Hello, good people of the blogosphere! I bet you're all wondering what the heck is up with my signature tagline of WRITE ON! huh? It's time I set a few things straight. Join me for some laughs, epitaphs, and just good plain fun!
When I comment on other people's blogs, I leave my tagline of WRITE ON! rather than signing it Jo. Why? Well, the words mean so much more than keep writing. Because write and right are homophones (two words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings - check out this post for some common ones) I use that to my advantage.
In some cases, I mean RIGHT ON! In others, I mean WRITE ON! But why not just use one and let it be the representation of both as well as serving as a tagline? I'm sure you don't need to see my name to know a comment is from me because it's always ended the same way. If you see an anonymous comment elsewhere and it has the tagline, you know it's me without needing to dig further. Even if you miss my name at the bottom of my post, you know it's mine because I tell you to write on.
We are authors - or bloggers. We write. But sometimes, I agree with what you're saying on your blog and I'm trying to give you twofold encouragement with one simple phrase. When I agree, you're right, but I want you to write more tomorrow. Give me more. So, it serves as both an agreement and a call to action.
If you've been to my website, follow me on Twitter, or have checked out my Facebook page, you'll see I use the word write in the titles of all: writejomichaels.com, @WriteJoMichaels, facebook.com/writejomichaels. I do this so when you find me, you know it's the right Jo Michaels AND that I'm a writer.
Now that's branding for ya.
Think about it. How can you brand yourself?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Why Indies ROCK Blog Tour
Why I ROCK as an Indie author:
I give back. When I'm invited to an event for another Indie, I participate and push their books as hard as I push my own. I do a blog party now and then in celebration of great Indie authors. When asked to participate in a giveaway or other such thing, I always donate something to the cause to add value to their promotion. When I win a book via a giveaway, I do my best to read it and leave a review. After all, we want to expand our readership and gain a few fans and reviews by doing a giveaway, right?
When I saw this tour, I couldn't pass it up. It gives me a chance to name other awesome Indie authors and help out. I'm going to do my utmost not to include those on the tour (though I know many of them and they, too, ROCK) so you can get a broader spectrum.
I've also written seven books so far this year and have an eighth scheduled for release on 12/21/12. It's the third book in my Mystic series and is titled Shelia. Here's the cover and synopsis for you all.
After a horrible accident takes the lives of her parents, Shelia Morgan is placed in the care of her Aunt Ivy and Uncle Melvin. For six years they work her like a slave. On her twelfth birthday, Uncle Melvin makes Shelia an offer that will destroy her life.
When she turns 19, the ugly truth about her past comes out during a therapy session, Uncle Melvin is arrested, and she's placed in the sights of everyone in town. Hurling insults, objects, and threats, the townspeople side with her uncle and call Shelia a liar. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her freedom in one day. When a girl named Markaza shows up and tells Shelia she's part of a group of young women destined to save the world, Shelia begins to dream of a new life and true freedom from her personal demons.
She tells the jury her story and boards a plane destined for New York and her new life. Once there, she meets Bronya and Lily: Two other young women with special powers they must learn to harness in order to fight an evil that will rise on December 21, 2012, and destroy the world.
Markaza boards a plane to Atlanta to save the life of a young lady named Melody before her mind destroys her from the inside out. As Markaza fights for Melody's life, Shelia, Lily, and Bronya throw themselves into their studies and learn that even power from within can get out of control.
You can pick up a copy of Bronya or Lily over on Amazon.
Now, before I answer the next question, enjoy a video!
On to the next prompt!
Other Indie authors that ROCK:
Tia Silverthorne Bach - You may remember her from my blog party (if you happened by) or you may have been over to her blog Depression Cookies and had a read. She rocks because she gives back to the Indie community however she can, is an active participant over on She Writes, and went through quite an ordeal to get her book published but never gave up.
Heather Topham Wood - Heather has never been a guest on my blog (I'm hoping one day she will be) but I see her help other Indies out by tweeting their books, giving reviews, and providing useful information about promotions she's done to get her books out there. Heather's Book Chatter is a blog I follow to find new Indie reads and she does a great job of giving us a boost.
Crystal Lee - I met Crystal via comments on another blog and we discovered we had a lot in common. It was a fast friendship from there. We trade editing services and promotional activities in an effort to help one another out. She's a great indie author and has written unique books I love to edit (because I get to read them, duh!). Check her out over on her blog Crystal Lee Author and tell her I said, "Hiya!"
Janiera Eldridge - I know I promised to try not to include anyone on this tour on my list, but Janiera is the exception to the rule, people. She rocks because she's always around to give a helping hand with a promotion for someone else or just a quick re-tweet or share telling folks how wonderful the book is and urging them to check it out. She also writes reviews when she wins a book and that's HUGE in my eyes.
