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Unfortunately I don’t have a photo from one of my favorite Friday Favorites. Christy Rush-Levine and I met for a walk + dinner on Tuesday. Christy is one of those people who help… Read More →

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Cartoon: Johnny Ancich By Candy Gourlay Over at Jane Friedman's guest blogger L.L. Barkat has called on experienced writers to stop blogging. Does this mean I would recommend that everyone stop blogging? No. I encourage new bloggers, just the way I always have. It’s an excellent way to find expression, discipline, and experience. But if writers already have experience, and they are authors

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I know I’ve waited too long to write a blog post when all the tabs with sites I was saving to reference are closed. I took spring break this year, a chance to catch up on a few things as the season is suppose to be changing to the warmer, longer days of spring. The week began with much discussion about Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In. I think women tried to find reason not to connect with Sandberg’s message. For me, it’s been the tiny amount of time I’ve spent in corporate America and the fact that I make every effort to remove myself from leadership and career advancement as possible. I’m an introvert and I prefer to fly off radar.

But, Sandberg’s message was persistent from news shows to talk shows and I kept listening: Lean in, be part of the conversation. I thought about my career as a librarian and the perception of librarians as quiet little women. I’ve worked as a Media Director/Head Librarian in an administrative position where I was not considered part of the administrative team. In academia librarians are sometimes tenured faculty, sometimes not. Even when employed as tenured faculty, there is a separate work calendar for librarians. We’re still marked the first Asian, first Native American… librarians in libraries across the country. That people of color are entering the profession is an important thing, but still counting firsts?

 People like Kirsten Weaver, Wei Cen, 

and Ana Elisa De Campos Salles (all 2013 ALA Emerging Leaders) are quiet beyond the image too many have of people who work in libraries. They definitely are people who are leaning into discussions about patron driven acquisition of books, open access of information, expanding digital content, freedom of information and what new platforms to incorporate into the library’s collection.  

Next Saturday, I’ll be in Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University) for the Indiana Network of Black Librarian’s spring meeting. While there, we’ll hear from  Clyde Hughes, a freelance journalist with the Lafayette Journal & Courier who will share his insights regarding research, black history, and diversity.  Research remains core to what I do and it will be interesting to hear how other professions address this activity.

I’ve been watching people since Sandberg’s discussion began. It’s one thing to show up at the table, but yet another to lean into the conversation. Leaning in takes courage. I would love to say ‘I’m too old for this’ but aging gives one all the tools necessary to be courageous; not only to make a move, but to know when it is the right move to make. Women couldn’t always afford to consider such an option.

I’ve just noticed that Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo have resurrected the Diversity in YA blog, this time on Tumblr. I noted Tumblr because Google Reader is about to fade away and this means finding a new aggregator for my rss feads. I’m looking at Feedly, but also reframing (I like that word, ‘reframing’) the problem to consider how to follow blogs, if not whether it should even be about blogs. I’ve avoided Google+, but I’m going to explore both it and Tubmlr and decide what I want choices I’ll make.

I’m back to work tomorrow and I’ll jump right into the thick of things! I’m meeting to finalize plans for a program to present materials from the ALA/NEH Muslim Journey Bookshelf to the university community and then to take part in my library’s conversations as we re-invent ourselves. I suppose you could say we’re emerging; We’re reframing; We’re leaning in. I guess we all have to realize at some point that if we want to remain relevant, we can’t just go with the flow; we have to make the opportunity to lean in

 

“Live where you fear to live. Be notorious.”

Filed under: Sunday Reads Tagged: blogging, Lean in, sundaymorningread

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Renn is a brave, little boy spending some not-so-fun time at the hospital this week. Mom and I are writing a special blog post today just for him. You can read about Renn at The Brain of a Jedi.

Mom’s author friend, Susanna Leonard Hill has  links to lots more well wishes for Renn on her blog. Take a look, and while you’re at it, send along some prayers and happy thoughts for a tough, smart little Jedi and his family.

Mom is afraid of Jedi warriors (No, she’s not. I am…). In fact, she’s afraid of warriors of all kinds (No, she’s not. I am…). Light sabers scare her (No, they don’t. They scare me…). And forget about Darth Vader’s voice. She’s terrified of that guy (No, she’s not. I am…).

So, we’ll have to work with what we have. My cuteness!!

Here I am dancing like a cute ballerina.

If you want to see how smart I am, here I am solving a problem while looking cute.

If you’ve never seen a dog eat Cheerios, watch how cute I am using my Cheerios machine.

And if you need a laugh, watch me tame the laughing mechanical dog (still while looking cute).

And when it’s time to sleep, stop by my booth for the cutest kiss you can get for a nickel…

Hang in there, buddy! xoxo

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Becoming a published author is usually a tough, demanding mission. But for Denene Millner, it was “a total fluke.” The journalist landed a book deal after writing an article for the New York Daily News, and since then has written 20 more, including Steve Harvey‘s New York Times-bestseller Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man. 

In the latest installment of Mediabistro’s So What Do You Do? series, the author/journalist/blogger tells what cooperative writing is really like. 

“It’s really crucial that the person who’s writing the book trusts me,” she explained. “It’s extremely difficult to walk into a project with someone who doesn’t trust that you can deliver. There’s nothing worse than working with someone who doesn’t trust you to do your job. And that’s whatever you’re doing. You could be bagging groceries at Kroger. If someone doesn’t trust you not to put the eggs underneath the milk, they’re going to give you a hard time for it.”

