Goodreads Kerfuffles: The New Red Room

I was going to say "the new sex tape," but sex tapes are so Y2K...

It's been a while since I've opined on current events here on the blog. (Sorry?) But this latest round of Goodreads "reviewers" behaving badly and authors rising (sinking?) to the challenge, resulting in alleged rape threats and bullying accusations and debut novels being pulled from release... (or being released now under pen names?)

It all makes a writer say Hmm.

I've written a few books (see sidebar), and they're all on Goodreads, for better or worse.

Before Undertow was released in July, it got a big fat 1-star review on Goodreads... And it wasn't even one of my betas or critters! (It remains the book's only 1-star review amidst predominately 4- and 5-stars.)

A book I just finished writing on Friday (Aug. 23) got a 3-star review a few weeks ago on Goodreads, prompting me to wonder how this person was accessing my computer and whether s/he would be willing to finish writing the book for me, since I clearly wasn't doing a 5-star job...

Regardless of all that, I know if I engage, if I make any comment whatsoever, I'm risking a firestorm of abuse, harassment, name-calling, etc. It's the whole, "once you put your book out there, it's no longer yours" concept.

(But wait. My book's not "out there" yet...)

Before I hit "publish" on my very first book, The Truth About Faking, I got some sage advice from a then-rising author named Tammara Webber. (Yes, that Tammara Webber.)

Don't respond to reviewers.

Period. The End. (Nope! Stop arguing. Don't respond.) She was firm.

We live in a digital age, where anyone with a keyboard and an attitude has the potential to become a Superstar! (Remember Perez Hilton?)

It's all about the spotlight, writer-friends. When you "go there," you're signaling the paparazzi. You're shaking up the Mountain Dew can, popping the top and putting it slap in front of the hornets' nest.

In fairness, yes, there is a possible flipside... I also remember Paris Hilton. (And her spawn, Kim Kardashian.) They live for that stuff. Becoming a living train wreck has made those females millions.

Selah.

In fairness, my experience with Goodreads has been largely positive. It can be a useful and fantastic, interactive reader- and writer- community. I've met awesome reader-friends there, and I know bigwigs like Coleen Hoover point to it as helping their success in reaching readers.

Sure, I've gotten my share of reviews I thought weren't fair. I've had the DNF rants, and I've even *gasp* replied to a few, late at night, after a glass of wine. (And promptly freaked out the next day and never returned to the scene of the crime... Sorry, Tammara! *hangs head in shame*)

It's a sad truth, but as a published author, my days of being an English teacher, a book club leader, a former journalist, and heck, even an American citizen with first-amendment rights are over.

I'm probably taking a risk simply writing this blog post, but shoop! There it is.

When I hit "publish" on The Truth About Faking, I began the mental mantra:

"Negative reviews and/or reviews I think are 'unfair' go with the territory. Get over it. Look how many negative reviews L. James gets for her Fifty Shades books, and she's laughing all the way to the bank."

We tell ourselves these things as authors, reader-friends. (Or we should, writer-friends.)

Two thousand reviews for Faking later, I actually have some one-star reviews I admire. The reviewer just really did not like my book, and s/he gave some solid, justified reasons why.

I read them, and at the end I mentally add, "And then I got my period."

(...it's a joke. C'mon... That's funny!)

Seriously, I respect them. I like seeing reviews from thoughtful readers. To me, it means I'm doing my job right. Not everybody's going to like my books, but if I've made someone think about a concept, a belief system, a mode of behavior, well, that's what I'm after, right?

I also appreciate that when we make the transition to living off our books' earnings, things like DNF reviews urging the whole, entire reading planet not to buy our books seriously sting. And reviews or ratings for unreleased books can push us over the edge...

Resist! writer-friends.

I mean, unless you want to try the sex tape in the red room approach. In which case, buckle up! It's going to be a bumpy ride~

I'd love to hear anybody's (thoughtful) thoughts on the matter.

And I'd like to take this opportunity to THANK all my reader- and writer-friends who take the time to leave thoughtful reviews of my books. As Blondie (and now 1D) says, "One way or another."

* * *

Heads up, friends! Watercolor is coming Oct. 3! That means Dragonfly is on sale for 99 cents! I'll share a little graphic I made here~

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

And have a great week, reader-friends! 

Blog What You Want

I started to title this one "gratitude," but by the end I had to change it. 

That's how I imagine the plotter and the panster in me collide when I write. The plotter is the calm, planning one who says what the family will do, a nice trip to the ocean. The panster is the one who smiles and pretends to agree... and ends up taking the kids to Thailand.

