Looking Back and Forward - A 2018 Yearly Planning Post

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year's Eve/Day. Today, I'm laying my blog and writing plan out there for you all to see. We'll look back over 2017 and see what can be improved upon in 2018. Ready? Let's get going!

First up: This Blog

Looking Back
This year was abysmal. Life happened, and a lot of my time was given to things around here. I'm not sorry, because my family will always come first, but since everyone is on the upswing health-wise, I'm going to do MUCH better this year. I only had 71 posts for the entire year, and that's just not okay. I clocked 158 in 2016, and nearly double that the years preceding. Time to fix it!

Looking Forward
Going forward, I've decided to go back to my five day posting schedule, but with a little something different. Sure, I'll share the occasional new release for myself or a friend, I'll share excerpts, and I'll be posting book reviews again for the first time in a LONG time, but the bulk of the blog will be news, tips and tricks for authors on writing and marketing, the occasional opinion post, and learning type posts. This will all begin next week. I have a plan for those posts, and I intend to stick to it like glue. It's not difficult to come up with a year's worth of content; I just needed to DO IT. Planning is everything (you know how I preach this--I just need to practice what I preach LOL).

As you all know if you've been around a while, if life happens and my family needs me, I'll go dark, but this year, I promise to be more open about what's going on so you're not thinking I've quit.

Next: Books and Writing

Looking Back
2017 was a pretty good publishing year for the F5, but no so much for myself. Our little group put out 30 episodes of a serial this year! Impressive, to say the least. You can see what we did on the Frayed Fairy Tales website here. That being said, I only released two books of my own: Utterances and How to be a TOTAL LOSER. That's just over 100k words. I can do better.

Looking Forward
2018 will be full of words. I already have a ton of writing done on Provocation and Intensification, and The House is written but not yet tweaked or edited. Those will be released in the first quarter of the year. Second quarter will be all about more words. I've stepped way back from other things, and I intend to put all my effort into getting stories told. I'm a writer, and I need to write. It's my happy place.

Last: Marketing, Events, and Life

Looking Back
I did a crap job on marketing this year, but sales have been okay--not nearly as good as 2016, but what did I expect? I attended five events: RAI, Utopia, Chapter.con, OIBF, and GLBB. Four of those were as an author. Myself, the F5, and IBGW also sponsored (in some way or another) four events: Chapter.con, OIBF, GLBB, and OUAB (I like to help when and where I can). I'm not positive there was a huge return on those investments, but most of them felt good/right. Life, of course, was full of ups and downs, but I feel as though I handled them with grace and dignity. There was no crying in a corner or pitching a fit like a toddler.

Looking Forward
I'll be doing more of the marketing I did in 2016 and adding on a couple of new things. I'm only attending one event this year: RAI, but there will be no others. That was a difficult decision, but it's what's best for me at this time. I have a writing/planning retreat scheduled in June of this year with the other F5 ladies (helloooooo, beach!), and that's going to be IT. My office will get an overhaul so it's more conducive to writing, too. This year is allll about the words and the wellness. Even when I'm not writing in my special place, I'll be thinking about writing and putting ideas on paper. Many plots will be had, and many hours will be logged in my home gym.

So, if you want to see me or get autographs or pics, you'll have to be in Roanoke, VA in April. Period. I'm not even sure what will happen in 2019 at this point. We'll see.

2017 had me by the balls. I fought MS, my husband fought cancer (like a beast, I might add), we buried my father-in-law in September, my eldest son did a tour in Afghanistan, and my second eldest had a serious fight with depression. I questioned decisions I made, got burned by a couple of people I thought had my best interests at heart (like I did theirs), and made mistakes.

But there was good in there, too. I connected with my husband on a deeper level than ever before and jaunted all over Europe with him, I got some great road time with my best friend (who I'm positive was my twin in a previous life), I made some amazing new friends, laughed until I couldn't breathe, saw my granddaughter turn one, lost a crapton of weight and gained a new lease on life, and KILLED NaNoWriMo (like, crushed it, seriously).

2018 is going to be my best year yet. I can feel it. BRING IT ON! Let's do this thing. Thanks for sticking with me through that post. I know it was long.

