CRAY-Z Weeks - Updates and Such

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Holy crow, what a nutty few weeks it's been. Today's post is just a little what-not about what's been going on and why the blog has been so everloving silent. Ready? Grab your coffee (or tea), and let's get going!

So, after my London trip, I know you've noticed things have been rather quiet around here. It's hard to get back into the groove after being bombarded on all sides by people, but that wasn't the only issue. My husband was overly stressed, and he had to travel to another state to be with his father in his last few days.

Let me tell you what, trying to concentrate on anything when you wish you were with someone you love while they're going through a hard time isn't easy. I'd just come "down" from the overseas trip, and I thought I was ready to get back on the pony, when all this started.

Sad to say, my father-in-law took his last breath on September 11. I jumped right on a plane, and just returned home Saturday. Now, I sit here, wondering if I'm going to be able to get back on my schedule. I believe I'll be tweaking it today and starting fresh tomorrow. Some things worked, and others, not so much. But you never know until you try! I did well for a month or two, but a couple of things just weren't given enough time (like my blog), and I found myself scrambling to get it done in the short time I'd allotted. If you have suggestions for new topics, drop them in here.


That all changes this week. If you've been following me a while, you'll know I have two events at the end of October. I'll TRY to post during that week I'm on the road, but I'm making no promises. Keep up with my Facebook page, because I intend to have live video happening when I do my keynote speech. Yeah, it won't be me manning my device, but I promise it'll be live--October 20 at around 9am EST. WHEEEEEEEEE!!

On another note, Utterances is about 20-25k from being complete. That story is draining as hell. Very emotional. I'm gonna try like hell to have it out before Christmas. Send me good vibes! LOL!

One upside to all of this is that my road trip is with another author, Tia Bach, so we'll probably spend a good amount of time writing in the evenings. Maybe even plot new novels together. How exciting would that be? *grin*

As for events, these are my last for a lonnnnnng time. I'm only doing Roanoke Author Invasion next year, so if you wanna see me, you'll have to either come to OIBF or GLBB this year, or RAI next year. After that, I'm giving it a rest for a while and getting back to what I do best: WRITING.

November is NaNo month, and I'm planning to get back on my serial killer novel then. Anyone else going to write all the words that month?

Drop your NaNo name in the comments, and I'll give you a friend request/follow before then. Or, you can friend me here.

Well, I've chatted your ears off long enough. Time to get to revamping my schedule! That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Landing Pages Spare You Headaches and Irritated Bloggers

Happy Monday, everyone! So, today's post is because I've seen a number of bloggers over the weekend talking about last minute postings showing up in their email inboxes and how it annoys the crap out of them. When given less than a day to put up a post and make it pretty, giving it to them 24-48 hours ahead of time just isn't kosher. It chains them to their blogs and email inboxes. Worse, they may simply not see it in time.

Guess what?

You just missed out. Plus, you managed to annoy bloggers that are working for free and only trying to help.

As I've always said, make it EASY for people to share your stuff. This isn't hard.

So, to help you help them, today is all about book landing pages. Get those pencils ready, and let's get going!

A book landing page is any page that showcases your book and provides buy links. It can be a page on your website or blog, but it needs to focus on just that one book. Make it pretty, and make sure there's not a lot of visual confusion.

Here are some examples of landing pages:

This is from the Frayed Fairy Tales website.

This one is from Alessandra Torre's site.

And this one is from Geneva Lee's site.

As you can see, the things all these pages have in common are buy links, book covers, and info. There's not a whole lot there because there doesn't need to be. Keep it simple. If you do a web search for "book landing page," you'll get a ton of generic ideas on layout and such.

When you're making your HTML to send to your bloggers, send them the link to that page on your blog or website (shortened with bit.ly so you can track the clicks) instead of waiting for a purchase link.

On release day, go update your site BEFORE time for those posts to go live. It's so much easier to update one website than a ton of blog posts.

Save yourself time and emails, and save your bloggers the stress of rushing. They'll thank you and be much more likely to share your stuff in the future.

I'm just going to add my own little note to go along with the above. I feel like it's important.

When a blogger shares your release stuff, go to the blog and type out a quick thank you. This goes for shares on social media, too. It takes time, YES, but it's worth it. They work hard, and they don't get paid for what they do. Show that you appreciate them. It matters.

Okay, off my soapbox for today.

Anything to add?

Well, that's all for this edition, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Little Something Personal - My 2016

Hey there, everyone! I know you've probably been missing the heck out of me, but it is what it is. Figured I'd share...

I'm not usually a public person, so these things won't be easy for me to click publish on. If you're reading this, I did it, and it was scary, but I did it. Enough lead in, you're all aware I hate too much description, so let's just dive in and get to the root of the issue. This post will be long (you've been warned). Feel free to leave now if you're not in the mood to read some author's raving ramblings.


Here we go...

So, this year has sucked in so many ways. Don't get me wrong, there were AWESOME times to be had (and you've seen the pictures, so I have proof), but those posts have been done, and this isn't about those things that have been keeping me sane. This is about the other side of life, the dark side, the side I don't ever want you to see and try to shield you from.

But perhaps you should see and understand. Understand why I didn't give up, have a full grasp on exactly what it was I was fighting through, and perhaps walk away with a different outlook on things.

Back in the earlier parts of this year, my vision started to go crazy. My eyes were jumping all over the place, and I couldn't understand what the heck was going on. So, I went to the optometrist and got new glasses (I had an astigmatism before, but it was very slight). They didn't help. Nausea, memory loss (seriously, it was bad), and fatigue were becoming my best friends. Maybe not best friends, but you know the those folks that hang around, and because you can't get rid of them you kind of accept them for those quirks that drive you nutso? Yeah...

