Wednesday, June 8, 2011

BLOGGING: How We Work/How We Get Along



WAVING from Kentucky! Yes!~ we do have internet service here!

Most people know me as Tonya Kappes, mother of four, but readers know me as The high-class hillbilly that writes romantic comedy and cozy mysteries.

My short stories, Masked Souls, and Another Quirky Christmas are published through a small press. Recently I Indie published my debut novel, Carpe Bead ‘em and excited to say it hit Amazon’s bestsellers list in the United States and the United Kingdom! Needless to say, I’m over the moon.


Enough about me….

When Sharon asked our grog to take a week and blog, we were delighted. I decided to tackle how we work, cooperate and just plain get along.

Now I’m not gonna lie, sometimes we want to spit in each other’s eye, but we don’t. We chew harder on that piece of straw and bit our tongue because none of us have the same opinions. You see, we all have different writing career paths and no matter which path we are on, it’s not the wrong path.

That’s what makes The Writer’s Guide To E Publishing work. We bring all different sort of opinions and ideas.


When D.D. and I came up with the idea, we wanted a place where writers had all the new electronic publishing tips in one place. D.D. is Indie published, Lee is polishing her manuscript, Misa is big six published and indie published, I am small published and Indie published, so we bring a lot of industry knowledge to the site.

First we got a yahoo loop. We each took a day, and since D.D. had so much information already, she took on a lot of the other three days. But Lee is doing a lot more of that now. Anything that needs to be discussed, goes through the yahoo loop.

We all agreed, that we would be honest in our journey. Honest about what we like about publishing and what we don’t like about publishing. Lee gives the facts, I try to make it fun, and Misa and D.D. just tell it like it is. And sometimes we don’t agree. But that’s okay! It’s what makes the grog work.

WG2E was designed to give the writer every option they have to make the most of their careers. We wanted to pay it forward and give back to writers. WE believe in KARMA, good ju-ju, and this was our way of doing it.

For example, my experience may be different than Lee’s, but at least the writer gets to look at all our experience and not go into something with a blind eye like we did. We aren’t saying it’s a bad blind eye, but we are honest and let you know what to expect on all fronts.

So come on by WG2E, no matter what stage of the publishing game you are in. I promise you will learn something new!!


Tonya Kappes is the author of Carpe Bead ‘Em , that hit Amazon’s Hobby Fiction Best Seller’s list only six

days after the debut. The Ladybug Jinx, a romantic comedy novel will be available in August 2011.

Tonya is the author of two short stories which can be found in the Something Spooky This Way Comes

and Believe Anthologies. Her, co-authored, non-fiction book The Tricked-Out Toolbox, helps writers

explore the best promotional and marketing strategies for their career, will debut January 2012.

Besides being the co-founder of the beyond quirky writer’s grog The Naked Hero

(www.thenakedhero.com), she also is co-founder of The Writer’s Guide to E Publishing

(www.thewritersguidetoepublishing.com).

When she’s not writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, she’s busy being the

princess, queen and jester of her domain which includes her BFF husband, her four teenage boys and

two dogs.

Why write a book with beading elements? Once upon a time, Tonya was the proud co-owner of a very

successful beading company, Beadnicks LLC.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Grogging Your Way to Readers and Sanity



Hello, Sharon Hamilton-Land!!!

I’m Bestselling Romantic Comedy and Cozy Mystery Author D. D. Scott, plus the #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of MUSE THERAPY: UNLEASHING YOUR INNER SYBIL, and without a doubt, me and my muses too are huge fans of all-things-grogging!

What’s Grogging?

Grogging = Group Blogging

Doesn’t the name itself just sound sooo cool rolling off your tongue?!

Anyhoo...

Why Grogging?

Well...because of two reasons:

1. We’re Writers...and thus our ultimate goal is to “find” readers

2. We’re Writers...and thus hanging onto our sanity can be a bit of a rough ride, right?

To that end, first, let’s get the writer’s sanity issues out in the open...


Yesterday, on one of my grogs The WG2E http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com to celebrate the release of my 5th Indie Epubbed book –THUG GUARD - I kicked-off my D. D. Scott “Put Your Big Girl Panties On & Deal With It” Blog Tour.

Because yeah, to make it to your own Publishing Oz in our writing-for-publication, full of wicked witches publishing world, many days it simply boils down to putting on your big girl or boy panties and just dealing with all the crap piling up on your road to success.

Today, I’m sharing one of my “sassy observations about life...”...the writer’s life that is...on this fantabulous blog:

A Little Bit of Monika

http://monikamichalak.blogspot.com

So hop on over there now and catch my My Evil Editor Turd Anecdote straight outta my MUSE THERAPY book.


http://www.amazon.com/Muse-Therapy-Unleashing-Inner-ebook/dp/B004774LN4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306947576&sr=8-1

It doesn’t get much sassier than this...and, keep in mind...

This is...

no joke...

what actually happened to me at RWA (Romance Writers of America) Nationals in 2009.

Once you’ve read my anecdote, you’ll know why it’s sooo damn important to find any means you can to maintain your sanity along our writing-for-publication journeys.

