Ryan Field's Blog, page 576
January 18, 2011
New Release: THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY Book 3
The third book in my Virgin Billionaire series was just released today, THE VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET BABY. It's a full length novel, it can be found on the publisher's web site (ravenousromance.com) and all other web sites where e-books are sold, and here's a link to the allromanceebooks.com web site. I usually link there because I think they give the best product description all the way around.
The interesting thing about this book is that I brought back two characters from a novel I wrote about three years ago, PRETTY MAN. The two main characters, Roland and Josh, in that book were deeply in love but had a more open sexual relationship than characters in my other books. But that didn't mean they were any less in love. A lot of people didn't think they loved each other enough, though, so I wanted to bring them back for a few short scenes in this latest virgin billionaire book and show readers they did, in fact, continue with their relationship and they are still thriving as a happily married couple.
To make it even more interesting, the one main character in this third book, Luis Fortune, actually isn't too fond of Roland and Josh's open relationship and he's sometimes very vocal about it. My goal was to show that gay relationships, just like hetero relationships, are not all the same. Not by any means. And not all gay men are going to get along with each other just like not all hetero people are going to get along. Not all gay men hang out with straight women and shop. I find it amazing how this fact is often overlooked in most gay romance...and gay fiction...so often. It's like all gay men are lumped into a category everyone wants to believe is real, and that's not the case. Believe it or not, there are gay men who are conservative republicans and often remain silent about this because they fear they will be ridiculed. So I try to show an objective difference whenever I can. And, once again, I draw from my own experience as a gay man and from watching and listening to other gay men I know. [image error]
January 17, 2011
Gender Discrimination in Erotica and Romance
Yesterday Kathleen Bradean wrote a great post, here, about gender discrimination in erotica and romance. I think it's worth reading partly because this issue is rarely mentioned and partly because it's spot on as far as I'm concerned.
I post a lot about my support for straight women (and men) who write or want to write m/m erotic romance, romance, or fiction. As a writer...not an author...I believe there shouldn't be any limits set upon any writer, especially when it comes to fiction. In other words, just because someone isn't actually gay it doesn't mean they can't write fiction with gay characters and create as much emotion and story as anyone else. I think I've already proven this with a lot of the books I've written in the past two years. Many of my books have storylines that were originally written for straight/hetero characters in films and I turned them around and re-wrote them with gay characters. I believe, when it comes to love and emotion, it doesn't matter whether you're gay or straight. The dynamics are still the same.
But I know there are many who disagree with me. And that's fine. I respect their opinions. But I also know what it's like from the other side of the coin, too. I've personally written more than several hetero erotic romance and romances. My favorite, believe it or not, was a pg rated romance novel with steamy but very tame love scenes. And I chose to use pen names with each hetero story I wrote. Mostly for the same reasons Kathleen Bradean wrote about in her post. I figured I'd play it safe and keep my real name just for anything I write in the m/m genre.
The only problem, with me, was that I simply couldn't get into the pen names and promoting the books with pen names. It's a peculiar experience I wasn't fond of. Other authors who didn't know it was actually me treated me differently with the female pen names, especially when it came to blogging. And I tried everything, from blogging to social networks. I even made the pen names totally opposite from my own personality, creating a completely new identity. The books sold, too. And although I enjoyed writing them all, I didn't enjoy anything about promoting the books with pen names. For me it was too secretive...to the point of being creepy and often repulsive. And I simply wasn't willing to give up my entire identity for the sake of selling books. I know others would disagree here, too, but this is how I felt at the time. And what ultimately happened is that I gave up promoting the books with pen names and moved forward with my real name.
So check out Kathleen's post. It raises some interesting questions about the difficulties writers face when it comes to being boxed into certain genres or sub-genres because of their gender. And it was probably the first time I've seen it addressed so well, to the point where I could actually identify with it as a writer. And, for those straight women writing m/m romance who take heat all the time. My experiences writing hetero fiction is one of the reasons why I'm always so supportive. I know what it's like. And, frankly, I don't like anyone, not the LLF or any other group, telling me that because I'm gay I have to only write gay fiction. Stepping out of that proverbial box once in a while is a good thing.[image error]
I post a lot about my support for straight women (and men) who write or want to write m/m erotic romance, romance, or fiction. As a writer...not an author...I believe there shouldn't be any limits set upon any writer, especially when it comes to fiction. In other words, just because someone isn't actually gay it doesn't mean they can't write fiction with gay characters and create as much emotion and story as anyone else. I think I've already proven this with a lot of the books I've written in the past two years. Many of my books have storylines that were originally written for straight/hetero characters in films and I turned them around and re-wrote them with gay characters. I believe, when it comes to love and emotion, it doesn't matter whether you're gay or straight. The dynamics are still the same.
