Category: Uncategorized

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable.

Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

Ways to judge whether your character is likeable enough for readers: http://bit.ly/A7fc0A @lisagailgreen

Surviving the Publishing Industry’s Looking Glass: http://bit.ly/ABKZro @writerboyESPN

Do you have a marketing plan? http://bit.ly/yr66Yl @robeagar

10 Types of Hypercorrection: http://bit.ly/wNsR76 @writing_tips

Making Friends Without Making Them Feel Used: http://bit.ly/zlg5Mg @JodyHedlund

Your Top 12 Author Marketing Moves for 2012: http://bit.ly/Apz3G6 @writersdigest

Do You Know Your Characters? Do You Know Yourself? http://bit.ly/xuuwAu @curiosityquills

G is for Gerund: http://bit.ly/zMhAjH

6 Ways to Create Writing Goals That Stick: http://bit.ly/zBy8cQ @msheatherwebb for @krissybrady

Building emotional cues into scenes: http://bit.ly/wO6O4C @JulieWuAuthor @BTMargins

Your Top 12 Author Marketing Moves for 2012: http://bit.ly/Apz3G6 @robeagar for @writersdigest

J.K. Rowling’s Writing Process in Her Own Words, part 2: http://bit.ly/wAhxoA @shelleysouza for @HP4Writers

Being The Evil Overlord: http://bit.ly/yCJ51M @katepaulk for @sarahahoyt

How to create mood: http://bit.ly/wO5PxU

The 7 Components of Book Marketing Strategy: http://bit.ly/wJyYVF @JenniferAFusco

The Difference Between Dreaming and Starting: http://bit.ly/y9GRes @jeffgoins

An Agent on Why The Writing Process Trumps Everything: http://bit.ly/ApZ76j @greyhausagency

The drive to write: http://bit.ly/xOIit4 @kalayna

How to Catch More Life in Your Writing: http://bit.ly/AwWax7 @write_practice

Revision: A Fine Line Between Polish And Overkill: http://bit.ly/zZ9uKD

All my tweets from the past week: http://bit.ly/ADefRm

Goal setting for writers: http://bit.ly/xN8lba @eMergentPublish

Why perfect endings rankle: http://bit.ly/w5bSkr @SolomonAnna for @BTMargins

Why books make the best movies: http://bit.ly/xT6Bin

75 Synonyms for “Talk”: http://bit.ly/wikVpf @writing_tips

Playbook For Self-Promo: http://bit.ly/zIvrhK @bigblackcat97 for @WriteAngleBlog

Is Your Website Hurting Your Writing? http://bit.ly/xdzvGq @menwithpens for @thecreativepenn

Are readers really ready for the self-published author? http://bit.ly/ABbKWW @tonyakappes11

Writers–Will Work for Cheap: http://bit.ly/xPwbA5 @KristineRusch

When promo gets pushy: http://bit.ly/x5M8or @blurbisaverb

Genrefication: Romance, the Novel, and Literary Fiction: http://bit.ly/yWAfDX @JustBethanne

Giving our characters epiphanies: http://bit.ly/xSdi1H

Thoughts on setting writing goals: http://bit.ly/wagTru @/andrewgreybooks

Crime fiction–creating ordinary people for readers to pull for: http://bit.ly/xWx5Uw @mkinberg

An Authors’ Guide to the Almighty 3% Rule: http://bit.ly/AcinQw @TweetTheBook

Approaching Success or Avoiding Failure? http://bit.ly/xHyYU2 @WriteNowCoach

4 Ways To Develop Your Authentic Voice For Book Marketing Success: http://bit.ly/wgEhnt @Beth_Barany

Using small questions to get past a block with your manuscript: http://bit.ly/wvuje5 @SusanSquires

Using data to develop a social media strategy: http://bit.ly/wTK4bf @andrewphelps

9 Villains in Literature & Film–& Making Your Own Better: http://bit.ly/y1Ffcr @joebunting

Making Backstory Work for You: http://bit.ly/xSlkv4 @janice_hardy

Your YA Protagonist–Some Dos and Don’ts: http://bit.ly/wFvt0j @Kristi_Cook

What stillness reveals: http://bit.ly/AwqPXc @OllinMorales

For the disorganized writer: How to tackle clutter: http://bit.ly/xistZ7 @zen_habits

