Daily Archives: January 20, 2014

Predators Abound—How Writers Can Be Savvy in Social Media, Marketing and Promotion

Great post by Kristen Lamb. Author of Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a digital World

Kristen Lamb's Blog

We’ve been talking a lot about the new publishing paradigm and all the options writers have. Being the WANA Mama, I feel it’s my duty to feed you guys the grow-up stuff. So, if you want a fluffy kitten hug? This is the wrong place. There are plenty of people who offer a magic algorithm or promotion package or SEO package “guaranteed” to launch a writer to fame and fortune. Yet, these can be misleading and take our focus away from activities that have a better chance of translating into long-term success.

Hoo-Doo Voo-Doo for Sale

What many of you might not know is I sometimes help small businesses. I recently started doing some work for my brother’s company. Why did I step in? Because he (like many others) paid thousands of dollars for a Mega-PR-Expert…who then did NOTHING.

My brother hired this well-known PR expert to create his social…

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CP Matchmaker Starts today!

Hello everybody!
What is CP Matchmaker, you ask?
CP Matchmaker is hosted by Megan Grimit and is Megan’s way of paying it forward.  Megan considers herself to be extremely lucky in landing the most amazing critique group. The ladies she works with are smart, and kind, and thoughtful and they’ve taught her a lot about the way she writes and the kind of writer she wants to be.
But not everyone has this. And that’s something that eats away at her.
Because everyone should have a team. Everyone should know exactly where to go and what to do to find someone who is going to be honest and helpful.
So, she brainstormed the idea “Why isn’t there a Twitter pitch party for finding CP’s?”
AND CP MATCHMAKER WAS BORN!
(Dramatic, no?)
Ok, so here’s what’s up:
 
What:  A chance to pitch your book to a bunch of like minded writers
Where:  Twitter, of course!
When: January 20th from 10am-10pm EST
Why:  Because it’s going to be so much fun!
But you’re going to need a few things first.
1. A twitter pitch (140 characters or less to include the #CPMatch hashtag)
2. A blog button, should you choose to spread the word and get more people involved. (See below)
3. And a few labels:

For the purpose of easy identification, please include (abbreviated for your convenience) a little about your critiquing style.(Note: These are for how you critique others work, not what you need for your own.)

Do you get straight to the point- STTP
Fan of the compliment sandwich- CS
Are you brutally honest- BH
How about a good copyeditor- GCE
Or are you more of an attention to detail type: ATD
Maybe a critique partner beginner: CPB
Plot hole hunter: PHH
Do you give great big picture notes: BP
Are you a few of these things? Go ahead and list as many as will fit in your pitch.
Need an example of a #CPMatch pitch?
Trapped among bleeding walls, psychotic passengers, and manifested fears,
can Olivia escape with her life? YA #CPMatch CS ATD
And come the 20th, simply search through the feed. If something looks interesting, DM the person and get to know each other a little better. See what you have to offer each other.
And I can’t stress this enough: SWAP A SAMPLE CHAPTER
You’ll never know if you really mesh well unless you see some feedback first hand.
DISCLAIMER: CP Matchmaker is a baby. Not just a baby, a wrinkly, screaming newborn. If there’s something you’re unclear about, email me, and I’ll try to answer your questions. Have a few extra label ideas? Lemme have em! I am totally up for any suggestions here. I want this thing to be helpful to as many people as possible.
And on that note. SPREAD THE WORD. Please. Pretty please, with sugar on top and ice-cream in the middle.
Tweet about it. Blog about it. Tell your neighbor.
She can only help match the people who attend.
So again, please. Help Megan to help other writers find their CP soul mates like She did.  I personally am very excited by this adventure.
If you have any questions hopefully I can help or you can go directly to Megan’s blog http://www.pawsfangsandsmiles.blogspot.com/2014/01/announcing-cp-matchmaker.html and check out the questions others have asked or ask her yourself.