Rockin’ Girl Blogger
July 30, 2007 by Lillie
Thanks to Laura at Writing Thoughts for naming me a Rockin’ Girl Blogger. Roberta Ferguson – Blogging Made Devilishly Simple created the award.
It’ll be fun and it will build us a community of one sort: girl bloggers. Or, better yet, “Rockin’ Girl Bloggers”.
I’m not always enthusiastic about things that are restricted to specific groups or set certain people apart. However, I have described the blogging community as a large city made up of hundreds of small neighborhoods. I see Rockin’ Girl Bloggers as one of those small neighborhoods – not a ghetto of isolation but a small, friendly community that is part of the larger city of the blogosphere. I’m delighted to be part of the Rockin’ Girl Blogger community.
A number of my favorite Rockin’ Girl Bloggers have already been named. I tried to avoid duplication, but some of these Rocking’ Girls may have been nominated before.
Char at Essential Keystrokes
Helen at Straight from Hel
Hummie at Hummie’s World
Karen at A Deaf Mom Shares Her World
Karen at Write Now – Because It’s Later Than You Think
Lisa at Getting It Write for You
Merry at Mom and More
Paula at Paula Neal Mooney
Theda at Crayon Writer
Thomma Lyn at Tennessee Text Wrestling
Historical fiction: As Shadows Fall
July 28, 2007 by Lillie
Grace Anne Schaefer – my friend since our first day of college, my writing mentor, and my client – has released the second book in her series The People of the Frozen Earth.
The books are set nearly two thousand years ago in the western US and tell the story of a semi-nomadic people facing the challenges of life in a world far different from ours.
Grace Anne’s books bring her people to life and make the reader realize the human emotions experienced by the people twenty centuries ago are very much the same as those of people today.
The new book, As Shadows Fall, stands alone, but I highly recommend you start with The New Day Dawns and follow The People of the Frozen Earth throughout the entire six-book series.
Grace Anne is working on Book 3 now … and I hope the time between Books 2 and 3 is shorter than between the first two books. Her schedule was interrupted by her heart surgery and her husband’s bladder cancer, and I’m praying that she doesn’t have to face those kinds of interruptions this time around.
Related Posts:
As Shadows Fall
The New Day Dawns Is a Contest Finalist
My Weekend … and Some Writing Advice
The New Day Dawns is a fascinating read …
[tags]People of the Frozen Earth, Grace Anne Schaefer, The New Day Dawns, As Shadows Fall, books[/tags]
Shared Answers 2007
July 27, 2007 by Lillie
Yvonne at Grow Your Writing Business and Laura at Writing Thoughts have teamed up for a two-part group writing project. Visit their blogs for the details. I’m trying to come up with a good idea for this one and get my two posts written by the deadline, August 15th.
[tags]Shared Answers 2007, group writing project[/tags]
Blogging Ethics
July 26, 2007 by Lillie
After I finished my series on writing ethics, I read about several schemes to pay for blog comments and StumbleUpon stumbles.
Since these actions are similar to the marketing tactics I’ve been writing about, here are some links to read about the ethics of these new blog tactics:
Buy Blog Comments – A Sick New Comment Spam Service Launches
Just Why Would You Buy Blog Comments?
Paid Comments – They Can Be 100% Ethical
Stumbleupon Gamed by Paid-to-Stumble Service
When, if ever, is it ethical to pay for blog comments, stumbles, and whatever comes up next?
Updated 7/29/07: Another great post on a related subject: Scratch My Back and I’ll Fame Yours
[tags]comment spam, paid comments, StumbleUpon[/tags]
Writing Ethics 4: Amazon Ranking and Best Seller Status
July 25, 2007 by Lillie
This post is a follow-up to my last three posts and continues a conversation at Grow Your Writing Business.
While this topic didn’t come up in the original discussion, my thoughts extended to one more issue that bothers me. Do you really know what it means that a book is a bestseller?
One of the most common ways for a book to become an Amazon bestseller is to use a technique developed by a book promotion company that sells an expensive program to make books bestsellers. Lots of authors copy the technique on their own, and at least one book marketing guru promotes this concept.
Since a book can be called a bestseller if it hits the top ten (I believe it’s ten; it might be a higher number) in its category on a single day, the gimmick in this program is to generate huge sales of the book at Amazon on a specific day , usually the day the book is officially released.
To generate those huge sales, the author (or the promotion company) sends mass e-mails and enlists other people to e-mail their lists offering incredible bonuses for ordering the book from Amazon on a specific day. I’ve seen claims of more than a thousand dollars in bonuses for ordering a $15 book! Of course, the bonuses are $297 e-books, $29 special reports, $89 software, etc. – downloadable products that are assigned outrageously high value but have little or no direct production and distribution costs.
