A Great Week at the Summer Writing Institute

This is a short video of photos taken by Nancy A. Shobe at the inaugural Summer Writing Institute at Antioch University in Santa Barbara. Thank you, Nancy!

Social Media for Fiction Writers

My latest Authorlink.com column discusses specific social media techniques for fiction writers. Check it out:

http://www.authorlink.com/articles/item/1012

Fifty Shades of Grey - God Save Us From Men Like This

My book club, mostly women with kids in high school and college, picked Fifty Shades of Grey for this month’s book. It was with a wink and a nudge, based on the titillating reviews we’d heard about this “instant” soft-porn international bestseller. I read it, and I have to say it is the most disturbing book I’ve read in a long time.

Much has been said about its lack of literary quality, and I agree the writing is mediocre at best. What I found unsettling, though, is author E. L. James’ unveiling of a manipulation, the slow descent of a young, but insecure, woman into an abusive relationship.

When the book opens, we encounter Anastasia Steele, a soon-to-be-college-graduate who is conscripted to interview the CEO of Grey Enterprises because her college roommate, the editor of the campus newspaper, gets sick on the eve of the interview. Of course there is instant attraction between Miss Steele and the accomplished Mr. Grey, who, despite his enormous success, is only a few years older than she.

He pursues her, but has something in mind outside of what most of us would consider a “normal” relationship. He wants to abuse her, take her into his Red Room of Pain and do all kinds of unspeakable things to her. He proposes this as a business arrangement. She would sign a contract. He would become the “dominant” and she would be the “submissive.” He tells her she would have control to the extent that she can declare certain acts “hard” or “soft” stops, like red and yellow lights.

Already this is a set-up of such bizarre circumstances that I wondered how the author would pull this off. But despite the awful prose, she manages to evoke the slow seduction, the infinitesimal movement toward complete psychological manipulation that occurs when a twisted man makes a women believe he is doing it all for her.

When Grey first proposes the “contract” that will give him permission to abuse her, she thinks, naturally, “No way!”

He tells her part of the deal, under the contract, is he will never sleep with her through the night, she is forbidden to look him in the eyes, and she can’t touch him. Then he sleeps with her, twice. Lets her touch him. Leads her to believe that she is more to him than his previous “submissives,” whom he freely acknowledges.

James does a skillful job of showing this young woman’s descent into delusion, believing Mr. Grey’s seductive web of lies, despite all evidence to the contrary.

That Anastasia seems to know this on some level, that she questions herself while still falling under his influence and ultimately agrees to his degradations, is depressing and revolting. Why would a young woman do those things? That is the overarching question, and there is no adequate answer in Fifty Shades. Too many women find themselves in abusive relationships because they believe a man can give them something they can't give themselves, that he can somehow fill a need she can’t seem to fill on her own.

“Saturday Night Live” did a very funny skit about the book, implying that women the world over were reading the book for its (actually, limited) sex scenes. But Fifty Shades of Grey is more stomach-turning than titillating. As the mother of a 20-year-old young woman, I worry about the message she and others will take away from the cultural response to this book. It’s hard enough for young women to navigate the roiling waters of romantic relationships, let alone having to wonder if being sexually active might include acceptance of physical abuse.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a twisted tale of seduction, wherein a smart young woman confuses Grey’s sadistic yearnings for some semblance of love. It’s all wrong. And, sadly, a story that probably would be familiar to legions of abused women.

Wish I could get my money back.

Social Media Matters

In January, I wrote a blog post offering twelve steps toward building a platform in 2012, and promised to write a specific blog about each step throughout the year. Today, I want to focus on why writers should embrace social media. There are two important reasons : first, it builds a fan (or customer) base and, second, it allows you to interact with readers, which also strengthens your customer base.

Engaging in social media need not take a lot of time. If you plan carefully, you can execute a strong social media strategy in less than 90 minutes a day. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn might seem the most obvious social networks to begin with, but there are a number of writing and book sites that could provide as much or more exposure if you plan accordingly.

If you write fiction or nonfiction books, I recommend you have both Facebook and Twitter accounts, and use them to provide “news you can use” type updates and tweets. The rule is everything you post should provide some kind of value, so endless postings asking people to buy your book is a no-no. In fact, it’s likely to lose you more followers than you gain.

