Jackie Rod, author of Georgia Stories On My Mind, is visiting us while on her Wow! Women On Writing tour. Please give her a huge welcome. Choices is especially pleased Jackie has shared her experience and expertise in marketing on social media. I know I very much need that kind of advice in marketing my own books. Here's Jackie. Marketing on Social Media by Jackie Rod Every writer needs an online presence, a platform. Having an online presence provides opportunities to engage directly with readers. Be consistent with your posts on social media. When you post regularly, your readers can see and engage with you. Post at different times of the day to increase the number of viewers who will see your message. Comment on the posts you are tagged in. It could be a simple thank you. When you make readers feel appreciated, they will likely become social media friends. You are building relationships with others online across miles, building a tribe. Your tribe can help … [Read more...]
Two newly published poems
I've had several poems published over the last couple of months. I wrote the first in response to one of Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides Wednesday prompts. I think it's the first one of his I ever responded to. The prompt asked us to: "...write a box poem. This poem is either about a box or includes a box somewhere in the poem (or title). Don't be afraid to poem outside the box this week (sorry, I had to say it)." Thank you Editor Ted Badger for including my poem in your Lucidity Poetry Journal International (a venue for understandable verse). Things in Boxes He left a black canvas box filled with his music recordings next to his bed, the cassette tapes neatly packed in order of performance. And on his closet shelf we found a cardboard box filled with little games, cars, toys, 1984 Olympic souvenirs, and Russian buttons and buckles his uncle brought back for him. He fit these favorite things together like an intricate puzzle, before he left his body for … [Read more...]
Another rant – this must be my rant week
So I'm frustrated. I am in the running for a prize at the My Gutsy Story contest site. Up until yesterday another contender and I kept taking the lead back and forth, but now I'm seven votes behind. I've sent out two group emails, posted the contest info all over the place on Facebook, tweeted about it, other folks have tweeted about it, and just today created an event to ask people to over there to vote. And out of all that I have forty-five votes. I need seven right now just to tie the first place guy. And I would think that wouldn't be so hard to do. Don't people respond to requests like this anymore? Is this going to make me lose some of my FB friends and make me seem like a pest? It really isn't pesty, I don't think. Just a simple request: Click on a link, look on the right sidebar, find the Polling place, and click on my name. Should be a piece of cake. I can't even get my family to do it. So now I'm at a loss as to how to draw folks in and to click where I've … [Read more...]
Birthday post mortem or how I’m moving forward
Just about a year ago on Mother's Day and near my last birthday I achieved a huge goal. My memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, A Mother's Memoir of Living with her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide, was published. In it I tell the steps I took in living with the loss of my son. First and foremost I chose to live and take care of myself as a woman, wife, mother, writer. In hopes that my story will inspire others to find ways to survive their own tragic experiences, I've devoted most of this last year marketing my book. I have become increasingly more engaged in social networking, through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, I had a blog tour through Women on Writing (WOW), radio interviews, and many speaking and book signing engagements. I've also embarked on a whole new writing career writing for the Huffington Post That's Fit and Healthy Living columns, the Naturally Savvy website as its over sixty expert, PsychAlive, a website that focuses on suicide … [Read more...]
Challenges and writing work update
Yesterday and today's assignments for the April platform challenge were to accomplish things I had already done build a Facebook profile and give myself a Twitter name. I also have a Facebook author page. So I was ahead of the game there. However, Robert Lee Brewer is always very generous with his helpful hints. I'll give you the links to Day 3 and Day 4 here and you can visit both sites if you're interested in learning more. I feel that I know very little about how to use Twitter so I can use all the help I can get. I have, however, heard that Re-Tweets are golden. I had two yesterday that got to thousands of followers. I guess I'm doing something right. I'm also keeping up with my goal of writing 1000 words on my novel a week, and I'm now writing a poem a day for Robert Lee Brewer's other April challenge. The prompts are always interesting. Today's was: take the phrase 100% (blank), replace the blank with a word, make that the title of your poem, and then write a poem. So far … [Read more...]
Social network and novel work updates
Social Network Update I've now joined BranchOut and Pinterest as if I needed more social network connections than I already have, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads. I really don't know what BranchOut is all about and Pinterest is even more of a riddle. A recent pin on my Pinterest for the home board According to their websites: BranchOut makes it easy to search for jobs and see inside connections in your network. Our quick tour will help you discover BranchOut's powerful features. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. I haven't really worked with BranchOut yet because I haven't been actively looking for a job but of course one never … [Read more...]