One way I’ve found to do both that as well as continue to find new readers and fans for my books is to Grog with other authors who sooo “get” our sanity issues and challenges as writers and who also sooo hope to build their reader and fan bases too.

I became a Goddess at The Naked Hero in October 2010, then fellow Goddess Tonya Kappes and I brainstormed and created our next grog The WG2E – The Writer’s Guide to Epublishing – in December 2010, with the tech-savvy-super-smarts of Author Misa Ramirez and the indie epub newbie angle that soon-to-be-pubbed L.A. Lopez could also share!

Tonya had taken one of my Muse Therapy Online Classes, and she and her muse Lucky Lucy (formerly known as Lazy Lucy) immediately bonded with me and my muses The Carrie Squad (named after my beloved Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and The City fame).

Tonya asked me to become a Naked Hero Goddess, and I was thrilled to join her, Misa, Lee/L.A., and Heather Webber on Mount Olympus as the Hump Day Goddess.

I luuuvvv that with The Naked Hero, we’re really focused on Readers and Fans. We luuuvvv getting to know reader peeps and sharing all-things-books-movies-TV-pop culture-and-life in general.

Now, with our WG2E grog, we’ve created a destination site for all-things-Epublishing. We’re writers helping writers by Paying It Forward with real numbers and real experiences. On this grog, our goal is to share everything in our writing-for-publication worlds to hopefully make it a wee bit more pleasant for other writers traveling the Epublishing Road to Oz.

So yeah...we’re grogging for both readers and writers! And many of our grog fans participate on both sites...which of course we luuuuvvv!!!

With Tonya, Misa, Lee/L.A., Heather and I, we bring a wide range of experiences and career levels to our grog readerships...and I think that’s what makes us sooo successful.

We’re all coming at our writing-for-publication careers from different points and preferences.

And ohhh yeahhh, we sooo do NOT agree on all elements of our journey...but again, it’s that kind of innate differences, experiences, viewpoints, and opinions that really rock our readers and give ‘em that extra zest and spice to make our grogs must-visit-daily sites!

In today’s publishing world, perhaps even more so than that messed-up world of yesteryear, it’s even more important to be visible on every possible social networking venue – every day – and grogging gives you that kind of visibility EVERY DAY!!!

Thanks bunches for hosting me today, Sharon!

Please...feel free to comment and ask me any questions you’d like. I’ll be checking-in through-out the day!

In addition, you can always catch me at all my cyber homes:

http://www.DDScott.com

http://ddscottauthor.blogspot.com

http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com

http://thenakedhero.com

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100001238957002

http://twitter.com/#!/ddscottromcom

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/949843.D_D_Scott

I look forward to welcoming y’all to my Bootscootin’ and Cozy Cash Mystery Worlds!!!

Monday, June 6, 2011

BLOGGING: How To Get Started



Welcome Lee Lopez, fellow chapter mate of mine at RWA-Black Diamonds in the East Bay, California. Lee not only has been a great friend, but she was one of those people who had to look at one of my early (oh! this is sooooo painful) first drafts. You know that one that we all have? When the critique partner starts the crit with, "Um." But she couldn't have been more helpful, and her kind and gentle approach to all things has inspired me in so many ways. A very public and well-deserved thank you, Lee.

I've been impressed and watched the success of their blogs: Naked Hero and Writer's Guide to ePublishing. Links are below. This week, we're going to be touching base with all the writers who contribute. Welcome to you all.


First I’d like to thank Sharon for inviting, myself and my blogging partners from the Writers Guide to E-Publishing, to be a guest on her site.

Sharon had asked me how do you create a successful blog, with four other individuals, with four different styles of writing, and four different backgrounds.

There is only one answer, not very easily.

This is where you start:

1. Know your partners. Make sure everyone is on the same page, and understands this is a commitment. No slackers!

2. All the parties involved, must come to an agreement on the format of the blog. Is it about writing, heroes, dogs, kids, etc.

3. Discuss responsibilities of maintaining the site. Who is the techie, who is PR.

4. Choose your days for blogging and stick with it. One of the biggest reasons blogs go under is one person isn’t holding up their end of the bargain. It can ruin friendships, when the group as a whole has to carry dead weight.

5. Talk to your partners. Keep open communication. If you can’t blog on an assigned day, let them know. Bring in a guest, or switch with someone. Remember it’s a commitment.

6. Be consistent. Readers return because of reliability. They become fans and expect a certain degree of quality. If you don’t post for a few weeks, you’ll lose readers.

7. Be careful what is written. Do research, and quote experts, don’t ever bad mouth anyone.

8. Remember what you write will remain in cyberspace F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

9. Know copyright law. Don’t enroll in law school, but research copyrights, especially on pictures copied to your site. No what you can copy directly and can’t. Getting a nasty gram from someone claiming you’ve copied them, is embarrassing.

10. You must answer every comment on the blog. It makes the commenter feel like they are saying is important, and it gives them a connection. They feel like they know you.

11. Have fun. Enjoy what you’re doing. Have contest, give away, make it fun.

I know it sounds like a lot, but it is what makes a successful blog.