Do you make plans like this? Share some!

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

Jo

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

Midlife Crisis or Just a Good Idea?

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm going to talk about something I've been pondering (I've been doing a lot of that, eh?). If you'd like to join in and discuss, feel free. If not, just sit back and enjoy the inner-turmoil of a nearly forty-(what?)year-old. Grab that coffee or tea, and let's get going!

As you all may know, I'm a freak about schedules. They give me order among the chaos that's life. Since about June of last year, my schedule has been all shot to hell. I blogged about a lot of it here because I needed a way to get it out/off my shoulders. Well, now, things are starting to calm down and come back to the way they should be.

So, I made a weekly schedule to accomplish some things I've been needing to do (write, business stuff with IBGW, grow a couple of my platforms, etc...) and hit it hard.

But I did something I hadn't planned for: I changed the way I eat and added an hour a day for exercise.

Yesterday, I started to think about why I did that, and I realized I'm only a week away from my fortieth birthday. Yep, that's right, I said forty. When it hit me, I had a moment of panic. There are still so many things I want to accomplish in my life. I have books out the wazoo that I want to read, write, and publish, too.

Because I have MS, this also dragged the question of how many years do I have left to do all those things? I know I don't feel like I thought a forty-year-old woman should feel. I still have the energy of a twenty-year-old cheerleader some days.

Could this be the beginning of the end, and how long will the end really take to greet me?

Thinking about that has me contemplating where I'm going with my life. Am I going to be content working on things for others forever, or do I want to dive into my work and keep breaking down conventional walls?

Was changing my eating habits just in time, or too late to make a real difference? Am I having a midlife crisis, or was all this just the sensible thing to do?

I'm a little frustrated. Like I said, there are still so many things I want to accomplish, and I feel like every tick of the clock is robbing me of another moment.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

There goes another minute of my life.

Of course, all this may be stemming from writing Utterances. I can't say a whole lot about the book right now, but I think you'll all love it when I'm done. I'm such a sucker for anything to do with the human condition and learning/surmising what makes people do the things they do and how life occurrences change the way we think.

I'm happy to say my schedule is working out fabulously though. Just look at the blog! What you can't see is that I have a clearer head, and I feel like a million bucks. Maybe it was just a good idea.

That brings me to my question of the day:
Do you ever examine your own humanity? What are your biggest goals and/or life questions? Is there anything BIG you want to accomplish before you shuffle off this mortal coil? Do you find it difficult to get a grasp on a schedule?

Talk about it!

Well, that's all for today, 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

Overhaul and New Topics

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, I did what I said I was going to. You now will find new topics on the Writing, Contract, Formatting and Other Tips part of my blog. There are two new sections to explore:

Blogging Tips and Blog Tours
Marketing Tips

I felt each needed their own page.

I also updated all the other pages with the links to various articles I've written over the last 12 months. There are a ton on the Writing Tips page. Woohoo! Viva la 2016!

Check them out and tell me what you think!

Are you looking forward to exploring all the new stuff happening around here?

Because I'm off writing, that's all you get here today. Be sure and check in Monday when I have my second news post of the year. Exciting times!

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

Jo

Blog Spotlight #1 - BookSmacked

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have my first Indie-friendly book blog of 2016 to share with you. Read on and ENJOY!

BLOG SPOTLIGHT:

BookSmacked

Hi, I'm Melissa, but most people call me Mel. I am from Canada and with my husband whom I married a year ago but have been with for 8 years. A huge hockey and football fan, I have tons of useless sports statistics stored in my brain. I'm a speed reader, often reading a full book in a matter of hours. If I really enjoy a book I will read it 4, 5, or a dozen times.

 

So my story of how BookSmacked became a reality. Pretty simple really. I love books, and when I read a book that I absolutely love, I wanted someone to talk to about it and share my excitement with. So, I joined an online book club. Through that book club I met some wonderful people, who I now call my friends, and some of those friends were bloggers. I discovered this online world of authors, readers, bloggers, and book pimpers and said I want to be a part of it.