Anyway...

I'm the lady who gets my butt out of bed at 6am every day and refuses to go back until it's time to sleep. This was a life and schedule altering experience for me, to say the least.

Also, around this time, my husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. That, in and of itself, was a journey, but it's not my story to tell, so I'm not going into it other than to say he's okay for now, and the doctors are keeping a very close eye on him. It pertains to my story only because it was near the end of his whirlwind of crazy that things with me got really bad.

One of my sons graduated high school this past May. We flew to his home, took him to dinner that night, attended the ceremony the next day, and got on an airplane later that day to come back to Georgia. While we were on our trip, I kept falling asleep. In the plane (NEVER), in the car (also NEVER), and I could barely hold my eyes open by the time we got back home.

About twelve to fourteen hours later, the vertigo hit me. It was the worst feeling I've ever had, and it took me down hard. I could barely get off the couch, I had extreme nausea, and all I wanted to do was...

You guessed it! Sleep.

So, to the doctor I go. First one tells me it might be BPPV, but she's not sure because I was on a plane and could just have a twinge of inner-ear crap from the pressure, and the feeling should clear on its own if that's what it is. I super hydrate and take a lot of Dramamine. A week later, I still feel reallllly bad, so I go to another doctor. This one also tells me it's probably BPPV, but to keep an eye on it and see if it doesn't clear up in a few days. He also does some blood work. Nothing alarming, so I'm really confused at this point.

Allow me to interject: I can't look at a computer screen or book for more than five minutes without wanting to hurl. Got that? Okay. Moving on!

I finally email him and ask what to do now, because it's been weeks, and I still feel like I'm on a tilt-a-whirl.

He says, "You should consult a neurologist."

Okay. I've got this. After a search of my insurance company's database, I find a neurologist close by and make an appointment. She can't see me until July. Great. Ugh.

I also can't travel, and my step-daughter gives birth June 28 to a gorgeous baby girl. I have to freaking miss it. All of it. Damn.

Finally, I get my appointment, my neurologist and I go through the story, and I tell her all my symptoms. She seems chipper, and does a billion tests in the office before sending me to an audiologist to make sure there's nothing going on with my inner-ear.

I'm also scheduled for an MRI of my brain.

By this point, I feel a lot like a pincushion, because everywhere I go they seem to want to stick me with something. I'm also freaking out because I want some freaking answers.

I'm interjecting again here because you gotta understand needles are one of my biggest fears (next to cockroaches--shivers), and that I'm still feeling dizzy as hell and unable to focus.

I have a release deadline coming, and I'm working on the new F5 project (when I'm able) while all this is happening. Words to describe my level of frustration don't exist.

I am an author. I want to work. I need to work. My work is my sanity.

And I couldn't work because I couldn't focus without getting sick as a dog.

Now, by that point, I'm stressed, but I have things I have to do on top of things I want and/or need to do. And I fell behind. But not once did I give an excuse, and I fought like a tiger to finish things I'd promised--and succeeded. Other things that weren't as important as business dealings were let go for a while. You blog readers probably noticed, eh? *grin*

Anyway, once I saw the audiologist, I was prescribed physical therapy. Oh, man! Sick upon sick upon sick every time, but things started to get better. I was able to read again without yakking or getting dizzy.

Results time comes around! Yay! I went back to the neurologist, and she tells me there are several lesions on my brain, but she wants me to have an MRI of my cervical spine and a spinal tap done to confirm her suspicions. Pages of instructions are given to me, and the lumbar puncture is what seems rather terrifying.

Gah!

But I do it, and as always, since everything kicked up, my husband was right there by my side, giving me encouragement, taking care of me and the kiddos when I couldn't do it myself.

I know I've said it before, but he's the best husband in the world. Seriously.

I digress...

So, on to the spinal tap results (which take for-e-ver, if you didn't know). When my doc gets them, she calls and backs my appointment up quickly.

Alarm bells...

I did my research (after all, I'm an author, and I look everything up), and I know what she's looking for, and all signs point to YIKES!

From May to September, I was sick, and I had no idea what was happening to me. Keep that in mind. While all this is happening, I'm still forcing myself to work as much as I can, do the things I can do, and trying to stay positive.

September 13, 2016, my neurologist gave her official diagnosis. I have Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Treatment: an injectable drug.

Could've been worse, but even thinking about sticking myself with a damned needle freaked me the hell out. I'm faced with three times a week, every week, for the rest of my life.

Now, I'm feeling much better, though there are still things that aggravate my situation. My medication is kicking its way into my system with gusto, and my head is a helluva lot clearer. I can read again. I can write again. Most of all, I can think again.

To put it in perspective, that deadline I was talking about has since been met (it's with my editor now--as of Monday), and my project ended up just over 60k words. Before I got my meds? I was sitting at 12k and worrying I was going to have to fight to finish on time. Come hell or high water, I was getting that damned book written!

Along this whole journey, and through my life, here are some things I learned:

• My husband is AWESOME, and I wish everyone had someone like him.
• Never take anything for granted. Just because you can do something you enjoy today, doesn't mean it will be there tomorrow.
• Life is meant to be lived. Take every joyous moment and hold onto it like you'll lose it, because you might.
• Never give up. Fight like hell to have the life you want.
• If something isn't working, find a way to change it.
• Try to look on the positive side of things. My diagnosis could've been much, much worse.
• Tell people how much they mean to you as often as you're able, and try to be kind.
• Don't ever let anyone make you feel less than you are or make you feel guilty for not doing what they want you to do. You're not a puppet on a string.
• Be your own biggest cheerleader.

