Celebrating my Fourth Blog Anniversary…Then and Now…

May the Fourth be with You...

THEN:

ALL SYSTEMS GO! (First posted May 4^th, 2011)

May the ‘Fourth’ Be With You!

Sorry. I couldn’t resist. After all, it is Luke Skywalker Day.

First, let me introduce myself—my name is Sharon Ledwith and I write young adult fiction. My genres include: time travel mysteries (kind of like a mesh of fantasy with a splash of sci-fi meets Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys), as well as paranormal stories where teens deal with psychic powers like psychometry, telekinesis, animal communication—stuff like that.

My intention of this blog is to:

#1 Get you to know me as a writer, and post my experiences as an indie publisher of eBooks.

#2 Introduce and showcase my stories and characters.

In a nutshell—market myself and promote my work.

That’s it really. You see, writing is all about the reader. My goal is to influence and empower today’s youth—the next generation—through the stories I create. I believe everyone is here at this time with a mission and a purpose, and every child has something to add to our evolutionary advancement. Children truly are the keys to our future. It is my hope to unlock this portent.

NOW:

Wow! To be honest, I was so afraid when I started blogging and putting myself out in cyber-space. Reading my first post over again, I realize that I’ve come a long way in my writing journey. Back in 2011, I didn’t have a publisher and was still querying agents and publishers. This blog and my Facebook account was the beginning of my online presence, and I really felt like a fish out of water. But I kept blogging and posting on Facebook. I learned to share interesting and helpful posts for other authors as a way of connection. I figured out what works for me and what doesn’t—still an ongoing process, I must admit! And I continue to work on my author brand and platform through blogging and networking with other authors, readers, publishers, and bloggers.

I’ve also gotten better with time. Go figure. My intention has changed a lot since that first blog post. I’m much more confident and tech savvy then I was. Now I’m a published author, and represented by a literary agency. I’ve also learned to adapt to my environment, and go with the flow through the ups and downs of the publishing industry. So what have I learned in the last four years? In grand Oprah-like fashion, I’d like to share with you what I know for sure:

·         I’ve realized that I do NOT want to be an indie publisher, but rather be part of a publishing company. I’m more of a team player and had to figure that out for myself. I like having the support of a publisher behind me. Plus I didn’t have to look for, and invest in an editor, cover artist, and book formatter.

·         I’d rather write blogs that uplift or help authors and readers.

·         I love showcasing middle grade and young adult authors and their books and/or series on my blog for readers to find.

·         I enjoy doing Goodreads Giveaways. I’ve connected with so many readers this way!

·         Book blog tours are exhausting. I’ve learned to delegate blog tours to the professionals whenever possible!

·         Trying to fit into other authors’ shoes is painful and unproductive. Stand in your truth.

·         I can only be one place at a time. Too many social media accounts = too many distractions and not enough writing time. I decided to stick with Facebook, get on Twitter, join Google+ and Goodreads, and occasionally share on LinkedIn. That’s it!

·         I blog every Monday. I used to do it twice a week, but couldn’t keep up. I’ve learned being consistent keeps you out there and creates an audience.

·         I’ve learned to develop a positive mental attitude. Trust me, a PMA will keep you afloat on the days you just want to throw in the towel.

·         I’ve learned from other authors. Success leaves clues. Follow the clues.

·         Finally, I’ve learned that writing is both a business and a passion. It requires wearing two different hats. You need to juggle these hats if you want to be a successful author.

Where the Magic Happens...

I still believe writing is all about the reader. And I still hope to influence, uplift, and empower through my books. My personal motto is: I write to make people’s lives better, create something of value to make them smile. May the fourth be with you, everyone! Cheers! 

10 Ways to Grow a Blog by Susan Gourley...

Thanks Sharon for having me as a guest on your blog. I’d like to share ideas that have worked for me in growing my blog audience. I’m not an expert, but these things have worked for me.

10 Ways to Grow a Blog

1.      Follow a variety of blogs, not just other writers. It will expose your name to an entirely different audience

2.      Always provide links to help others find some interesting content.

3.      Return comments. If some comments on your blog, visit theirs in return. They were interested in you so show you feel the same way.

4.      Keep your posts short. Most bloggers are looking for quick, interesting posts. They will skim your long post and not really get the point you were trying to make.