How to Find Your Inner Sadist: http://bit.ly/yRpH7O @Ava_Jae

Just because they offered you a contract doesn’t mean you need to take it: http://bit.ly/xwEsfP @behlerpublish

Why You Should Add E-mail Subscription Service to Your Blog: http://bit.ly/wnRoC6 @JaneFriedman

When authors are swallowed whole by their books: http://bit.ly/wWOxR1 @FebruaryGrace

Finding time to blog *and* write: http://bit.ly/Amg1gL @dirtywhitecandy

The author/reviewer relationship: http://bit.ly/zFFOOl @YAHighway

How to generate a year’s worth of content in an hour: http://bit.ly/ygz6JJ @viperchill

5 Ways to Bring Your Blog into the Spotlight: http://bit.ly/yYMkXT @youngprepro

Don’t Drown Your Reader in Explanations: http://bit.ly/x8hecT @KMWeiland

Commenting On Reviews: A Different Type of Author Intrusion: http://bit.ly/z67817

How Images Improve Blog Traffic: http://bit.ly/zrVW6y @robertleebrewer

Weekend Writing -Writing as a Second Job: http://bit.ly/A8mxGs @camillelaguire

Possible Problems and Obstacles for Superheroes to Face Besides Supervillains: http://bit.ly/A6yNNe

The New World of Publishing: Writer vs. Author: http://bit.ly/A8crBJ @deanwesleysmith

Pros and Cons of Multiple First Person: http://bit.ly/xRBn8i @Janice_Hardy

Story structure–set-up: http://bit.ly/wcpzOx @rebeccaberto

Your new writing blog: avoid these faux-pas: http://bit.ly/y8fATp @dirtywhitecandy

Use a Rewrite to Add What Your Story Lacks: http://bit.ly/w1g5jE @noveleditor

12 Ways To Give Your Career A Jump Start For 2012: http://bit.ly/xUzbMJ @lilywolf

How to Develop a Successful Multi-Author Blog: http://bit.ly/yOFu4v @smexaminer

The Loneliness of the Icelandic Translator: http://bit.ly/xLtcvS @oliviasnaije for @pubperspectives

What Costco can teach us about writing: http://bit.ly/z2IxR5 @JulieMusil

How to Buy eBooks from an Indie Bookstore: http://bit.ly/zvRYV5 @galleycat

Lord of the Rings: The Revised Edition: http://bit.ly/AfJz7T @ChrisDolley

How to Make Chapters for a Novel Manuscript in Microsoft Word 2010: http://bit.ly/xHTeg1

Hooks, Loglines, and Pitches: What Every Writer Needs to Know: http://bit.ly/zQF8Z7 @AnneRAllen

Revive Your Creativity by… Not Being Creative: http://bit.ly/w2Ys7A @misfitsmascara

Blogging (or writing) with kids–9 tips: http://bit.ly/zlQKtn @WritingH

Why Bequeathing Your Intellectual Property is Crucial: http://bit.ly/wsvyvQ @DebraPurdyKong

Unleashing creativity begins with a timeline of your past: http://bit.ly/AxuGlb @tobywneal

Technical Aspects of Creating A Nontraditional Ebook: http://bit.ly/yyMumV @indieauthor for @thecreativepenn

Tips for preparing your doc for epublishing: http://bit.ly/wSPl2K

1 writer on what she likes about romantic suspense: http://bit.ly/wSPl2K

10 New Year Resolutions For Writers (that might actually stick): http://bit.ly/x3f84x @ajackwriting

Stabilizing Influence: http://bit.ly/xK0luH @Ravenrequiem13

An agent’s tips for aspiring memoir writers: http://bit.ly/Ajfpap @rachellegardner

3 Secrets to e-Book Cover Design Success: http://bit.ly/xmoHlX @jfbookman

Literary Devices to Help Writers Who’ve Lost the Plot: http://bit.ly/yo66Wi

The Mirage of Fixity — Selling an Idea Before Understanding the Concept: http://bit.ly/zEr7QE @scholarlykitchn

