.  Too bad I can’t thank the source for the part they played in that success.  Just remember, you’re a writer.  Everyone is material for a book…the good, the bad, and especially the unpleasant and the tripsters like my colleague…who often make the best characters.

On social networking sites:

1) Promoting your books is fine, but constant (as in daily or even several times a day) tweets about your book will likely be considered nuisances by those following you.

2) If you befriend someone and they accept you, don’t go to their wall and post promo about your book.  That’s just rude.  It’s much better to send them a private message.  If you feel you absolutely have to post on people’s walls, ask for permission first, but don’t be surprised (and don’t get into a snit and shoot off a nasty message) if you’re turned down.

3) Likewise, don’t start sending chat messages to your friends about your book. Annoying with a capital A. Let them do their networking in peace.

4) If you join a group, be sure to see what type of group it is.  Some groups are nothing more than a place to post book promo.  Others have stringent rules about times to when this can be done to keep from becoming little more than places to post book promo.  If the group is active, plan to participate at least minimally.  Simply popping in to advertise your book, even on days when it is allowed, and never joining in conversations is like saying, “I could care less about this group; I just want all of you to buy my book.”  Sometimes members ask questions specifically targeted at authors.  As for posting about your book on a daily or several-times-a-week basis, this is definitely on the wrong side of the “pest” line, and that is why some groups have instituted strict guidelines about which days people can post promo in the first place.  Make sure you look at them before you start posting.

5) If a group contains both authors and readers and books are openly discussed, don’t go off the deep end if someone says they weren’t crazy about your book. (This is presuming the statement is made diplomatically, i.e., “It wasn’t my cup of tea,” vs. something insulting like, “That book was a piece of crap.”)  I personally believe that most readers will take the high road and be honest without being offensive.  If you want to respond, it’s best to limit your remarks to acknowledging their feelings and perhaps your own disappointment that they didn’t like it.  No need to be apologetic about your work (remember your dignity!); the simple truth is that every book is not for every reader.  And please refrain from defending or trying to explain your work; that isn’t going to make them change their mind and doesn’t reflect particularly well on you.  Most groups enjoy having authors participate, but bad behavior will get us banned.

For book retail sites:

1) If you’re reissuing a backlist title, be sure to disclose this to readers.  Avid readers who devour several books a week won’t always recognize a book with a new cover as one they’ve read before.  Others will recognize it and will want to put the electronic version on their eReader, but if they don’t, why risk antagonizing them?  Be upfront with readers and let them decide whether they want to order the electronic version or not.  These days angry readers will slam you with 1-star reviews for what they perceive as your trying to pull a fast one…and there’s nothing you can do to justify it.

2) Learn this mantra:  “Everyone is not going to like my book…Everyone is not going to like my book…”  Repeat ten times.  In that vein, let me say this:  All reviews you receive will not be glowing.  Refrain from responding to negative reviews; if you absolutely must, limit your remarks to acknowledgments and expressions of disappointment only, as stated above in the social media section.  It’s never a bad thing for readers to think of you as a gracious, even if they didn’t care for your book.

3) Sometimes reviews simply aren’t fair.  It burns me when I see an author slammed unfairly, i.e., they clearly state in the product description that it is a short story or a novelette/novella and readers give them low ratings “because it was short,” or when they make it clear this is a backlist title being re-published and readers slam them because they’ve already read the book (but we’re talking about authors behaving badly today, not readers, so let’s move along).  This hasn’t happened to me as of this date, but I would strongly advise to simply take the high road, at least in public.  In private, by all means let loose with a string of expletives, but please hold back on issuing a public response.  Consider contacting the retailer to consider removing the review, pointing out that the review is invalid because the information they claim was missing was there but somehow not seen.  Don’t get a friend to respond to the reviewer on your behalf.  And do I even have to say that asking your readers to attack the reviewer is the behavior of a third-grader, not of a responsible adult?

In conclusion, always remember that writing is supposed to be a professional occupation.  Please give it (and yourself) the respect it deserves. 

And now a word from our sponsor

I just love that commercial for the gizmo that has Gene Wilder's Pure Imagination as the soundtrack. A close second is the commercial that shows in flashbacks how a future U.S. President's parents met, also for a gizmo, cell phone, I think. As far as I'm concerned, these gizmo people have the most imaginative commercials. Too bad I can't remember the products they're selling.

How about you? Do you have any favorite ads?

Go lay down, Sally

I saw a commercial this morning that I hoped had been retired. Sally Field is a great actress, winning two Best Actress Oscars, but even she couldn't convince me that "setting time aside" daily or weekly to take an osteoporosis medication is such an inconvenience. I mean, how long does it take to swallow a pill? (The medication she is hawking, Boniva, is taken once a month.)

Also, note how her brown hair is streaked with gray in these commercials. Sally is aging beautifully - those cheekbones I remember from her Gidget days have served her well. I guess the manufacturers didn't want her to look too young. You can bet you won't see any gray in her role as mother of several grown children on Brothers & Sisters . . . .

Then again, maybe I'm just cranky. I'm on my traditional week-before-vacation starvation diet, trying to fill up on Honey Bunches of Oats, fruit, and smoothies in an effort to lose a few pounds. I've been doing this since Monday and don't think I've lost so much as an ounce!