I've had a month or so to wrap my head around all of this, and I've decided to take every blow as it comes and not wallow in despair or pity. There's no time for that when I need to be living.

So many exciting things are coming, and I feel so lucky I'm going to be able to bring them all to you.

It may take me time, but hang in here while I get back on my feet. 2017 will rock!

No, I didn't owe you an explanation, but I thought it might do someone some kind of good to see that there are people out there who don't give up when things get hard. This isn't an apology for not posting. When things get tough, my blog is what gives. It is what it is.

I am not my disease, and I don't want pity. There are people out there who have it far worse than I do, and I count myself lucky to have had such amazing people (tooooo freaking many to name here) and doctors in my corner looking out for me. This was just my story, and because I'm a storyteller, I told it.

I hope you got something out of it.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Blog Spotlight #3 - Escape Reality

Happy Tuesday! EEEP! I have another lovely, Indie-friendly book blog (it's strictly a Facebook blog) to share with you all. Without any ado, whatsoever, I present: Escape Reality!

BLOG SPOTLIGHT:

Escape Reality Book Blog

Hi, my name is Shannon and I live in Georgia with my husband of 16 years and my son. We all love to play golf and hunt. It is really nice because we have a lot of family time and we spend a lot of time outdoors.

I read nothing but fiction because I feel the world has enough problems to make me sad, so I want to escape and read about other things (hence the blog name). I like to pimp and introduce others to new books and learn about new books. I love going to book signings and actually meeting authors. I have met some wonderful people through the street teams I am on and the book clubs that I am in.

I was encouraged by my husband and other blogger friends to do my own book blog because of my love for reading and pimping. So in November 2015 I finally did it. I have learned so much and I am still learning (LOL).

I have created open pimping days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I don’t mind posting for anyone and I don’t mind helping other blogs out by posting their giveaways. We are all in this together. I do hope you will come check out my blog and join in.

I do want to give special thanks to my wonderful husband who helped me come up with the name, and everyone who has be wonderful enough to help me along the way to get it up and going.

So I hope you come for a visit, interact and share your love of books with me.

Social Links

Facebook Twitter

Be sure and give Shannon a visit and hit her up! How amazing is that?

What do you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Your Entertainment Until 6/15

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna tell you all about the entertainment you'll be enjoying on the blog over the next two weeks. I'll be out of town for a few days, but I'm putting you in the capable hands of some fellow authors for the duration. Not tomorrow! Tomorrow is all about tips and tricks for utopYA con (my official post for the month). This is basically the schedule from now until I leave for the conference. Ready? Grab that coffee and let's get going!

6/5 (tomorrow) - UtopYA Con 2015 survival tips and tricks and pre-order awesomeness - What to bring, pack, and avoid, and what I really want from those pre-order lists (and where you can find them).
6/8 - Sheena Hutchinson takes over
6/9 - Tricia Zoeller is your hostess
6/10 - Elizabeth Kirke wows you
6/11 - Stormy Smith brings the rain
6/12 - Shawn McGuire will be guest posting
6/15 - An author interview with myself - no, I asked other folks for the questions (some of them).
6/16 - Time Traveling to utopYA 2014 - A look at last year
6/17 - My Travel to the con! Yes, I'll be putting up a blog post the day I arrive in Nashville.
6/18-6/21 - Be ready for utopYA stuff! Blog posts, maybe a video or two with interviews!

So, get yourselves ready! It's coming SOON!

Are you coming to the con? Looking forward to my takeovers?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Types of Blog Posts for Authors and Book Bloggers

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna talk about alllll those different kinds of blog posts authors and book bloggers create. If you missed the fun yesterday, be sure and check it out here. That's a Cover Reveal post; one of the post types I'll be talking about here in a second. Please, keep in mind these are general posts and not every single one on the planet. Ready? Grab that pen and notebook and let's get going!

Blog Post Types for Authors:

• Excerpt - A little snippet of your current work
• Coming Soon - Title teasers that can contain snippets or other fun things (like the general idea behind the new work)
• Opinion - Something you feel bloggy/passionate about
• How-to - All about the sharing of techniques used to write a novel
• Cover Reveal - Exactly what it says
• Tour/Info Post - Sharing information about a title (yours or another author's) either in a blog tour or not
• Giveaway - Yeah, you know this one, too
• Interview - You talking with another author and them talking back
• Research - Stuff you looked up and found interesting
• Resources - Places readers can look stuff up
• Release Day Post - Yet another one that needs no introduction

Now, that's not all the post types for authors, but it's enough to help you understand some of the options out there. Let's get into the next topic!

Blog Post Types for Book Bloggers (reviewers):

• Excerpt - A snippet of an author's work
• TBR - A reviewer's list of books to be reviewed
• Book Review - Yeah, I don't think this one needs explanation, either
• How-to - Sharing where you got your books and where others can find them or how to write a review
• Tour/Info Post - Either part of a blog tour or not, putting out information about a title
• Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul - What books you added to your shelf over a week
• Giveaway - Again, you can glean the meaning here from the title
• Cover Reveal - Revealing the cover of an author's book
• Roundup - Some bloggers you love and recommend your readers follow
• Interview - An interview with an author or other book blogger
• Vlog - A video of your book review
• Photo - A picture of your books or shelves

Again, these aren't all the post options. I'm just giving you something to brainstorm over. *grin*

If you ever find yourself stuck without an idea (you're making a schedule, right?), I hope this kicks your brain into overdrive.