Anyway, so this started off about gratitude. I have to say how awesome you all were about my last post.

I already have my first editing project as a result, I've got bleeps offering to plug me on their blogs, I've got Tweeters tweeting about it, some of you directed me to other places to advertise...

It's been a while since I gushed about how great our little writers community is. I think the last time was when I got my agent. That was five months ago! Too long.

I know people say blogging is dead. I don't know. It seems like there are many thriving blogs out there--Jen, Matt, and Katie are the first that spring to mind. But there are so many others.

Some say you should never blog about writing. Can I just jump in real quick and beg some of you to ignore this. Please? 

I've learned so much from reading your discoveries. K.M. Weiland has given me more lightbulbs than I can count--also Dr. Quinn... And speaking of doctors, Lydia Kang is always giving me story ideas with her medical Mondays. And that's only three of you!

Others say you shouldn't blog to sell books. Well... I've bought all my bloggie friends' books. I haven't read them all yet, but the ones I have are fantastic. And it's cool to think I know the authors and we're friends.

I bet to them it's like that starfish story (link)--it made a difference to that one.

I'm sure I'll read somewhere about how you shouldn't blog to find editing jobs. And I'll do like I always do when experts announce how I should fill this space of mine. Shrug and smile.

As my friend Shannon said, "Write whatever the *%!# you want. It's your blog." (Shannon also me two serious work leads after Monday's post--one resulted in a writing job. Whoot!)

So there. This post really is about gratitude. And blog what you want. I'll never know how much I've gotten back from it.

Have a great week-end, reader- and writer-friends! Til Monday~ <3

Somebody Need an Editor?

So this is it! I'm doing it: starting my own (affordable) editing service for writers ready to query or wanting to self-publish.

Here's the deal. Most of you know I worked as a full-time editor before settling down in my 30s to have babies (i.e., 10+ years). I continued doing freelance work for other folks once the girls were old enough to be independent, and at the start of this year, I was doing a pretty healthy amount of business.

Source

I had a local network of folks for whom I wrote, edited, did pretty much all sorts of contract communication services, from web updates to press releases to whatever. And then we moved.

It's great to be back in the Midwest--this is not complaining! We have a great group of friends here, and I don't mind the better hair weather. But starting from scratch with the freelance gigs is slow going. And then I got this idea...

It started with my blog post about critters and betas (link). I've worked with several of our bloggy friends on polishing their manuscripts, getting them ready to query, giving feedback on areas that needed revision or development... I've helped brainstorm difficult spots and given my opinion of first chapters.

That's when I realized, I have a Paypal account, why not cut out the middle man and just offer my service from this blog?

And there you go. I'm hanging out a shingle. Editor for hire.

I've put a little widget in the right-hand column there, and since it's impossible for me to read without a pen in my hand, I'll do macro-copy editing (meaning, I'll point out the big stuff), and I'll read with an eye toward content development and (the highly objective) marketability.

Edit: (6/4) I'm going to set my flat rate at $.007 per word, add $.0035 for heavy copy editing.

I decided that makes more sense than a per-chapter fee, since chapters can be all different number of pages. And I'm still offering a break for new and unpublished authors. In other words, I'm willing to negotiate.

If times are tough, we'll see what we can both live with. Maybe I'll just help you get started, maybe we'll work out a total amount you can afford. I'm trying to supplement an income here, not get rich.

And to my personal critters and betas, you're off the hook. That's called payback.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. If we've worked together before, leave a comment or please do recommend me to anyone you know seeking an editor.

Of course, I'm still available for smaller writing and editing jobs at my regular, hourly rate.

If you're interested, send me an email (link). We'll see if blogging wins again!

Have a great week, guys! Til Thursday~ <3

Reading Also Makes You Smarter

Mardi Gras is Wednesday, and it is full-blast carnival time in south Alabama (and south Louisiana). The girls are out of school, and I'm actually out of town.

It's a great time to have fun, so here's a short post on some humorous errors reading will help you avoid...

• "Once a Pony Time" is actually "Once Upon a Time."
• The point is not moo. The point is moot.
• Ideas do not dong on you. (Like a doorbell.) They dawn on you. (Like the sunrise.)
• You don't get Crawfish Tale dinners for $5 in so-La. (Unless Thibodeaux tags along chatting your ear off about his escapades on the bayou with Boudreaux.) It should be Tail.
• God's name is not Howard. (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.)
• Nightmares are not night bears. (Don't scare the children more than they already are.)