But I know there are many who disagree with me. And that's fine. I respect their opinions. But I also know what it's like from the other side of the coin, too. I've personally written more than several hetero erotic romance and romances. My favorite, believe it or not, was a pg rated romance novel with steamy but very tame love scenes. And I chose to use pen names with each hetero story I wrote. Mostly for the same reasons Kathleen Bradean wrote about in her post. I figured I'd play it safe and keep my real name just for anything I write in the m/m genre.
The only problem, with me, was that I simply couldn't get into the pen names and promoting the books with pen names. It's a peculiar experience I wasn't fond of. Other authors who didn't know it was actually me treated me differently with the female pen names, especially when it came to blogging. And I tried everything, from blogging to social networks. I even made the pen names totally opposite from my own personality, creating a completely new identity. The books sold, too. And although I enjoyed writing them all, I didn't enjoy anything about promoting the books with pen names. For me it was too secretive...to the point of being creepy and often repulsive. And I simply wasn't willing to give up my entire identity for the sake of selling books. I know others would disagree here, too, but this is how I felt at the time. And what ultimately happened is that I gave up promoting the books with pen names and moved forward with my real name.
So check out Kathleen's post. It raises some interesting questions about the difficulties writers face when it comes to being boxed into certain genres or sub-genres because of their gender. And it was probably the first time I've seen it addressed so well, to the point where I could actually identify with it as a writer. And, for those straight women writing m/m romance who take heat all the time. My experiences writing hetero fiction is one of the reasons why I'm always so supportive. I know what it's like. And, frankly, I don't like anyone, not the LLF or any other group, telling me that because I'm gay I have to only write gay fiction. Stepping out of that proverbial box once in a while is a good thing.[image error]
January 16, 2011
Books on the Bestseller List the Year You Were Born
Saw this from a galleycat tweet and wanted to share. Now you can even find out what books were on the bestseller list the year you were born, here. to read the galleycat piece, and here to skip the bullshit and find out. This is what it looked like the year I was born, 1970.
Fiction 1 THE GODFATHER Mario Puzo author info
Fiction 2 THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN John Fowles author info
Fiction 3 THE HOUSE ON THE STRAND Daphne du Maurier author info
Fiction 4 THE INHERITORS Harold Robbins author info
Fiction 5 PUPPET ON A CHAIN Alistair MacLean author info
Fiction 6 FIRE FROM HEAVEN Mary Renault author info
Fiction 7 IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE Rumer Godden author info
Fiction 8 THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT Jimmy Breslin author info
Fiction 9 THE SEVEN MINUTES Irving Wallace author info
Fiction 10 TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT Graham Greene author info
Non-Fiction 1 THE SELLING OF THE PRESIDENT 1968 Joe McGinniss author info
Non-Fiction 2 THE PETER PRINCIPLE Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull author info
Non-Fiction 3 PRESENT AT THE CREATION Dean Acheson author info
Non-Fiction 5 MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS Antonia Fraser author info
Non-Fiction 6 THE GRAHAM KERR COOKBOOK the Galloping Gourmet and Hubert 6 THE GRAHAM KERR COOKBOOK, the Galloping Gourmet and Hubert Sieben author info
Non-Fiction 7 EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX Dr. 7 EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, Dr. David Reuben author info
Non-Fiction 8 THE COLLAPSE OF THE THIRD REPUBLIC William L. Shirer author info
Non-Fiction 9 AMBASSADOR'S JOURNAL John Kenneth Galbraith author info
Non-Fiction 10 IN SOMEONES SHADOW
Fiction 1 THE GODFATHER Mario Puzo author info
Fiction 2 THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN John Fowles author info
Fiction 3 THE HOUSE ON THE STRAND Daphne du Maurier author info
Fiction 4 THE INHERITORS Harold Robbins author info
Fiction 5 PUPPET ON A CHAIN Alistair MacLean author info
Fiction 6 FIRE FROM HEAVEN Mary Renault author info
Fiction 7 IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE Rumer Godden author info
Fiction 8 THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT Jimmy Breslin author info
Fiction 9 THE SEVEN MINUTES Irving Wallace author info
Fiction 10 TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT Graham Greene author info
Non-Fiction 1 THE SELLING OF THE PRESIDENT 1968 Joe McGinniss author info
Non-Fiction 2 THE PETER PRINCIPLE Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull author info
Non-Fiction 3 PRESENT AT THE CREATION Dean Acheson author info
Non-Fiction 5 MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS Antonia Fraser author info
Non-Fiction 6 THE GRAHAM KERR COOKBOOK the Galloping Gourmet and Hubert 6 THE GRAHAM KERR COOKBOOK, the Galloping Gourmet and Hubert Sieben author info
Non-Fiction 7 EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX Dr. 7 EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, Dr. David Reuben author info
Non-Fiction 8 THE COLLAPSE OF THE THIRD REPUBLIC William L. Shirer author info
Non-Fiction 9 AMBASSADOR'S JOURNAL John Kenneth Galbraith author info
Non-Fiction 10 IN SOMEONES SHADOW
January 15, 2011
I'm Guest Blogging at "Oh Get A Grip"
I wrote a guest post today over at "Oh Get A Grip!"