Any questions?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

One More Chapter - Indie Author Haven Page Spotlight

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm here to talk with you about a page over on Facebook you should maybe give another (or a first) look at. Grab those steamy cups of coffee and let's get going!

There's this little page on Facebook rocking the Indie world with support and mad love for all things books. At the helm is Tawnya Peltonen. You should also check her out on Goodreads.

She's a serious reader and has given 676 ratings since 2011. That screams book lover to me.

But, not only does she love books, she's also a huge advocate of Indie authors. Tawnya reads and reviews Indie books often, and shares a bunch of our giveaways on her page on Facebook known as One More Chapter.

Support people who support Indies!

This link will take you to her page.

Once you're there, check out her newsfeed; you'll be astonished at the number of promo posts there with Indies at the core.

Maybe you already love OMC. Perhaps you gave it a like way back when and forgot about it. Interaction is a great way to get pages you love back in your newsfeed. 

As an alternative, you can also use the dropdown under the like button to get notifications or add the page to an interest list (don't worry, Facebook will walk you through the process of creating an interest list if you don't have one already).

Either way, go show this page some love, and enter to win one of the amazing giveaways running. There are always a ton!

What did you think? Did you check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Blogging for Creatives

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk with all you bloggers about a book I think you need to have on your shelves, and give you some of the highlights. I do love non-fiction how-to books, and I've recommended a number of them here on the blog. However, I like this book on blogging above any other I've come across.

So, I figured I'd talk about it. I originally picked the title up from the library, but have gone on to purchase my own copy since. I also grabbed one to give away during the panel I'm moderating at utopYA called "So, You Wanna be a Book Blogger/Tuber?" I have a great post on panels coming up for you next week, so I'm not delving into all that too deeply.

The title of the book is Blogging for Creatives: How designers, artists, crafters, and writers can blog to make contacts, win business, and build success, and it's by Robin Houghton. You can get a copy from Amazon here for about $16.

Moving on!

Now that you know the title of the book, have seen the cover, and where you can snag a copy, let's get to yammering!

Here are a few of the section titles and what you can hope to find:
1. Get Started - this covers many things like group blogging, what a blog is, and how to find a niche.
2. Blogging Tools and Technology - She discusses how to choose a host, and recommends some widgets.
3. Step-by-Step Setup
4. Creating an Eye-Catching Blog - Color, typography, and other fun stuff.
5. Creating Great Content

Anyway, you can see where I'm going with this. Plus, Ms. Houghton gives you awesome inspiration screenshots throughout.

If you're a seasoned blogger, you may not get a lot out of this book; but there were some tips and tricks in there I didn't know, and it helped me pull a new level of creativity out of my hat.

You know my utopYA author interview series? Yeah, the idea for that came from this book.

Looking to make money with your blog? This book will guide you through the process of setting everything up.

It's awesome. Period. As a bonus, you can check it out from the library for FREE!

You're still here? What are you waiting for? Get to it!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

The Versatile Blogger Award

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, a little bit of a change. Since my guest last week, Mindy Ruiz, has one book published and we already discussed on the post here (big giveaway going, GO ENTER) and featured it on the sidebar, today I'm talking about an award that was bestowed upon me by a fellow blogger. She's also a member of the 2015 Time for Books Review Team. Who is she and what's this award about? Well, grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

Thank you, K. J. Farnham, for nominating me for this awesome award! Here's a little about Ms. Farnham:

I was born and raised in West Allis, Wisconsin, home of the Wisconsin State Fair and the Pettit National Ice Center. In 1999, I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I went on to earn a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction while teaching full time. After teaching first grade and third grade for six years each, I am proud to say that I had the privilege of helping hundreds of children learn to read and write.

In 2011, my family of four relocated from Milwaukee to western Wisconsin. (We are now a family of five!) While I was sad to leave teaching, I was ready for a change and excited to explore my love for writing. I got caught up for two years writing and editing for various clients while the book that I’d started back in 2009 went untouched. I finally made it my New Year’s Resolution for 2014 to finish Click Date Repeat, and it was published on August 21, 2014 (my wedding anniversary).

Things I enjoy: travel (especially road trips), running, biking, nature walks, beach outings, coffee and tea.

Things I love: watching my children participate in various activities, reading, writing, Body Pump at the YMCA, The Walking Dead, peanut butter and coconut milk.

Check out K. J. Farnham's blog here.

Information about the award:

The Versatile Blogger Award is given in recognition for the great commitment, diverse talents and generosity shown by bloggers here in our community. There is so much creativity on display that it is difficult to reduce a list to only a few, but for those nominated, it is hoped that it will motivate them as well as celebrate their work to date.

Here are the rules:

• Show the award on your blog
• Thank the person who nominated you
• Share seven facts about yourself
• Nominate up to fifteen blogs
• Link your nominees’ blogs, and let them know

My seven facts:

1. My life is chaotic most of the time, so I tend to lean toward super controlling habits in my writing, editing, and design work
2. I have this strange compulsion to help people, and look for different, interesting ways to give back to the Indie author community (because I'm selfish, and I get to pat myself on the back)
3. I'm very opinionated
4. Because I have such a strong work ethic, I expect the same from others, and it's destroyed relationships when things aren't followed through on or when I feel I'm not getting back the level of commitment I put in
5. I believe in magic
6. I push myself harder than I should, and I'm harder on myself when I fail than anyone else could ever be
7. When people don't like me, I'm okay with it; because everyone doesn't like everyone (just like all people don't like the same book), and I'm not going to be someone other than me to change that

I nominate:

• Ashley Bodette from Book Junkie: Not-So-Anonymous
• Maria Pease from The Paisley Reader
• Ren Reidy from A Little Bit of R&R

You should check those blogs out. Those ladies are amazing!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

What's Above the Fold?

