A Literary Affair

Over the past few years, I have read more books than I can count. I mean, I ran out of fingers and toes to count on awhile back. Many are great, some were plain awful, others were so horrible, I didn’t get past three chapters. But there have been some whose words were so flawless, whose stories were so great, I couldn’t put down the book: Imminent Danger (Michelle Proulx), Embers at Galdrilene (A.D. Trosper), Crazy About You (Randy Attwood). These authors write so well, all I could do is imagine that they sit behind some mahogany desk (well, not Michelle, I’ve seen a pic of her desk), with a small, dim, Tiffany lamp, a cup of Joe, and a wild passion in their eyes as they pluck away at the keyboard.

These new authors are talented.  They are inspirational to say the least. And it is rare that I feel that way.  One thing I can say about these authors is that they have succeeded. I mean, honestly, the second you type “The End,” on a manuscript and mean it, then you have succeeded and pushed passed the boundaries so many aspiring authors haven’t. Everything beyond that is icing and cream filling.

But a few months ago, I stumbled across a talented young woman whose words took my breath away. She wrote a few blogs; a few short stories about her life, and I was like, “WOW!” Then she was gone and took her blog with her. The last entry read something along the lines of, “I was told to quit dreaming. People with their heads in the cloud get nowhere.” And she was gone, and I was aghast. I hate dream stompers! Haters.

More recently, I’ve happened across another very talented writer. To say I’ve stalked this person would be an understatement. Big understatement. I think the restraining order may already be in the works, but who cares? Not me. Nope. This person writes like Dickens and Joyce (if they joined the Navy and spoke like sailors, still amazing though) without holding anything back. I’m in love with his words. With the way he makes me feel like I am right there: part of the action, part of the problem, part of the bigger picture. Yep, it is a literary affair, but again, who cares? Not me. Heck, I just want to be part of it.

And then yesterday, I received an email from the first woman I really started to follow. She vented in an email so sad, I was blubbering as if I had just read a Dear John letter from a long time love. Her dreams were being held back by a family who wanted her to be a doctor, lawyer, something–anything–other than an underprivileged author. She’s seventeen. WHAT? Of course, it was all she ever wanted, so I did my best to encourage her dreams, telling her I would be there for every question, every time of doubt, every bit of help I could give no matter what path she chose. Because quite frankly, if I can be a full-time mom, a full-time nurse, and still write then so can she (minus the kids part for her). It takes dedication, and sometimes it takes a stranger on the other end of an email, Facebook chat, or Twitter message and so help me, I plan to be there if she needs it.

So, two writers in two months, who have stolen me away with words. Two writers who have seemingly stopped writing. Really? Now, I don’t know if all you readers have ever come across an author/writer who has made you melt, but I have, and wow! I only hope that someday, I get to read a book they write, more so, I hope they write. I tend to monitor chat rooms, and in one online room several authors bullied a newbie, and that newbie left with tail tucked, and the bullies wrote in their nasty little remarks after. I was appalled.

Authors! Please be mentors, not haters or bullies. We all started somewhere, some of us are still a bit wet behind the ear. Help out the new guy. And if there is a great author out there who makes your heart bleed at his/her very words, then please encourage them to continue. I shall continue to stalk from a distance … or 50 yards at the order states, waiting in a perpetual state of anticipation.

Tania L Ramos, Author Impressed

BeStillNovel.com

Facebook.com/TaniaLRamosBooks

Some songs that keep me encouraged. Hope they help you as well:

 

Sales versus Rank

Recently, I came across an ad which promises to increase sales on Amazon.  Sounded promising, so I clicked the link.  I was hit by something that made complete sense, yet didn’t.  One of those conundrums that begs to ask the question: is this moral?

The premise of this site was simple and mimicked that of a pyramidal type business.  Pay your $19.99 along with 1,000 other authors who are on KDP and the offer then closes to this select group.  Then when you have your KDP free days, all the authors download each other’s books which raises your ranking. Simple, right?

Here is where I struggle with this (and where I think self-published authors start to get a bad rap): is it legit? I can sit here and barter with hundreds of other authors and boast that my numbers are in the top 1oo, but did people actually read my book? I mean, isn’t that the point of writing? When did publishing a book become more about numbers than it did about the actual material published?

