Facebook for Authors: Page or Profile?

by +J. Lea Lopez

Let's talk about using Facebook as an author. I've gotten a lot of questions from fellow writers who aren't sure how to use Facebook as a tool, what they're supposed to do with it, how exactly they're supposed to do it, and so on. Eventually I plan to do a few posts on some specific how-tos, but in this post I'm going to talk about the differences between interacting with fans/readers through a page versus a profile.

I prefer to use a page, while others prefer to use a profile, and I'm not going to argue which is better or right, because I don't think there's a definitive answer. For a quick look at the differences, you can scroll down for a handy infographic that you're encouraged to share. Keep reading for some more detail and explanation.

Author Profile

If you have a personal profile on Facebook for keeping in touch with friends and family already, then you know how all of that works. Many authors will create additional profiles for their pen names, or even if they don't use a pen name, they'll create a profile for "Author J. Lea López" for the purposes of connecting with fans and having an online presence as their writing selves. It's easy, there's no learning curve because they already know how to use FB in this manner, and they can keep personal details out of their professional timeline and vice versa.

Attending FB events like launch parties and cover reveals and giveaways is easy to do. For event attendees, they get notifications whenever other attendees (who have RSVP'd) post in the event. This is great if you have some people who are waiting for Author You to show up and play games or run a giveaway. They don't have to babysit the event page and keep hitting refresh. Attendees do NOT get a notification when someone posts in the event using their page persona. It might seem like a small detail, but it can be important. Speaking as an attendee at one event, I was confused when I stopped getting notifications for a solid chunk of time, only to realize that the scheduled author was indeed posting in the event, but was doing so as her page persona. I was annoyed I'd missed out on some things.

A profile is a great option if you want to run a street team or a reader's group where you give away ARCs or a secret group to share sexy pictures of cowboys poll readers about what to name your heroine. ;-)

For me, the downsides of using a profile are many. As a reader, I don't personally want to send friend requests to all of the authors whose pages I would like in a heartbeat. There's a certain amount of distance with a page that I'm happy with maintaining. I don't want to share my life with them; I just want to see the fun things they share and learn more about their writing. As an author, I also don't want to share all of my life with my readers. And if you know me, you know I share quite a bit on social media. But I don't want to share everything, and the thought of creating a separate profile to share little more than I'm already doing on my page seems like too much work.

Author Page

When you create a page, you (personal profile you) are the admin for that page and you'll log in to FB with your regular profile when you want to share things from your page. There can be a learning curve and some confusion about how to share what where so it shows up correctly to your fans on your page instead of scaring your dear Aunt Ida with those sexy cowboy photos when you accidentally share them to your family and friends instead of your page. Getting the posting just right can be tricky at first, but at least you don't have to log in and out of different accounts or keep two separate Internet browsers dedicated to two (or more) separate profiles. If you have multiple pen names, you can have multiple pages all accessible from your regular FB profile. And as someone who does a huge amount of social media sharing via mobile devices, it's much easier to manage multiple pages in a single app than it is to manage multiple profiles.

You can send and receive messages from readers with a page the same as you would with a profile, and people can also post to your page publicly. There's still plenty of room for two-way communication with a page. There's no reader apprehension about "Does this author really want me to friend them? Is that too intrusive? Will they accept my request?" and no author apprehension about "What kind of person is this that I'm friending? Are they going to post things I hate? Will I have to hide them from my feed or unfriend them at some point?" Plus it's just super easy to click the Like button.

It's no secret that FB has narrowed the organic reach of pages, which is partially why I suspect a lot of people are using profiles instead, but there are some techniques you can use to broaden your reach whenever you post from your page. Hashtags, time of day, types of post, etc can help ensure that more of the people who've liked your page actually see the content. It's yet another learning curve. However, you do get some analytics with a FB page that you don't get with a profile that can help you target your audience better. The stats aren't perfect, but you'll get information about the overall reach and engagement of each of your posts, and you can look at that data in historic graphs to help you understand which of your posts perform better. You don't get any of that with a profile.

Of course, there's also the old-fashioned way of reaching more people: paying for it. You can pay to promote a public post on a profile, but that $6.99 goes toward pushing that post to the top of your friends' newsfeeds. It will ensure more of the people you're already friends with have seen the post, but that doesn't mean anyone else will. As a page, you can pay to boost a post with a budget as small as $5, and you can target by age, location, gender, and interests, meaning you have a better chance of making new connections and getting new fans.

A public profile is great for extensive networking, maintaining groups, planning and attending events, and connecting with readers in a format you're likely already familiar with. A page is great for sharing things with readers while maintaining some distance, analyzing the effectiveness of your posts, targeting paid FB promotion, and having access to all of your personas in one place. It's up to you to decide which you think is the best fit for you.

Here's that infographic I promised, which I made (for free!) using Piktochart. Feel free to share it around! (click to enlarge)

If you have one, do you prefer using a public Facebook profile or a page to connect with readers? If you don't, which do you think would work best for you?

J. Lea López is an author who strives to make you laugh at, fall in love with, cry over, and lust after the characters she writes. She welcomes online stalkers as long as they're witty and/or adulatory. Kidding. Maybe. Check for yourself: Twitter, Facebook, Blog.

Decisions, Decisions: Choosing the Conference That’s Right for You

Writing conference season is nearly upon us!  So many conferences of all shapes and sizes! But how does one choose?

There are many things to consider, but first and foremost, ask yourself: what are your goals in going to a conference? What do you hope to get out of it? This will help determine which conference will help meet those goals.