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I know you're all excited that tomorrow's Friday, but I'm still bringing you a little tip today that may or may not explain a few things and/or make your life a hair easier. I hope you brought your coffee, pen, and paper! Let's goooooo!

So, today is all about that little thing in bloggerland known as a fold. What the heck? Nothing on the web folds, Jo!

Yeah, I know things don't literally fold, but let's think of a blog like a newspaper for a moment, shall we?

Everything a reader sees before they have to scroll down is considered above the fold. Now that we have the terminology down, let's get to what should be there and why it matters.

Examine my blog. You're looking at it right now, and you may still be where you haven't scrolled yet, so take a moment and really look. If you've moved down, scroll all the way back up.

What's the first thing you see? My name, right? Then a description of what you'll find on this blog.

After you see that, you notice I'm involved with utopYA con and INDIE Books Gone Wild. Now it's time for pages on my blog I think everyone who visits should become familiar with.

Awesome. Now you know where you are, why you are, and what kinds of things you can expect to find, right? Stopping here for a moment to talk about why those things matter and do a short comparison.

Remember when I talked about your blog as a newspaper? If you have one handy, grab it. Leave it folded in the middle, please. If you don't have one, use your imagination (or the picture below) to recall what they look like.

Now, you see a description (All the News That's Fit to Print), a title, a date, a price, and a headline, yes? Move on down and see the author's names and the good stuff.

Basically, everything above the fold on a newspaper is to tell you who, why, and what. It's the same with a blog. People need to know what they're getting into at a glance. Period.

But bloggers have extra stuff that should be above the fold:

• Date of most recent post
• Headline of most recent post
• Some way to share the post (or the blog)
• A way to subscribe to updates

I'm a thorough believer in less is more. Load time matters as much as aesthetics. More than fifteen seconds and folks leave. But the four items above are essential. Why?

Date: So people can see at a glance you're active now
Headline: So folks can be attracted to your writing
Sharing: Do I have to explain this one? Mine's buffer, but you can use anything.
Subscription Method: So people don't lose your awesome blog

Folks might look around for a way to subscribe or share if it's not in their faces, but don't bet on it. Make it easy to keep up.

I'm not going into other things you need to have. Everyone chooses differently. I used to have my bio, all kinds of widgets and banners and things, but my blog took forever to load. I cleaned house. Confusion does not encourage repeat visits.

Do you love it here? Why? Why not?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Your Blog's Big Event

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Since Thursday is writing tips day, I thought I'd give a little to the bloggers out there about planning and hosting an event. So, get your pens and notebooks ready, grab your coffee, and let's get rolling!

As you may know, every year I do a little thing here on the blog called the 12 Days of Review Requests. This event not only gets me great books to read and review over the next year, it also helps me expand my network, meet new (awesome) people, and connect with other book bloggers and reviewers.

I spend all year thinking about what I'll do next and planning my marketing for December. I have to choose days, invite awesome bloggers, and gather donations from other authors. 2014 was the biggest year yet, and I intend to make it even more epic in 2015.

Over on My Book Addiction, Toni Lesatz has her zOctober event that focuses solely on zombie novels and the authors who write in that genre. She sent me information three months out about my guest post, what was expected of me, and what I needed to do to take part. That told me she spends a ton of time setting her event up, too.

So, if you went through my how to become a book blogger series, you'll know there's a lot more to running a blog than just choosing a name and typing stuff up once in a while. You need a plan and a big event of some kind that'll take your blog to a new level. After all, what good is a blog if no one reads it, right?

But, before you get all crazy, you have to first decide what kind of event you're going to hold and what you're gonna call it. Here's a quick list of things to consider:

• Why should people attend?
• What's in it for them?
• What's in it for you?
• How will it be run?
• Where can you market your event?
• What if (what can go wrong)?
• Will you accept donations? If yes, what kind?
• How long do you have to plan?
• How long will your event run?
• Is there another blog with a huge event running in the same time frame?
• Could you partner to make both events a little bigger?
• How will you handle donations? Will you deliver the goods or will the donator?

After you answer all those questions, you're ready to start planning. Take these steps:

1. Form a marketing plan for the event based on the type (I'll get to that in a moment).
2. Plan for snafus.
3. Ask for donations (if you plan to take them).
4. Set up your Rafflecopter forms.
5. Design stuff for your theme.
6. Pre-write your posts or gather guest posts and get them formatted.
7. Prepare your invites.
8. Take a deep breath and dive in!

Here are some types of events:

• Blog challenges: Many bloggers join and plan to post each day--and visit posts by others--for a set period of time (do a search for the A-Z challenge, and the Author Blog Challenge).
• Author/theme spotlights: Guest authors appear and highlight their books. Can be in one genre or many (zOctober).
• Book Celebrations: Readers gather together to talk books, and/or authors can join in and pitch books (12 Days Review Requests).

I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that roll off the top of my head. Your imagination is your only limit here.

You can also join up with a couple of memes. I know there's a few out there like Waiting on Wednesday (books you're looking forward to reading), Stacking the Shelves (books you've bought over the last week), and many, many more. That'll drive some traffic to your blog and help you discover other bloggers to network with.

Above all else, make your blog something people will want to stick around to look at again and again.