Before I move to the third and last prompt, have a lookie at our schedule!
Screw you, negative people!
For all you naysayers who think Indies are uneducated wannabes, I'll have you know the vast majority of us are very intelligent. A whole bunch of us take care when writing our books and preparing them for public consumption. So you stumbled across one book that was poorly written? Don't give up on us as a whole! We write because we're storytellers with something to say. If you don't like us, keep it to yourself, please, and don't read our books! We're sick of hearing your mouth run with, "Blah, blah, blah!" We've heard it before. You're neither having an epiphany nor communicating profound intelligence to the world at large. However, if making yourself look bad is your game, go for it. We don't hear you! *sticks fingers in ears*
Take a moment and click the Thanksgiving MEGA Giveaway button over on the right-hand side there and enter the rafflecopter giveaway. We have some great prizes!
I do hope you all make a stop on the next blog on our tour tomorrow and enjoy the insights of Ms. Tammy-Louise Wilkins!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
FTC Guide to Endorsements
Hello, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about something you may or may not know: FTC Guidelines when posting an endorsement or testimonial.
Did you know:
When you give someone a review, these guidelines say you're supposed to fully disclose your relationship and method of procurement of the product in question clearly?
Neither did I. Not until I was on Goodreads and checked out the link to the FTC guidelines.
If you were given a free copy of a book in exchange for a review, you're supposed to state that in your endorsement/testimonial.
I didn't see anything on the site that said you had to disclose that information when slamming something with a bad review, but I think it should be common courtesy either way.
This raises the following:
How many authors give their books to readers in exchange for a review and have had the review come back with negative tones, a bad rating, or anything else that's critical and not say where they got the reviewed material? Wouldn't it be safer to simply purchase the books and have it be a verified purchase review? Or to gift them?
I don't have an answer. Just food for thought today. If you're a reviewer, you might consider adding whether or not you were paid for the review in your copy.
Today's questions:
Did you know these guidelines existed? Have you ever paid for a review? Did your reviewer mention they were paid?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Did you know:
When you give someone a review, these guidelines say you're supposed to fully disclose your relationship and method of procurement of the product in question clearly?
Neither did I. Not until I was on Goodreads and checked out the link to the FTC guidelines.
If you were given a free copy of a book in exchange for a review, you're supposed to state that in your endorsement/testimonial.
I didn't see anything on the site that said you had to disclose that information when slamming something with a bad review, but I think it should be common courtesy either way.
This raises the following:
How many authors give their books to readers in exchange for a review and have had the review come back with negative tones, a bad rating, or anything else that's critical and not say where they got the reviewed material? Wouldn't it be safer to simply purchase the books and have it be a verified purchase review? Or to gift them?
I don't have an answer. Just food for thought today. If you're a reviewer, you might consider adding whether or not you were paid for the review in your copy.
Today's questions:
Did you know these guidelines existed? Have you ever paid for a review? Did your reviewer mention they were paid?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thanksgiving MEGA Giveaway
It was also put together to give back to readers and try to give as many people as possible some reading material for the holidays! There tons of ways to enter so everyone has a good chance of winning something. :)
A huge thank you to the authors who donated their awesome books & swag and to the bloggers who also hosted and donated material!
Here are some simple rules to remember when entering.
- paperback and swag will be mailed to the U.S. only
- ecopies are international
- You get to pick your prize if you're one of the winners of the contest!! You will only have 24 hours to pick your prize and return your choice in an email or another winner will be chosen.
Good luck to everyone and enjoy the holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveawayWell, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Monday, November 5, 2012
Godaddy Promo Codes
Good morning, people of the blogosphere! You've heard me talk about getting a yourname.com if you're an author and today I'm going to talk about one of the places you can register, Godaddy.com, and some of the awesome promo codes available to you. So, buckle in and let's get going!
NaNoWriMo is upon us in its fifth day (oh my) and many of you will be producing your first novel. When I created my posts examining your web presence, I talked about the reason you need a website and how it should look similar to the other items in your online arsenal of presence. You might want to consider a website to promote that awesome novel you just wrote.
Godaddy is one of the places you can register a .com, .org, etc... There are promo codes you can use to save money on your domain registration. Promo codes = less cash out of your pocket to grow your online presence and get more attention.
As you can see from the promo codes listed below, you can register yourname.com for $7.99. That's a pretty good deal. Registering my own domain cost me $14.95 per year.
Anyway, I urge you to check out these promo codes and get to registering yourname.com. This is actually a pretty good deal. You can use the links below to navigate.
Godaddy.com promo codes:
Register .Com domains for 7.99$
Save 10% off your order-no minumum-
Save 20% off hosting orders
Save 5$ off your order 30$ or more
Save 10$ off your order 50$ or more
Save 15% off your order 75$ or more
Web Hosting from just $1.99 per month for 3 months! Plus, GoDaddy now offers unlimited bandwidth on all hosting plans!