For example, some conferences are networking-oriented, like the Winter SCBWI conference in NY. Others are more craft-based, such as the New England SCBWI conference in Springfield, MA. Looking at what sessions they offer can clue you in to which type – networking conferences tend to offer bigger picture topics and have more of a lecture format with lots of opportunities to mingle. Craft-based conferences also have plenty of mingling opportunities of course, but their sessions are often more specific and hands-on.

Then there’s the question of broad or specialized conference. Are you looking for something that will let you take sessions on a broad variety of topics and genres or are you looking for something that focuses on a category such as children’s’ books, romance, Sci-Fi/fantasy, etc? An example of a broad spectrum conference would be The Muse and the Marketplace in Boston, and in addition to the afore-mentioned SCBWI conferences, there’s more specialized options such as RWA, Romantic Times, Reader Con, and many others.

Once you’ve decided what type of conference you want (crafted-based or networking) and what focus is best for you (general or specific), the next question is location! Local SCBWI and RWA chapters may offer regional conferences, as well as larger national ones from the main parent organization. Often (but certainly not always), national conferences have more of a networking focus, while the regional tend toward craft-based. And of course, cost is a factor for most people--unless you happen to live in or near the city where the conference is being held, national will likely take a bigger bite out of your budget with the high cost of hotels, travel, etc. since they're usually held in major cities. But on the flip side, they may also hold greater networking opportunities.

In short, there's a lot to consider, but every conference has its benefits and can be a wonderful, worthwhile experience!

What conferences have you been to? What made you decide to go? Did you get what you expected out of it? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

MarcyKate Connolly writes middle grade and young adult fiction and becomes a superhero when sufficiently caffeinated. When earthbound, she blogs at her website and spends far too much time babbling on Twitter. Her debut upper MG fantasy novel, MONSTROUS, will be out from HarperCollins Children's Books in Winter 2015.

Why Networking Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You ... If You Bothered

by Mindy McGinnis

Present Mindy sometimes gets really frustrated with Past Mindy, because Past Mindy was kind of an ass. You know the type—convinced of their genius, confident they're the next big thing, ready to knock over old ladies and eat puppies if that's what it takes.

Except I would never eat a puppy.

In any case, Past Mindy made a big mistake—she was only interested in people above her in the pecking order, people that could actually get her places. Past Mindy wasn't interested in joining writers' communities and hob-nobbing with people on the same level as her. Why would she be? They can't help. They aren't in positions of power.

This is part of the reason Past Mindy was never published.

Present Mindy realized after ten years of rejection that maybe she wasn't so awesome (130 form rejections on a single manuscript had a hand in that) and decided that maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to some of the other people hanging out in the query trenches, and see what they had to say about the whole experience. And maybe even (gasp!) ask some of them for some feedback on her writing.

That was kind of a smart move. Present Mindy learned from the best. Then unpublished author Sophie Perinot (The Sister Queens) pointed out that I had no idea how to actually write a query. Fellow YA Query Hell residents R.C. Lewis (Stitching Snow, Hyperion, 2014) and MarcyKate Connolly (Monstrous, HarperCollins Children's, 2015) gave Present Mindy fantastic feedback on quite a few manuscripts, even convincing her after a few years (yes, really—Past Mindy does sometimes resurface) that a particular novel would actually read much better written in present tense. They were right, dammit.

Not only have fellow published authors helped me mold my writing, but other connections have opened pathways that wouldn't have existed otherwise. Knowing fellow FTWAer Matt Sinclair has given me an outlet for my short stories through the independent Elephant's Bookshelf Press. I've got the anchor short in Spring Fevers and a snarky little existentialist one-act in The Fall (psst ... watch for a new release in the seasonal anthologies series here in a few days).

But it goes past the printed word. The people that I've met through networking with fellow unpubbeds has given me a boost in so many ways—from a friend's husband who designed my site for a fraction of what someone else would have charged me, to a fellow author who wrote a teacher's guide for Not a Drop to Drink and the friend of a friend who then designed it, to the fantastic work that an amazingly talented unpubbed author has put into my trailer for Not a Drop to Drink ... all of these people have cut me a deal, helped me out just to be nice, or returned a favor.

That's the value of networking: never underestimating the worth of those standing next to you.

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author and librarian. Her debut, Not a Drop to Drink, is a post-apocalyptic survival tale set in a world where freshwater is almost non-existent, available from Katherine Tegen / HarperCollins September 24, 2013. She blogs at Writer, Writer Pants on Fire and contributes to the group blogs Book Pregnant, Friday the Thirteeners, From the Write Angle, The Class of 2k13, The Lucky 13s & The League of Extraordinary Writers. You can also find her on Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook.

Sophie’s Guide to Conference Success

by Sophie Perinot

I am just back from my 5th North American Historical Novel Society Conference. Yep, I am a conference veteran with all the swagger that entails—or rather deliberately WITHOUT swagger (confidence = good, swagger = counterproductive). And, while I am still thinking conference, I thought I would share my quick-and-dirty strategies for getting the most out of such professional events.

Eventually (and I would argue sooner is preferable to later) every writer will attend a professional conference. For some reason, this prospect seems to engender a certain amount of angst in the heart of word-smith types. Perhaps it is because what we do day-to-day is rather solitary. Perhaps it is because we’ve come to think of our writing as art, or hobby. But once you put a professional conference in the right frame of reference things become a lot easier. Professional conferences are BUSINESS events first and foremost. By treating them as such you are likely to get the most out of them with the least amount “oh my god what should I do/say/wear” anxiety.

