How To Make your Press Kit Media Friendly #AuthorHelp

Every so often I go on a PSA rant about something on FaceBook. Here is today's advice about creating easy and effective Media Kits. I've also included an example for your enjoyment.

~Mia

How Not To Piss Off Your Peers... Advice for the New Author #authoradvice #amwriting

So today's Dear Author post is aimed at advice for the new author. Yes, we were all new once. Yes, we all wished someone would help us get seen! There are ways to do that, though, and ways NOT to do that. This Dear Author letter was aimed for my Facebook wall audience, but take heed because this message covers anywhere, especially GoodReads. 

The Post...

Dear New Authors,

The fastest way to loose assistance from your peers is to spam their wall with your book, page, group, street team info. The fastest way to GAIN assistance? Get out and chat. Introduce yourself as a person, smile, shake hands, share man candy and bacon (well, the last two work for me.)

Love, Mia.

Discussion:

The newbie author just probably blinked and called me evil words because I am so uncaring and unhelpful! But let's break it down. SPAM is something unsolicited and unwanted sent electronically and usually to a large number of people. 

I know some new authors are sputtering at this point. But...but... We need to be SEEN! We need to be HEARD! We need HELP!

Let me ask you this first... In the real world, would you market your book using these tactics if they were free?

• Telemarketing calls at dinner?
• Sticking notes and advertisements under windshields at the plaza?
• Mass post card mailings to buy your book?

If you said yes to any of the above and aren't already seeing the golden light of connection I'm offering you at the end of the tunnel... As my Southern friends would say, bless your heart. Good luck with your writing journey. Have a piece of bacon on your way out.

If you said, "NO! Absolutely not. I hate telemarketers, junk mail, and windshield notes! Show me the way, Mia!" Then read on.

If you don't want to SPAM potential readers/buyers/fans/authors who might help you, here's a short list of what NOT to do on any social media platform (Facebook, GoodReads, Twitter...)

• Don't friend someone and then ask them to like your page, buy your book, vote for you, or anything else that has to do with you as an author or your book. 
• Don't join groups in Facebook or GoodReads and then SPAM the group immediately with your book sale, book like plea, contest, new release, etc. 
• Don't tag anyone on Facebook in book promotion type posts unless you have permission to post things to their Wall.
• Don't add people to a group on Facebook without their permission. 
• Don't send people a book recommendation for your own book on GoodReads.
• And though it's your wall, I would avoid posting promotional posts all the time, every time. People get sick of the rolling infomercial. 

How to get other authors to help you. 
It takes time and effort to build friendships and alliances in the publishing world. If this is your career, then networking is well worth the effort. 

• Do introduce yourself and say thank you. "Hi, I look forward to getting to know you. Thanks for your friendship!"
• Do comment and like posts, say congratulations on that sale or release, offer condolences for a bad day...you get the picture. Be friendly. 
• Post only to your wall until you get to know people. I only tag people if it's something funny and something I know they'd love. For example, tagging me in hot man candy pics and bacon shots is absolutely okay.
• Promote your favorite author now and then (because you're a reader, too, right?) 
• Join groups in your genre and interact with readers as a reader. Readers and other authors will take the time to look you up. Trust me on this.
• Wish people "Happy Birthday." It's easy, it's fun, and you'll get to know people that way.
• Post about yourself so people get to know you. Even if you use a pen name you can include readers in your daily activities such as your love of bacon or coffee. Oh, that's me. :-D
• Do interact with authors and readers as appropriate. Try to include everyone and not just your new group of friends. 
• Be nice, be yourself, and be kind.

You guys can have cake for reading this far. You can have some of the bacon from above, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Taking the Move Out Of Your Writing: Choosing Better Verbs #amwriting #editing #authorhelp

On Facebook I often have a Dear Author post that deals with what's going on around me. It might be a rant about usage of passive voice, or lack of etiquette, or a plea for more bacon and man candy posted on my wall.. who knows what tickles my fancy at any given moment. I have decided since I don't personally blog enough that I would transfer my Dear Author posts here.

So today's post: 

Dear Authors,

Please strike the word "move" from your writing vocabulary. It's weak and non-descriptive. Example: He moved across the yard. He skipped (or hobbled, limped, crawled, flew, streaked, sashayed, waddled) across the yard. See how much better that is? Think how much better your sex scenes will be, too! No more moving in and out, moving his hand up her body (yes, get rid of body as well!)

Love, Mia.

~*~

Discussion:
The word "move" is a pet peeve of mine while reading, in my own writing, and in any editing I do for other authors. It's a vague verb and doesn't give the reader a good description of what's going on besides something or someone changing location (however small.) It's not a horrible word all alone, but when you read a paragraph in a book that contains three or four moves in one paragraph it becomes tedious.

The above example shows that a better verb gives you an entirely different mental picture. Let's discuss it more here.

Example: He moved across the yard.
Better: He skipped (or hobbled, limped, crawled, flew, streaked, sashayed, waddled) across the yard.

A man might waddle because he's overweight, he might be limping because he's a zombie and he's missing half of his leg. He's skipping because he's won the lotto, or he's crawling because he doesn't want to be seen by the Ninjas next door. There are so many mental images you can give your reader by simply changing that one word.

Sex scenes can be flooded with the word move if the author isn't careful.

Example: He moved in and out. 

Better: He thrust. 

Example: He moved his hand up her body. (The word BODY is an entirely different rant, but strike that from your vocabulary, too!)

Better: He caressed a path from her abdomen to the hem of her panties.

Places where "move" might be okay....

Example: Move your ass! 

Example: He moved from NYC to Denver last week. 

Example: He's got the moves like Jagger. (He doesn't, but it works.)

As an order, move works. It also works in the general terms of packing your crap and living somewhere else because it takes too long to say, "I packed my crap and relocated to Denver." And moves like Jagger...enough said. 

See how much better it is to use active verbs when possible? 

~*~

Thanks for stopping by!