 

So, I joined a street team to help promote indie authors, and from there I took it one step further and started BookSmacked. A blog that can be used for Readers, Authors, Bloggers, Pimpers to share their love of books.

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

Facebook Blog Twitter Instagram Pinterest GoodReads

I hope you all gave her blog a follow and checked out her links!

What do you think of this feature? Let me know in the comments.

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

Jo

Jo Michaels on the Indie Pub Podcast

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, I'm pointing you to a couple of things going on over on the Indie Pub Podcast. If you're ready, get your clicking fingers warm, and let's get going!

Over the last month, the IPP has put out interviews with several folks with topics ranging from:

Editing Process - with Kallie Ross

Publishing Options - with Chelsea Fine

Book Reviews - with Heather Hildenbrand

Facebook Marketing - with Rick Mulready

But today, they went live with my interview! If you've ever been stuck in a rut with your blog, wondering how to monetize it, or just need a fresh kick in the pants to get your blog going, you'll want to listen to this one!

Blogging - with Jo Michaels

We talk about how a blog can help expand your circle, where to get ideas, what to blog about, and why you should blog. Get on over there and grab a listen!

Did you learn anything? What was your favorite part?

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

Jo

Publishing Your Blog to Kindle

Good morning, and happy Monday, everyone! Yeah, it's the beginning of a whole new week, but that means more opportunities to do all the things writerly. Today, my post is for bloggers. You're gonna find out all kinds of neat stuff about Kindle you may not have known. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Welcome to Kindle Publishing for Blogs! Did any of you even know this feature existed? Well, you're about to get a crash course. Screenshots will accompany. If you want to see one live, here's my blog's page on Amazon.

Start by going here to the Kindle Publishing for Blogs homepage. Click on Create a New Account and follow the prompts to do so:

I'm gonna click sign in, and walk you through adding a blog. Click the button:

You'll be on a screen now that looks like this:

We're gonna set up your RSS feed. Go here if you're using Blogger and copy the second string. This one:

Replace the words blogname with your blog's name, and copy it again. Paste it into the form on Kindle Publishing for Blogs here:

Validate, please.

Now, fill out the next four boxes:

You need a screenshot of your blog, and you can get it by using the snipping tool. Be sure it's under 1MB in size (there is no dimension restriction). Save it as a JPEG or GIF. Upload it.

If you don't have your blog's banner, you can use the snipping tool in Windows to capture it, too. Be sure it's only 50px high by 430px wide and no more than 1MB in size. Save it as a JPEG or GIF. Upload it.

Next, enter your blog's web address, select a language, pick the categories you fit into, fill out your keywords, and select your posting frequency:

You're all done and ready to publish your blog to Kindle! Click zee button! You should be live within 48 hours. Be sure and fill out your account information so you can get paid when people subscribe.

Did you know this option was out there? Will you use it?

Come on back tomorrow for more on the Amazon Author Central page and what you can do there.

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

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 - Getting Books and Writing Reviews

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, we're gonna discuss how you write your reviews on the blog you've been creating, and where to get books. You should already have your rating system in place, as well as a review policy, and you may already have a few titles in hand (because of that last post and the weekend you had to nurse your social media connections. Anyway, grab your pen and notebook and let's get to it!

Here are the past posts and what's coming

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

First off, go out to your social media outlets and put out an APB for some books that need reviews (I can promise, you'll very quickly become overwhelmed). Then, make a reading list. Write down the titles in the order you plan to read them.

Start with the first one, and get it read from front to back. Make notes on things as you go along (if you wish to do so). And, you're ready to write your very first review (don't publish it yet, wait until Friday's post for that).

So, read book in hand, or close by, sit down and think about all the things you liked.

Consider:

• characters
• plot
• pacing
• grammar and punctuation
• inconsistencies
• tone
• writing style
• even point of view (if you want)
• anything else related to the story
• cover image and typography (if you so choose)

Write it down.

Now think about all those things you didn't like using the same guide as above.

Write it down.

Somewhere in your review (IF YOU GOT THE BOOK FREE), you need to add a disclaimer that you were sent a copy of the book for free, and who it came from, in exchange for an honest review.