6 Dos and Don’ts for Busy Parents Who Blog: http://bit.ly/z8Ijy8 @writeitsideways

Getting The Most From A Critique: http://bit.ly/Anbf1d @marcykennedy

A Tested Social Media Success Formula: Talk as Yourself, Not about Yourself: http://bit.ly/AALRCB @danzarrella @copyblogger

Worldbuilding with Horses: Preindustrial Revolution: http://bit.ly/z9RsUc @dancinghorse

Stop Waiting to Be Picked: http://bit.ly/w9TIYs @JeffGoins

35 Genres and Other Varieties of Fiction: http://bit.ly/w7rHN6 @writing_tips

Which League Are You Playing In? http://bit.ly/wP4op7 @bob_brooke

Reasons to give writing poetry a go: http://bit.ly/yccQ85 @eMergentPublish

How Not To Mutilate A Foreign Language: http://bit.ly/zCMH8B @StinaLL

5 things 1 writer wishes she’d known before she sold her manuscript: http://bit.ly/z85mIz @PBRWriter

When is your manuscript ready to be sent out: http://bit.ly/w1Z5E6 @lisagailgreen

10 signs you’re not in the writing zone: http://bit.ly/yVNPYg @elspethwrites

Tips for better book openings: http://bit.ly/wxAQXo @anasleuth

Tips for writing dialogue tags: http://bit.ly/wiwFUq

Approaching agents who rejected you…after you’ve gotten an offer from a publisher: http://bit.ly/wmniWF @bookendsjessica

5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Right Now: http://bit.ly/wut7Hy @EliseRome for @RoniLoren

Tips for creating effective characters: http://bit.ly/yLYc2t

Making a living writing–1 writer’s story: http://bit.ly/wngwmt @MeredithEfken for @HowToWriteShop

Show Editors & Agents How You Meet Their Guidelines: http://bit.ly/z9irTQ @greyhausagency

Knowing Where to Start Your Novel: http://bit.ly/xa6zwU @Janice_Hardy

Why the internet is a trap – and how 1 writer deals with it: http://bit.ly/xJoEFu @JulietteWade

How to mine your childhood for story gems and more: http://bit.ly/AcYp23 @CAMorganti

Subtext: What is this Story Really About? http://bit.ly/xAfj1C

Story ideas–what they are, what they’re not: http://bit.ly/xzrNcB @SarahAHoyt

Apple v. Amazon,libraries & piracy, authors & e-rights–& more top ind. news from @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/y9VFI0

Top Ten Made-Up Literary Couples: http://bit.ly/yhSbiU @deadwhiteguys

Author Rex Pickett on Surviving Rejection: http://bit.ly/xMLCIz @GalleyCat

Advice for authors from social media guru Seth Godin: http://bit.ly/yc0Xqr @passivevoiceblg

Proper Nouns vs. Pronouns: http://bit.ly/zDEzmA @KeliGwyn

A Model for Crowdsourced Publishing: http://bit.ly/wnMGRm @mightyscoo for @JaneFriedman

Thoughts on staying motivated when writing that first novel: http://bit.ly/zb3Ljn @KatieGanshert

Build Your Author Brand in 5 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/yuCGR5 @scribblinghappy

How to Explore Your Characters’ Motivations: http://bit.ly/yK7Ix1 @write_practice

How to Make Sense of Critiques: http://bit.ly/AbAxu5 @DiyMia

An Industry for Arts Graduates Who Can Count: http://bit.ly/xD8n9S @PassiveVoiceBlg

Writing on the Ether’s @Porter_Anderson features: @johnemcintyre @DonLinn @lizcastro @michellelegro @naypinya : http://bit.ly/y9VFI0

Daily writing vs. weekday writing: http://bit.ly/wDH9nP @camillelaguire

Finding a good balance for crime fiction endings: http://bit.ly/wzDWe3 @mkinberg

Tips for moving forward with your manuscript after getting stuck: http://bit.ly/x6AWUj @alanorloff