The customer places the order at Amazon on the specified day, e-mails a copy of their receipt to the author or promotion company to prove it, and receives a link to download the bonuses. The sales for the book are enough for it to be called a “bestseller,” most of the time in a category (though the authors don’t say that). In one specific case I know of, the book was second only to the latest Harry Potter book at the time on its launch date. The author can then promote his book as #2 at Amazon.com, even if there is never another book sold on Amazon!
Do you think that’s fair?
Of course, “bestsellers” in general often sell far fewer copies than the general public realizes. Every bestseller list uses different criteria and sources, but the major lists (New York Times, USA Today, etc.) primarily track sales only through larger distribution channels in specific time periods. The sales aren’t necessarily sales to retail buyers; some lists track sales to bookstores. A book can be a bestseller based on the orders shipped to chain bookstores for the launch date, even though many of those books may be later returned.
I’ve heard that about one-third of all books “sold” to bookstores are returned. Books are really placed on consignment in bookstores with the option to return them if they don’t sell. For mass-market paperbacks, “returned” means the cover is stripped from the book and sent back to the publisher for credit, and the rest of the book is discarded. Imagine that a third of the books published are filling up landfills every day without ever being read by anyone.
Books can acquire bestseller status from a particular publisher or bookseller (either overall bestseller or bestseller within a specific genre). These books can be legitimately called bestsellers, even if the book was the bestselling historical novel at ABC Publisher. While consumers may not realize that a “bestselling book” or “bestselling author” may have actually sold far fewer units than a title that isn’t a bestseller, the authors or publishers aren’t manipulating the system.
But when an author bribes customers with outlandish bonuses to buy the book at Amazon.com on a specific day so the book can become a bestseller … I call that manipulating the system.
What do you think?
Related Posts:
Writing Ethics 1: Fake Testimonials
Writing Ethics 2: Voting in Readers’ Choice Contests
Writing Ethics 3: Reviews
[tags]writing ethics, Amazon.com, bestseller lists[/tags]
Writing Ethics 3: Reviews
July 24, 2007 by Lillie
This post is a follow-up to my last two posts and continues a conversation at Grow Your Writing Business.
Amy Derby said she had seen ads for writers to post reviews on Amazon.com. That led me to share David’s experience. He read in John Kremer’s Book Marketing newsletter about a way to get more reviews on Amazon.com.
Following this advice, David issued a news release that he would give a free autographed book to any reader (not professional reviewer, who, of course, could get a review copy for free) who posted a review on Amazon.com. He said he wanted an honest review of his book and would use the feedback to improve the second book in the series, which he’s working on now. He was hoping that people who had already the book would write reviews or other people would be enticed to read the book. If they didn’t already have a copy, they could borrow one, get it from the library, or order the e-book online.
However, the press release got picked up and posted on several “freebie” sites, and a lot of people posted the review in the comments of David’s blog. A couple of dozen people actually posted reviews at Amazon.com. Many had obviously read the book and commented on specific aspects. But some just posted glowing words about it being a wonderful book. That was not the original intention – David was seeking honest reviews from people who had read the book. He was hoping to get a few more reviews from readers. He still thinks it was a good idea to do this and may do it again with future books. How can you require reviewers to actually read the book?
Of course, it’s common for people to write good reviews for their friends. I don’t see anything wrong with this, IF the review is honest. I am always candid when I write a review (which I don’t do often). However, like my mother always told me, if I can’t say something nice about a book, I don’t say anything. I don’t write negative reviews. If I don’t like a book, I don’t write a review.
What do you think about paid reviews, enticing readers to write reviews as David did, and asking friends to write reviews?
The next post will cover the ethics of ways to improve Amazon ranking.
Related Posts:
Writing Ethics 1: Fake Testimonials
Writing Ethics 2: Voting in Readers’ Choice Contests
[tags]writing ethics, book reviews[/tags]
Writing Ethics 2: Voting in Readers’ Choice Contests
July 23, 2007 by Lillie
This post is a follow-up to my last post and continues a conversation at Grow Your Writing Business.
Mary Emma Allen questioned the ethics of writers asking people to vote for their books for awards, whether or not the voter has read the book.
Recently I told you that my client David Bowles’ book was a finalist in a readers’ choice awards and told you how to vote … “if you’d like to help make Spring House a winner.” I posted the same information on David’s Web site, and Michi Beck also posted about the voting. I’m sure people who haven’t read David’s book voted for it. I wish every one of you would buy and read the book because it really is a great book. David has had great reviews and has finaled in the historical category of the Indie Excellence Books, a contest judged by publishing professionals.
