Where do the readers hang out?

Oh, this poor neglected blog. I always have the best of intentions to write at least three times a week. Instead, I'm working on once a month. *sigh* Well, I'm here today. And boy, oh boy, do I have something to talk about.

I read a blog post today about writers and readers. The point was made that the writing industry isolates the readers. It got me thinking about all of my favorite blog stops and websites. The blog in question posted a quote from JA Konrath:

"Here’s the deal: Readers are my customers, not writers. Readers don’t even know who the Big 6 are. They don’t care.

I’m mentioned a lot in the publishing community, which is small, closed, and uninteresting to anyone who isn’t in it. But because we’re in it, and we care about it, we incorrectly assume that because writers know who I am, readers must as well." (Emphasis by the original blogger. Read the full article here.)  

Now, it's only 7:33am, and I've only had one and  a half cups of coffee so bear with me this morning. I'm sure this entire post will be riddled with mistakes and I may rattle on. If we're insulating our readers, how the hell does a newbie like myself reach these lovely people?   We're told, as writers, to have accounts on any and every site out there: Facebook, Myspace, LinkdIn, Goodreads, Google+, Wattpad...the list goes on and on. I've forgotten half of my passwords for these accounts. But are the readers on these sites, or are they only good for networking. Of course, most writers are readers, but a majority of readers aren't writers.

A voracious reader would have no reason to check out my LinkdIn profile. Why would they? Nor would they head over to She Writes to see what I'm up to. Notice I'm not linking these pages to my personal profile. I guess it would be smart to, but other than fellow writers, no one cares.   I have enjoyed getting to know so many people on Facebook, and get the opportunity to chat with authors whom I greatly respect. But, other than hardcore fans, readers aren't going to scour the social network for a new book. They're going to ask their friends for suggestions. They'll go to Amazon and scroll through the first few pages for a good read.   There is so much on the Internet about how to find readers, how to find your particular market. But these sites are almost always geared toward the writers, not the actual readers. Where are these people? Where are they hanging out? And, if you're not Stephen King, or JR Ward, how do the lowly newcomers get the people to come. If you write it, they will come? Nope. Doesn't work that way.    

                                                      If you build it, they will come.

  We spend countless hours researching, traveling to conferences, attending online classes, improving our craft, reading EVERY SINGLE BOOK out there about writing and marketing....they don't help. Okay, they help with our writing, but they don't help us find the people whom would buy our books.   Does anyone know the answer to these questions? Have you found the secret room where the urban fantasy fans, or the paranormal lovers are hanging out? Are they peeking through the windows laughing at us? And, do they care if we're on the radio, or are interviewed on the morning news? Could they care less if we're highlighted on someone's blog? Sure, review blogs are helpful, but how many readers go to them? Are they, too, geared toward the writing world?   Please, if you have an answer to any of these questions, feel free to point the rest of us in the right direction.

Guest Blog: Warren Lapine-Publisher

As a new series, I will be posting guest blogs by other professionals in the industry, as well as some great tips on writing, some awesome links to people like Nathan Bransford, and some of the best books on every aspect of writing, editing, publishing, etc.

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing publishing professional, Warren Lapine of Wilder Publications, Inc. Thank you so much for joining us and answering some often asked questions.

Thank you, Warren Lapine, for joining us, and bringing your publishing expertise.


You’re welcome, I’m always happy to talk about the publishing field.

Can you tell us how long you have been in the publishing business?

April marks twenty years, it seems like it was only last week.

What made you want to enter this industry?

I’ve wanted to be part of the publishing industry since I was a kid. I started writing when I was ten or eleven and I thought about getting into magazines as early as fourteen.

Was there a book in your childhood that made you sit up and pay attention? A book that made you think “I want to work with books when I grow up”?

Yes, Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny shook my world to its core. It made me realize that what I’d been doing since fourth grade was writing and that I wanted to make people feel the way Zelazny’s writing made me feel.

In your experience, what has been some of the wackiest queries? How about the most uniquely interesting?


Oddly enough I haven’t received all that many odd queries. Back when I published magazines I would tell people not to send me queries as I could decide on a story just as fast as I could a query. As a book publisher nothing stands out when I try to remember all the queries I’ve seen. I did get one cover letter, though that still stands out even after all these years. It said, “Dear Mr. Ryan, I am sending you this story in the hopes, of course, that you will consider it for publication in Asimov’s.” I noted in my rejection letter that he had sent the manuscript to one editor, asked that a second editor consider it for a third magazine. When I mentioned this to Darrell Schweitzer (at the time he was the editor of Weird Tales) he told me I’d blown it. I should have said, “I’m sorry Planet Stories has ceased publication,” and signed it Frederick Pohl.


As a publishing professional, what is one of your biggest pet peeves with writers just starting down the road to publication?

I don’t have a lot of pet peeves. People with pet peeves usually don’t last long as editors or publishers. I’ve probably seen more than a million manuscripts, if I had had a lot of pet peeves I imagine I’d have lost my mind by now.


What is the biggest no-no for newcomers in the writing industry?

Writing a rejection letter to a rejection letter or writing an angry letter telling an editor why they are wrong. It may make you feel better, but there is absolutely no way it can do anything to help your career.

Can you give us your best piece of advice to us newbies?