Here are my bullet point tips for conference attendance:

• Remember you are attending this event with career goals in mind. Depending on where you are in that career those goals may vary. I attended my first conference before I had a completed manuscript and I was there primarily to learn as much as I could about the “B”usiness end of publishing. I attended this last conference as a published author with totally different goals. Know what you personally want to achieve going into the event. Not generally, specifically. Make yourself a list of goals. If you do this then planning which sessions to attend and even decisions that need to be made on the fly once you arrive will be made infinitely easier.
• Do the prep, seriously. I don’t just mean the research to make sure you are attending a conference that is right for you (right genre, right stage of career, etc). Make certain you’ve made a list of the panels you are most interested in seeing, the fellow attendees you are most interested in meeting. Have the supporting materials you plan to take with you—business cards being the most obvious—ready to go. If you are going to meet someone for cocktails, breakfast, a night cap (all useful), get that on your schedule before you even get on the plane if at all possible. Chaos happens at conferences and while serendipitous opportunities to connect are awesome and should be capitalized upon, you do NOT want to snub someone who you’ve planned to meet up with just because you haven’t got a plan.
• Networking begins long before you arrive at your conference destination and remains vital while there. Please tell me you are already networking inside your genre—following folks on Twitter who share your market niche, friends with people on Facebook, etc. If you are not, now, pre-conference is the time to start. Many conferences have Facebook pages and/or Twitter hashtags, allowing you to begin meeting your fellow participants early. At the last HNS conference we used a hashtag in the lead-up to the event and then quite a number of us live-tweeted from the conference using that tag. This allowed us to spread the reach of the conference to those unable to attend, and allowed us to network with a larger circle than the 300+ people who actually came down to Florida. Seriously consider sharing the wealth of information and experiences you are gaining at your conference by actively posting to social media while you are at the event.
• It’s ALL business, even when it seems like it is not. Yes, there will be social occasions—cocktail parties, meet-and-mingle moments, and you should by all means enjoy yourself and see your friends, but one of the chief reasons to attend a conference is professional networking. If you just stand in the corner and talk to someone you already know from AQConnect or your critique group you are wasting precious opportunities. Work the room and while you do remember—
• It is NOT about you. I know, you spent good money to fly to wherever you are (and on those business cards tucked neatly into the back of your name tag) and you are there to advance your writing, but that doesn’t mean the best way to proceed is to self-promote. Talk about yourself all the time and you seem like a narcissistic twit. Seriously, this is the in-person equivalent of that misguided author who is constantly on social media shouting, “Buy my book.” Listen to people. Ask intelligent questions. What is the person standing opposite you working on currently? Have you read his/her book? Tell them what you liked about it. Find connections and similarities between yourself and whoever is standing in front of you and build a bridge. In other words, having a meaningful conversation is not only your best bet for enjoyably passing the time, it is darn good branding as well. I remember people who were interesting and engaging, people who I had genuine discussions with.
  
  Oh and to the extent you are following my advice and using social networking to keep those outside of the event “in the loop” this same rule applies. Post pictures of other people and not just yourself. Quote panelists. Be a fan, and talk about meeting some of the writers you admire. Do not start every tweet and Facebook post with “I.”

• When you don’t know what to do, say, wear, etc., ask yourself, “What’s the most professional option?” Do you have a day-job? Most of us still do. In your other incarnation—mine was big-law-firm attorney—you know darn well how to dress, talk, and behave, for professional success. You would never get falling-down drunk at an event related to that job (at least I hope you wouldn’t). Well, writing is your other job. Behave accordingly. Sure you might be able to get away with that off-color comment, or super-short skirt and I know we are a society of “Go big or go home,” but you want to be memorable in a GOOD way, not in a “Note to self, avoid Sophie at the next conference” way.
• Do not sweat the small stuff. Forget someone’s name ten minutes after you’ve met them? So what—I can’t remember my kids' names half the time. Make a joke of it or apologize without seeming like you are overreacting. What to wear? This seems to be huge for a lot of people. Why, I cannot say. I mean this is not prom (or any part of high school, thank god) the outfits aren’t the main point. You do not need to change multiple times a day (unless you like to and then follow your zen). Just pick some professional outfits (see last point) and zip the suitcase shut.
• Cool, calm and relaxed—you can manage it, really you can. Relax. Not only will you have more fun and retain more of what you hear (though taking notes is good), you will project the sort of image that makes it clear you are a seriously player in this writing game.

Networking—the most fun you can have at a conference
if you do it right.

There you are—conference ready. Now get yourself registered forthwith, because I guarantee you will have more fun than it should be legal to have and learn more about this industry and your colleagues by attending a writers conference than you will learn sitting at your desk in sweat pants!

Sophie Perinot is currently holed up in a corner of the 16th century working to finish her next novel. Her first novel, The Sister Queens, was published by NAL/Penguin in 2012 and is on sale in bookstores (brick and mortar and virtual) everywhere. Learn more about TSQ here.

The Networking Introvert

by R.C. Lewis

This isn't the first time we've talked about introverted writers here on From the Write Angle. It probably won't be the last. I see frequent comments on Twitter indicating a belief that the vast majority of writers are introverts. I'm not sure that's true, because I know an awful lot of extroverted authors. (I'm looking at you, Mindy McGinnis.) But the introverts definitely make up a solid contingent.

And I'm one of them.

To be fair, I've given myself enough practice faking it that people don't always realize I'm an introvert (or that I'm shy—yes, I'm a two-fer). That doesn't necessarily make it easier on my end, especially when I fall back into old habits that need breaking.

Natalie Whipple at the TRANSPARENT
launch. Isn't she adorable?

Last year, I moved back to my home state after spending eight years living elsewhere. My first forays into writing began while living out-of-state, so I never had reason to get plugged into the local writing scene. In particular, the local kid-lit writing scene ... which in these parts is significant.

