Tag Archives: Books

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing Advice

Why Writers Need Support Groups for Success

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Group of five people discussing and reviewing documents in a library setting
Five people engage in an active study session around a wooden table filled with books and notes.

 
When was the last time you talked to a fellow writer, whether live or online?

Hanging out with like-minded people is huge, in my opinion. Discussing various topics is simply amazing.

Finding a writing group in your area is not always an option. Thankfully, the internet offers a plethora of groups. It may take time to find one that suits you, but once you do, the feeling of belonging is fantastic.

I have been a part of many groups. One in fact that I started. We did not always agree, but the core of the group was there. That was to hang out, talk, edit, read, and possibly access resources to help us out.

Doing it alone is not fun, for writing is a solitary endeavor for the most part. And if you don’t have eyes on your manuscripts to give you helpful advice, what you produce can be an ugly mess.

Recently, the writing group I was a part of died due to the host having to deal with her medical issues that needed to be attended to.

That left me once again on the lookout for a group  to join or create another one.  Remembering my first group was from the library system, I searched there. I found a new group starting that I am excited about.

It is new, so I am not walking into a group that is already familiar with each other.   I am not sure if this one will pan out, but I will find out soon, now. I am open to checking it out.

I hope you all have such a group, whether it is in person or online. Who truly gets us except other writers?

A blog about the topics of writing, The elements of writing a book

Responding to Bad Reviews: Should Authors Engage?

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What do you feel when you see that you have received a one or two-star review? It can range from disbelief to unhappiness and anger. And in my case, the need for me to respond to what they wrote.

I thought about it a lot, I wrote my reply, but couldn’t hit send. What could ensue could be bitter and for all the world to see. Is this what I wanted for my book and my brand?

And not only that, if I saw an author going back and forth with a reviewer. What would my reaction be to that? It is easy to reply, but very hard not reply.

Not everyone will like your books. There will always be trolls waiting to put someone down for a few reasons. Sometimes it falls under being mean.

Reaching out to others, a small few said to reply, the vast majority said to hold off, to something I had mentally decided to do. I was concerned the review would be seen.

Would people read and review my books once they saw that? A concern I had was that people would see it and would not read or review my work. I have left very few one or two-star reviews. I tend to reach out to the author to explain my thoughts on the book. They have been grateful that I would go this route instead of leaving a low-ranking review.

I would never, and have never, leave a nasty one; that isn’t my way. I even had someone tell me that having a bad review could be a good thing. People could be curious to know why the review was written and end up reading the book. I am not confident that has happened, but I got the logic of it.

Receiving a low review sometimes comes with no text. The way ebooks are now, you can leave a review by just giving it a star without explaining why. It is too easy now to bring a person’s ranking with no fanfare. I have no control over that. What I can control is not to reply to a nasty review. And I am okay with that now.

A blog about the topics of writing, My writing journey

One of my publishing house has closed

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This year, one of my publishers closed. Based on what I know, I completely understood the reasons.

I decided to self-publish the books I had with the company as opposed to going with the publisher of my Jasper, Amazon Parrot series.

It did make me pause. I thought of the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self-publishing. Everyone has their opinion on the topic.

Over the years, self-publishing played second fiddle in the publishing world. Things have shifted, with major players turning to self-publishing. I am talking about already established authors.

But if you are not established and you are a small fish in the ocean, it is not always easy to get noticed, especially when big-name authors enter the fray.

One needs to be persistent with our writing.

A plus to self-publishing is that your royalty is higher. You have more decision-making in the cover, quicker publication release date, and more control over the book, just to name a few. One big difference is marketing. You have to do it all on your own in comparison to a traditional publishing house.

Traditionally, you do give up money since they are doing all the work. Yet you are not forking money in for an editor, illustrator, or to market your manuscript.

It all depends on where you land on the spectrum. Both have pros and cons, and that is when you need to spend time deciding what is right for you.

For me, I have dipped into both baskets, feeling it gives me a better understanding of the industry and a better prospect of where I want my books to go.

The Squirrel Mafia series, I feel good about going the self-publishing route. Quite a few people know about this series, so when I release volume two, I’m not starting from the beginning. Then I can move on to my next project however it is published.