So, talk to me! What big events are you planning? Have you ever considered running something like this?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Design Considerations

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, we're going into design considerations for your blog. Step four in becoming a book blogger. I do hope you're getting excited as you follow along and create your blog. By now, you've chosen a name, have a URL, and have picked a publishing platform. More than that, you have your review policies (what you will and won't review and how to submit)! You should also be a little bit familiar with your hosting service. This post is going into your blog design (layout) and content. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, a recap of the past posts and what's coming:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations (you're there now)
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

Now, take a close look at my blog. You'll see there's a background that encompasses my logo and color/design scheme. On the sidebar, I don't have a ton of clutter for folks to wade through. One thing I have going on right now is my UtopYA con author interview posts. Because of that, I have two additional images on the right hand side. But, as you can see, my subscribe box is above the fold (this is referencing the part of your blog that's visible before the scroll).

Moving on down, you'll see another couple of ways to follow me and my posts (you do want your blog to be read, right?), then it goes right into my archive. Not having an archive where people can browse your past posts isn't a good idea. You want them to stay and look around a while.

Let's go back to the top!

You see my banner telling you what my blog is about, then a set of links I think are pertinent for everyone on social media to make as easy to find as possible. Note they're above the fold.

Because I'm OCD, and my blog is my haven for all the information I impart to my fellow Indie authors, I have a categorized link list. This is a whole separate page on my blog I use to sort posts into categories (with a little snap of what the post is about) so people don't have to wade through my archive to find specific information.

But my blog loads fast on a browser. Six seconds. Ideally, you want five or less, but I'm okay with six. I've visited blogs that took over a minute to load because there was all this extra "stuff" all over them. I waited, but only to take a look at the mess, click away, and never return.

You have about fifteen seconds to catch someone's attention. They won't wait much longer than that (if they wait at all). So, keep the clutter down and increase your load times.

Black text on a white background in an easy to read font is the next thing you need to consider for your design. If you make it hard to read your posts, people will be turned off and not come back.

You want them to come back. That's why you're blogging.

Make sure all your stuff is harmonious. Not that everything has to be identical, but when someone clicks on the link to your Twitter page, make sure it at least resembles your blog, website (if you choose to have one), and Facebook page. Don't let them doubt they've found the person they're looking for.

The Chicken Coop can have one chicken image on their blog, a different one on Facebook and Twitter, and still another on their website, and (as long as the look and feel is the same) they'll connect the dots.

Remember your name! If you've chosen The Chicken Coop for your blog, be @TheChickenCoop on Twitter as well. Be facebook.com/TheChickenCoop or facebook.com/ChickenCoop. Sign up for TheChickenCoop [at] gmail!

Be consistent and keep it simple.

If you want a couple more tips and tricks on making your public appearance gel, grab my free PDF on branding here. Feel free to download, study, read, print, and redistribute at your leisure. As long as you don't charge for it, I'm good.

What do you think? Have you built up your blog yet? Got any subscribers?

Go on and get those signup boxes going! I'll be back later in the week with advice on structuring your rating system.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Picking a Posting Platform

Happy Monday, everyone! We're continuing on our journey to you becoming a book blogger. If you've been following along and working with me, you'll have a review blog name, policies, and an idea of your branding imagery. Today, I'm gonna talk about choosing a platform. No, I'm not gonna choose a platform for you, this is just gonna be an introduction to the various ones out there. Once you find a blogging platform you like and it's easy for you to use, then you go get a book on how to use the darn thing and go from there (there's a great one at the library - title to come at the end of the post). Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

As always, a little recap of the series and links to previous days:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing (you're there now)
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

Now we can get into the various platforms available for you to choose from. These links will take you to the main page for each service. There are no affiliate links on the Jo Michaels blog, so you can click freely here. I get paid when I see you being successful.

FREE Blogging Platforms

• Blogger
• WordPress
• Anchor
• Tumblr
• Weebly

PAID Blogging Platforms

• SquareSpace
• Typepad

How to choose? Well, go check each one out! Play with them or take a peek around their control decks. See which one is the most user friendly and customizable for your needs.

Maybe you'll want to have more than one. I have two: Blogger and Tumblr. Each has a very different audience, but readers nonetheless. Like choosing anything, go with the one that makes you the most comfortable and won't have you tearing your hair out after a few hours of setup time. Still not sure what you're doing? Call someone who does or check out these books from your local library:

Blogging for Creatives: How Designers, Artists, Crafters and Writers can blog to make contacts, win business and build success. by Robin Houghton
and
Blogging all in One: For Dummies by Susan Gunelius

Speaking of libraries! You can find books in the how-to section on almost everything having to do with blogs.

Moving on!

Now that you've chosen your platform, go register your new blog name (get your URL - something like TheChickenCoop.blogspot.com) and get your pages set up. At this point, you should have at least two pages: Home (where your blog posts are) and Review Policies. Get those two up and going, and we'll go into design choices you'll make for your blog tomorrow.

Baby steps!

What's your preferred blogging platform? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Branding Yourself with Imagery

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Continuing on with my Becoming a Book Blogger series, today I'm gonna talk about choosing the imagery to go with your name. If you've been with me so far, you have a great name picked out, a tagline, and a review policy. As I stated yesterday, I'll be using The Chicken Coop as the name for the example review blog. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Recap!

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery (you're there now)
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

When considering branding yourself with imagery, keep this post in mind. While you want to be different and exciting, be sure you aren't cluttering your blog up with stuff that'll keep it from loading quickly. Remember, you have three to five seconds to make an impression. Use it wisely.