Like so: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Or: Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Go on to talk about how the book made you feel, what you thought, and whether you'd recommend it to someone else. There's no need to restate the plot or summarize the book in your review, people will see that on the book's page on the sell site, or (if you summarize the book before your review), they'll see it on your blog.

Don't post spoilers (telling people how the book turns out or ends). IF you do, be sure and put at the BEGINNING of your review: ****SPOILER ALERT**** That way, those who have a serious interest in reading the book won't read your review. You can probably see how that could be an issue (you want your reviews to be read).

Yeah, it's gonna take some practice to fall into your groove, but I know, once you do, you'll grow to love writing reviews more every day.

So get going and hold on to that review post until Friday, when I'll discuss money and posting your reviews to the relevant sites.

Any of you old hats wish to add some advice here? You're more than welcome!

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

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Structuring a Rating System

Happy Thursday, everyone! Yay! We're over the hump and moving forward with my series on becoming a book blogger. Today's topic is structuring your rating system, and I'm going over your 1-5 "stars" and perhaps a total bomb idea. Stay with me! Grab those 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
• Structuring Your Rating System (you're there now)
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

Ratings are the number of stars you give a book. They can range from 1-5 on most book selling sites. But we're talking about your blog! You can give a book zero stars if you so choose.

What's important here is to decide what the ratings mean for you. If you give a book a rating of 1, does that mean it was a total stinker; or does that mean it wasn't so bad you wanted to burn it or couldn't get through it, but wasn't good enough that you itch to read it again?

Once again, we'll use my go-to, The Chicken Coop, as an example.

1 Egg means = It wasn't for me
2 Eggs mean = It had a couple of redeeming qualities, but fell flat on all others
3 Eggs mean = There was something about it I didn't like and something I did
4 Eggs mean = I enjoyed it immensely
5 Eggs mean = Author gets a parade and confetti the book was so good
Big, Fat, ROTTEN Egg means = It stinks

Of course, how you rate is up to you, and you'll find the number of stars mean different things on different sites. You'll also probably find yourself on the fence between two ratings sometimes. So, if you used the egg rating system, be sure you mention how many you gave and what that means when copying over your review.

Also, put your rating system somewhere easy to see on your blog (perhaps in the banner across the top?) so folks know right away what they're reading about when they see your eggs.

Plus, you can have cute icons like these for your ratings (note the requisite half an egg):

Be sure you're consistent when using your icons. Your brand matters!

What have you come up with? Share! I'd love to see your works in progress as we go along here.

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

A Milestone on the Blog

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Wow. I looked at the number of posts I've written here on the blog today and noticed I breezed past six hundred last week. Today, I'll share with you some of the stats for the Jo Michaels blog. This'll be fun; so, strap in and let's get going!

As you all may know, I also have a blog over on Tumblr. It has the same content this one does, but I have different followers over there. Those folks like their information presented differently, so they choose to go that route. I'll share numbers from that blog, too!

This blog has:

• 136 followers
• 70 e-mail subscribers (of which 50 are verified and regularly click through to the posts)
• 606 posts
• Approximately 334,000 words (606 x 550)
• 155,887 page views all time
• An average of 213 page views per day (last 30 days was 6,394) and that number goes bananas around Christmas (and fluctuates down during the summer)
• A categorized link list with 180 helpful, how-to posts on writing (and the business of self-publishing)

My most popular post? Human Nature: Situation Reaction with 2,036 views

My Tumblr blog has:

• 178 followers
• 500 posts
• and no way to get stats on anything else

My most popular post? He Said, She Said, Who Said What? It's been shared so many times I've lost track.

I've been blogging since 2012, and I hope I've build a reputation as a go-to for writers and readers of great fiction.

But, you know what? It's not me who makes this blog worthwhile; it's all you readers of my ramblings who pop by here and say hello or just take in what I have to say that make the difference.

Thanks for being awesome and joining me on my crazy journey through Bloggerland. And, if you've taken a chance on my books, thank you, too. Readers are an author's lifeblood, and I have some of the most amazing fans on the planet.

YOU GUYS ROCK!

I'm blown away by the support.

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

Jo