Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

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3 Things You’re Probably Not Doing on Goodreads that You Should

Promo Tips, Tools for Writers, Uncategorized

A man is holding a phone in front of a desk.

by Chrys Fey, @ChrysFey

Are you on Goodreads? Your answer should be yes. Whether you’re a reader, a writer waiting to published, or an author. Goodreads is an important place to be. As an author, you want to have an author profile and book pages. As a reader, you can post reviews. As a writer, you can join the community and build up your connections through Goodreads before you’re published.

Out of all the social media platforms out there, I love Goodreads the most. More than Facebook. More than Twitter, which I really don’t care for at all. There’s always something to do on Goodreads, whether you’re participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge, adding to your to-read list, or sharing what you’re reading.

But you can do so much more than that.

If you don’t think Goodreads is a great place to promote because you don’t have many friends there or much traffic, then you need to hop on more often and send requests. I built up my number of friends by hunting down everyone I knew on Google + and my blogging network. Then I checked out who my friends had befriended, looking for familiar names. After that, I sent requests to people in groups I joined. No, not everyone, but those who appeared to share my interests in books/authors.

Also, make sure your pages are updated and you link to your Goodreads page everywhere. This is a place were readers hang out and post reviews, so make sure to have a presence here.

Now, I am going to share my three favorite things to do on Goodreads as an author.Continue reading

Goodreads Review Widgets

Promo Tips, Uncategorized

Someone is reading in a chair with a cup of coffee and a phone on a table beside them.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It has taken me a long time to warm up to Goodreads.  As a writer, I’m still very wary of some aspects of the environment over there. But I’ve grown to use it as a tool, both as a reader and a writer.

I recently posted about my experience using Goodreads giveaways.   I’ve also started using a few Goodreads widgets…carefully.  Today and next Monday I’ll be covering a couple of widgets that I’m using there and Friday Chrys Fey will be talking about three other important things to do with Goodreads.

The way I’ve set up my website is for each book to have its own page, which helps with title SEO and visibility.   I’m starting to add the Goodreads review widget on my book pages for a little visual interest and perhaps some social proof.  I won’t add them to all of my book pages because I don’t want to slow my site down when it starts loading.  I’m thinking the last few releases would be good enough. Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

Twitterific

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

New Stuff:

The folks at Kirkus Reviews are offering a free self-publishing guide for authors.  The PDF can be accessed here. 

Reedsy has a free downloadable character template PDF that looks pretty cool for helping with character development.

There’s a new, free, app called Taskade (a pro version is coming soon).  CEO John Xie calls it a “bullet journal reimagined” and “a beautiful outliner for brainstorming, note sharing, and managing tasks.”  You can see an example of a project road-map here.   It even offers collaboration, if you’re co-writing.  Something to check out if you’re looking for a way to plan or organize your life or projects. FAQ is here. 

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Accidental Spoilers

Business of Writing, Uncategorized

A senior man covers his face with one hand, looking worried.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I have a quick, cautionary tale for you today.

I released book nine in the Southern Quilting series in late-April.  I consider the series to be one that can be read out of order with no problem…there’s really no continuing story arc for the main story, since each mystery is wrapped up at the close of every book.

But there are subplots that arc for this series.   As usual, I tend to think that nothing is more important than the mystery.  That’s been a stance that I’ve had to reconsider through many years and many editors, but my first instinct always concerns the mystery.

Another note: I always write my book description before I write the book.  In fact, I write it months before I write the book…when I have my cover designer create the cover.  I’m focusing so hard on the wording that maybe I have tunnel vision.Continue reading

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