For more, read So What Do You Do, Denene Millner, Ghostwriter of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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One of your online marketing tools should be article marketing, and article marketing includes your blog posts.

Simply posting to your site isn't enough. You need to create a search engine optimized article that will bring traffic, increase your visit lengths, and enable the visitor to share your post.

Below is a SlideShare presentation that gives you simple instructions on creating effective Blogger posts. And, much of what's shown, is useful on WordPress and other management systems.

So, off we go:

OPTIMIZE YOUR BLOGGER BLOG POSTS



This is the first SlideShare presentation I've made and I'd really appreciate your input (comments):

1. Was it easy to understand?
2. Was it engaging?
3. Do you think it needed music or some kind of sound effect?
4. What's your impression of SlideShare presentations?

Thanks so much for your help!

~~~~~
MORE ON ONLINE MARKETING

The Author Website – Keep it Simple and to the Point
Book Marketing – 9 Quick Tips for Being a Guest Blogger on Blogging Sites
Commenting on Blogs Still Works

~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Award-Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter
Author Online Presence Instructor

Create and Build Your Author/Writer/Home Business Online Presence
http://www.karencioffi.com/author-online-presence-ecourse/

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/

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In the December 4, 2012 issue of Shelf Awareness, in an article on YA authors and their social media platforms, Andrea Cremer (author of Nightshade and its sequels) admits she started out with a blog, but "now finds that medium too slow and relies primarily on Facebook and Twitter." 

She also says her "social media activity takes up three to four hours of her day." And that's without blogging!

Further evidence that blogging is losing its appeal: several of the authors I follow have essentially stopped blogging. The last time Maureen Johnson (Name of the Star) posted to her blog was five months ago. Yet you can find the Queen of Teen on Twitter nearly every waking hour of the day.  Laurie Halse Anderson also hasn't blogged for five months. Mike Jung (Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities) is another author with a Twitter empire. His last blog post was Feb 23, certainly recent enough. Yet the one before that was Oct 7, 2012!

What does this mean?

I think it means the future of blogging is Twitter and Facebook! The internet is changing our brains and the way we process information. People simply don't have the patience to read long blog posts anymore (Go on, admit it, you've skimmed more than one of my longer posts -- and yes, I've probably skimmed one or more of some other blogger's posts. Not yours! No!).  And it's possible that LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr and especially Pinterest also vie for a portion of your allotted social media time. When does anyone have time to write or read books?

Wait until Facebook buys out Twitter and they'll be the same thing.  Then it will be one looming tower of babble.

What do you think?

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Oh Book Lovers, has it really been a YEAR?

When I decided to play hooky for a week last year, I really had no idea that the week would turn into almost a full 12 months... whoops. What have we been up to in the meantime?

• We lived at a YMCA camp for the summer and had the time of our lives.
• Lincoln grew a year older and had a ridiculously fun 1st birthday party.

• We've done lots of little projects around our farmhouse - especially my talented husband who has a way with Annie Sloan chalk paint!
• Linc and I have been nannying 4 days a week for a sweet little baby girl.
• I've started working toward getting my Michigan teaching license and library certificate in order - I miss being part of a school!
• Of course, we've been reading lots and lots and lots of books. Life is good!

But I also realized over the past few months that I really missed blogging. At first, the break felt great. No pressure to whip up a review as soon as the last page had turned, and there was a lot more free time when I wasn't trying to keep up with 100 other book bloggers. But... I missed the community, the camaraderie, and all of the discussions about the best new books.

In the meantime, I accidentally let my domain name expire. Double whoops... I was able to buy it back after a tense domain name auction, but it's not officially "mine" again for another few days. Although clearly, I'm using it right now. Have any of you ever experienced this? Is there any chance that Book Love could just disappear?? 

Looooong story short, Book Love is back. Thank you so much for your sweet and thoughtful comments while I was away. You true book lovers are the whole reason I missed this world!

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Last Friday I presented a screen-sharing webinar for Writers on the Move. It was on posting an optimized post on Blogger and is part of effective SEO. Much of the information was relevant to posting to WordPress and other hosting sites.

When presenting webinars without the help of a moderator, you can sometimes miss questions – it’s tough to present and keep track of the chat box at the same time.

Reviewing the replay, I noticed I missed two questions, so I’ll answer them today. I’ll also include a couple of questions that I did answer during the webinar.

1. Where do you get the links to use for anchor text and deep linking in your posts?

You create your own lists of article titles and their links either in a Word or Excel document. I have a number of different lists: one contains posts from this site; one has posts from Writers on the Move, another is made up of articles from other sites.

I also have separate lists within those categories for writing and marketing.

This makes finding and using relevant article links easier.

2. Do you need permission to link to someone else’s site?

No, you don’t. Linking to other sites is recommended for a couple of reasons:

a. It offers your reader a broader reading experience.
b. It brings traffic to the site you’re linking to.
c. You get more search engine juice from the article when you link to quality sites that are relevant to your content.

3. What’s the etiquette on responding to comments on your post?

It’s important to respond to every comment your post gets, if at all possible. This is the effective marketing thing to do. The visitor/commenter should feel that you took the time to read his comment and that you value his visit enough to respond.

It would be as if you had a guest to your home - you certainly wouldn’t ignore him.

In some cases this isn’t always possible, such as in the case of sites that get a tremendous amount of comments.

Comments, along with your responses, is part of blogging optimization. This activity is picked up by the search engines.

4. How many anchor text and deep links should you use?

If you’re hyperlinking text within your content, two should be sufficient. If you’re adding a “Read More” section at the end of the article, three to five links is a good amount.

Most sites use the ‘read more’ or ‘you might be interested in this also’ sections, rather than using anchor text within the content of the article. This format makes the post cleaner and easier for the reader to find and use the hyperlinks to additional information.