Is my marketing program beginning to pay off?
So, it looks like there's been a little movement in my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, Amazon sales ranking this week. It went down from as high as in the one millions to the 700,000s earlier this week, and back up to the one millions again and down to the 300,000s today. Does that mean two books have sold? I have no clue what those numbers mean. But hopefully all that has been going on in the last few weeks has spurred some sales: my talk at the American Association of University Women in mid November, Marla Miller (Marketing the Muse) highlighting my platform earlier this week and posting my July 19, 2010 blog piece about my journey to getting published yesterday, my showcase on The Hamilton Gallery with links to Amazon for book purchases, and another five-star review up on Amazon yesterday. It's really been a yeasty time. Plus I've had more and more Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter connections, and I look forward to a piece about my work and book in a future issue of the … [Read more...]
November sunset
As the sun sets on November I'll share a wonderful sunset photo my husband took from the end of the Manhattan Beach pier and a twitter-length poem for autumn. Autumn Isolation I like that as the trees rustle outside, stripping in the sunlight, I can't hear their sway I can't hear their song. [Published on Twitter and at unFold Magazine on September 21, 2011] … [Read more...]
String Bridge by Jessica Bell – a sneak peek
Tomorrow I'll be interviewing Jessica Bell about her debut novel, String Bridge, and I'll post my review of it. But I wanted to give you a sneak peek today because I am so in awe of this author. Not only is she a marvelous writer and poet - I also reviewed her poetry book, Twisted Velvet Chain, a few months ago, but so astute at marketing. Her goal was to be number one on Amazon on November 11, and she got pretty darn close. She asked all her friends and writing colleagues to post information about String Bridge on their blogs that day and also got them to post a link to Amazon from their Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook accounts, inundating everyone - in my mind a totally brilliant move. She also created a twenty-day blog tour that started on November 1, the day Lucky Press (my publisher too) released her book. Many, many people were very happy to participate - including me. You can bet that I've learned a huge lesson from Jessica. I already knew it takes a lot of work to … [Read more...]
Midweek Work Progress Report
This week has been very productive. I've sent off my second piece for the PsychAlive website, and I got word from the editor that it's ready to go live. The piece is called Comforting Those Who Grieve. I'm still awaiting word from my Savvy Over 60 editor about when my November piece for them will be up. I also started working on a piece for a new blog I'm interested in called, Heartache to Healing, founded by grief coach, author, and speaker, JoAnne Funch. Hopefully, the piece will be good enough that I'll be allowed to contribute there once in a while as well. And I started working on my speech that I'm scheduled to make on November 19 for our local chapter of the American Association of University Women. It was suggested I talk about the mental health and suicide prevention services available in our area. I'll do that and expand the speech to tell my story of healing after my son's suicide that I describe in my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On. And surprise, surprise, I … [Read more...]
Published Twitter-length poems
I was so busy during the month of June with the WOW blog tour, I didn't get a chance to post my two Twitter length poems that "unFold" magazine published. Here they are: Riding the Waves [June 13, 2011] Hummingbirds are skinny-dipping in my garden pool, bouncing off the fountain, surfing the surrounding leaves. Since He Left His Toothbrush [June 15, 2011] He recited Byron's words yet we'll go no more a roving by the light of the moon as a final fare thee well, but she knew he'd be back. To read more of these fun and challenging 140-character or less poems go to: http://unfoldmag.wordpress.com/ And I'm happy to say, "unFold" will publish one more of my new short poems in the Fall. … [Read more...]
Learning to compartmentalize
Someone on Twitter recently asked me what the hardest thing I had to do while writing my memoir. And I responded keeping the tears from smearing the words on the page. Then, I had to concentrate on the writing and now on the marketing, leaving any emotions I have about Paul's death outside the scope of my work. So, I have become a master of compartmentalization. Now besides being a mother whose son died by suicide, I'm a survivor. I'm a strong woman. I'm an advocate for erasing the stigma of mental illness, of putting a face on suicide, of telling my story so others can know it's possible to heal after the death of a child. Next Tuesday I have another radio interview where I'll be asked to discuss Paul's and my story how can I get through that on the radio? The other parts of the interview won't be as hard. But going through what we went through especially during his years with bipolar disorder will be gut wrenching. I hope I won't fall apart. And next Saturday I'll be … [Read more...]