Vocabulary has to be true to our POV character (and familiar to our target reader): http://bit.ly/yxdmXP @authorterryo

An Author’s Guide to NetGalley: http://bit.ly/zvWdVQ

What Star Wars “A New Hope” Can Teach Us About In Medias Res: http://bit.ly/z2pzfV @KristenLambTX

Fewer copy editors means embarrassing errors in newspapers: http://bsun.md/z60zzA @johnemcintyre

The Same River Twice: On Rewriting Your Past: http://bit.ly/yvZe3C

10 Ways Writing Fiction is Like Performing for a Camera: http://bit.ly/wcye8l @victoriamixon

Are New Tablets Slowing The Growth Of E-Readers? http://bit.ly/zmnrJ7 @laurahazardowen

5 Things You Have To Think About Before You Self Publish: http://bit.ly/Alu1Y1 @Ajackwriting

7 Tools for Tracking Ebook Sales: http://bit.ly/xmmY03 @PYOEbooks

Games Agents Play: http://bit.ly/xSKcL2

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve gotten a good number of questions lately via email and Twitter about my platform on Twitter. I came up with a Twitter policy last year (which sounds funny to say, but it became necessary—I’d get well-meaning messages from folks asking me to tweet their book releases), but I haven’t posted anything about it for a while. I thought today that I’d dust it off and give it another run:

How did you start tweeting links and why?
I was reading a lot of writing links and it seemed like it would be helpful to pass on ones that I thought were especially good. That snowballed until I had followers that were very interested in a variety of writing-related tweets. These were writers in different stages of their writing career—some just starting out, some veterans. So I started searching for good, solid posts—even if they were on topics that didn’t directly apply to what I’m writing.
It’s a platform for me, too, and provides a very indirect way of marketing and getting my name out there—and being indirect is really the only way I feel comfortable with promo.

How do you find the links?
I don’t get them from my Twitter feed—I actually subscribe directly to the writing blogs’ RSS feed and read them in my Google Reader.

How many blogs do you subscribe to and how do you browse them?
According to my Google Reader, I subscribe to 2318 blogs. I add to this number every single day. I have my Google Reader set on “list” view and I scan through them quickly—usually looking for writing craft-related posts or publishing news. I don’t tweet promo posts or contests or giveaways. But if you write a wonderful post with interesting content for writers and you happen to have a giveaway or contest at the bottom of the page…that’s fine, of course!

How long does it take you to find posts, read them, and tweet them in a day?
It usually takes a little over an hour each day.

Are you on Twitter all day?
Actually, no—I usually just check in with Twitter a few times a day. If I have more free time, I check in more frequently.

How do you schedule tweets?
I use an application called “Social Oomph” to schedule my tweets. The idea is to spread them out through the day so that they’re (hopefully) not overwhelming and are reaching people in other time zones.

Why aren’t you following me back?
I follow legitimate users back, although sometimes I get a little behind with updating my list. If I’m not following you, then I think you’re a spammer or else you’ve just started following me. If you’re not a spammer, just send me an email at elizabethspanncraig(at)gmail(dot)com.

What’s the best way to contact you?
I check my DMs on Twitter at least once a day, but you can also email me at elizabethspanncraig(at)gmail(dot)com.

I have a great writing blog—how can I bring my blog to your attention?
I’m always looking for new writing blogs to add to my Google Reader. Just send me a DM or an email with your link and I’ll subscribe to the RSS feed.

How do you pick which posts to run?
I’m usually looking for craft-related, industry-related, social media, or posts on how to effectively promote. I love posts that are easily skimmed, have great content, and can be helpful to a lot of writers.

Can you tweet my book review?
I don’t tweet reviews, sorry.

(From PR firms, who do like to contact me): What is your marketing strategy behind these tweets? Does it seem to be working?
There wasn’t a whole lot of marketing thought that went into this, which is why I’m probably getting so many DMs from PR people! I’m focusing on the tweeting mainly as a service to other writers, but I am gaining a nice platform in the process. It seemed to work out really well with pre-orders for my last book.