It’s everywhere, isn’t it? Buy 1,000 Facebook likes for $9.99, by 10,000 Twitter friends for $19.99, and now you can buy your Amazon rank through some pyramid scam.  I realize we all want to be number one, and heck, I’d settle for staying in the top 1,000 on the regular Amazon ranking system (not KDP), but i’d like to be there because people actually read my book, not because 1,000 other authors downloaded my book.  I mean, if they downloaded 1,000 books, what are the odds they actually read or will read yours? 1 in 1,000!

My other concern was that the website boasted an increase in sales, but is giving it away free an increase in sales? I posted to Facebook once, in response to a similar question, and stated, “If you give away 10,000 books on KDP and become #1 because of it, you are NOT a #1 seller, but a #1 giver-awayer.” Don’t get me wrong, I understand the reasoning behind free days, I really do.  It is a great marketing strategy and wonderful way to let people know about your book, but this system is hard to judge.  I met a woman who loved downloading on “free” days, and stated she downloaded over 5,000 so far, but when asked how many she actually read the  number was an approximated 50.  Oh, and of those 50, more than half were traditionally published authors.

This has become all too prevalent, and here I am trying to teach my kids that hard work pays off.  One day they will tell me, “No mom, for $19.99, I can buy my grade or 1,000 college credits.”  Here I am busting my gluts to really sell my product, and all I had to do was buy my rank? I’m concerned.  Any thoughts?

Author Resources

The Writing Apocalypse team in gearing up for February and some new additions to our site.  We are trying to network through our busy schedule and have made some fantastic new friends through this blog, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as through the Writing Apocalypse website.

We are proud to say the website has been a smashing success and we are receiving lots of inquiries to read books for review and inclusion onto the website.  The team is definitely busier than we expected, which is a great success in our beta phase.  The book Surviving the Writing Apocalypse has also been well received and we are getting ready to start having Blue Harvest Creative set us up for a physical book publication.

Back to the website.  We are looking for more author resources to add to the resources page. If you run a blog that offers reviews, blog tours, or author interviews we would like to feature you on our page.  We are also looking for graphic designers, marketers, editors, beta readers, book clubs, ghost writers, or any other category that deals with the writing process from conception to birth and beyond. We already have a few new names to add to our list.

During the month of February we will offer free advertising to the first entity in each category to contact us.  You will be permanently listed on our page free, until or unless you ask to be removed.  For more information please email author@tanialramos.com and put “ad opportunity” in the subject line.

We are proud to currently feature these companies:

• Best Chick Lit (blog)
• Blue Harvest Creative (graphic design and formatting)
• Blackbird LSD (social media & publicity)
• The Writing Desk (guest blogs and interviews)

Blue Harvest Creative

Have You Met: Blackbird LSD

I have been posting blogs about people I have met during my two years in publishing.  First I introduced you to Michelle Proulx, author, then Blue Harvest Creative, graphic designers, and now I introduce you to Blackbird LSD, freelance publicist and social media promoter

How did I meet Daniel at Blackbird LSD? Easy, he’s my best friend, and when I said I needed a publicist, marketer, and someone to run some of my social media when I’m at work, he stepped up to the plate.  This is why we connect so well.  I tell him I have a need, he fills the need.

So what does Blackbird LSD, currently comprised of two members, do? Well, Patty is the senior editor, and you know she’s good when she won’t give you back your manuscript because she doesn’t want to miss anything, but she doesn’t miss much.  She’s also a psychiatrist, so you’ve got a person to cry to when your manuscript is covered in red ink.

Then there is Daniel, who does some editing, but concentrates on the publicity and social media aspects.  There are many authors out there who pay out way too much money to have someone create a website and set up and manage their social media accounts.  Well, this is what Blackbird LSD does, but they do pride themselves on their reputation, so they do amazing work and at freelance prices.  And yes, in this day and age, there are so many authors who don’t want a hand in managing social media because it takes so much time.  Daniel handles all this and more.

Blackbird LSD are also the co-administrators for the Writing Apocalaypse website.  They have a huge say in what makes it to the website and what doesn’t.

So, if you are an author who needs someone to handle their social media, create a webpage, represent them at a So. Cal book event, or do editing, I would highly recommend them.  Not only because one of the members is my friend, but because they deliver results.  Trust me, I have no qualms with firing a friend, and he has no issues with telling me some of my ideas are not very smart.  It is a great relationship and one I trust.