These codes are valid every time. For more codes check http://www.domainpromocodes.com/coupons/godaddy/
If you're already a proud Godaddy member, you can use these codes to renew:
Godaddy .Com domain renewal promo code
Godaddy .Net renewal promo code
Godaddy .Co renewal promo code
You can also find Godaddy on Facebook and Twitter @godaddy
This is a sponsored post. All opinions remain mine. If you want to know more about following FTC guidelines when promoting a product or service, come on back Wednesday. I've found some useful information for you.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
NaNoWriMo is upon us in its fifth day (oh my) and many of you will be producing your first novel. When I created my posts examining your web presence, I talked about the reason you need a website and how it should look similar to the other items in your online arsenal of presence. You might want to consider a website to promote that awesome novel you just wrote.
Godaddy is one of the places you can register a .com, .org, etc... There are promo codes you can use to save money on your domain registration. Promo codes = less cash out of your pocket to grow your online presence and get more attention.
As you can see from the promo codes listed below, you can register yourname.com for $7.99. That's a pretty good deal. Registering my own domain cost me $14.95 per year.
Anyway, I urge you to check out these promo codes and get to registering yourname.com. This is actually a pretty good deal. You can use the links below to navigate.
Godaddy.com promo codes:
Register .Com domains for 7.99$
Save 10% off your order-no minumum-
Save 20% off hosting orders
Save 5$ off your order 30$ or more
Save 10$ off your order 50$ or more
Save 15% off your order 75$ or more
Web Hosting from just $1.99 per month for 3 months! Plus, GoDaddy now offers unlimited bandwidth on all hosting plans!
These codes are valid every time. For more codes check http://www.domainpromocodes.com/coupons/godaddy/
If you're already a proud Godaddy member, you can use these codes to renew:
Godaddy .Com domain renewal promo code
Godaddy .Net renewal promo code
Godaddy .Co renewal promo code
You can also find Godaddy on Facebook and Twitter @godaddy
This is a sponsored post. All opinions remain mine. If you want to know more about following FTC guidelines when promoting a product or service, come on back Wednesday. I've found some useful information for you.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Friday, November 2, 2012
Ain't no Slang 'Round Here!
Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere!! Today I'm doing a fun post that gives definitions for common slang terms used by writers. I hope you enjoy it!
Pantser - To fly by the seat of one's pants when writing; not using an outline.
NaNoWriMo - A month of insanity where writers try to write as many words as possible; a novel in a month (the ultimate goal is 50k).
WIP - An acronym representing a writer's Work in Progress; a book that's in the process of being written.
FB - An acronym meaning Facebook; where writers spend too much time socializing and not enough time working on their WIP.
Concrit - When one reads a work and gives feedback; constructive criticism.
Flame - A bad review.
IC - Acronym for a writer who is In Character; frequently used for those who step into their character's shoes while writing in order to gain a better understanding.
OC - An acronym for the words Original Character; the original protagonist in a novel.
Pairing - Romantically connecting two characters; a love affair.
Sp? - Spelling assistance needed.
Toolbox - A list of things a writer needs to make it through a writing day, block, or launch.
SM - An acronym for Social Media.
TBR - Can be used for To Be Released or To Be Read; concerning books.
TBD - An acronym meaning To Be Determined; generally concerning release dates.
R&R - Read and Review.
Beta-reader - A person who tears a writer's plot apart, looking for holes; sometimes responsible for Flame.
Fanfic - Fiction based off a popular novel, generally not released as a book but posted in forums for fans.
Fluff - Filler often placed to up word count; commonly descriptions of worlds, clothing, or appearance.
Motor Oil - Coffee or other preferred drink to keep a writer awake and writing.
I hope you all got a kick out of this post.
Question of the day: How many of those did you know? Got any to add?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Pantser - To fly by the seat of one's pants when writing; not using an outline.
NaNoWriMo - A month of insanity where writers try to write as many words as possible; a novel in a month (the ultimate goal is 50k).
WIP - An acronym representing a writer's Work in Progress; a book that's in the process of being written.
FB - An acronym meaning Facebook; where writers spend too much time socializing and not enough time working on their WIP.
Concrit - When one reads a work and gives feedback; constructive criticism.
Flame - A bad review.
IC - Acronym for a writer who is In Character; frequently used for those who step into their character's shoes while writing in order to gain a better understanding.
OC - An acronym for the words Original Character; the original protagonist in a novel.
Pairing - Romantically connecting two characters; a love affair.
Sp? - Spelling assistance needed.
Toolbox - A list of things a writer needs to make it through a writing day, block, or launch.
SM - An acronym for Social Media.
TBR - Can be used for To Be Released or To Be Read; concerning books.