However, I always consider a readers’ choice awards a popularity contest, not an objective evaluation of literary merit. In that regard, I didn’t have a problem offering readers the chance to vote for David (and I do think the book has literary merit!).
However, I’m curious what others think about this? Is it unethical to ask for votes in a popularity-contest type competition?
Related Posts:
Writing Ethics 1: Fake Testimonials
[tags]writing ethics, readers’ choice awards[/tags]
Writing Ethics 1: Fake Testimonials
July 23, 2007 by Lillie
Yvonne Russell at Grow Your Writing Business has an interesting discussion going on about fake testimonials and the ethics of writing .
Her original post quoted an ad she saw on a freelance site asking to have 25 testimonials written to sound like they are from “allegedly satisfied readers” of the book – for the princely pay of $20 for the lot!
The commenters agree on two things:
- Using fake testimonials is unethical for the company, and writing them is unethical for the writer.
- Professional writers should not work such low pay ($20 for about 2500+ words)
I’ve heard several marketing gurus recommend that companies contact satisfied customers and ask them for testimonials. The company will write the testimonial, and all the person giving the testimonial needs to do is put it on their letterhead and sign it. Of course, they can change it if they like, but the company is not asking them to spend much of their time to give the testimonial (a plus for the customer). Doing it this way ensures the company gets the things they want said included in the testimonial. I was attending seminars and using consulting when I was in business in the “real” world, in the ancient days before the Internet. 
In today’s virtual world, companies would load the testimonials up with keywords for search engine optimization.
I was never comfortable doing that. In my interior landscape business, we used to send out customer satisfaction surveys. If someone wrote a nice compliment, we would ask their permission to quote it. The testimonials on this blog are either quoted from acknowledgments in published documents or are something a client provided when I asked if I could quote something they said to me in conversation or in e-mail. I’ve never used a testimonial that didn’t originate with the client.
One time I terminated a contract with a marketing consultant hired to improve my company’s sales after he told me, “You’ll never succeed in business. You’re too ethical.”
But it appears some companies don’t share my “problem” of being too ethical. They are using completely fake testimonials. And some writers are willing to write them! I’ve turned down several projects because the subject matter didn’t fit my values. I can’t imagine professional writers writing what they know to be outright lies!
A couple of things were raised in the comments, though, that made me think. In my next three posts, I’ll talk about writers asking for votes in readers’ choice contests, paid and other solicitation of favorable reviews, and methods to increase Amazon rank.
[tags]writing ethics, fake testimonials[/tags]
Gack Ink … I took my own blog to the Bring Your Own Blog Network
July 21, 2007 by Lillie
Gack Ink, the Bring Your Own Blog Network, recently put out a call for submissions. Laura at Writing Thoughts and Yvonne at Grow Your Writing Business both posted about the benefits of belonging to the network. Since I have great respect for both of these great bloggers, I submitted this blog.
The Gack Ink Gals notified me with a comment on my last post that I have been accepted. I’m delighted to be part of this group and look forward to making new friends, learning more about blogging, and joining in the conversations on other members’ blogs. I’ve been checking out the other blogs and have subscribed to several more – I already subscribe to a number of member blogs.
Check out the blogroll at Gack Ink – I’ll bet you’ll find several blogs you’ll want to read.
[tags]Gack Ink, Bring Your Own Blog Network[/tags]
Have You Tried Google Desktop and Notebook?
July 20, 2007 by Lillie
In addition to being the largest search engine, Google offers a number of tools. You can find them at About Google.
I find two of the tools especially useful.
- Google Desktop lets you search your own desktop just like you search the Internet. I prefer this to the search function in Microsoft Windows. Searching on Google is second nature, and the searches include Web pages you’ve visited as well as documents on your computer.
- Google Notebook makes it easy to clip information from Web sites and make notes to yourself. You can create numerous notebooks and organize your information the way it works best for you. I have notebooks for articles I want to return to read later, blog topics, tech tips, and others. When I’m browsing the Net and reading blogs, I make a note of blog topics to write about in the future. I clip the title of the article or post that caught my attention, and Google automatically saves a link to the site. I can also make notes of thoughts generated by the idea. When I’m ready to write a new post, I just open the blog topics notebook and choose my subject. I can also add notes that are not associated with any Web site, so the notebook is a handy place to keep all my blog topic ideas.
Recently, I made notes on a post about ethics in writing. That sparked ideas for four posts, which you can read here next week.
Have you tried either or both of these tools? Do you like them as much as I do? Do you have other favorite Google gadgets?
[tags]Google Desktop, Google Notebook[/tags]