~~~~~



RECOMMEND TOOL:

To get more information on optimizing your blog posts and using article marketing in your online marketing toolbelt, check out:


Article Marketing - Increase Website Traffic




~~~~~
MORE ON ONLINE MARKETING

The Author Website – Keep it Simple and to the Point
Do You Have an Online Marketing Focus?
John Kremer on Book Marketing

~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Award-Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter
Author Online Presence Instructor

Create and Build Your Author/Small Business Online Presence
http://www.karencioffi.com/author-online-presence-ecourse/

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/

~~~~~

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Yesterday I focused on the dictionary as the best desert island book part of W.H. Auden’s quote. Today, let’s consider the first part of the quote:

Though a work of literature can be read in a number of ways, this number is finite and can be arranged in a hierarchical order; some readings are obviously ‘truer’ than others, some doubtful, some obviously false, and some, like reading a novel backwards, absurd. That is why, for a desert island, one would choose a good dictionary rather than the greatest literary masterpiece imaginable, for, in relation to its readers, a dictionary is absolutely passive and may legitimately be read in an infinite number of ways.

I am fairly confident that we can all agree about a book having a finite number of readings–interpretations, ways of understanding it, arguments. But how in agreement is the book blogosphere on there being a hierarchical order of readings from truer to doubtful to false and absurd? In past meanderings I have come across posts that argue all readings are equally valid. I have also been to book discussions with the same prevailing belief. But such a belief makes it difficult to talk about books, to disagree with a reading, and darn near impossible to learn how to be a better reader.

I do believe that there is a hierarchy, or maybe continuum is a better word, of readings. There is no one right reading of a book, but there are many truer readings to use Auden’s word. A good reading has to be supported by the book itself, one must be able to point to parts of the text as evidence to support one’s opinion. Also, there needs to be an accumulation of evidence. It is not enough to say a book is bad because I didn’t like the protagonist. I must delve into the book and show the protagonist is nothing but a two-dimensional stock character operating on cliches. Likewise, it is not good enough to call a book a masterpiece just because I enjoyed it.

Here is a question, is it the responsibility of readers, especially book bloggers, to help each other become better readers? And if so, how do we go about doing that? If we have not read the book being discussed it is hard to say more than, “wow, this sounds good!” But it is possible to do more than that by asking a question about the book or an observation made by the blogger. I am guilty of taking the lazy way out a lot of the time, but now and then I will ask a question about the book and I must say, even for having not read the book under discussion, I suddenly feel more engaged, more interested, more connected.

Then of course, there are books I have read. Again, I am guilty of being lazy and saying things like, “I loved this book too!” But sometimes I might comment on how I read the book differently and suddenly there is a conversation. I must say I like it when people make respectful comments questioning my reading. My first feeling when I see comments like that is to feel bad or indignant. It is not a comfortable feeling to be questioned. But then I tell myself to not be stupid and I take time to consider the comment and make a response and in the process I find I learn something new about the book. And if the conversation continues for a bit I might even change my opinion because the evidence given in response turns out to point in a different direction than I thought. These are always learning moments and I value them because they help me become a better reader.

Tom at Wuthering Expectations and Teresa at Shelf Love have inspired great conversation about comments and disagreement. And in a way I suppose I am talking about the same thing. But I don’t want to focus on the comments, rather our responsibility as readers to one another.

I don’t think I have ever come across anyone who doesn’t want to be a better reader but it seems the onus is always on the individual to do something about it. And one should. But how? Sure there are books and while they can and do offer good advice it is kind of all in a vacuum. There is also reading professional critics. And while this is really useful it can sometimes feel like an expert telling me what to think. The best way to become a better reader is by talking to other readers and when one is no longer in college this can be tricky. If you are lucky enough to belong to a book group that is more than a social club then you have a great opportunity to learn. Bloggers have a good opportunity too but it relies on the willingness of others to say more than “great post!”

This post has gone where I did not see it going, but I have come to a point where I feel like I need to make a pledge. Not a promise, but a pledge. I can’t promise I won’t ever be lazy in my comments. I can, however, pledge to do my best to reply to comments here and on other blogs in a thoughtful and engaged way. I owe it to myself and to other bloggers/readers to help create the kind of engaged book community that we all long for.

Filed under: Blogging, Books, Musings, Reading

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My next online marketing e-class for WOW! Women on Writing is scheduled for March 4, 2013.

CREATING AND BUILDING YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE:
Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales by Karen Cioffi

START DATE:  Monday, March 4, 2013
DURATION:  6 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

As an author or writer, it’s a certain bet that you have something to sell; it may be your book, your skills, or your experience and knowledge. In order to sell what you’re offering, you need to create and build your online presence.

Why is this absolutely necessary?

Well, imagine being a spec in the sky . . . so tiny and far away that you’re invisible to the human eye. That’s you in the Internet universe. So, how do you get a flickering light going and build it into a steady strong beam?

By creating and building your author online presence.

If you’re a first time author, the process should begin before your book will be available for sale. This course will take you from square one right on through to beyond book sales.