It's about m/m erotic romance, women who write m/m erotic romance, and a comment I read where someone didn't think there was enough "emotion" in erotic romance in general these days.
Of course most people know where I stand when it comes to women writing m/m erotic romance, and I had a few things to say about the "emotion" I've found in reading other m/m erotic romances.
I'm not sure how long the post will be up. But if you're interested, you can check it out here.[image error]
It's about m/m erotic romance, women who write m/m erotic romance, and a comment I read where someone didn't think there was enough "emotion" in erotic romance in general these days.
Of course most people know where I stand when it comes to women writing m/m erotic romance, and I had a few things to say about the "emotion" I've found in reading other m/m erotic romances.
I'm not sure how long the post will be up. But if you're interested, you can check it out here.[image error]
How Often Do You Check Your Facebook Friend List?
I started thinking about this after I wrote the post about the loon who sent me a vicious facebook message the other day. The guy was nutty in a way that suggested off-balance, unmedicated. But I did wonder: do facebook users actually know each and every friend they have, or do they just accept the friends without knowing one way or the other? But more than that, do they literally know who unfriends them? Are they keeping track?
Facebook, for me, is family, people I know, and getting to know other people for the first time. I'm a very social person and I love getting to know new people. But FB is a social network, which to me means being social...not political or religious. If you're a zealot, either political or religious, I'm either going to hide you from my feed or unfriend you without giving it a second thought. I don't care if you're a wannabe on some small town chamber of commerce or CEO of a major corportaion. It's bad manners to discuss politics or religion in social atmospheres, so take it somewhere more appropriate. And, preach your politics or religion (Anne Rice) to someone who cares.
I have sent friend requests to people who have responded with, "Do I know you?" And I've always responded with, "If you have to ask, it's probably better you don't accept my friendship." A good many of the people on my facebook friend list are, in fact, people I don't know who sent me friend requests. And I always accept the requests, thinking I may get to know someone a little better. Though I do announce book releases and some promotional information on my facebook page, I'm not all about promotion. I've come to know a few people through facebook and I've sparked more than several friendships. I've never met any of them in person. But I do feel as if I know them fairly well. And, sadly, some friendships have started out great but petered out without much comment at all. It happens, I've noticed, where people grow bored on FB, too.
But I have to admit one thing. I don't check my friend list at all. At this point, I have over 2,000 friends and I simply assume they are going to be there. If a handful of these people stopped posting, I'd wonder and I'd check to see what happened to them. I'd even worry. But I've never actually gone through my friend list in one sitting to see who has unfriended me. I guess if someone does unfriend me, that's how it goes. I'm sure they had a reason that was valid to them, and who am I to question this? And I can promise you I wouldn't send them a private facebook message, filled with rants, about being unfriended. Not only is that pathetic and needy. It's downright strange.
The guy who sent me the creepy/nasty facebook message because I unfriended him for writing political posts evidently doesn't agree with me. And I can only assume he sits at his kitchen table checking his facebook friend list all the time. When I unfriended him, I didn't even think he'd notice...seriously. I thought it would be more tactful to just unfriend then get into the reasons why I was unfriending him. After all, his politics is none of my business. And I couldn't care less what he posts. I just don't want to see it, is all. But it did make me think. This guy, in fact, has over 4,000 friends, and who in their right mind has time to look through that many names on a regular basis? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe people actually do know each and everyone of their facebook friends. I'm sure people who use facebook for just family and close friends do know. But with over 4,000, it seemed a bit peculiar to me this guy would single me out.[image error]
Facebook, for me, is family, people I know, and getting to know other people for the first time. I'm a very social person and I love getting to know new people. But FB is a social network, which to me means being social...not political or religious. If you're a zealot, either political or religious, I'm either going to hide you from my feed or unfriend you without giving it a second thought. I don't care if you're a wannabe on some small town chamber of commerce or CEO of a major corportaion. It's bad manners to discuss politics or religion in social atmospheres, so take it somewhere more appropriate. And, preach your politics or religion (Anne Rice) to someone who cares.