After pushing through a school year at a new school with a new curriculum (and, oh yeah, a newly acquired agent and publishing contract, too), I realized I'd let myself settle into my little cocoon of home-work-internet. Nothing wrong with that, maybe. You can accomplish a lot on the internet, and "work" has me spending a lot of time with my target audience.

But sometimes you need to get out into the real world. Opportunities in this industry often arise because of connections. And besides, it'd be nice to have friends who understand the industry more than my math department does ... especially if a few of those friends didn't live a thousand or so miles away.

I realized it was once again time to push out of my comfort zone. I used one of my online connections to make a local connection and found out a local author was having a book launch two days later. (An author whose blog countdown widget I'd made, not realizing she was local. Small world.) I'd never been to a book launch or signing in my life—sad, right?

Me with Natalie at the signing afterwards, proving I
really was there and spoke to someone.

Okay, universe. Baptism by fire it is. I carpooled to the book launch with four women who were essentially strangers to me, ranging from published to querying.

Talking to them was instantly comfortable. It wasn't awkward, and the launch wasn't scary. We had fun.

Even better, I broke that shell. Sure, being social at big events still takes a lot of energy. When the next event comes around (one of the carpooling women has the third in her trilogy coming out this week) I can go with even less anxiety. I already know some people who'll be there. Writers supporting other writers ... it's fantastic.

And friends are a good thing. Even in real life.

R.C. Lewis teaches math to teenagers—sometimes in sign language, sometimes not—so whether she's a science geek or a bookworm depends on when you look. That may explain why her characters don't like to be pigeonholed. Coincidentally, R.C. enjoys reading about quantum physics and the identity issues of photons. You can find her on Twitter (@RC_Lewis) and at Crossing the Helix. And every once in a while, you can find her in the real world, too.

GET YOUR NERD ON!

by S. L. Duncan

This weekend I got to speak at my first Nerd Con (I say that with affection) in my official capacity as an author. To say that attending the Alabama Phoenix Festival was an amazing, brilliant experience would be understating the sheer awesomeness of the event.

Asked as the only agented and traditionally published author to speak on several panels for the SciFi and Fantasy Literature Track, I had the pleasure to participate in engaging the audience alongside some fantastic independent talents, including M. B. Weston, Teal Haviland, Amy Leigh Stickland, and Christal Mosley.

What I learned from these authors, which I think is applicable to all authors, traditional or indie or self, is what a fantastic resource these conventions can be for expanding your readership.

Since I’m still a year and change out from publication, I didn’t have anything to sell. They did, though. And let me tell you, they sold. More importantly, their readership expanded. Not necessarily because they were able to put books in hands (though it helped, I’m sure), but probably more because they were able to meet and greet actual readers who shared interest in these author’s genres and subjects.

So let’s break down why you, as an author, should check out the next convention in your neck of the woods.

THE BUSINESS – You sell books. I mean, that’s kinda the point of all this, isn’t it?

THE OBVIOUS – You get to meet the people who are interested in reading your stuff. A good book gets word of mouth. But make a good impression on the reader personally when you meet them and they’ll tell everyone that they know just how cool you are. You know what people do for authors they like? See above.

THE NETWORKING – You’ll meet other authors. Get to know them. Don’t be a prick. Following that bit of advice might score you a guest post on those authors’ blogs. Or an interview. Or Tweets about your book. Or facebook posts about you. See what I’m getting at? Audience sharing. They’re not shouting into a void. They’re telling their readers. Besides the back-scratching aspect of networking with other like-minded authors at a convention or conference, it’s just plain fun.

BUY LOCAL – This may not apply to all conventions, depending on where you live, but if you’re attending a con that takes place in your community, your attending neighbors will likely take special interest. Everyone likes it when someone from his or her town/city/hole in the ground does well.

There are all sorts of conventions out there – romance, crime, thriller, SciFi / fantasy, horror – you name it, and it probably exists. If you know of one, reach out. Tell them you’re an author. You might find it to be just as beneficial to your career as it is fun.

Just prepare for complete exhaustion when it’s over.

So. What’s your local con that might be appropriate for your work?

S. L. Duncan writes young adult fiction, including his debut, the first book in The Revelation Saga, due in 2014 from Medallion Press. You can find him blogging onINKROCK.com and on Twitter.

Five Ways to Ask Successfully

by +Jean Oram

While the following tips on how to ask successfully are geared towards writers, you can easily apply them to all areas of your life any time you need to ask for something--whether it is a book review or having the neighbour mow your lawn while you're away.

In a lot of ways favours make the world go around. The problem is that they don't always 'just happen' when we need them to. That's why it is important to learn how to give voice to your needs in a way that leads to success. (In other words your 'ask' isn't all ME ME ME!!)

First a little backstory:

Last weekend I held what I'd consider a successful online promotion for myself and 16 other authors on The Lovebug Blog. (You can see the promotion and download 18 great books for free or almost free. You can also read more about what surprised me about the promo and social media effects on my writing blog, The Helpful Writer.)

Herein lies some of the success: I had a really simple ask. Really simple. Basically my ask could be summed up as: send me your free book's info (almost all of the authors I approached in my network had a perma free book or one that they could put on a price promo for the weekend if they wanted to), and I will share it with my readers via my Earth Day promo: Save a Tree, Read an Ebook by using Facebook, Twitter, my blog (obviously) as well as my mailing list. I didn't ask them to promote the event or anything beyond sending me their info so I could share it with my readers--also their target audience.

In essence, this event was me doing something for them--and yes, it would benefit me as well. But it would really benefit my readers--they would get 18 great reads from authors they may not have read and who had risk-free books (i.e. free). This is starting to look like win-win-win isn't it?