If you have one or more books under your belt and already have a website up and running, but want to extend your marketing reach and draw more traffic to your site, or you want to branch out with additional writing related products or services, weeks two through six of this class will help you achieve just that.

The class will also provide two live or replay screen-sharing webinars to further aide in understanding. Screen-sharing allows the presenter to share her screen, so students can see how each step is done.

Here’s an outline of the six lessons:

1. The Bare-Bottom Platform Basics: The Foundation and Creating an Author Website

2. Blogging for Success: Creating Effective Content

3. Article Marketing: 10 Steps to Writing for Article Directories with Properly Formatted and Optimized Content

4. How to Create Ebooks for Freebies and for Sale, Including Creating a Cover with Microsoft Office 2010

5. How to Create PayPal ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s

6. How to Create a Product Line and Attracting Customers Through Information Marketing

And, there are two bonus lessons!

For full details, with a breakdown of each lesson and testimonials, go to:
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#KarenCioffi_AuthorOnlinePresence1

Here are a few Testimonials (there are more on the WOW! page):

The last three weeks have been invaluable and this course has helped in so many amazing ways. Thanks for all the wisdom. I am learning a ton and feel so much more equipped to build my platform. Thank you so much.

~ Amy Crawford, PhD, LMFT
Psychotherapist & Writer Specializing in Military PTSD
www.amyleecrawford.com

~~~~~

Three months after starting my freelance editing business, I knew I needed a website and blog but was too overwhelmed to set them up. Karen Cioffi’s class, “Creating and Building Your Author Online Presence: Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales,” looked like the perfect nudge I needed. And was it ever! Karen provides even more information than I’d hoped for. She is approachable, helpful, and knowledgeable, and not only did I learn what I knew I needed to learn, I also came away with new marketing strategies I hadn’t even thought about—and that’s saying something, considering my background in publishing. If you’re even just thinking about writing a book someday, take this course now and start building your author platform!

~ Candace Johnson, Change It Up Editing and Writing Services

~~~~~

Karen Cioffi knows her stuff! I sat in on her class and was extremely impressed by her course materials, website evaluations, and personal coaching with students. She knows a lot about making your website stand out from the pack—even an old pro like me learned a thing or two! She provided students with unique solutions personally tailored to their own websites that I would never have thought of. I highly recommend this course for those who are looking to build their online platform. Karen goes above and beyond for her students and is a fantastic mentor.

~ Angela Mackintosh, editor and publisher of WOW! Women On Writing

~~~~~

Karen Cioffi is the go-to person for online marketing. She knows her stuff and does what she does with heart.

~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning poet, writer of fiction, speaker and teacher

~~~~~

Let me help you get your online light going - sign up today!

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Create Your Writer Platform: The Key to Building an Audience, Selling More Books and finding Success as an Author -- Chuck Sambuchino

www.chucksambuchino.com

I’ve read several books on author platform but have to confess never fully grasping the term until reading Chuck Sambuchino’s CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM. At its simplest level, a platform is an author’s visibility and reach -- the framework an author has and continues to build that let’s others know of his or her work.

Sambuchino describes his book as “a guide for all the hardworking writers out there who want a say in their own destinies.” Though there is no one-size-fits-all approach to establishing a platform, Sambuchino says the need for platform cannot be ignored, even for those of us who write fiction. The book is divided into three sections: The Principles of Platform, The Mechanics of Platform, and Author Case Studies. At the end of each chapter, literary agents weigh in on the chapter’s topic, giving readers perspectives outside of the author’s. One of the most helpful aspects of the book is the Case Study section, where twelve different authors from a variety of genres (memoir to self help, fiction to reference) reflect on the choices they made in building their platforms -- what worked, what they wish they’d done differently, what they believe makes them stand out from others in their field.

Sambuchino is also quick to say “this is a resource for those who realize that selling a book is not about blatant self-promotion.” It is more about relationships, the sharing of expertise, and supporting others along the way. Though written for the aspiring author, a lot of things resonated with me, a newly published author, such as the wisdom behind an author newsletter, establishing an “events” page on my blog, and always, that kindness and generosity go a long way.

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A Note from Stacey:  I recently asked teachers who’ve led an blog-based Slice of Life Story Challenge, or SOLSC, with their students to share their expertise with me.  After all, I’ve only led… Read More →

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 130,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that [...]

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Move over Rudolph! I’m Santa’s new right hand man.

Mom saw this at her friend, John’s blog called Native Michigander. It’s the most adorable Christmas Story ever!

 

Merry Christmas, everybody!

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Which of the many books on your to-read list will you pick up (or click on) next? If you’re as indecisive as me, it’s a struggle each time.

In 2013, I will have a mission to guide me. I’m signing up for the second annual Australian Women Writers Challenge, with a plan to read 27 books by Australian women writers, many of which have been gathering dust on my real and virtual bookshelves for years (the full list to come in a future post).

I found out about the event too late in 2012, but tracked the progress of other bloggers who joined in via Twitter and GoodReads with interest. So what exactly is this giant digital book club, how did it come to be, and how can you get involved? Founder ELIZABETH LHUEDE explains all …

1. What is the Australian Women Writers Challenge all about, and what inspired you to launch the campaign?



The Australian Women Writers Challenge is a reading and reviewing challenge organised by book bloggers. It asks people to sign up and read, or read and review, a number of books by Australian women throughout the year, and to discuss them on book blogs and social media. Through the challenge, we hope to draw attention to and overcome the problem of gender bias in the reviewing of books in Australia’s literary journals, and to support and promote books by Australian women.