Is it work? It can be, but once the rhythm of writing for the blog takes hold, its fun. My mind is always swirling around things to write about. And I find ideas in the oddest places.

When blogging first started, I heard many writers say, they weren’t going to bother, it was only another fad. Well, that was five years ago, and here were are with, probably millions of blogs in the bloggessphere. There is even a bloggers convention, with awards.

It is a personal choice to make this commitment. It is easier to go with partners, it keeps the blog up dated daily, and it brings fresh new ideas. Some prefer going it alone, and do a great job.

Right now I’m apart of three blogs:

The Naked Hero,

www.thenakedhero.com

The writers guide to e-publishing, www.thewritersguidetoepublishing.com

Voices from the Heart, www.voicesftheart.blogspot.com (I blog once a month there.)

Friday, June 3, 2011

HOW DO YOU START AND RUN A SUCCESSFUL BLOG?


The witty crew from WG2E are going to be here next week to show us the ins and outs of successfully doing a blog and holding it together.

Come back all week and check out what we have in store for you. And thanks to the gals at Naked Hero and WG2E for the gift of their time, and experience. I think you'll be as impressed as I have been with what they've done, and how they do it.

We start the week out with author Lee Lopez, on Monday, HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL BLOG.


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Natural Ability and Achievement


I quote from a very wise man, Gary Keller. He is the master at making models for business, a man who has tried and failed several times. And when I say failed, I mean failed miserably. Like rock bottom, lose your house, everything.

He told me once about getting in his car and crossing town to hire the best HR person he could find, and promised them a salary he wasn't sure how he was going to pay. But he knew if he did it, the money would come. And it did. Big time.

Before I start, you all should know by now I love Cindy Pavlinac's work. She has a studio in Marin County, and she has taken photographs of sacred places all over the world. This is her photo, not mine. http://www.CAPavlinac.com

Back to Gary Keller's quote: "Reinventing the wheel every time is just plain exhausting work. And it leads to breakdowns and burnouts. On the other hand, I think you'll discover that modeling will be very empowering. In fact, it may make things appear so simple it feels like cheating. Powerful models usually feel that way."

Then he goes on to say: "In my experience, people tend to predict success based largely on a person's natural abilities. This can truly be problematic no matter where you see yourself in this spectrum. Lots of natural ability can lead to overconfidence. Likewise, lack of natural ability contributes to low confidence, so much so that many never even attempt tasks that appear to be outside the realm of their natural abilities. The truth about ability is that it is neither set nor predetermined. However, it can be developed or it can be wasted."

He finishes up this piece with this: "Now here is the simple truth we must all deal with: Natural ability can take us only so far. No matter how gifted we may be, each of us will eventually hit our own ceiling of achievement. There is no "if" to that assertion, just a "when." So the most important achievement question you may ever have to ask yourself becomes: When I hit that ceiling of achievement--whether it is low or high--how will I break through?"

To relate this to writing, we model after other successful writers who have come before us. Some we model our careers after and some we learn from the mistakes they have made. How many people do you know who have told you they had a story idea and a book they wanted to write some day? Yet, very few of them ever do it, and of those few, only a handful are successful. Part of the problem is ego. People get tied up in their work and can't see the reality of what they've written. They judge, justify and make enemies.

But smart writers don't crave a following of writers, although that can be a good way to get started. Smart writers model themselves after someone who has gone successfully before them, and keep their egos in check to see the reality of their writing.

Writing then isn't a gimmick. No one wants to be a flash in the pan. Good writers are willing to break through the ceiling of their own achievement, and learn from the writing community as a whole. Yes, this community is made up of many varied fellow travelers. Some with limps, warts, fairy dust and fangs. But those people will help you, if you have the guts to open your eyes and ears.

My favorite line is, "I know what I think I know. But I can set it aside for what I have yet to learn." Someone much wiser than I coined it. Though it's sometimes painful to find the flaws in ourselves and our work, it is the price we have to pay to get all the gold and the glory.

Who do you model yourself after? Can you measure yourself and seek the reality of your abilities as a writer, or do you write to "feel good?" What do you do when you hit that ceiling of achievement?






Whoo Hoo! Welcome D.D. Scott

WooHoo!!! Bestselling Romcom & Cozy Mystery Author D. D. Scott will be my blog guest this coming Tues June 7th! Here's the scoop at http://ddscottauthor.blogspot.com/2011/06/d-d-scott-put-your-big-girl-panties-on.html

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Welcome New Guest Bloggers

The ladies at Writers' Guide to ePublishing are going to be here next week to give us some tips on their success. I'm so thrilled they have agreed to share their extensive knowledge with all of us. As most of you know, this blog is fairly new (only started it this year) and we are off to a great start. I'm hoping that with dynamic guest posters you will stick around all year long for the great information I hope to share.

Like Tina's Folsom's blog last Thursday, I hope to inspire great things for all of us, as well as point out some of the pitfalls and lessons I've learned about life and writing.

I have to figure out how to do a post on the side for future topics. Right now, just want you to stay tuned, especially next week, as we explore the ins and outs of epublishing.