My simple ask worked well, I think, and the promo benefited everyone. Over 4000 people (according to Facebook stats) saw the collage of all our book's images that I had made and there were over 1200 visits to that post in a 48 hour period with the average visitor clicking on more than one book for download.

How did that success happen? Hint: it wasn't me. I think, in part, because I hadn't asked for a ton from these authors and was helping them they wanted to return the favour by spreading the word as well. (And they did a FABULOUS job--simply stunning!!!) As well, they were able to promote themselves but in a way that wasn't all ME ME ME. It was hey readers, look! 18 free books for you! They were offering something of value to someone else that included them, but wasn't all about them.

Unexpected Offshoot

However, because these authors were so WONDERFUL, there was an unexpected offshoot--the requests I now receive from strangers have to be THAT much better in order for me to be interested.

I understand that might sound unkind. But when you are busy, and have recently worked with an amazing group of GREAT authors who are willing to do some heavy lifting and work WITH you… it changes your expectations. In effect, it has reduced my patience and tolerance for the ME ME ME asks. In other words, when I get an email with very little information about the actual ask and the asker pretty much demands I somehow work some magic on their career, it frustrates me. Why should I help? Just because I am a nice person?

As more authors band together to share the burden of promotion there are some things worth keeping in mind when it comes to asking from others. Here are my tips on how to make that ask successful:

1. Be polite and respectful of the other person's time.

This might just be the Canadian in me, but if the person you've asked a favour of replies that they don't have the time to help you out, or they reply and share the info you've asked for, be thankful they took the time to reply. And for heaven's sake thank them for it. This can really turn the tables for you. It makes you look like you actually care about the other person as well as their time. I can't tell you how many times I reply to someone's request and they don't reply back. People who do that--to me--end up looking like a greedy taker/user. I don't expect much, just a one-line acknowledgement saying thanks. And don't you dare try and tell me you are too busy to thank someone. You weren't too busy to email the person in the first place, so you aren't too busy to say thank you--something that takes even less time.

When it comes to the original email you are going to send, think of the info this person may need ahead of time and put it in your initial email. Mention what you want. Don't waste their time as well as your chance to make a favourable first impression. Some people say you should make the ask a curiosity-based thing where they have to email you back to find out more. Good luck with that. Some people can pull it off, but for the majority of us it is a kiss of death that just annoys the receiver. Be respectful of the other person's time. If they are a writer, be cognizant that your request could quite possibly be taking away from their writing time.

Be short, sweet, and to the point. Put yourself in their shoes. And be focussed.

(While this may sound harsh and make you cringe at the idea of asking from another person, don't. Just make sure you aren't wasting someone else's time. That's the big thing I'm trying to convey here. It is okay to ask for help just do it well.)

2. Don't expect a free ride. What can you do for them in return?

Ask what you can contribute. If you aren't sure, ask.

If you have ideas on how you can contribute, mention it--even if it feels small. Maybe you have a great number of Twitter followers who hang on your every word, or you are writing a magazine article and can mention them or their book, maybe it is something very small. Something. Anything!

Whatever it is, offer to help. I managed to turn a no into a yes the other day just by asking what I could do to help.

3. Make it easy. Easy for them to say yes. Easy for them to help you.

Give them every reason to say yes and not no. And frankly, who cares if you have a great reviewer quote? Tell the person what you have that their readers or they may want/need/can use. How do you fit in to the picture? And honestly, I would much rather read your blurb than some book review quote. (In book club we ruthlessly mock book review quotes because half the time they are taken out of context or are so generic they mean nothing. Eg. This is a laugh out loud book. Or This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. See what I mean? Nothing. Doesn't even tell me the genre and whether it would appeal to my readers.)

4. Be gracious and don't expect the world. Make your requests reasonable.

Don't expect your own special post or top billing--especially if the person you are contacting doesn't do that. And if they are doing something like that for you, be reasonable about it. Be gracious. And certainly don't badmouth the person. Ever.

5. Follow through.

Do what you say you will, when you say you will. And for crying out loud don't use some lame excuse that someone was sick or your dog barfed all over your slippers. You are an adult. We all are. And we all have our own sh*t going on. Man up--even if you are of the female persuasion. We don't need to hear about your tragedies because we all have our own that we are struggling with. This is business. Just because you are on your couch in your jammies yelling at your kids when you write the ask email, it doesn't mean it isn't business. Treat it as such and you will go further.

Remember, you're mama might know you're special and have years of backup knowledge, but to a stranger you are just some joe--prove you are something special and worth helping out. They are doing you a favour out of the goodness of their heart--they owe you nothing. Always keep that in mind.

Now that you've seen asking for favours from the write angle, what do you think? What do you have to add? What turns you off? What makes you want to say yes when asked for a favour? What makes you want to help others?

Thanks for sharing!

Jean Oram writes chick lit contemporary romances and is a sucker for a nice ask. Her first book Champagne and Lemon Drops is free on most major ebook vendors. Her short story, Crumbs, is in The Fall: Tales From the Apocalypse which also includes many other wonderful From the Write Angle authors. You can get more free romance on her site www.jeanoram.com, more writing tips at www.thehelpfulwriter.com. You can follow her on Twitter: @jeanoram.

The Opera Disease

by Jemi Fraser

My dad was a straight-shooter. If you did something he was proud of, you knew it. If you ticked him off, you knew that too. He didn't pull a lot of punches - ever.

One day he grumbled about someone having the Opera Disease. When I asked him what it was, he asked me if I'd ever heard an opera singer warm up. Um. No.