It’s okay to promote your book or some other service occasionally, but you’re better off providing useful information and a link that drives readers back to your own website where you offer your books for sale. The softer sell is always preferred. A good rule of thumb is 10 percent promotion/90 percent information.

But I also like to post helpful writing and publishing information on sites like www.shewrites.com, www.redroom.com, www.fictionaut.com, www.goodreads.com and www.waenetwork.com (Writers, Agents & Editors) to help drive traffic back to my website. Comment on others’ posts and comments, and always provide a link back to your own site.

I usually spend about 30 minutes in the morning looking through Twitter posts and re-tweeting those I think will be helpful to writers. I also look through all my e-newsletters to see if there is industry news or information I can post to my Writing & Publishing group on Facebook (you can join here). I do the same at mid-day and again in the late afternoon or evening. I don’t always have time to do this, but I make it an intention every day.

Whenever I post a new blog entry, I post it to Twitter, which automatically posts it to Facebook and LinkedIn (this is a simple linking process on Facebook and LinkedIn; just do a search for “linking to (whatever site you want to link to).” If you use a software program like www.Hootsuite.com, which has a nominal monthly fee, you can schedule a day’s worth of Twitter posts (some experts suggest 15-20 tweets a day; I probably manage five or six) all at once and forget about it the rest of the day. I also like using www.Tweetdeck.com, which is free, because you have more flexibility in commenting on and retweeting other people’s posts.

Join writing groups on LinkedIn, and follow agents and editors on Twitter. If you blog, make sure you post a link to it on all the writing and book sites I mentioned above (keeping in mind the 10-90 rule).

Remember, in today’s publishing world, it’s all about exposure: how many “followers,” how many “connections” and how many “friends” you have. That is especially true if you are self-publishing. Yes, I know, it’s annoying and so high school. It’s also one of the best ways to build a platform and get noticed. So get cracking. And let me know how it goes.

Why Should Writers Blog?

As I said in my recent blog 12 Ways to Build Your Platform in 2012, blogging is one of the most effective and efficient ways to build your platform, or brand, as a writer. And when you go out with your shiny new novel or nonfiction book proposal to find an agent, the first question the agent is going to ask is: What is your platform?

So, a word about platform. Essentially, it’s what you’re known for.

Do you have expertise in a particular subject, say, quantum physics, or training pug dogs? You can use that experience to create a platform. Blog; speak in your community, or, if possible, at state and national conventions; offer to lecture at the local public library; write op-ed pieces for your community newspaper. All of these things build your brand, fill out your resume and establish you as an expert in your field. Then if you write a book, you can point to that exposure as evidence of your “saleability.” Publishers today rarely take a chance on an unknown author. The more you can do to build a fan base, the better off you’ll be when you approach an agent or a publisher with a book proposal.

Today, blogging is the most expedient way to build a fan base.

The key, though, is to develop a theme or purpose so that you can offer your readers something valuable. Nonfiction writers – especially those who have a following already – will find it easier to establish a blog. Whatever it is you write about – be it antique clocks or the hip-hop music industry – it will likely lend itself to a blog that can be updated two or three times a week, if not daily.

For fiction writers, developing a theme can be tricky. I suggest writing a blog as one of the characters in your book. It doesn’t necessarily have to follow the storyline in your novel. You know the character; create some new scenarios for him/her to respond to, and let that voice populate your blog. You could even write it from several different characters’ voices, essentially creating a new online story.

To be effective, a blog needs to be written every day, or, if that’s not possible, at least every other day. In cyberspace, people expect something new every time they return to your site, so to be relevant and effective, you have to blog regularly. And you have to have something useful to say every time you blog.

In addition to being timely, the very best blogs have great writing, contain content that can’t be found anywhere else, provide something no one else does (information, a service or a product), are relevant, and provide links to other sources.

“Build your audience on the Internet (or otherwise) before you approach an editor or agent,” literary agent Doris Booth advises. “If you can say 25,000 or 50,000 people visit your blog every month, and they are all talking about and sharing what you’re writing on the subject of, say, Yo-Yos, then you are a much more attractive candidate to become published. Build your audience as a speaker or a journalist with a huge following, in any way you can. Celebrities get published because they have vast, already-established audiences. It is harder to build an audience if you’re a novelist, but not impossible. Visit the sites of successful authors such as Gayle Lynds, Heather Graham, and James Patterson and see how they draw attention to their work.”