5.      Do more than shout, ‘buy my books.’ That leaves them no reason to comment or come back for the next post.

6.      Be yourself so people actually get to know you. If they know you, hopefully, they will like you. I’ve made some true friends through blogging.

7.      Add pictures to your posts. Book covers, the snow-covered tree, your cat or dog, make it a little bit personal.

8.      Host guest on your blog and hope their friends follow them to your blog. (Thanks, Sharon).

9.      Promote your posts on other media such as Twitter and Facebook.

10.  Participate in blog hops. I’m administrator in two big blog hops. Insecure Writer’s Support Group had been around for more than three years. We blog the first Wednesday of every month and share our woes, successes and offer support and advise. The even bigger blog hop I help run is the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. Last year over 2,000 bloggers participated. For 26 days in April, we post blogs where the content starts with a letter of the alphabet. Letter A on April first, you get the picture. I highly recommend both.

These are a few ideas that have helped me. Can you add a few more ideas in your comment? Any blog hops you recommend.

Susan Gourley writes high fantasy and also writes science fiction romance as Susan Kelley. She is the author of the bestselling science fiction romance series, The Warriors of Gaviron and The Recon Marines series. Her latest release is The Warrior and the Governor. You can find her at Susan Says or follow her on Twitter and like her page on Facebook.

Guest Post by MG Author Gita V. Reddy: Does Social Networking Help Sales?

“You have to,” my friend told me, when I explained that I found all the networking difficult. “You have to put yourself out there, and connect with your readers.”

“Won’t an advertisement about my book do?”

“No. People want to know about you, and what makes you tick.”

“Who are these people who want to know about me even before knowing about my existence? I am practically unknown.”

“That’s your fault.  The least you could have done was to have your own blog.”

“What will I blog about?”

                              

“Anything. There are any number of things you can write about. You could start with your secret recipe of prawn curry.”

I knew this was my friend’s way of getting at the recipe which was guarded by my family like a state secret.

“I write for children, for middle graders. How will a food blog sell books?”

“Mommies are fond of food blogs and mommies decide what their children should read.”

What my friend said seemed logical but I was not keen on blogging, it would eat into my writing time, and I wanted to make up for the twenty-six years when I had not been able to write because of my day job.

“Join a book forum,” my friend suggested. “You love books, and you love discussing about them.”

“But I can’t discuss my own books!”

“They usually have a folder for self-promotion.”

Three months later I told my friend, “It isn’t working. I have posted in more than ten groups but haven’t made a sale.”

“Just posted? You should take part in the discussions, contribute, and network. No group likes people who only peep in to wave a poster.”

I grumbled, “No group wants authors. Just look at the names of the folders! Shameless Self- Promotion! Pimp your Stuff! They should welcome us because the relationship between a writer and a reader is symbiotic.”

“You are a struggling writer, not a writer. You are like a salesman with a new product so you should hawk your wares. You should be on facebook, twitter, Google+, etc.”

Convinced, I started posting and tweeting about my books, myself, and my cat. My friend had a huge following and he helped me build one too.  My posts spread like ripples.

A month later, when I was going through the latest tweets, my friend dropped in. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Checking to see which ones to retweet.”

“Are you reading them? You don’t have to. Just retweet and spread the word.”

“Don’t you read the tweets?”

“A few. I just retweet most of them. That is what everyone does.”

If what my friend said was true, most of the social networking I had done had ended up as statistics. The number of ‘likes’ and ‘retweets’ were just numbers. But my sales had shown some improvement, I’d made some new friends and had had some good laughs.  And the pundits swear by it.

My book, Cinderella’s Escape, is free on all Amazon stores on 5th, 6th, and 7th September, 2014. Please share, re-tweet this post.

Author Pages:

http://www.amazon.com/Gita-V.-Reddy/e/B00D3YMQ0M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1409847460&sr=1-1

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/403624

Please connect with me through my website, facebook page, and twitter (@GITAVREDDY)

Gita V. Reddy is a writer of fiction for children and adults. She enjoys thinking up tales of different genres. She has written mysteries, adventure, science fiction and even an animal tale for childrens.

Ms Reddy was born in India, is a post graduate in Mathematics, is married to a physics professor, has a son doing research in neuro-electronics and loves literature!

Her other interests are painting and writing poetry.