He said when they warm up they sing, "Mi, Mi, Mi, MI!"

It took me a few seconds - come on, I was a kid! - before I realized what he meant. Me, Me, Me, ME!

In the Twitterverse lately, I've come across a few folks inflicted with this hideous disease. You know the ones:

• every tweet screams Buy My Book! Look at Me!
• they never talk about anyone else
• they don't have real conversations
• they tweet their own links continuously
• they unfollow you a week or two after they follow you so they look important ... at least to themselves

Thankfully the Opera Disease isn't contagious and, if you take sensible precautions, you won't be infected.

Have you seen any breakouts of this terrifying disease in your Twitter travels?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs and tweets (responsibly) while searching for those HEAs.

3 Great Hashtags for Writers

by Jemi Fraser

Many writers have Twitter accounts and we use those accounts for all kinds of reasons. Calista Taylor did a great Twitter 101 post a while back.

Today, I thought I'd focus on 3 Twitter hashtags I find fun and useful.

1. #askagent

There are a LOT of agents and editors on Twitter and they often have impromptu chats under the #askagent hashtag. There are some variations on the theme (#askyaagent, #askeditor) as well. The #askagent chats aren't scheduled and the agents, editors and other publishing people who attend them vary. I keep an #askagent column open on Tweetdeck so I can catch the ones that happen when I'm available too. Sometimes there are rules about what not to ask ('trends' & 'what are you looking for?' come to mind), but generally it's an open chat. Another rule (and good manners) is to never pitch an agent or editor during a chat (or any time that is not a contest). I've learned a LOT from lurking and participating in these chats.

2. #editortips

Adrien-Luc Sanders is an editor at Entangled Publishing and he runs this hashtag. Many week nights at 7:00 p.m. EST he will post several editing tips. As an added bonus, he's hilarious. His Twitter handle is @smoulderingsea if you want to follow him (which I'd highly recommend). I keep this as an open column on my Tweetdeck too.

3. #amwriting

A lot of writers use this hashtag to connect with other writers. It's not a chat or an advice column, more of a communal meeting place for writers to chat, vent, share, ask for help/advice, and have some fun. Johanna Harness (@johannaharness) created the hashtag and the website that goes with it.

I'll do another post on other hashtags one day. Any ones you use regularly you'd like me to include? Do you use any of the three I've mentioned?

Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of romantic mysteries. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.

A Writer's Confession: I'm Shy and an Introvert

by J. Lea Lopez

I blog. I tweet. I Facebook. I also belong to almost half a dozen social networks for writers (some I participate in more frequently than others). I don't usually mind sharing some rather personal anecdotes when asked. For those familiar with me via my "public" online presence, you might also know that I write erotica without a pseudonym, never hesitate to speak up with advice or encouragement when my writer friends need it, flirt with strangers on Twitter and point out the hidden sexual innuendo in everything, and just last week I let loose with a scathing judgment of my own genre and a small group of writers within it.

Why am I telling you all this? Because despite that laundry list of putting-myself-out-there-ness, I have a confession to make.

I am an introvert. And you know what else? I'm a bit on the shy side as well. Does that surprise you? Let's talk about introversion and shyness, as it relates to being a writer, and then you might be able to see how all of those things I listed might actually highlight my introversion, without any of us ever realizing it.

First, I'll state that this isn't a post about marketing or promotion for introverts (our own Mindy McGinnis touched on some of that already, and there are other sites dedicated to the topic). This is just a tiny peek into an introverted mind so all my fellow introvert writers can say "I'm not alone!" And who knows, maybe some of you will glean some insights into the introvert mind that could help you write a character or two.

Introversion and shyness are not the same thing. You can be shy and and an extravert. You can be an introvert without being shy. Susan Cain spells out the difference quite nicely, and succinctly, as such:

Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments.

I won't lie, my shyness and introversion is a one-two punch that creates a lot of challenges for me as a writer. This blog post alone is proof of that. I've sort of stumbled onto a dry patch in terms of knowing what to blog about. I put a shout-out on Twitter asking for ideas, and then I also added that I thought my introversion might be hindering me in this area. In groups, I'm often slow to speak, or even completely silent, because I like to think for a long time and make sure I'm 100% sure of my opinion before I state it. I'm prone to moments of self-doubt where I'm sure there's nothing I could say that anyone would be interested in reading (don't even ask me how long it takes to write the first draft of a novel—good lawdy lawd!). I've been better about it recently, but my personal blog has sometimes gone weeks, even months, without a new post for this reason.

This same fear of negative judgment is (mostly) what kept me from self-publishing my first novel last year. It's not ready. It's not ready. I can't do it. Maybe it is ready. But what if it's not? What if people don't like it? I can't market. I can promote the hell out of other people, but not myself. What if my marketing attempts make me look like an ass? All of these things, and more, absolutely paralyzed me with fear. I often get great feedback from beta readers and writers whose opinions I respect. But my first instinct is embarrassment, which I quickly push aside. The second instinct is to seek out another, more critical reader. Why? To tell me I suck? It's not that I don't believe people when they say good things about my writing. I'm just a perfectionist, and I'm always looking for some other way to improve. And maybe I am looking for that one negative opinion to satisfy my own inner critic. Because I need to be right.

Do you know any introverts? Do they sometimes come across as know-it-alls, stubborn not only in their opinions, but also in asserting the "rightness" of those opinions? Not all introverts are this way, but a lot are, myself included. So forgive us, please. It's not that we think we're superior to anyone else in that way. But we spend so much time on reflection, introspection, and being an objective observer to (as opposed to participant in) the interactions around us that we're often so sure we know what's really going on in any given situation. And for me, that includes being sure I'm right about my own plainness.

