Share and Share A Write

Is the above image too cute, too much, just right? For today’s post I thought’s I’d share some links to informational blogs and blog posts that I’ve recently discovered. All of them pertain to writing, self-publishing, finding agents, marketing yourself and the like. Get those pens ready!

“Using Twitter: Are You A Writer, A Brand, Or A Salesman?”

This post comes from self-published author Rachel Abbott. In it she discusses the many roles that authors play while on Twitter. You can be a writer and blog about your experiences writing, you can be a brand marketing yourself as a professional or a salesman building hype around your latest release. More than likely you’ll want to be all three. Any writers currently on Twitter or thinking of joining Twitter should give this post a gander. 

“How To Develop A Comp Titles List”

Publishing consultant Caren Estesen helps authors better find their market by identifying books and authors that complement their writing style and genre. If you’re sending out query letters and trying to find an agent, you need to have an idea of where and how to market yourself and your work. Think of it like the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter.

“Indie Publishing in 2013: Why We Can’t Party Like It’s 2009”

Author and “writer mother” extraordinaire Anne R. Allen gives us a breakdown of what’s currently taking place in the world of self-publishing and the impact it will have on the future. One thing I really like about Anne is how she gives her readers honest, straight-forward facts without pussyfooting around. She also has a way of making readers feel better about the tumultuous changes taking place in the publishing business. She’s a true businesswoman, and I highly recommended following her blog. She’s also on Twitter.

“5 Ways To Send Guilt A Big Fat Rejection Letter”

Writer’s Relief discusses writer’s guilt. If you’re serious are getting serious about your craft and career, you may be experiencing certain hang-ups that are holding you back. This blog post explores five problems and five solutions to your writing dilemmas.

“How To Sell Self-Published Books: Read This First”

Successful self-published author Catherine Ryan Howard gives readers the cold yet honest truth about self-publishing. You owe it to yourself and your ego to read this post if you’re thinking about self-publishing or are thinking about self-publishing. I’m considering it myself, and the more I read about it the better prepared I am for both the good and the bad that comes with self-publishing.

“Barry Eisler On Self-Publishing And The Politics of Liberty”

This is an interview rather than a blog post. Traditionally published and best-selling author Barry Eisler discusses his decision to foray into indie publishing even though he’s had such wonderful success as a traditionally published author. This shows us that even traditionally published and successful authors have realized the power and freedom of self-publishing. Barry and self-published author J.A. Konrath (another self-published success) have a free book on Amazon titled “Be the Monkey.” It’s a dialogue between the two where they discuss ebooks and self-publishing.

I believe that’s enough…for now. Before ending this post, there’s one more blog I’d like to recommend. Literary agent Rachelle Gardner always has insightful and informational posts about writing. Since she’s an agent, she has insider knowledge about query letters, how to find an agent and how to polish up your manuscript before shipping out query letters. You can also find her on Twitter.

This sharing thing isn’t so bad! I feel like since we’re all in this writing journey together we should be informed of where we’re going and how to get there. I’m thinking about posting twice a week, one day for my regular posts and another where I share useful blog posts and articles. What say you, gentle reader? Til next time.

Take care out there.

Devil’s Webground

 

I haven’t been feeding my child of creativity lately because my child of responsibility has been crying loudly, endlessly. As I was discussing with Diem Burden on Twitter, I hate it how life gets in the way of writing. And that’s especially true when you feel that writing is your life. Writers are also friends, fathers, employees, bosses, businesspeople, advertising agents and tax payers. While we would like nothing more than to put up a force field to block all of that out and simply write, we simply can’t.

I hate that I have to neglect my work-in-progress for my job, but I also hate having a zero balance in my bank account. And that’s what it’s all about really, balance. Sometimes that balance is a daily thing, sometimes weekly and sometimes monthly. While I would really like to work on something creative every day, I realize that sometimes I have to put aside the writing that makes me happy for the writing that makes me money. My novel isn’t making me any money yet, but my freelance writing is, and that’s something that I have to live with whether I like it or not. Sure I could say the hell with making money, but I like having a place to stay, food to eat and new books to read. In order to have all of that, I have to be bringing in money. While I have faith that I will make a luxurious living as a published author, I realize the hard truth that it may take a while for that to happen. In the meantime, I still have bills to pay.

Something else that I feel I’ve been investing too much time in, unnecessarily this time, is the Internet. I know that this is something that all writers deal with. These days it’s important to have an online presence in order to build up your platform and audience. But spending time online is a piece of the puzzle we have to fit in with the other pieces juuust right. Twitter, Facebook, blogging and all of the other social media gems are no doubt valuable, but they have to be done in moderation. After all, you won’t have anything to promote on all of those platforms if you don’t set aside the time to write. Just as you won’t have anywhere to sit down and write if you get evicted from your apartment for not paying the rent…ok, so you can go to a coffeeshop to write, but you won’t have money to buy coffee!

I guess what it all comes down to is prioritizing. Even if I don’t work on my novel every day, I can still write down ideas and at least outline a scene or chapter. Even if I don’t have something insightful to say on Twitter every hour, there are plenty of people who do and I can share their information, information that could inspire a blog post.

Writers are so busy moving, thinking, churning and reading that we forget to be…still…and…just…be. Just because you aren’t moving doesn’t mean that you aren’t going anywhere. Simply because you can’t feel the Earth move doesn’t mean that we all aren’t hurling across space. There’s no shame in having priorities, but there is shame in having skewed priorities and warped perceptions.

Take care out there.

The Soliloquy Tweets

I’m finally on Twitter! @O’BrianGunn is my screen name. If any of you lovely guys and gals are pros at this, please help this lil’ tweetin’ tenderoni out! Now I know how older people feel when they try out new technology. Follow, help, comment, all of that good stuff!

Tweet care out there!

Ok, I’m done with the Twitter/tweet motif…for now.