Please visit their current website, as they have a new one in the works but not up yet at BlackbirdLSD.com or their facebook page at Facebook.com/blackbirdlsd and tell him Tania sent you–then maybe i’ll get better prices

Tania L Ramos

facebook.com/tanialramosbooks

The Social Media Post

Maybe it’s more of a rant, or perhaps even a vent, or just a disturbance I feel in the force.  Who knows, but something doesn’t add up.  All the reports, blogs, and newsletters, I read on how to improve your market all say the exact same thing: social media presence. Have you read that, too?

Okay, here are my stats:

Facebook Fan Page: 279 Likes

Twitter under @TaniaLRamos: 1,890 followers

Twitter under @writingapocalyp 1,229 followers

LinkedIn to 24 people (I think)

Pinterest: 26 followers

Goodreads: exponential

Blog: 111 followers

YouTube book trailer: 894 views, 17 subscribers (a must see)

That’s a lot of numbers, yet the book sales through retailers are lower than my personal sales. I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t care if I sold a million out of the trunk of my car and only 6 through retailers, but that isn’t the case.  If social media is the be-all-to-end-all in building sales, then I am doing something terribly wrong here!

I’ve Tweeted, blogged (but this I do because I really do love it, maybe because it’s writing), I post, and try to stay LinkedIn, and occasionally try to have fun with my pinning on Pinterest. I have followers, I follow, and I engage, but none of this correlates with book sales.  However, it does correlate with book trailer views. So, I ask again, what am I doing wrong?

Late last night, when I should have been getting eye rest, I read several posts on utilizing social media to its fullest potential.  Apparently, I am doing everything right.  Or at least for the amount of spare time I have.  I now understand why so many people are doling out hundreds of dollars a month to have someone take care of social media for them. But does it build followers or a fan base? Or does it simply look good on the stats?

The more stats, the more credible a person may appear, which is why so many people are purchasing followers.  But does a paid follower care about your work? Do paid followers even exist, or are they fictitious followers? Are you simply paying for numbers? And if that is all it is, then what are the numbers worth?

I don’t know!

I do know, I am not willing to pay for followers who don’t care about books or may not even exist.  So what is with the social media hoopla? This much I do know: those people who follow me because they are generally interested in my books and future writings are the ones who interact the most. So is social media a way to gain followers? Sure, because we all love the numbers.  But does it equal to sales? I don’t think it does, or at least not at the out-of-the-gate, first time, self-published author stage.

Let me put it this way: I really don’t care that Tom Clancy has a fan page, because I’m not a huge Clancy fan. I do however, follow Chuck Palahniuk because I’m a fan. If i followed Clancy just for the number aspect, does it mean as much as following Palahniuk? Nope. In the end, I would likely never buy a Clancy book, but I do get excited when I here a new Palahniuk book is in the works. So what does that say about followers who aren’t fans?

Now, am I saying I will delete all my social media accounts? Hahahaha … catching my breath … NO! It simply means I will not devote all my free time to it, and instead devote my time to writing novels which is what all ten of my real fans want to see more of. Just kidding, I have more loyal followers, but this time last year I only had a whopping ten.  Oh, I’m sure they’re interested in updates, and fun facts, but my fans are readers, not numbers.  So, I made a command decision to cater to my true fans rather than numbers. I’ll still update, still tweet and post, and definitely going to blog (because I love it!), but I’ll give the majority of my time to writing.

Someone once said that the secret to becoming a successful author and to selling more books is simple: write more books. Fans want books. Let that be a lesson to all of us writers. Ignore the stats. Use your time wisely to go after the true readers, the fans who love your writing.  Stay engaged with them through social media, but keep writing on the front burner not the back.

As always, thanks for lending me your attention.  And if you don’t have the time to keep up with your social media accounts, or the time to set them up, email editor@blackbirdlsd.com. He does my publicity, but he has also been helping people to set up and maintain their social media. Remember, I’m not saying not to have these items in play, I’m only suggesting that it shouldn’t dominate all of your time. Social media is huge and shouldn’t be overlooked for those true fans who want to stay involved with what you are doing.

Update: 12/12/12 2:51pm PST

Facebook fan page now has 280 followers . . . LOL. Just thought I’d put it in there for reference.