Don't mistake this for simple low self-confidence, either. I like what I write. I even think I'm pretty damn fabulous sometimes. I just fear that other people won't like it as much as I do. Is that splitting hairs? Maybe. But I live with this type of cognitive dissonance every day. It's not one or the other, it's both—I'm confident in who I am, what I write, etc., but I still care an awful lot about what other people will think.

After I mentioned my introversion and lack of blog ideas on Twitter, one friend (thanks, Lela!) suggested I blog about my struggles with being an introverted writer (hence this post). She said I could talk about the social media mechanisms I use to cope with my introvert tendencies and anxieties. I thought to myself, What if the answer is 'I don't cope'? Of course you do, Lela said. And I got to thinking about it.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me mention the #goatposse. They're a group of writers who support and encourage each other, chat about writing (and silly things, too), post funny pictures of goats, and just have a good old time without taking ourselves very seriously. The #goatposse makes Twitter a lot of fun for me. I was sort of "enveloped" in the #goatposse phenomenon. I didn't really make a huge effort to insert myself into it—it's not really in my introvert nature to just jump into any group. I let myself be swept up in the fun of it. I've "met" some fun new people through the group. People I can "let my hair down" around. I chose the people I follow very carefully, and I interact with a lot of them (not just the #goatposse) on a fairly regular basis.

I've created my own introvert haven, right there on Twitter. I feel more comfortable speaking my mind, opening up, and sharing things with people I've come to know and like. Even online, in an otherwise very public place. It's also easier to let that sliver of extravert within me come out to play online, be it here, on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Yes, I put my real name and my real face online, but I'm (slightly) less anxious about looking like an idiot online than I would be in a face to face situation. Yes, more of my apparent incongruity there, but that's how my brain works.

Am I being deceitful, disingenuous, or otherwise "acting" if I behave online in a manner I probably wouldn't in "real" life? Absolutely not. You won't catch me giving praise where I don't believe it's due, saying things I don't mean (so pay attention to an introvert's carefully chosen silences), flirting with you if I don't think you're fun to flirt with (hey, I'm married, it's just fun and games!), or conforming to any type of groupthink because I want to be accepted and liked—even though I do want to be accepted and liked. Make sense?

Hang on with me just a bit longer, here. The navel-gazing is almost over, I promise. Going back to the list of things I mentioned at the beginning of the post. Can you see yet how they're all both indicative of and a way I cope with my shyness and introversion as a writer?

• Social networks—I belong to many. I'm more active on the ones where I've managed to build a close-knit network of trusted and respected peers (as opposed to a huge network of less well-acquainted contacts). I can get both the criticism and encouragement I desire.
• Writing erotica without a pseudonym—Doesn't seem like a very shy thing to do, does it? My quiet pride and self-confidence (definitely an introvert characteristic) wins out over my shyness here. Love it or hate it, you'll know I wrote it.
• Playful online flirting, joking around, and general silliness (such as with my #goatposse)—The obvious indication is that humor distracts both me and others from real issues—like whether I'm a judgmental bitch, or a talentless hack, or whatever my fear du jour might be. But it's also a great way to just relax and have fun. It relieves any pressure about having to "perform" (i.e., be an extravert) in a way I'm not comfortable doing. Plus we all need to laugh at ourselves once in a while.
• Sharing personal tidbits, giving advice when asked, incessantly pointing out sexual innuendo, and occasionally being painfully blunt—Yes, all of these things are related and belong in the same category. While introverts may tend toward the quiet end of the spectrum (and we generally hate—HATE—small talk), we can still talk your ear off when we're interested in or feel strongly about a topic.
• I mentioned a "scathing judgment" at the beginning of this post, which I stated on my own blog, knowing it might be an unpopular opinion, and could cost me maybe some respect, maybe some readers, I wasn't sure. I almost didn't post anything about it at all. It took me months before I did. But I did. Scared of negative judgment? Yes. But passionate and willing to defend my opinion? Absolutely. Again, there's that dichotomy of confidence bordering on arrogance and deep-rooted fear of judgment.
• I value honesty, and I'll give it to you if you want it. And if someone asks for my help, I have a near-pathological inability to say no. It makes me feel good, it makes me feel needed.
• I joke around about the unintended sexual innuendo I see everywhere—it's funny, of course, but this stuff goes through my head every moment of every day (right along with some of the judgments I mentioned a moment ago). When I point it out, you get my mostly uncensored thoughts at the moment—something that's pretty rare for me to give.
• And the part about sharing intensely personal bits of info? If there's one thing only you take away from this post, either for your writing or your real-life interactions with your favorite introvert, let it be this: learn to ask the right questions. I'll willingly share just about anything with anyone, if I'm asked, often despite my own shyness. We introverts probably won't offer up too many juicy tidbits of our own volition, but a few well-timed, appropriate questions can open the floodgates.

I guess I have coped with my shyness and introversion fairly well in terms of making connections with people online. I'll have a brand new set of challenges to overcome later this year as I finally take the plunge into self-publishing and will be working on that self-promotion thing. Don't take this post the wrong way—there isn't anything wrong with being shy or an introvert. There are a hell of a lot of things right with it, and it helps me in my writing just as much as it challenges me. But I think that's a post for another day.

Are you an introvert writer? (If you are, you'll probably just nod your head and move along without commenting ;-) ha) What challenges does introversion or shyness pose in your writing life—either in trying to capture an introverted character on the page or overcoming challenges of your own introverted nature?

