Lindsay Below, author Meet both authors on RRWL Tales from the Pages this Thursday!
Muse Special this week. When you see how low these great books are now you will want to grab up a few.
This is a limited time offer.
So go over and check out the MuseItUp Publishing Special Sale
KEEPING UP WITH WRITING GROUPS!!!!
Have you ever felt like these people while trying to keep up with everything a new author must do?Since I joined MuseItUp Publishing I have been a member of three new Yahoo groups. Two of those groups, composed only of Muse authors, bring hundreds of emails into my inbox every day! These aren't the kind of emails you can discount, because these are Muse sisters and brothers and we are tied together. When something happens to one of us it affects us all. In just a few months I have become tied to this group in a way that didn't happen with any of my other writing groups. The only time this happened was with my first critique group, which is still there for anyone who posts there.
Aside from both of my author's writing groups, I am also a member of several other groups and I keep adding on more groups. I am a member of SheWrites, which is a place where if you stop for a few minutes you can learn so much! Also, I am a member of The Little Things Publishing, Teen Word Factory and YALitChat. In almost every email in my author's groups the author has a link back to their blog. We're family and I have to go check it out! My email time has become the bulk of my time online. Today on SheWrites I met more authors and now I wound up joining another writing group: Night Owl Reviews where I also set up another author page.
Phew!!! Between all the email and now all the new writing sites, plus Facebook and Twitter and chats within my author's groups I'm feeling a bit squeezed!!! My publisher, Lea Schizas, says we should devote only one day a week to social networking. But I don't have one day to devote. Each group has their own day for chats and during the day things pop up that must be attended to immediately. Plus, of course, my own real life with its responsibilities and time crunches infringe on my writing time. I was sad when I realized that I hadn't posted a new blog since March 10th. Today was the first day I had nothing to do.:) I had no students and it was a true vacation where I could have actually gotten to my writing, but it was not to be.
I got on the computer and there was the announcement that SheWrites was having a chat about Marketing and Promotion. That was like catnip to me:) Everything I can learn about promoting and marketing my soon-to-be-published novel is gratefully accepted. So I was off to chat and before I knew it my real life interrupted and I had to leave the chat. I started thinking about this whole problem of joining author's groups to promote our books but not having enough time to actually write.:) Also, and this is big, without a cover I feel a little naked. I have meant to do a banner and I tried to do one the other night, but again, real life interrupted and I had to leave it. I think my goal this week is going to be to make a banner at last!!
I used to be able to play games on Facebook and to even keep up with my messages, but aside from people friending me and my occasionally friending people, I just put up status messages when I can. With Twitter, I also go when I want to promote my blog and radio show. But I don't have any time to keep up with both Facebook and Twitter. I miss the relaxation I once had to just play a game every once in awhile. But now I don't have a chance. Though tonight I posted a recipe question and that was fun:)
On Thursday, March 24th, Terri Main, another Muse author is going to be my guest on RRWL Tales from the Pages on Blog Talk Radio. Also joining her is going to be Lindsay Below, also a fellow MuseItUp Publishing sister. Please join us for another great show!!!
Please let me know what you think about juggling author's groups and email from author's groups.:) I would like to know if anyone has figured out how to manage them all. I don't want to go on digest or go to the websites, because I miss the immediacy of answering when people send them. Also, I love meeting new authors and each time I join a new group I meet new authors.
Until the next time, thank you to my new followers and of course, my biggest thanks to all the people who return to read my meanderings.:) I appreciate your support.:) You know, guys, that I will post my new cover on here as soon as I get it!!! I can't wait to see it.:)
Timely post, Barbara. So much social networking can be overwhelming. And Facebook games are a big NONO for me! I've chosen a few key sites and eliminated dozens of others to keep them from taking over my life. For those emails that matter, rather than have so many popping into my inbox all day (and interrupting my work), I switched those groups to "Web Only." I check those sites once a day, usually very early or very late. Everyone has their own way of dealing with social networking, but this system works best for me. Good luck finding your own special formula!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Barbara! I've also discovered that all the non-writing activities we writers have to do, while beneficial for our writing, can make it hard to find the time to write. It's a balancing act. Great blog post and food for thought.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any keeping up. This is why celebs are forced into getting mail services and personal assistants. Oh that we authors could afford such luxury. Until the day is extended to 30 plus hours we shall remain what we are---mear mortals.
Do what you can without driving yourself to the looney bin. Do what you enjoy. If there are aspects of promo you don't enjoy but you do them anyways, it will come through to the readers/observers. We got into this biz for love. If it isn't fun, just like exercise, you aren't going to stick with it. Life is too short for drudgery and each day too brief to fill it with an insane schedule and demands of ourselves no one can meet.
Until someone figures out what works in this crazy promo game, it is pretty much a hit and miss world anyways, so might as well enjoy!
Best,
Christine London
www.christinelondon.com
Hello Barb - I hear you!! I can spend hours, easy, on all of my yahoo groups...and like you say, it's necessary. I'm amazed at all there is to marketing and like you, I eat it up whenever I can. She Writes is new to me, so just getting my footing there, but I know it has a lot to offer. So does Savvy Authors (great workshops too), Linked-In...and I'm just getting ready to take the plunge (again) with FB.
ReplyDeleteLike Pat said - it does take a special formula - finding it is the trick...and I haven't mastered mine yet.
Pat,
ReplyDeleteI wish I could get it under control, but like I said, in many ways I miss the immediacy of interacting with my groups. I get to my email late, usually, so I'm already behind on the events. Going to the website makes me feel even more of an outsider.:) Thanks for visiting and for letting me know how you feel. I will have to keep working on this, I guess.
rdmaggio2010, thank you for visiting and for letting me know how you feel. I'm so glad you liked the post. Sometimes a subject becomes impossible not to write about.:)
ReplyDeleteChristine, I'm with you. When things start to get difficult for something you love, then you need to make a change. I love keeping up with my groups and will continue to try to find a way to make it work. I'm all for fun!! We don't get enough of it daily. So I'm going to try to loosen up a little. Thanks for your advice and thank you for visiting.
ReplyDeleteKayDee, thank you for visiting and for your comment. I agree with you that we all have to find out own way of dealing with this situation.
ReplyDeleteI joined all of these places and love SheWrites the best. But SavvyWriters is good too. I've also joined YALitChat, but I don't go there as often as I should. After all, my book is YA, so what better place to be?
Barbara, I've presented you with the Stylish Blogger Award on my blog. Just my way of saying, "Thanks."
ReplyDeleteJoylene, thank you so much!! I don't know what you are thanking me for:) I do appreciate it though!
ReplyDeleteDitto, ditto, ditto on your post about feeling squeezed with all the promotion, etc. I am so nosy I have to check in on the MIU authors group, plus I don't want to miss important announcements and tips. My book, Sunshine Boulevard, released March 1, so I am trying to make hay while the sun shines and promote it. I use the digest and actually end up with a twitchy index finger after spending hours getting through the posts there. What an active group. I'm glad the group is interesting and fun, so it's a pleasure even if I am getting twitchy finger and laptop elbow trying to catch up!
ReplyDeleteJQ, I am the same way and if anyone posts a link I try to go there. Sometimes I go to someone's blog and I get lost going around to the different links:) Then I realize why I got on in the first place. Or I'll be reading email and a blog post will come to me:)
ReplyDeleteI grabbed Lea's post on promotions and will try to follow it.
Thanks for your comments and for visiting.