Miffed but in Denial

Yeah...I think that's how I feel. I should probably be more miffed, but I'm sure the denial helps with that.

It seems that a certain publishing titan is removing reviews based on the fact that the author 'knows' the review writer. Sounds silly, doesn't it?

I mean, isn't that the point of networking? To reach your readers, bloggers and other authors? Isn't that the reason we do blog tours and create author pages? To get people to buy our books, read them, and write reviews? Incidentally, here's a link to my author page: Donna Milward, Author

It's actually been going on for some time, but I've been reluctant to comment on it, because I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me.

It doesn't make any sense. Writers work hard to connect to people in order to entice them to buy our books. I am still a firm believer that if a reader likes an author as a person, they will like their work. So they like your page in order to connect back, and writers are being punished for it? Maybe we're supposed to wall ourselves off from humanity in order to write MORE?  Are they willing to do ALL our marketing for us? Most writers never even talk to all the people who follow them on social media. We're talking hundreds and sometimes thousands of people here!

I'm in denial, because I honestly believe this idea won't stand, and will soon be abandoned. If this titan uses algorithms to remove all reviews, then eventually there will be precious few reviews left for any author. And that's bad business. It's also about control, and that's a little scary. It's anti-community.

I think we should hold our ground. Write those reviews, and let our feelings about removed reviews be known. And you don't just have to review books on their site either. There's always blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads. Leave the titan in the darkness of Tartarus if it wants to be stubborn.

I'm going to go about my business as usual. I'm going to write, blog, and write reviews. I will support my fellow authors when I can, and talk to my readers. I'm miffed, but I'm hoping this will all blow over eventually.

I am a Fearless Armadillo.

Now you know why writers drink.

When I set out to become a novelist, I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. I figured I would write the books...That's it. I would write the books, and someone else would handle the cover, editors, marketing and money. I would just happily write books.

BWA-HAHAHAHAHA! (Wipes a tear away.)

Just the task of marketing alone must be a testament to the determination of writers everywhere. You know just how serious you are about making it in this business if you are willing to struggle in the futility of finding readers for your hard work.

No, writing is not for the casual dabbler. First you have to write the book. Then you either find an agent and/or a publisher. That requires hours of writing emails for people who often ignore you or frequently reject you. Writers also need the skin of an armadillo. BE the armadillo!

Once you've done that, someone (the editor) will pick apart your work, but it's for your own good, and the good of your work. Be the Armadillo.

Then comes interviews, blogs and reviews, which can be fun...until someone doesn't like you or your work. DON'T piss off a blogger. I had one blogger 'friend' me on Facebook, and send the post she was going to publish. I POLITELY corrected her spelling of 'Thoeba', it's a common mistake for an invented name, and she blasted me, saying it was MY fault she misspelled it because she'd only copied and pasted everything. She went on a Facebook rant about 'disrespectful authors'. She didn't name me, but told all her friends to 'PM' her for details. Ouch. I am an armadillo.

Now I'm finding myself in a place where I've got the goods, but nowhere to put them. I've been looking at self-publishing. I'm a sweating armadillo. Now I have to learn how to format properly and meander around things like 'Createspace'. (Insert panicked laughter here.) I'm barely tech savvy enough to write my own blogs. I've done enough research to know that I will need an expensive editor. My grammar isn't up to snuff, and I doubt my knowledge of legalities is either. Time to toughen up, and open my wallet. Time to learn things and try something I never wanted to do. Sometimes you have to do things BECAUSE you are afraid of them.

I am an armadillo, and I really wish I could curl into a tight little ball right now.

Tiny ferocious Dragon Ball, that's me. RAWR!

Wish me luck.

Diving in with my Heels On.

I'm in love with this book!

So I bought this book called Writer's Market 2015. ( Robert Lee Brewer, Editor) Brilliant stuff. If you are a writer, you should get one. I bought it because I need to know the best ways to market myself, and how to write an effective query letter. Not to mention, this book is stuffed full of the names and addresses of editors, agents and publishers and what they are looking for. Actually, that was the main reason I bought it, but I got MORE.

I'm at the part where it tells you how to build a Platform. 

Platform? I know what a platform is. You can dive off a platform. Platform shoes make you taller. Right? Not exactly apparently. I've just learned how to dive into a platform to make myself bigger, that's for sure. Am I the only writer who didn't know about this? It's not hard to do...in theory... but I think it will be hard to build. I hate being in-your-face and trying to push a sale.

Essentially, I've learned that one must use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to gain followers. Other things you can do to build a platform include mailing lists, newsletters, and street teams. Hoo-boy.

Turns out I had the right idea, but like the book says, "Think big. Then think bigger." It's not enough to have eight hundred followers on the author page, or seven hundred followers on Twitter. I need THOUSANDS. Tens of thousands. Yeah, I have 90 followers of this blog after 4 years.

So here's the plan: First I'd like to thank the bloggers and fans who've been tweeting their reviews like confetti for me. I've been retweeting them. Thanks for making it easy to make myself look good.

Jennifer R@pearlofagirl30
The Avid Reader@Magicofbooks
Lana&Mel@MelandLanaWrite
Roxanne Kade@RoxyKade
Melissa Simmons@GHBTours
Girls *Heart* Books@2grlsheartbooks
MythicalBooks@MythicalBooks

Thanks ladies <3 I deeply appreciate it. Thanks to Norm R. Peterson too. I saw all those retweets :) I'd like to thank all my Facebook bloggers too. There's a long list of you to thank too.

Image Courtesy of: jscreationzs@FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I've been a bit of a Twitter snob, going about things all wrong. I didn't see the point of following people who didn't seem to have much in common with me. NOW I get it. It's about Networking. It's about building a platform and staying in touch. It's about supporting others as well as yourself. It's my own fault if I find Twitter boring, because I haven't connected.

So you know I'm here...Where are you? Where's your blog? How do I reach you? Share, share, share. If you'd like me to follow, let me know in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you.