Do you read your tweet stream?
Honestly, I find my tweet stream totally overwhelming. If I try to read or follow all those incoming tweets then it makes me feel like I have ADHD. :) I follow over 10,000 and I can blink and find 20 updates.

What if I wrote a great blog post and you didn’t notice it—can I bring it to your attention?
Sure—feel free to DM me with it. I can’t promise to run it, but I promise to take a look…and I’ll make sure I subscribe to your feed.

If I wrote a great post a few days ago and tweeted you about it and it hasn’t run, will it ever run?
Sometimes I schedule tweets way out—sometimes a week or more…so it might still run.

Do you @ all of the blog post authors whose links you tweet?
I’m trying. Some of them I do know by heart, if they frequently have good material. Sometimes the post’s author isn’t on Twitter and sometimes I just can’t find their handle, if they are on Twitter. If your “Follow Me on Twitter” is very visible to the top of your blog page, then you’re a lot more likely to be @ed.

Do you ever chat on Twitter?
I don’t ever @ anyone in conversation…but I do have DM conversations with people. I’m just trying to keep my Twitter profile page completely link-related so make it an easier resource for folks to access.

What types of posts are most likely to be tweeted by you? Which are most popular and most likely to be retweeted by others?
Craft posts and clever humorous posts are the top favorites of my followers. List posts are appreciated, too. Anything that’s helpful about social media, or organizing our writing life helps, too.

Is there a way to make my blog posts more likely to be tweeted by you or by others?
Definitely. I’d recommend a post title that is clear as to the post content, an RSS feed button, and avoiding partial RSS feeds (I usually don’t have time to click through to find out if the content is worth tweeting). I’d also recommend a non-rambling post, concise content, and something that’s easy-t0-scan (bullet points and bold type helps.)

Some days your links seem better than others. How do you do quality control?
Sometimes, despite the large number of blogs I subscribe to, there’s a lack of content out there. Holidays play into that, too. And…sometimes I’m busy and I have less time to hunt through my Reader.

Do you do #FF and #WW? Why not?
I used to, but with the number of followers and FFs and WWs I get now, I’m just not able to return the favor without sending out an entire page of spam. I really appreciate the ones I get from followers, though!

Is there a place where I can locate these links or search them?
All of my links are searchable through the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine. Designed by Mike Fleming, the database ensures that great content and resources for writers can be pulled up on an as-needed basis (which means writers don’t have to bookmark everything!) The Writer’s Knowledge Base is free and has over 13,000 links to search.

And now…a disclaimer (I know–so corporate-sounding…)
Occasionally I’ll tweet links that I think show an interesting point of view on, or controversial approach to, writing or the publishing industry. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I agree or disagree with the post’s author–just that I think the discussion is interesting and believe that others would, too. I want to supply writers with different ideas and different opinions on different topics and letting them disseminate the information for themselves.

Now it’s your turn. :) Are you on Twitter or Facebook? What makes you decide to share or retweet a writing post?

by Lois Winston, @anasleuth

Upstairs, the front door slammed with enough force to register a five on the Richter scale.

That’s the first line of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. I’m a firm believer in first line hooks. The first sentence of a novel should make the reader want to read the second sentence. The hook doesn’t have to be defined in the first sentence, but that first sentence should lead you into the next. And that one to the next. Until you have a paragraph that becomes a hook that grabs and won’t let go. That first paragraph should do for the first page what the first sentence did for the first paragraph, and the first page should do for the subsequent pages what the first paragraph did for the first page. Finally, those first pages should create a first scene that refuses to let the reader put the book down.

The opening of a book should be filled with interesting action and/or dialogue that intrigues and makes the reader want to continue reading. One of the worst mistakes I see beginner writers making is filling the openings of their books with paragraph after paragraph of back-story and/or description. The opening of a book should suck the reader into the world the author has created. Back-story can come later, trickling in to tease the reader to continue reading more, not as information dumps that pull the reader from the story. A good opening will include only the barest minimum of back-story that is essential for that moment.