Indirectly, the challenge was inspired by the VIDA count, an analysis of major book reviewing publications in North America and Europe. This count revealed that male authors were far more likely to have their books reviewed in influential international newspapers, magazines and literary journals than female authors.

An analysis of Australian literary pages by Bookseller + Publisher showed a similar bias (reprinted in Crikey in March 2012). 

From my own experience I know the problem isn’t just with male readers not reading books by women; it’s more entrenched than that: women, too, are guilty of gender bias in their reading. This is part of a much larger problem of devaluing work labelled as being by a woman. A 2012 study quoted recently by Tara Moss demonstrates that this bias exists independent of the actual quality and content of the work (see excerpt here).

To help solve this problem, the Australian Women Writers Challenge calls on readers to examine their reading habits and, if a bias against female authors exists, work to change it by reading – and reviewing – more books by Australian women. The quality of the work is there: it’s up to us to discover and celebrate it.


2. Is it just a coincidence that the challenge arrived on the scene around the same time as the Stella Prize for Australian women’s writing?



The challenge owes a lot to the people who created the Stella Prize. Kirsten Tranter, one of the Stella panelists, wrote about the VIDA statistics in early 2011, as did many others in the early part of that year (see a list here). Without the Stella Prize, the challenge wouldn’t have been the success it is.

3. How highly would you rate the influence of Miles Franklin on all of this, and why do you think she has become such a symbol for women writers in this country?

The Stella panelists chose Miles Franklin as a symbol, I believe, because no women were shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2009 and 2011, despite the prize having been established at the bequest of a woman – one who, incidentally, chose to publish under a male pseudonym.

I can see the strategic reasons for adopting Franklin as a symbol, but I also think it’s a symptom of the problem. There are far more talented Australian female authors. There are also other literary prizes that have been going for years that don’t get anywhere near the publicity of the Miles Franklin Award, such as the Barbara Jefferis Award and The Kibble and Dobbie prizes. To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of these awards before I started researching books to read for the challenge. Why is that, unless it has something to do with the fact that they, in varied ways, celebrate women?

4. A year on, do you feel the campaign has been a success?

The challenge has been a huge success. The Huffington Post Books blog published a wrap-up of recent releases of books by Australian women, Overland blog announced 2012 as The Year of Australian Women Writers, it has been mentioned on Radio National, and the Sydney Morning Herald’s Daily Life blog counted it among the 20 Greatest Moments for Women in 2012. I couldn’t have hoped for more.



5. How important has social media been to its reach?

Twitter especially has a major force in getting word out about the challenge, and has helped publicise the many reviews now linked to the blog (well over 1300). Recommendations via book bloggers and, to a lesser extent, Facebook have also been important. The real spikes in terms of hits on the blog, however, have come after mentions in traditional media.



6. You’ve done some survey research into AWW’s impact. Have you seen the results of that research yet?

A brief look at the results has revealed that the majority of respondents didn’t sign up for the challenge, but had heard about it; a majority of these also happened to read more books by Australian women this year. There are many other factors beside the challenge which have raised the profile of books by Australian women in 2012, so the challenge can’t take credit for this result, but it is a very encouraging trend.

Of the people who did sign up for the challenge, a majority read more books by Australian women than in previous years, and most reviewed more and read more broadly. A majority of respondents credited the challenge for their having a greater awareness of authors’ names, book titles and a sense of the breadth and diversity of genres being written by Australian women.

7. Do you have anything different planned for AWW in 2013?

In 2013, the challenge will remain basically the same, with the aim to read and review more books by Australian women. One change is that there will now be a ‘read only’ option for people who are reluctant (or too time poor) to review. This is a gamble – as it could easily diffuse the challenge’s goal. But it is my hope that people who sign up for this option will actively participate in the challenge.

How can they do that? By discussing books they’re reading on social media, using #aww2013 on Twitter, posting comments on the AWW Facebook page, discussing the books in the AWW GoodReads group, and – especially – by commenting on book bloggers’ reviews. Book bloggers have made a huge effort to read and review these books and I’m sure they appreciate people commenting.

8. Are the goals for the campaign the same, or have they grown with the movement?



The goal for the challenge remains to help overcome gender bias in reviewing, and also more generally to support and promote books by Australian women.

9. How can readers, authors, publishers, booksellers, the media and bloggers get involved?



The best way to get involved is to sign up to the challenge, to pledge to read and review books by Australian women in 2013, and to encourage others – friends, co-workers, family members, book group members, local librarians, school teachers and bookshop owners – to join as well. You can sign up here.

10. Can men participate (of course I know they can, but you never know, some might be too shy unless you extend them a really warm invitation!)?

Men are very welcome to participate – as they were in 2012. One male participant in the 2012 challenge was David Golding who recently wrote a wrap-up post on his participation which included a call for more men to sign up.

Another participant from 2012 is Sean Wright from Adventures of a Bookonaut blog. Sean has joined the AWW team and will be looking for ways to help get more male readers engaged in the challenge. (If you have any ideas, let him know!)