(Some information in this blog appeared in my 2010 book Navigating the Rough Waters of Today’s Publishing World, Critical Advice for Writers (Quill Driver Press), available on Amazon.)

12 Things You Can Do to Build Your Platform in 2012

The New Year always brings renewed commitments. For writers, that usually means something along the lines of “I promise to commit more time to my writing,” or “I will complete my novel (memoir, short story collection, poetry chapbook) this year,” or perhaps “I’m going to do more this year to market my work.” If that last one resonates with you, read on for some tips on building your platform this year.

I recommend you do one every month, and I will be writing in detail on each at the beginning of the month from now on. By the end of the year, you’ll be better positioned to sell your work, or at least answer the question, “What is your platform?” when an agent asks.

1. If you haven’t already, start a blog. Yes, I know. Everyone and his dog has a blog. But it’s one of the fastest ways to build a following. (See Why Should Writers Blog?, Jan. 13.)
2. Engage social media. It doesn't have to be Facebook, though Facebook is the social network with the most users. There are a number of sites for writers that offer ways to promote your work. Check out redroom.com, shewrites.com, fictionaut.com, and the new Writers Agents and Editors Network site founded by super-agent Jeff Herman and his wife, Deborah. Even goodreads.com – which is focused more on readers – offers promotional pages for authors.
3. Speak out. Become an expert in your field and go out and talk about it. If you’re a nonfiction writer, offer to speak to groups who are interested in the topics you write about. Give a free lecture at your local library. If you write fiction, offer to do a virtual chat with book clubs. The more you speak, the more you’ll be seen as having expertise in writing. And if you’re not comfortable speaking, sign up for a local Toastmaster’s course. I guarantee it will bring returns in spades.
4. Teach a class. Do you have a community college in your community? Admittedly, education dollars are more limited than in previous years, but teaching a local adult ed class is a great way to become better known in your community (and to sell books!).
5. Volunteer. With a school, a writing program for kids, anyplace where you can offer insight and information to young writers. This is so important! We are responsible for bringing up future literati. Take it seriously.
6. Review others’ books. On your own blog or on reader sites like Goodreads or Amazon. This is another opportunity to give a little and gain a lot later.
7. Self-publish an e-book. It is becoming simpler by the day. If you have a novel or nonfiction book that’s complete, well-edited and ready for prime time, pay a little bit of money to have a great cover designed, format it so it reads well, then make a .pdf file and upload it to Amazon’s self-publishing service. You can’t lose.
8. Send out a monthly e-newsletter. This is one way to keep you and your book in front of people who don't do social media. There are several really good services and they are not expensive (I’ve used both ConstantContact.com and Ratepoint.com). The advantages are worth the investment of time in learning their platforms and designing a pleasing template.
9. Join a writers organization. I recommend national organizations, like PEN Center USA, the Authors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, West, and others. Each has different criteria for membership, but if you qualify, belonging is well worth the nominal yearly membership fee. I belong to both the Authors Guild and PEN Center USA. The free legal and contract advice alone is worth it. 
10. Launch a virtual book tour. There are two kinds: You can do a phone or Skype meeting with a book club or a media personality. Easy peasy. Or you can set up a virtual book tour where an interviewer asks you questions in a closed teleseminar. There’s a great explanation of both here.
11. Add value. It's not just about you. If you’re using social media, pass on some information other writers can use. A link to a particularly good article on self-publishing or how to write a query letter. What to ask an agent if you are offered representation. Ways to structure a novel. Whatever you can offer in the way of added value, do it. And refrain from the obvious sales job. People don’t like to be pitched on social media.
12. Pay it forward. (With thanks and a nod of the head to my friend Catherine Ryan Hyde, who wrote the book Pay It Forward.) Listen, if you want people to help you, you have to help others. If you’re in the position to help a new writer, do it. A little friendly coaching, taking time to offer some sage advice over coffee, whatever it is, it’s time well-invested. You never know when that person may be in a position to help you and your career. Believe me, people remember. Pay it forward.