Write. Don’t waste too much time on rewriting. You improve more as a writer when you are writing something new. Going through the same story over and over again actually slows down your progress as a writer.

Thank you so much, again, Mr. Lapine, for allowing us to pick through your brain.


It was a pleasure, thanks for inviting me.


You can find Mr. Lapine at his website or on Facebook.
 
 
Stay tuned the rest of the week, not to mention month, for interviews from unbelievably beautiful and talented authors, such as Stacy-Deanne and Tracy Ames.

A Rose by Any Other Name....

Wouldn't be a rose now, would it?! Seriously, though, what is in a name? At least, what's in a character's name? I've written and completed four novels, all of whom have names that I'm very happy with. Each of the characters came by their names in different ways; a name of a friend, heard the name on TV, or (my favorite) derived from a candy bar. However, recently one of my characters decided that he no longer wanted to be a Choctaw with long black hair and black eyes. Nope, now he wants to be a white male with short brown hair and dark blue eyes (think Sam Worthington). What?! I made you, you can't change your mind. Oh no, it doesn't stop there. Nope, he no longer wants the name Jason.

So here's the point of the story....I'm having a hell of a time naming him. I posed the question on Facebook and have received over thirty names. Yet none of them are good enough for the hero of my book. Christy, the characters aren't real, honey. They're just a figment of your imagination. Oh, yeah, try telling that to them.

How do you come up with names for your characters? Do you have a list of your favorites? Do you pick from baby name books? Maybe the websites? Or do you let them tell you their name? I'm dying to know how other authors "develop" their characters. And not just the main ones, but the secondary ones, as well.

The Best Internet Time Wasters.....

Those of us who write full time (no, I don't make a living doing it, yet. I'm a stay at home mom, so I write a majority of the day) always have ways to waste time instead of writing. Following is a list of some of my favorite sites where I waste time. Having said that, I should also mention I have found some of the best writing information and advice at some of these site, so I guess they weren't a complete waste of time.

1. facebook - Of course, I linked you to my fan page, but obviously that's not where I spend the most time. However, I'm an opportunist...head over, like my page, then hang out for a while. This site is where I connect with friends, family, fans, and of course, fellow writers.

2. Twitter - Here's another place where I get some info from fellow writers, editors, agents, publishers, and of course, celebrities. I don't find this site as engrossing as others, but I can see how people can become hooked on it.

3. Absolute Write Water Cooler - This site is nothing but a HUGE source of info! Any question you can imagine writing related can be answered by people in this forum. There's categories for everything. I tend to spend a lot of time in these threads!

4. Writers Digest - If you pay for a subscription you'll get lists constantly of pubs, agents, etc who are currently accepting submissions. I subscribed once, but now I just traipse through the forum. Another place with gobs of info.

5. The Writers Cave - Who doesn't like looking into other people's windows? Okay, that sounded creepy. What I mean is, who wouldn't want to see the work space of their favorite author. Paige Cuccaro has compiled dozens of authors' caves; I can spend a lot of time, and have in the past, just flipping through the pics, comparing work spaces of successfully published authors.

6. Nathan Bransford's blog - This former agent turned writer has a great blog. Everything from How to Write A Query, to his take on books. Mr. Bransford's blog is another site I find myself spending hours reading.

7. Query Shark - This site is just all around fun. Sure, it's informative, but I get a kick out of reading some of the really bad queries. Oh come on...you know we've all written a query to make you cringe! But don't worry; this site isn't just the bad American Idol auditions. She has very helpful info, as well as great critiques. She'll show you what works, what doesn't work, and why for both on all things query.

 

Well, that'll do for now. Don't want y'all to spend all day playing instead of working. You gotta keep your AIS, but that's not just to play on the Internet. Have a great day, and make it productive. The end of the month isn't that far away for you participating in NaNoWriMo!

Networking, Internet, and Relationships....

As an author I'm a member of several networking groups. I'm on Facebook, MySpace (apparently the last person), Twitter, LinkdIn, etc. On these sites I've met hundreds of fellow writers, some in my genre, others not. Networking is extremely important, but how do you keep everything in balance?

I'm a married mother of three, and slave to several pets including reptiles (those of you who own them know how much time it takes to care for them daily). I'm responsible for keeping up the house, laundry, dinners, grocery shopping, running errands, and a slew of everyday oddities. On top of these regular daily chores, I also have children who require medication, constant visits to mental health providers, as well as the usual pediatrician visits. I haven't even started the orthodontist visits, yet.

Now, with all those things going on I still have to find time to write, research, market, format, etc. Then I'm supposed to spend hours a day on these networking sites? How in the world does one do that? I get on Facebook and Twitter two to three times a day, check the first page, like and comment, then head back to whatever it was I was doing before opening Facebook.com. I try to read blogs, and have found some which are extremely entertaining or informative, but either don't leave a comment because I have nothing constructive to add, or someone else beat me to the punch.

Am I setting myself up for failure by not trolling every networking site and blog and leaving comments, "likes", or the good ole "lol" on every single post? Am I setting myself up to be seen as self-centered or a recluse? I definitely don't want the people I've built relationships with thinking I'm ignoring them, but my time is stretched so thin it's damn near transparent.

So, please, dear wise ones...how do you balance life, writing, and networking? Those of you who seem to be active on fifteen boards...are you retired with grown children, or did you find the secret for an extra hour in the day?