11. Who is/are your favourite Australian woman writer/s?


This is a tough question. I can honestly say my knowledge of books by Australian women is still too limited for me to have a favourite or favourites. This year I have discovered a wealth of genuine talent  – world-class authors I didn’t know existed this time last year – and I’m convinced there are many more to discover. My favourite genre is crime, particularly psychological suspense, and in those genres I’ve enjoyed the work of Wendy James, Rebecca James, Sylvia Johnson, Sara Foster, Caroline Overington, Angela Savage, Sulari Gentill, Nicole Watson, PM Newton and my friend Jaye Ford. But one of my goals this year was to read widely, which means I’ve read a lot of single books (46 so far) by different authors. The only authors I’ve repeated have been Gail Jones, Charlotte Wood and Margo Lanagan (two each). It’s not enough to go on to develop a favourite.

12. What were your top three reads by Australian women writers this year?



Only three? Eva Hornung’s Dog Boy, Margo Lanagan’s Sea Hearts tie for first, and a shared tie second includes Emily Maguire’s Fishing for Tigers and PM Newton’s The Old School, while Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper comes in third. These are all very different books but, in my view, compelling reading. (Sorry, that’s five, isn’t it?)

13. What are you planning to read next?

I’ve just finished Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, an emotionally devastating and imaginative speculative fiction novel, and before that was Annabel Smith’s Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, a very readable literary book about sibling rivalry. I have a huge stack books by Australian women to read, both recent releases and older titles, but I’m also keen to get back to my own writing which I’ve neglected this year while working on the challenge. Creating the new websites has required fulltime work for the past few months, and I need to get back to my own writing.

13. Could you tell us a little about your own writing? Has your work on the challenge pushed your own literary career along?

I started writing novels after I finished my PhD (in 1995) and I’ve had success in competitions with several romantic suspense novels and a fantasy title, but so far no acceptances from publishers. My latest story is a page-turning psychological suspense novel which draws on some hair-raising encounters I had working as an intern counsellor at a private hospital, as well my experience growing up with a schizophrenic father.

Earlier this year I attracted the attention of literary agent, author and former editor, Virginia Lloyd, who loved the story and agreed to represent me. With a great team now supporting the AWW challenge, I hope to get on with writing my second psychological suspense novel in 2013.

Have I been inspired by what I’ve read? Without a doubt. It has also been intimidating to see the depth, breadth and quality of the work that is out there – work that clearly doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s scary, in a way, to go back to my own writing now with this new ‘anxiety of influence’. I would love to write with the richly textured imaginative flair of Margo Lanagan, or the terrible emotion of Eva Hornung, or the compassionate humanity of Charlotte Wood. I would love to write crime with the sense of history and stylistic precision of PM Newton, or have the exquisite appreciation of nature and human heartbreak of Favel Parrett, or the contemporary feel and nuanced characters of Emily Maguire. I’d love to write suspense, mystery and history with the scope and readability of Kate Morton – and to have my books be half as popular with readers. I doubt I can do any of those things and I feel grief about that. I know the next step in such thinking would be “Why even try?” But what I can do is what I’ve always – sometimes hesitantly – tried to do: to write as skilfully and honestly as I’m able, informed by who I am and my unique experience of the world. If one day I get published and find readers who enjoy reading the stories I’ve created, great: that will be a dream come true. If not, at least I can be an active and appreciative reader of those writers who have a great deal more talent than me.

 

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2012 is coming to a close.  Chanukah ends today, but I’ll still be busy preparing to celebrate my five year wedding anniversary and my daughter’s upcoming second birthday.  Ruth and her family are… Read More →

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Everyone Needs an Editor. Even You. :: C. J. Omololu

10 Ways to Build Long-Lasting Traffic to Your Author Website or Blog :: Jane Friedman

A Girl Who Reads :: Christina Lee

What Emily Dickinson Ate -- Coconut Cake :: The History Kitchen

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I am thankful for every person who has found their way to our blog. I’m thankful to those who have offered advice, kind words, inspiration, and support through the years. It’s because of you, our readers and fellow educators, that we continue to blog day after day. Thank you for helping us to reach this special occasion in our blogging lives.

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If you’ve written a book, you know that marketing the book is more important and more difficult than actually writing it. And, an effective book and author platform marketing strategy is article marketing. Article marketing involves posting to your site on a regular basis, submitting to article directories, and it seems more important lately, being a guest on quality blogging sites.

As you may know, guest posting on a quality site in your niche does at least four things:

•    It affords you a wider audience and often this leads to clicks back to your site.
•    It allows you to cement your expert status.
•    It provides the host site with fresh content.
•    The host site will get additional traffic from your promotion efforts.

Keep in mind that quality content is what counts!

With your quality content in hand, the first step is to find a blog that gets good traffic and offers quality content. If you’re not sure about a site, you can go to http://alexa.com to check the site’s authority.

At this point, you have the content and you have a website that will accept it. Now, it’s on to the tips.

9 quick tips for being a guest on blogging sites:
1. Check the host blogging site’s guidelines carefully. And, be sure to know what type of content the site publishes, along with what’s already been done. You don’t want to offer to guest post about Google’s Penguin when it’s been done before.
2. Provide a brief bio with a link to your site or landing page (do not embed the link – provide the complete URL). If you don’t have a website set up yet, use your Twitter or Facebook URL.
3. Provide relevant tags for your host to use. A minimum of three tags should be included with your submission.
4. EDIT your content before sending it off.
5. Ask if the host would like you to send a relevant image for the post. A number of sites are requesting images accompany the posts to save time.
6. Thank the host for allowing you to be a guest blogger.
7. Once your post is published, promote it, promote it, promote. And, in you promotion, ask for visitors to leave a comment. Bringing traffic to the hosting site is nice, but getting comments is even better.
8. Stop by throughout the day to respond to any comments.
9. Stop by periodically for the next week to see if there are any other comments.

The most important tip is to be professional and courteous. These qualities go a long way in building relationships.

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MORE ON ONLINE MARKETING

What is an Author Platform and How Do You Create It?
Creating Images – Simple and Quick
Increase Sales by Writing for the Web More Effectively

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To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Online Marketer, Affiliate Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/

Author Online Presence and Book Marketing Ecourse:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/book-marketing-ecourses/

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This is my new bandana which Mom picked out at Mollie’s blog.  I think I look adorable and Christmas-sy in it. 

I also have a couple of awards to say thank you for today. 

Thanks to Easy for the Super Sweet Award.  He definitely got it right.  I AM super sweet… except when I’m not….  See my super sweet answers here and help yourself to the award if you’re sweet most of the time.

Thanks to AngelsWhisper for the Seven Things About Me Award. 

For this award, I need to tell 7 things about myself, which I love to do. I will also invite anyone who likes telling about themselves to take this award and tell us about yourself.

1. I am part Jack Russell and part something else.  Mom thinks I might be part monkey because of my long monkey tail.

2. I love treats.  My new favorite is called Gooberlicious. It’s not what you think.  They look and taste like peanuts. Yum.

3. I love stuffed animals, but not the mechanical ones.  I think mechanical toys are evil, and I’m pretty sure they’re trying to kill me.

4. I help Mom with her writing a lot.  I take her to the park and for rides in the car so she can get ideas. I bring toys to her while she’s working, so she can get up and play with me and not sit still too long.

5. I want Mom to write a book about me so I can go to school visits with her. I know how to behave… except when I don’t…

6. After I eat my food every day, I try to eat my bowl.  That’s just how delicious my food is!!

7. I love to wear dresses.

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I am taking part in The Next Big Thing Author Meme, thanks to Sarah Stevenson. Google "The Next Big Thing" and authors. It's all over the place.

This very professionally focused meme is an example of the collaborative nature of blog culture. I think a lot of authors don't understand the blogging world. They hook up with Blogger or Wordpress, post some stuff occasionally, and say they have a blog and, thus, a platform. But they don't really understand the networking aspect of blogging. Yeah, they hope for some kind of viral thing to happen to their book. Somehow. But blogging remains apart from them. It's something they do because the marketing books and many, many how-to articles say they should.

I haven't even done my Next Big Thing blog post yet. I've only been mentioned as doing one in the future. The stats for this blog have jumped these last two days. That, my lads and lasses, is blog culture at work.

You have to be part of the culture to have things like that happen. You have to be somebody who has connected with other somebodies in the blogosphere. You can't just treat blogging like ordering post cards and bookmarks, part of the marketing plan that you're forced to do.

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CREATING AND BUILDING YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE:
Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales

I'm conducting another online class through WOW! Women on Writing that will definitely benefit you if, you want to:

• Create or increase your author online presence
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• Learn to blog for success
• Learn how to do effective article marketing
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• Learn how to create your own product line

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1. The Bare-Bottom Platform Basics: The Foundation and Creating an Author Website

2. Blogging for Success: Creating Effective Content

3. Article Marketing: 10 Steps to Writing for Article Directories with Properly Formatted and Optimized Content

4. How to Create eBooks for Freebies and for Sale, Including Creating a Cover with Microsoft Office 2010

5. How to Create PayPal ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s

6. How to Create a Product Line and Attracting Customers Through Information Marketing

This class is for authors and those who are trying to get a foot in the online visibility door, and those who want to become more effective marketers, so be sure to check out the WOW page for the details. You'll find out exactly what each Lesson includes. And, there are two bonus lessons and at least one screen-sharing webinar!

The class size is limited, so SIGN UP FOR CREATE YOUR AUTHOR ONLINE PRESENCE TODAY!

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Canberra writer and entrepreneur Ellen Harvey has launched a new global platform for writers who can cope with word limits. The drabbl.es website, which is live but in alpha testing, invites visitors to create 100 word stories in one of dozens of subject areas, from journalism to crime and chick lit to biography. It’s an addictive format, and one that will appeal to writers of all genres and experience levels. Ellen took time out from her busy schedule to answer some questions about drabbling and literary start-up life for Boomerang Books. 

How and when did you come up with the idea for drabbl.es? 

The idea for drabbl.es came about as I was thinking of a way to write, collect, share and get others to do the same with 100 word stories. My writing group at the time loved the idea and I would give them ‘homework’ tasks to write 100 words around a certain theme. I wanted to read their drabbles, and they wanted to read other people’s drabbles too. Drabbles have been around for a while, the term originating from Monty Python, and are quite popular on online blogging platforms such as Livejournal. At the end of 2011, my husband, Lachlan Blackhall, and I were having a conversation about how to make this 100-word story-sharing website a reality. It was then that drabbl.es really started to take form, including many features and improvements that we can’t wait to implement on the website in future versions.

How long have you yourself been writing drabbles?

I have been writing drabbles since I was 14 and sharing them with friends via email and online blogging.

What’s your day job? 

My day job is split into three segments really: I’m a writer working on my first manuscript. I also started a company with my sister this year called BnE Media (www.bnemedia.com) where we create animated storybook apps for children. And of course, I work on drabbl.es.

And your dream job?

This is pretty much the dream. I am able to travel while working, I am able to write full-time, and I am able to work on interesting projects.

How many of you are involved in the project and what are the key roles?

As mentioned earlier, my husband is a key member of this project. He works with many start-up companies and is the ideal partner to have for this website. Plus, it’s great fun to be working on something with Lachlan. David Elliot and his team at Agile Digital are amazing–they worked tirelessly to make sure we had demos for workshops and a working version to begin this first trial in October.

How long has it taken to get the site up and running?

The idea was developed into a working website early in the year, and we were able to secure our developers (Agile Digital) in April. In six months, we have been able to start our first trial.

Now that drabbl.es is live, how much work is involved in running and promoting the site?

It’s actually a lot more work than I thought. Running a website, especially one in the early stages, means that I read 95% of all the drabbles. Drabbles are then randomly picked to be ‘promoted’ on social media, as well as advertising our challenges on social media so users know there are new ones. Running a trial, in particular, means I sort through feedback results and am constantly updating the development strategy for the next version. It definitely keeps me busy – but I love it all the same. It’s a new experience that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.

When do you anticipate leaving alpha stage and launching proper?

We plan to have the alpha trial running until the end of January (although we may continue into February). The site will still be live after that, but behind the scenes we’ll start working on the beta version. We’ll then release the next version and collect feedback. I love the idea of an evolving website that is exactly what its users want. After the beta trial and redevelopment, I think we’ll launch the proper version.

Will there be iOS and Android apps for drabbl.es?

I certainly hope so! To me, drabbling is definitely something that can be done on the run. You can be at a concert and write about the song you just heard; you can be watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks and describe the atmosphere; you can take a picture and explain what it means to you right then and there while still being in the moment.

Why should people post to drabbl.es rather than Facebook or Twitter or their own Tumblr/blog?

Drabbl.es allows people to tell stories. That is our aim. We want to read about a moment in someone’s life and feel as if we experienced it with them. Drabbl.es is about connections. Facebook and Twitter statuses have developed to the point where they are often used to talk about a very specific moment, but once the moment is over, the update or tweet is often no longer relevant. We want drabbles to have longevity and to mean something a week, a month, a year, a decade after it’s published. Tumblrs and blogs allow users to write as much as they want–we want to encourage creativity by having the word restriction.

Might we see drabbl.es anthologies in ebook form in the future?

It is definitely something that we’ve thought about. Possibly as a way to deliver drabbles daily, weekly or monthly to users interested in particular genres or users. Almost like a newsletter, but hopefully delivered straight to your eReader. That being said, we’ve also thought about users able to export their drabbles straight to ePub/mobi and upload to the various stores themselves. It’s something we’ve thought about, but still a little while off from implementing.

How will you deal with copyright issues ie does the writer retain copyright and what if you were to publish a book, would you have to ask for permission?

Writers always retain copyright. As a writer myself, this is something I feel very strongly about. When they post on the website, the work is always theirs. If we were to publish a book, we would ask the users for permission.

What about moderating the drabbles to ensure nothing defamatory or racist etc is posted, is that a big job? 

Currently, our users are wonderful and don’t make it a very big job. I imagine it may turn into one, though. Our website is only as good as the users on it, so I hope that our users will alert us to anything they think we should check out, in addition to our own moderation.

What’s the end goal and how will you make money/pay for the site?

Ideally, and it’s a big dream, I’d love drabbl.es to be on the Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook stage–something people do for fun, but is totally addictive. Regarding making money, we believe the site can make money in two ways. Firstly, sponsored challenges are a logical step. The challenges are already part of drabbl.es functionality and with our view that drabbl.es can be written about events and experiences, then having drabbl.es host challenges for other companies seems reasonable and something the drabbl.es community would do because they are already using the challenges section of the website. The second way is by creating levels of paid users. There will always be a user type that is free and without advertising, but if they want more functionality, such as linking drabbles together or adding more than one picture to a drabble for example, they would need to pay for their account.

How did you come up with the extensive list of drabbl.es subjects? Can contributors suggest more?

I searched for writing genres on Google and came up with a multitude of sites that declared they had the best list of writing genres. I ended up just picking the one I like the best and started with that. The list is a work in progress and I would love for users to suggest more.

What other online forums exist for posting drabbles ie what’s your competition?

A wave of citizen journalism sites have cropped up in the last year and I feel that this is probably our major competition. They all allow their users to add pictures, follow other users, get email updates, comment and socialise on the websites. What’s more, they all promote that their site is about storytelling. Despite this, I know that our concept and website is strong because our 100 word restriction on the stories is a challenge (and an addictive one at that) which only enhances and promotes creativity.

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According to Hubspot.com, "91% of online adults engage in social media regularly." 

This is more of a reminder than a book marketing tip, since most of you have heard it over and over.

Part of your article marketing strategy includes your blog posts and all your promotional efforts are geared to bring attention to your content and visitors to your site. So, be sure to use all your social networks to promote your posts.


While Facebook gets lots of attention, don’t forget Twitter, Linkedin, StumbleUpon, and Pinterest.

One other note that is geared more toward Twitter and Linkedin is that your posts are more likely to be shared by connections who are ‘like-minded,’ meaning targeted connections who are interested in what you are talking about.


For this reason it's important to have as many targeted connections as possible.

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To learn the ‘ins and outs’ of creating and building an Author Online Presence check out the ecourses Karen offers: http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/book-marketing-ecourses/ 

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To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Online Marketer, Affiliate Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012

Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/

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