Here's a quicky for The Chicken Coop Book Reviews:

Now, this doesn't take into account any kind of color scheme you may have going on, and you may want a smart looking chicken, standing up, reading a book behind the banner, but you get the idea. This will matter when we get to structuring your rating system, too. Themes are fun!

Monday, we'll go into picking a platform to host your amazeblog.

What do you think? Are you coming up with some great ideas? Want to share?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Naming and Policies

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, we're continuing the series on how to become a book blogger. Why am I doing this series? Because I've had so many people come up to me and tell me they're readers that consume at least three to four books a week, and don't write reviews for those books. What a loss for all those Indie authors out there! I know I'd give my book to someone who wanted to read and review it, and there are plenty of us out there who need those reviews. So, for those of you who love to read and have ever considered starting to write reviews, this series is for you. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, a recap of the series:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy (you're there now)
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

I'm starting with choosing a name because that's something that'll probably take you the longest, define your brand, and what everything else will follow. It's the single most important thing you have to consider. If you aren't creative like that, here are a couple of cool names not yet in use:

The Chicken Coop
Flower Power
The Book Gardener
Razing the Page

All of those can have awesome taglines that tell potential readers you're a book blog and here's why. Of course, The Chicken Coop would probably center on Hen-Lit. *grin* I'll use this name for the duration of the series for example purposes.

So, make a list of potential names and do a Google search to find out if the ones you like are already in use. When you find a suitable one, come up with your tag line (something like The Chicken Coop - Scratching Around for Great Books) and write it all down.

A WORD OF WARNING: Book bloggers are very protective of their babies. Don't steal a name from someone else or create a name that's too similar to one that exists. You'll be in for a war. Consider the information imparted.

Once you have your new, exciting name chosen, start on writing out your review policy.

This is for authors who find your blog or website, like your review/rating system, and want you to review their book. They need to know how to submit to you, how long it may take you to review the book, and your policy on rating books you can't finish (do you leave them alone or review and say you couldn't finish and why). How do you choose among the hundreds of submissions you get?

Also write a disclaimer about what you do when you're unable to finish or review a book. Will you contact the author privately, or will the title just fall away into the ether? No one really likes to coast along without knowing if they'll be reviewed or not, so be sure you're clear.

I think I've given you enough to think about for one day, so get busy and get that name chosen!

Anything you book bloggers might want to add about naming or policies?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

How To: Start a Book Review Blog - Series on Becoming a Book Blogger Introduction

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm giving you some information about a new post series that'll walk you through the steps of creating your very own book review blog. So, if you haven't subscribed yet, and you're interested in reading great, free books (and making money doing it) get on it. You may subscribe on the right ------------>

For this first of many posts to come on this topic, I'm giving you all a topic list that'll be updated as we go through the process. Why? Well, it's so I can show one link (to this page) and folks can find the information they're looking for. I love simplicity and organization (yeah, have you seen my link list?). Haha! In order, here are the post topics I'll be covering:

• Choosing a Name
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

When you see the following image, you'll know you're on one of the building a blog pages:

I can't wait to get started. May the odds be ever in your favor!

What do you think? Interested?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Blogs You Need to Read

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm bringing you a list of blogs you might want to check out. Some are writing blogs, some are review blogs, and others are all about book design or marketing. So get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going!


First up, I'll give you the writing blogs:
The Hungry Freelancer - A place to go to find tips and tricks on freelancing, author interviews, and book reviews. Great site!
Grammar Girl - If you haven't heard about this blog, I have to ask where you've had your head stuck the last few years. Answers to many writing questions can be found here.
Depression Cookies - This is a writer who self publishes and is one of the editors for IBGW.
Ice Cream for Zombies - All about writing. Gives a plethora of tips on how to, what to, and when to.

Next, we'll go to the review blogs:
Heather's Book Chatter - At least two reviews per week on this awesome little blog (many times you get four!)
b00k r3vi3ws - It's exactly what the name implies. You get tons of book reviews from this site.
Mom in Love With Fiction - Lots of great book reviews here (and the rating is in the title of the post!).
Books by L. K. Evans - Reviews galore and personal stuff on writing, too.
The Kindle Book Review - Bet you've heard of this one, too.
ShhMoms Reading - A review and book tour blog.

Now, on to the marketing and design blogs and sites:
The Book Designer - It's also exactly what the name implies it is. All things book design, all the time.
Ask David - This site promotes books and is awesome at it.
Kindle Publishing for Blogs - Think your blog is awesome? Will folks want to get it delivered to their Kindle? Go here and sign up!


A few other sites you may want to check out:
Share a Rafflecopter giveaway - This page is a form you can fill out to have Rafflecopter share your giveaway!
50 Websites Every Author Should Bookmark - Lots of great stuff here!

So? How about that? Did you all find something new today?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Blogger Interaction - Why it Matters

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! OMG they've cancelled school again! What kind of perverse version of the South am I living in? Hello? Is this thing on? For anyone who's listening out there, bring back Spring! I've had quite enough of this cold crap to last me a lifetime. I live in the South for a reason. If it doesn't get warm soon, I'm moving to Tahiti. That is all. Enough about that. Today, I want to talk about blogger interaction and why it matters. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you write a blog, chances are people are going to come by and read it. If your post moves them, helps them, or creates a reaction, they may deign to leave you a comment and tell you what they thought.

Oftentimes, I pop over to a new blog and leave a comment on something I read that I found interesting. I like to ask questions in my comments sometimes, too; or help the author out with a handy recommendation. If I stop back by the blog (if I asked a question I always come back in a couple of days) I'll check to see if my question was answered or my tip proved useful.