TBD - An acronym meaning To Be Determined; generally concerning release dates.
R&R - Read and Review.
Beta-reader - A person who tears a writer's plot apart, looking for holes; sometimes responsible for Flame.
Fanfic - Fiction based off a popular novel, generally not released as a book but posted in forums for fans.
Fluff - Filler often placed to up word count; commonly descriptions of worlds, clothing, or appearance.
Motor Oil - Coffee or other preferred drink to keep a writer awake and writing.
I hope you all got a kick out of this post.
Question of the day: How many of those did you know? Got any to add?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Static vs Dynamic
Happy day, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'd like to talk with you all about phenomenons called static elements and dynamic elements. Remember last week on lOOk at YoUr xXx when I talked about websites? This is the answer I promised you. Grab that pen and notebook you keep handy when you visit 'round here and let's get going, shall we?
Static elements are elements that don't change on your blog or website no matter what page you're on. Elements like navigation bars, background images, or indicator icons.
Why don't those elements change? Because if your navigation links jump all over the screen, it'll cause your reader a headache trying to keep up with where they are on your site and how they should return to the page they were on five clicks ago. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) your visitor every time. You have less than ten seconds to hook the average web surfer, make the most of it. Don't lose them after you catch their attention.
You want them to stay and browse around a bit, right?
Dynamic elements are those that do change page to page. These elements would be things like images, text, information, or navigation relevant to the topic.
Why do these elements change? Because each page of your website should desire to impart different information to your visitor.
For example:
I click on your button about your upcoming releases from your home page. The home page button, new release button, contact me button, buy my books button, and/or bio button don't move so I can visit a new page without back-browsing or hunting down the menu because it jumped to the bottom of the screen from the top. These are static elements.
On the bottom of your upcoming releases page, you may have a menu that appears for just that set of information. Book A, Book B, Book C, etc... These are dynamic elements. They won't appear on any other page but the ones nested under upcoming releases. They should, however, appear at the bottom of every page that talks about an upcoming release.
Each page within upcoming releases will have content. Either a blurb about the book, a release date, or a cover image. Dynamic elements.
Your background should be a static element. Don't have me looking at bunnies on the homepage and an axe murderer on the upcoming releases page. I'll probably leave thinking you're a schitzo and not buy your book.
Last, but not least, have a theme. If you write romance novels, your website should reflect that. I should get a sense of romance when I visit. If you write horror, be scary. If you write children's books, be fun and whimsical. You see my theme, it's just a balance of colors that don't instill fear. I write fiction: Historical, fantasy, paranormal, middle grade. If you visit my website, it looks like my blog. You know you've found the Write Jo Michaels.
Look here for theme examples: THEME EXAMPLES
I hope this helps some. Question of the day: Have you ever designed a website or blog? Have you found these elements giving you a headache?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Static elements are elements that don't change on your blog or website no matter what page you're on. Elements like navigation bars, background images, or indicator icons.
Why don't those elements change? Because if your navigation links jump all over the screen, it'll cause your reader a headache trying to keep up with where they are on your site and how they should return to the page they were on five clicks ago. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) your visitor every time. You have less than ten seconds to hook the average web surfer, make the most of it. Don't lose them after you catch their attention.
You want them to stay and browse around a bit, right?
Dynamic elements are those that do change page to page. These elements would be things like images, text, information, or navigation relevant to the topic.
Why do these elements change? Because each page of your website should desire to impart different information to your visitor.
For example:
I click on your button about your upcoming releases from your home page. The home page button, new release button, contact me button, buy my books button, and/or bio button don't move so I can visit a new page without back-browsing or hunting down the menu because it jumped to the bottom of the screen from the top. These are static elements.
On the bottom of your upcoming releases page, you may have a menu that appears for just that set of information. Book A, Book B, Book C, etc... These are dynamic elements. They won't appear on any other page but the ones nested under upcoming releases. They should, however, appear at the bottom of every page that talks about an upcoming release.
Each page within upcoming releases will have content. Either a blurb about the book, a release date, or a cover image. Dynamic elements.
Your background should be a static element. Don't have me looking at bunnies on the homepage and an axe murderer on the upcoming releases page. I'll probably leave thinking you're a schitzo and not buy your book.
Last, but not least, have a theme. If you write romance novels, your website should reflect that. I should get a sense of romance when I visit. If you write horror, be scary. If you write children's books, be fun and whimsical. You see my theme, it's just a balance of colors that don't instill fear. I write fiction: Historical, fantasy, paranormal, middle grade. If you visit my website, it looks like my blog. You know you've found the Write Jo Michaels.
Look here for theme examples: THEME EXAMPLES
I hope this helps some. Question of the day: Have you ever designed a website or blog? Have you found these elements giving you a headache?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
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