I have sent friend requests to people who have responded with, "Do I know you?" And I've always responded with, "If you have to ask, it's probably better you don't accept my friendship." A good many of the people on my facebook friend list are, in fact, people I don't know who sent me friend requests. And I always accept the requests, thinking I may get to know someone a little better. Though I do announce book releases and some promotional information on my facebook page, I'm not all about promotion. I've come to know a few people through facebook and I've sparked more than several friendships. I've never met any of them in person. But I do feel as if I know them fairly well. And, sadly, some friendships have started out great but petered out without much comment at all. It happens, I've noticed, where people grow bored on FB, too.
But I have to admit one thing. I don't check my friend list at all. At this point, I have over 2,000 friends and I simply assume they are going to be there. If a handful of these people stopped posting, I'd wonder and I'd check to see what happened to them. I'd even worry. But I've never actually gone through my friend list in one sitting to see who has unfriended me. I guess if someone does unfriend me, that's how it goes. I'm sure they had a reason that was valid to them, and who am I to question this? And I can promise you I wouldn't send them a private facebook message, filled with rants, about being unfriended. Not only is that pathetic and needy. It's downright strange.
The guy who sent me the creepy/nasty facebook message because I unfriended him for writing political posts evidently doesn't agree with me. And I can only assume he sits at his kitchen table checking his facebook friend list all the time. When I unfriended him, I didn't even think he'd notice...seriously. I thought it would be more tactful to just unfriend then get into the reasons why I was unfriending him. After all, his politics is none of my business. And I couldn't care less what he posts. I just don't want to see it, is all. But it did make me think. This guy, in fact, has over 4,000 friends, and who in their right mind has time to look through that many names on a regular basis? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe people actually do know each and everyone of their facebook friends. I'm sure people who use facebook for just family and close friends do know. But with over 4,000, it seemed a bit peculiar to me this guy would single me out.[image error]
January 14, 2011
New Release: BILLABONG BANG
As the title suggests, this short story stand alone (stand alone means it's not a full length novel for those who might be wondering...and it's not priced like a full length novel either) revolves around surfing in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It's only a small part of one young man's journey, but it's a part of his life that may or may not have a great deal of impact on him in the future. Description When young Stedman graduates from college, he decides to spend the summer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He wants to take a well-deserved break from studying, he needs to face his dreaded fear of water, and he's desperate to work on overcoming a sexual phobia he can't explain to anyone. It's such a ridiculous phobia he can't stop thinking about it. In spite of many protests from his successful Afro-American father and his gorgeous Caucasian mother, he takes the cross country road trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea anyway. The first thing he does when he gets there is sign up for surfing lessons so he can work on his fear of water. And before he even knows what's about to happen, thanks to the experienced hands of his big strong surfing instructor, he soon finds himself in the perfect situation to work on his sexual phobia as all. [image error]
How Far Does the Political Vitriol Have to Go? And on Facebook?
This morning I opened a very disturbing private message from a former facebook friend I unfriended last week. If you recall, I wrote this post, and this post, about my feelings regarding the horrendous shooting tragedy in Arizona and how I feel about hateful political rants on social networks. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Even our President seems to agree.
And this morning I received one of the most hateful personal messages I've ever received in my life from this former "friend" on facebook. It was creepy and filled with hate. This person, whom I do not know from anywhere but facebook, accused me of using a different facebook profile to comment on one of his facebook posts, and then accused me of using a fake name and photo on my own facebook page. To say the least, this was disturbing and very irrational. And all based on irrational political views. Sad.
This person is, indeed, a former facebook friend because he's one of the people who started pointing fingers after the tragedy in Arizona. He became too political and I politely clicked, "unfriend." Evidently, he didn't like the fact that I unfriended him, and now he's sending me vicious personal messages and accusing me of writing comments on his page I've never even read.