As for description, it should be woven into the narrative and dialogue. Nothing bores more than long paragraphs describing everything from the length of the protagonist’s hair to the color of her toenail polish. It pulls the reader from the story. And pulling the reader from the story is a BAD thing. It adversely affects the pacing of the book, and good pacing is something that is important to a well-written novel.

Sometimes the plot and conflict might not be evident in the opening of a book, but there should be enough of a tease within that opening to give the reader an indication of events to come. With the first sentence of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the reader knows something is about to happen.

Dialogue and/or narrative action are usually the best ways for a writer to create this foreshadowing of things to come, but internalization done well will also work as a hook. One technique is to begin your story by throwing the reader right into the middle of a conversation or event.

One of my favorite first sentences of all time is from Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. That book’s first sentence is:

Daisy Devreaux had forgotten her bridegroom’s name.
How can anyone not keep reading after that sentence?

Do you have a favorite first sentence? Post a comment, and you could win one of 5 signed copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll I’m giving away as part of my blog tour this month. The full tour schedule can be found at my website, http://www.loiswinston.com, and the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. In addition, I’m giving away 3 copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll on Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/15173-death-by-killer-mop-doll
Also, for anyone attending The American Library Association’s Mid-Winter conference January 20-24 in Dallas, Midnight Ink will be raffling off the hand-crafted mop doll shown in the photo during the opening reception Friday evening. Register for the drawing at the Midnight Ink booth #1459.

Lois Winston is the author of the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries published by Midnight Ink. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The new year brings with it the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the series. Read an excerpt at http://www.loiswinston.com/excerptap2.html. Visit Lois at her website: http://www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. You can also follow Lois and Anastasia on Twitter @anasleuth.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I don’t watch much television, but I’ve always been interested in bios and documentaries on writers, musicians, and visual and performance artists.

So I was watching, with interest, a show called Metal Evolution on a music cable station (I know…but I was in high school when metal was big. :) ) Metallica had been a thrash band before coming out with the Black Album which had a more commercial, radio-friendly sound. It made a lot of their fans upset. But it brought them a lot of new fans…and some of those new fans became interested in metal because of it.

Ozzy Osbourne’s picture used to scare me to death as a kid in the 70s. The other kids in my elementary school would whisper about various gross things he’d done at concerts. He looked like the kind of monster I’d worry was in my closet at night. Then, in the late-80s, Ozzy had a chart-topping hit, Close My Eyes Forever, a ballad. Did it mean that I checked out more of Ozzy’s music after that? Sure it did. Were his fans upset that he’d sold out? Absolutely.

There are many examples of singers and songwriters who have wanted to explore new areas with their art (sometimes for commercial reasons, sometimes just to keep challenged.) Sometimes it works out and the artist has a crossover hit. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work at all.

The problem for recording artists is that they can’t (well, I guess they could, but it would be harder) record something completely different from their norm and have it be an anonymous effort. Their image is too closely woven into promo. They have to just put it out there and wait and see what their fan reaction turns out to be.

Not so for writers.

A writer who wants to try something completely different and expand a little? It’s easy. You just choose another name, create another online identity and promote under it. Maybe you want to write something more commercial. Maybe something more literary. Maybe you’ve gotten bored with what you’re writing and want more of a challenge. If you wanted, you could publish something fairly anonymously.

There are a few different ways for a published writer to approach a change of genre:

Pen name—This is least risky, I think.

For instance, right now I’ve got six cozy mysteries for sale and one upcoming release in June. They’re all the same subgenre of mystery. I’ve got the same type of style and voice, similar settings, and the same kind of humor in the books. What if I suddenly started writing science fiction under the same name? It would be tempting to write it under the name that’s better-known, that has a platform and some reader recognition. But then, unsuspecting readers who wanted more of the same could be disappointed…and might even think twice about buying new books from me again, if they feel they wasted their money or felt duped in some way. That’s because I’ve established a whole platform based around this particular type of book.

Write the new material under the same name: Some writers have decided to write their new genre under the same name, looking at it as an opportunity to bring some readers with them to a new genre. Or possibly to create a crossover book that will work for old readers as well as attract new ones.