Imagine my horror when I discover my comment wasn't acknowledged at all. I was ignored like I didn't exist. I'd become invisible, and my tip/question/comment had fallen into the realm of "it doesn't matter because I'm a blogging god and you're a peon who will worship me."

Really?

When that happens, I look like the lady on the left here and stop visiting that person's blog. Why? Because, chances are, I didn't subscribe on my first visit (it takes building of trust and stuff) and I was made to feel unimportant.

For shame.

Now, I do have blogs I comment on where I don't expect replies. Those people are kept up with on other forms of social media and I comment to let them know I was there. I neither expect replies nor acknowledgement on their blogs. Most of the time, any replies come back when that person comments on my blog. Yes, it's strange to communicate that way for many of you; but, it works for us. We're happy with it. A number of blogs I used to comment on religiously have fallen off my good grace radar. Those folks neither returned the favor nor acknowledged I was there to begin with.

But new readers you don't have that unspoken pact with won't understand. They'll feel rejected by you.

Guess why?

Because, in a way, you are rejecting them. Your readers who bother to leave a comment expect to be noticed by you. Even a simple "Thank you for the comment!" goes a long long way.

Remember, it takes a new blog at least a year before it starts getting serious traffic. Help your readers want to come back. Take the two minutes to write that reply, say those words of thanks, or give a head nod in their direction. It's like clicking the "like" button on Facebook; if you do that, you'll see more of their stuff. Maybe they'll even tell their friends what an awesome blog you have!

I wish I could figure out how to say thanks on Tumblr...

Think about it. A blog is a form of social media. Are you making it social?

How about it, bloggers? Do you respond to every comment? If not, what do you do to encourage your readers to return?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Rafflecopter has Flash Sale for Annual Subscriptions

Happy Hump-Day, blogospherians! Everyone relax and take a deep breath. If you make it through today, there's just two days left until the weekend arrives. Yup, I heard that cheer. Way to stay positive! Today, I'm talking about yet another e-mail I got. This one involves Rafflecopter again, that awesome little widget we all love and couldn't live without. Let's get going!

If you're a blogger, author, reader, or you just love to host giveaways and use Rafflecopter to manage them, this announcement will make you smile, squee, and jump up and down. I'm sure everyone using the site with the free subscription has seen this:

At that price, bloggers pay $95.88 a year for access to the awesome features listed. One of the most notable is adding an image to your giveaway. People like images, folks! There's a reason Pinterest does so well.

Moving on...

Until 11:59pm MST on Thursday, September 19, 2013, you can have an annual subscription to all the awesome extras for bloggers for just $59.

PLUS! I know, I know, the plus is always awesome! You'll get a Rafflecopter t-shirt and handful of stickers shipped to your door (worldwide) FREE when you subscribe. How cool is that?

You want the link yet?

Are you frothing at the mouth?

Okay, okay. Here ya go:
This link will take you to the Annual Subscription page. It should look something like this:

Follow the prompts and you're golden. Make sure you visit this page so you aren't confused when your e-mail saying you've subscribed for the $7.99 a year plan arrives in your inbox (I straight freaked out, I gotta tell ya). FAQ: Linky for you!

May all your giveaways shine forevermore! As always, I get no kickbacks from anything you see here on my blog. I share information and choose what it's going to say. Jo Michaels Blog is ad free and will remain that way forever.

While you're here, don't forget to visit the interview with my featured UtopYA Con 2014 author, M.R. Polish!

Were you aware of this sale? What features will keep you up at night thinking about the possibilities?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Changes on the Blog

Happy Friday, everyone! If you take a gander around the blog, you'll notice some major changes. I've moved the link list everyone knows and loves to the top of the page, under my banner. You'll find all the links you need to get to your favorite goodies right there. No need to bounce all over the blog.

Yes, I'm OCD. No, you can't have any of my cookies.

I do hope you all have followed me in some way. Come on, don't be sore about the cookies! I'd like to take a moment to share some stats with you.

• I've been blogging for 19 months.
• I've written almost 400 posts (this one makes 384).
• My blog didn't find direction for almost 12 months.
• I didn't start blogging every weekday for almost 1 year.
• I have 2 blogs with identical content.
• One has 13 subscribers via e-mail.
• One has 60 followers.
• One has 101 followers.
• I average 5-10 RTs a day.
• I only update via my social networks 3 times a day.
• Links that I send out only drive folks to the blog with 60 followers.
• I average 6500 views a month between the two blogs (For those of you counting, that's more than 100 page views for each blog per day. While that's a drop in the bucket, consider most of those views didn't start until I'd been blogging for almost a year. If I use those stats, I average 355 per day per blog or, 10k+ views per month).
• One of my posts has 142 likes and 52 shares.
• I've enjoyed over 600 comments.
• I read and respond to every single one (not right away, but every week) so I've left at least 600 comments as well.

I bet you're all wondering why in the hell I'm going into all this, huh?

Well, it's because it just wouldn't be possible without all of you. I wanted you to see what you've helped me achieve and send a great big:

out into the void.

I changed up this blog so it's easier to find the follow buttons, the meaty part has more real-estate, and it doesn't take so dang long to load. Here's hoping you all like the new layout and that it gives you a more enjoyable reading experience. I do what I can to make visiting my blog and finding the content you want as easy as possible.

So, thank you, dearest fans and followers. Without you, this would all be an exercise in futility!

What's your favorite post on this blog?

Monday, we're back to our regularly scheduled program!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo