Sunday, February 9, 2014

Complicating Things

Now that I've been at this blogging thing for a couple years, I thought it was time to introduce some new things into my life. It's taken me that long to get used to the mechanics of posting, scheduling, properly tagging, guest spots, etc, and I think I've gotten the basics down now. Time to up my game.

If you'll notice the column on the right now has a gadget for collecting followers. There's one follower so far. I've had the "Follow By E-mail" gadget for awhile, and I know many of you are signed up that way. But, unfortunately, my blogger account doesn't want to show me those figures, so I truly don't know how many followers I have. I can see the number of daily visitors and am pleased by those numbers, but I need more than one follower. Please, if you aren't already, click to follow me. Thank you.

Guest blogging is something I like to do. Give me a topic and I'm off. But some of the blogs I'd like to be on make posting so difficult for someone like me, who still needs help navigating my way through my own blog, that I've had to drop out. I'm not going to point any fingers, but I can say I'm disappointed, and think there's got to be an easier way. Life, and technology, is getting more complicated by the day.

One of my good friends, and a fellow author, has decided to navigate the self-publishing waters for her debut novel. I've been watching from the sidelines as she sorts through possible editors, cover artists, formatters, and the myriad of other details that go into the production side of publishing a book. I'm not saying I'll never follow in her footsteps, but right now, I know when to cry "Uncle!" I'd rather stick with what I'm comfortable with, and what I think are the most pressing issues for me at this stage in my career--building a backlist and developing a following. 

One thing that hasn't changed since the era of Jane Austen is the basic one--write a good book and promote the hell out of it for the next few years. Book Five in my Cotillion Ball Series will be out March 3, and I'm working away on Book Six--Rosemary's story. I've still got a ways to go on that one, as editing for those books about to release has taken precedence. Deadlines and guest posts have gotten in the way of what must remain my primary goal--writing a good book. Yes, a captivating cover and a good blurb may get you noticed, but if you don't have a good book once people turn the page, you won't get anyone coming back to buy your second book. Or your seventh.

Write On!

9 comments:

  1. Becky, there is so much to learn. I'm like you, feeling more comfortable with my own blog but trying to add and learn new things.

    I put up a self published novella last month and wow, what a learning curve.

    And yes, blogging and guesting can take you away from what is most important -writing the next book. Which I guess I better get doing.

    Happy Sunday.

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    1. You're so brave to enter the self publishing world! I admire you.

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  2. Great post. I enjoy writing and reading guest posts, but my problem is coming up with a topic :)

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    1. Sometimes it can be hard to come up with something different to write about. I usually keep a notebook handy and if I think of a topic or an analogy, I write it down. So, when it comes time to sit down and write ten or so posts, I have topics for at least half of them.

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  3. Also those captivating first chapters are so important now that anyone can read them electronically before deciding to buy the book. Keeps us on our toes as writers!

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  4. Right you are! No longer can you reel them in with just a cover blurb. They can read a sample and decide. Good point.

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  5. I'm with you, Andrea - by the time I've scratched my brain for a blog topic, I give way to the frustration and go back to writing which is what I wanted to do anyway. However, marketing is important and has to be done...I don't even want to think about navigating the self-pub waters! Good luck with "Grace", Becky!

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  6. Becky, I love your idea of keeping potential topics in a little notebook! Can you hear my sigh of relief and excitement all the way from snowy Rochester, NY?

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  7. From snowy Ohio to snowy NY, you're welcome.

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