That Spam I Am—If You Don’t Know the Difference Between Meaningful Interaction and Spamming You are Wasting Your Social Media Time (and Mine).

by Sophie Perinot

You know what drives me crazy (currently)? How much of what passes for author interaction at social media sites these days resembles spam.

I made the connection a few days ago while clearing out the spam comments at my blog. They almost all start out the same, with a sentence that looks like the writer (probably a bot) might actually have read my blog post—“I enjoyed this post. This topic is really very intesting...”—then they turn into self-serving sales drivel. And while I was gleefully emptying the spam filter it occurred to me that I’ve been seeing lots of this same sort of “let me say a polite thing about you so I can talk about ME, ME, ME” stuff on twitter, in on-line writing groups, and on facebook lately.

Frankly, it’s cheesing me off.

It’s gotten particularly bad in writing and reading related facebook groups. When I join a group devoted to say “Lovers of Mysteries with Dogs as Their Main Character” (okay I made that one up, but I don’t want to point fingers at actual groups or communities), I expect folks therein to share information on good books with doggy detectives, or links to websites to help me in researching or writing same. Instead what I am getting these days are nearly naked advertisements—“My book ‘It’s a Dog Eat Dog World’ just got a super-duper review at ‘Dog books R us!’ Read it here. Or better still buy my book here, or here, or here.” Come on fellow writers, if I want advertisements there are plenty running along the top or side of every darn website I visit. You’ve got a personal facebook page, probably an author FB page, and doubtless an author website to share good reviews and “buy it now” links on. You can even directly and unabashedly promote your book at those locations (though the jury is out on how effective that will be for you). But the essence of communities/groups (even in the virtual world) is dialogue.

A hybrid of “boast posters” are the folks who share EVERY blog post they’ve ever written or will ever write to a facebook group, or to twitter for that matter, irrespective of whether it’s on topic. Sure, if you (or if I) have written a post that is germane to the topic of a group or comment thread (or touches on one of the subjects that you assume people follow you on twitter to hear about) then posting your link is a worthy public service. But if you are just slapping up everything you can think of to increase your name recognition then spare us and save yourself the time (because pretty soon I for one am going to stop even looking at your posts because I already KNOW what they will say—some version of “look at me.”)

As writers today there is a great deal of pressure on us to market our own work, and very specifically to have a presence in the virtual world. But I presume that an annoying presence seldom sells a book. If you join any community of like-minded people as part of your “building an internet presence” campaign, you should try to interact with fellow members in a genuine, non-agenda-driven, manner. And just for the record the interaction is neither effective nor genuine when it amounts to commenting on topics started by others in true spam form (“I am fascinated by cocker spaniels but for a really great blog on poodles, more specifically MY poodles, click here”).

People can smell a fake a mile away—just like I can pick out the spam comment at my blog even when they are cloaked in an attempt to look like a genuine response. And if you are a spammer not a genuine community member you are wasting your time. Because the truth is I buy two kinds of books: 1) those receiving notable reviews or buzz from reviewers I trust (whether that’s a “R”eviewer in the print or digital media or the guy I sit next to on the bus every morning and discuss books with); and 2) books written by friends (folks I’ve gotten to know through writers conferences, through on-line communities and through their blogs). You are no friend of mine if you spam me.

More ‘Naked’ Potential

by Brenda Carre

It's hard to follow two posts on getting naked, but here goes.

Have you any lesser-known ways of your own to network and make valuable contacts in the writing industry? If so I would love to hear them. In this post I hope to lay bare four tried-and-true ways of my own.

1. Join organizations of like-minded writers. Be prepared to learn. I have the pleasure today to travel south to Seattle, Washington and Norwescon. While there, I will be giving a four-minute reading called a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. An RFR is networking and fun all rolled into a one-hour session where ten authors read excerpts of their work. Readings are usually given to a full room of listeners. Other members of this organization have taught me the art of picking and reading short passages. Listening to the amazing work delivered by the other ‘Broads’ is both engaging and revelatory.

Broad Universe is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres.

Romance Writers of America is another amazing source of writerly goodness. There is likely a local chapter of the RWA near you. Many host writing contests and talks by fantastic speakers. There are writer organizations for pretty much every genre out there. Take the plunge. Clothed, or not. You will not be disappointed.

2. Attend local writers’ conferences and conventions and become a volunteer. This not only saves you money but it gives you the opportunity to connect with writers ‘behind the scenes’ as well as giving you the opportunity to connect with other writer-volunteers. One of my local favorites is Surrey International Writers Conference.  This is a fabulous big conference hosting authors, agents and editors from all over North America and abroad. If you live near a large city, the odds are there will be a significant writers' conference within driving distance. If you don’t, consider putting one together in your area. An author friend of mine helps put together a great small conference in the Yukon that attracts many industry pros each year.

3. Visit and patronize your local indie bookstore and your branch library. Don’t be afraid to go and talk to the school librarian either, especially if you write YA. (My wonderful colleague on this blog Mindy McGinnis is a youth librarian and an amazing resource) In my city there are still several ‘destination’ bookstores that host readings and make a genuine effort to order in hard-to-find books. These amazing readers and resource folks keep me informed of who is coming to do readings and they have even done cold reads for me and given me valuable critique on ‘plot holes’ in my manuscripts. Nobody knows marketing and what is on demand by readers like booksellers, and librarians

4. Connect with authors by attending readings, by commenting on their blogs or by following them on Twitter. There are many amazing authors out there that are happy to respond to comments. One of the most helpful I have found is the wonderful fantasy author Carol Berg. Her informative blog, Text Crumbs, is a treasure of craft-related information that takes you all the way from plotting to production. Other blogs I have found to provide some naked honesty from the pros are: Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, and Kevin J Anderson.

Go have fun.