Use a pen name, but associate the pen name with the author’s real name: Another option is to write the new material under a pen name, but attempt to link the pen name with the author’s real name. This wouldn’t dupe old readers into reading it, but they would still probably discover that you were writing something different—then they could choose to read it if they wanted to. You could have a Facebook page, for instance, that’s set up like this: “John Smith (Joe Roberts)”.”

The nice thing is that we have a choice. We don’t have to feel boxed into our genre. We can try new things—whether it’s under another name or not.

What would you do if you wanted to change genres as a writer? Hope your readers embraced your new genre? Write under a pen name and start off from scratch with your platform building?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

For the last few weeks, I’ve been following a thread of posts with interest.

Roni Loren had a post on January 2, referencing a Dear Author post entitled “Is There Room on the Internet for Authorial Interaction?”

The Dear Author post referenced instances where writers had responded to reader criticisms in a post—and these weren’t the really defensive reactions that we’ve seen in the past, either. It was more of the author explaining her position on different characters, the book ending, etc. Although the post mentioned that sometimes this can really illuminate a discussion on a book, it also had the potential for trouble. Authors listed ways that kind of interaction could go wrong—especially that it could make the author look argumentative.

Another part of the post, was also critical of authors who thanked reviewers for reviews. This is where I really paid attention. Meljean Brook was quoted in the post as saying:

In general — unless the reviewer has notified the author directly about the presence of a review and invites a reply — I think that it’s best not to comment at all. We all know that many authors are online, seeking reviews of their work and looking in on discussions; there’s no need to tap the readers on the shoulder and say, “Hey, I’m here,” because it’s likely to have a chilling effect…and for good or bad, the best thing for an author is for readers to talk about her book. Why shut that down?

Roni Loren made me smile when she said:

Now, I’m southern. I say thank you for EVERYTHING. It’s like a reflex. To think that my thank you may make someone uncomfortable kind of took me aback. When I say thank you, it’s simply because I’m appreciative that the person took the time to read my book and to comment on it publicly (which is press–regardless of the content of the review.)

I’m Southern, too, and good manners have been ingrained in me long ago. When reviews of any kind–good or even lukewarm–came up in my Google Reader in the past, I thought about the potential ramifications…then I went ahead and politely made a comment on the blog, thanking the blogger for reading my book (and sometimes for the review…but mostly just for taking the time to read the mystery.) It didn’t seem polite not to acknowledge the review. We authors aren’t in ivory towers, after all. If the reviewer wasn’t wild about the book, I just ignored that fact and still thanked her for reading the mystery.

But then, Roni had a guest post from writer and forum reader Amber Skye which made some excellent points. Excellent enough for me to completely change the way I treat reviews. I recommend that you read the whole post, but here’s the gist:

Amber Skye’s points:

Reviews are for readers. When authors respond to reviews, it can be disconcerting for readers on a variety of levels. When an author comments on a review that might have negative elements to it, the author’s comment might unintentionally come across as passive-aggressive or hurt.

A book is a product and consumers have a right to either praise, complain about, or even disagree on, the worth of the product.

The primary way that authors should interact with readers is through their books. Write more books and provide your readers with more stories if you really want to effectively communicate with readers.

Keeping this in mind, I came up with a new policy for my own interaction with reviewers online:

If I really, really feel the urge to be polite, I’ll email the blogger directly.

If the blogger shares the review on my Facebook wall (which sometimes happens), I’ll comment on that Facebook post (but not on the blog post).

If the blogger and I have set up a special interview/post/review type promo thing, I’ll of course thank the blogger in my interview or post for reading the book (regardless of the review and whether it was positive or negative). That’s a different type of set-up…pre-planned promo.

If the blogger invites me to comment on a review, then I probably will…with caution.

If I’m invited to take part in a book chat online or a book club talk, I’ll do it but be especially careful to be very neutral during the discussion.

There’s part of me that still really wants to say thanks for reviews…but after reading some very valid reasons not to pop in uninvited on review sites, I think I’m just going to keep my distance.

How about you? What are your thoughts on author intrusion in the reader community?