And just because this makes me blow coffee through my nose every time, the citizens of Ghana are not known as Gonorrheans.

I don't know what they're called, but it's not that.

I'll cut it off there, but please share yours! I lurv reading stuff like this. And while you're out, save a bookstore--buy a book and read it. Then buy another...

Happy Mardi Gras, reader-friends. Til Thursday~ <3

I don't do this alot...

(that's what she said)

I'm a little backed up on the paying gigs, so here's something funny (and educational!) I stole for today's post.

Have a great weekend, grammar geeks~

Getting Started

It's funny, no matter how much time passes, I don't think you ever forget the tension of breaking into a new field. It's frustrating and difficult, and often you wonder why you're putting yourself through all this. What was wrong with what you were previously doing?

I was in college at Louisiana State University when I discovered that there were paying jobs for people who simply "liked to read and write." Jobs besides teaching or newspaper reporting, I mean.

I was a student assistant for Dr. Jim Borck when this epiphany occurred. "Jimbo" as we affectionately called him was director of graduate studies for the LSU English Department and general editor of the Eighteenth Century: A Current Bibliography.

The ECCB. Talk about a snoozer! It's actually a reference book published annually listing books being written today on the eighteenth century. Confused yet? It's apparently really helpful if you're one of the 50 college professors who specialize in that time period in literature.

But content notwithstanding, working in that office with all those cool, creative nerds who shared my interests, and then getting that published copy of Vol. 12, I fell in love with the whole process.

I enrolled in graduate school and took "The Business of Book Publishing" taught by Katherine Fry, who was the director (I think) of LSU Press. She was a really great teacher. And after finishing that class I promptly switched my focus to public relations. Not really.

Back to my first thought--breaking into the business. Despite the fact that I decided to become an editor, I still lived in the petroleum and engineering capital of Louisiana. And other than LSU Press, a very, very small academic publisher with an astonishingly low turnover rate, or the Advocate, there weren't many jobs out there. Almost none, actually. And quite a large number of nerds just like me fighting to get them. (LSU grads tend to like staying in Baton Rouge.)

So as I wasn't planning to move to a major city, I had to figure out some way to distinguish myself from the other penguins. By sheer luck (and bugging the crap out of Dr. Jay Perkins in the LSU J-school), I managed to get one clip in the Business Report, which was extremely helpful. Then I just had to wait for the occasional want ad that would appear from time to time for that rare local businesses that needed an editor.

Months later, I finally landed my first job as Director of the Editorial Department at Insurance Achievement, Inc. It was a tough job working for a punishing boss, but I stuck it out. And I met some amazing, cool writers and editors who became part of my circle of friends back home.

Nine months later, I landed one of those coveted editorial jobs in the ranks of the LSU "unclassified" employees. The salary was pretty meager, but the benefits were top-notch. College holidays, two weeks "free" vacation at Christmas, ginormous-group healthcare plan, access to that gated parking lot right across the street from The Chimes...

It took a few years to get there, but it happened.

Then I moved to Shreveport and then to Indianapolis, where I became a mom, left the editorial game and focused on freelance writing alone. For a year covering 2008-2009, I went back to editing for Baldwin County Parent magazine, which is now Baldwin County Living. And then Fall 2009 the unthinkable happened. I sat down and wrote a book. Two and a half, actually. A series.

Knock me over with a feather.

Now I'm trying to break into another new field, and I tell ya. It's tough. Possibly as tough as landing a job as an editor in Baton Rouge pre-Katrina. But I'm encouraged when I remember it eventually happened and how many cool, nice people I met along the way.

I'm currently in the process of finding an agent, and it's overwhelming to say the least. If you're in the same boat as me, Nathan Bransford has an incredibly helpful blog that you should check out immediately! Don't send Query 1 before doing so. Learn from my mistake.

Try to take your time. I've learned the hard way, e-querying is not my friend. It was probably better than I'll ever know that those editorial ads appeared months apart when I was trying to break into Field #1. I had no choice but to wait, stare at my "query letter" for weeks, play with it, polish it, talk to people, do reasearch. All of those things are vital in this game.

It's hard, but I'm reminding myself what I've learned: Patience, little donkey.

And while I wait, I hope to connect or re-connect with some amazing, cool people out there doing what I'm doing--editing, writing, trying to get published, being a mom, contradicting your mom and then realizing your mistake...

Here we go~