Of course I've always gone on record with my real name, Ryan Field. I know a lot of other m/m fiction writers use pen names, which is fine for them. I've written posts about this and there's nothing wrong with using pen names for a variety of reasons. But I've always used my own name and prefer to keep things simple. The same goes with my facebook and twitter accounts. And when someone accuses me of faking an identity with my real name, I tend to clench my teeth.
I could publish the entire message he sent me here on the blog; just so readers can see how mean-spirited a total stranger can be. But I won't. And I won't publish his name or profile. I have, however, saved the messages, and copied them into files in case he harasses me again. For now, I'd rather forget about it. And for those of you out there who haven't experienced this sort of thing on facebook, beware. There are some very unstable people out there, and whether they are left wing or right, there's no reasoning with them when it comes to politics. You simply can't win and it's better to move on and unfriend.
And this morning I received one of the most hateful personal messages I've ever received in my life from this former "friend" on facebook. It was creepy and filled with hate. This person, whom I do not know from anywhere but facebook, accused me of using a different facebook profile to comment on one of his facebook posts, and then accused me of using a fake name and photo on my own facebook page. To say the least, this was disturbing and very irrational. And all based on irrational political views. Sad.
This person is, indeed, a former facebook friend because he's one of the people who started pointing fingers after the tragedy in Arizona. He became too political and I politely clicked, "unfriend." Evidently, he didn't like the fact that I unfriended him, and now he's sending me vicious personal messages and accusing me of writing comments on his page I've never even read.
Of course I've always gone on record with my real name, Ryan Field. I know a lot of other m/m fiction writers use pen names, which is fine for them. I've written posts about this and there's nothing wrong with using pen names for a variety of reasons. But I've always used my own name and prefer to keep things simple. The same goes with my facebook and twitter accounts. And when someone accuses me of faking an identity with my real name, I tend to clench my teeth.
I could publish the entire message he sent me here on the blog; just so readers can see how mean-spirited a total stranger can be. But I won't. And I won't publish his name or profile. I have, however, saved the messages, and copied them into files in case he harasses me again. For now, I'd rather forget about it. And for those of you out there who haven't experienced this sort of thing on facebook, beware. There are some very unstable people out there, and whether they are left wing or right, there's no reasoning with them when it comes to politics. You simply can't win and it's better to move on and unfriend.
January 13, 2011
Big Thanks to Allmaleromance and Tristan Davis...
To be honest, I'm still not sure what getting tagged on facebook means. I know it's something everyone does. And I'm going to learn. But it's one of those things where I have to set a time and pay attention.
But tagging is a good thing: it's communication. And this morning Tristan Davis tagged me to let me know they've added more of my covers to allmaleromance.com. It's a great site, for both information and checking out book covers. I know a lot of the authors there, and I know Tristan has been working damn hard on this site for a long time.
Check it out here. It's well done and extremely professional.
But tagging is a good thing: it's communication. And this morning Tristan Davis tagged me to let me know they've added more of my covers to allmaleromance.com. It's a great site, for both information and checking out book covers. I know a lot of the authors there, and I know Tristan has been working damn hard on this site for a long time.
Check it out here. It's well done and extremely professional.
How Do Other Authors Promote Their Books?
I'm always curious about how authors promote their books. And I'm not even talking about one genre in particular. In this regard, because my own personal reading tastes are so eclectic, the ratings and reviews on my goodreads profile swings in all directions. In fact, I'm not fond of reading m/m romance for professional reasons. And that's not because there aren't plenty of great m/m romances out there. It's just that I'd rather read books that aren't in the genre in which I write because I don't want to be influenced by anyone else's work. Right now I'm finishing up the last of three Toni Morrison novels I've been reading since New Year's Day...The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and Jazz. All of which are well outside the realm of the m/m romance genre and safe from influencing me.
To be honest, I rarely ever concentrate hard on promoting my own books. I post info about them here in the blog. And I do this mostly so readers have a place to go to get more product description. I read other blogs just like I've always read them and often leave comments. If anyone reads the comments I've left and discovers my books, it's purely by accident.
I'm pretty bad when it comes to yahoo groups. I've tried getting into them, but I'm usually so busy writing and trying to live a fairly normal life I find it difficult to wade through e-mails in yahoo groups and that don't seem to have much significance. I'm also part of all the social networks, from Digg to facebook to twitter. However, I'm one of those people who really enjoys the social networks and I post more personal info there than I do book info. I have one of those facebook fan pages, but I haven't updated it months. I find more enjoyment interacting with facebook friends on my own personal page and the my fan page bores me to death. I've always been very social in this regard. I have fun with it.
And I write mostly e-books. All my books can be purchased as print books. But from what I've seen and heard from readers, it's all about the e-books. So I try to make myself as accessible as possible, and answer every single reader e-mail I receive. I've done blog talk radio interviews, which I love. I recently blogged with several other m/m authors on Jassewave, and enjoyed that just as much. In essence, I'm usually game for anything, from giving personal online interviews to taking them. When an Italian journalist contacted me last summer to do an interview in print about m/m romance and e-books, I was more than happy to oblige.
But the one thing I do turn down are those author readings, usually in New York. First, I'm not a fan of public speaking at all. I'm a writer, a behind the scenes person and I have no interest in speaking before a group of people, especially reading my own work. I've done author book signings, and I love them. I love getting to meet readers in person. But to stand in front of a group of people in some tiny little place in NY and read just isn't my bag. It's also an ordeal as well. I live in New Hope, Bucks County, PA, and it takes two hours or longer, with traffic, to get to these readings. It costs upward of one hundred dollars by the time I factor in gas, tolls, parking and food. And this comes out of my own pocket. I have a mortgage and bills just like everyone else...in spite of the fact that book pirates think all authors are making tons of money. And frankly, I think my time could be spent in more productive places, like writing and editing more stories and books. I know there are people who would disagree with me. They love these author readings and they think it helps promote books. For some, it is part of their social life. But if the majority of my readership lives all over the country...the world, in fact...I honestly don't see how reading an excerpt from one of my books in a small, unheard of bistro in New York is going to help anyone.
If anyone would like to share how they promote...or even share how they feel about the things I've mentioned in the above post, please feel free to comment. I encourage anon comments here, and take privacy very seriously. And, if I don't post a comment right away it's because it probably went to spam and I didn't notice it.
To be honest, I rarely ever concentrate hard on promoting my own books. I post info about them here in the blog. And I do this mostly so readers have a place to go to get more product description. I read other blogs just like I've always read them and often leave comments. If anyone reads the comments I've left and discovers my books, it's purely by accident.
I'm pretty bad when it comes to yahoo groups. I've tried getting into them, but I'm usually so busy writing and trying to live a fairly normal life I find it difficult to wade through e-mails in yahoo groups and that don't seem to have much significance. I'm also part of all the social networks, from Digg to facebook to twitter. However, I'm one of those people who really enjoys the social networks and I post more personal info there than I do book info. I have one of those facebook fan pages, but I haven't updated it months. I find more enjoyment interacting with facebook friends on my own personal page and the my fan page bores me to death. I've always been very social in this regard. I have fun with it.
And I write mostly e-books. All my books can be purchased as print books. But from what I've seen and heard from readers, it's all about the e-books. So I try to make myself as accessible as possible, and answer every single reader e-mail I receive. I've done blog talk radio interviews, which I love. I recently blogged with several other m/m authors on Jassewave, and enjoyed that just as much. In essence, I'm usually game for anything, from giving personal online interviews to taking them. When an Italian journalist contacted me last summer to do an interview in print about m/m romance and e-books, I was more than happy to oblige.
But the one thing I do turn down are those author readings, usually in New York. First, I'm not a fan of public speaking at all. I'm a writer, a behind the scenes person and I have no interest in speaking before a group of people, especially reading my own work. I've done author book signings, and I love them. I love getting to meet readers in person. But to stand in front of a group of people in some tiny little place in NY and read just isn't my bag. It's also an ordeal as well. I live in New Hope, Bucks County, PA, and it takes two hours or longer, with traffic, to get to these readings. It costs upward of one hundred dollars by the time I factor in gas, tolls, parking and food. And this comes out of my own pocket. I have a mortgage and bills just like everyone else...in spite of the fact that book pirates think all authors are making tons of money. And frankly, I think my time could be spent in more productive places, like writing and editing more stories and books. I know there are people who would disagree with me. They love these author readings and they think it helps promote books. For some, it is part of their social life. But if the majority of my readership lives all over the country...the world, in fact...I honestly don't see how reading an excerpt from one of my books in a small, unheard of bistro in New York is going to help anyone.
If anyone would like to share how they promote...or even share how they feel about the things I've mentioned in the above post, please feel free to comment. I encourage anon comments here, and take privacy very seriously. And, if I don't post a comment right away it's because it probably went to spam and I didn't notice it.
January 12, 2011
Garden Party by Ricky Nelson
With all the critics and reviews authors seem to be dealing with nowadays, I thought I'd share this old song by Ricky Nelson. He wrote it after a negative experience he had, and the words still ring true today.
