Ryan Field's Blog, page 587

About Facebook and Book Promotions...

If you're like me, you usually check out facebook a few times a day to see what's going on, to see what your friends are doing and to post something you hope might be interesting. By accident I happened to be one of the first people ever to join facebook. I started my page when no one even knew what facebook was, thanks to a very tech savvy friend of mine named Jonathan who writes some great YA fiction.

And in this time period I've met some great people. I've learned a great deal, too. But there are also a few things about facebook I don't understand. One of which are these group notices I receive from people I don't even know. I see them in my in-box all the time. The subject line reads something like this, "Betty Jane, Jim Bob, and Ethel Mertz have invited you..." Most often, these are requests from other authors regarding events they are having to promote their books. Some are blogging events, some are free give-aways. And nine times out of ten they aren't valid requests from friends, they are publicity stunts geared to snag you into buying something.

The problem with this is two-fold. One, like most people I'm usually too busy to check out any events other than those I find are extremely important. As an author, I don't do this to my facebook friends because I don't want to bother them or disrupt their busy days. What I prefer to do is just post information about book releases and let people decide for themselves whether or not they want to read my books or stories. If people have questions...and they do...I'm always there to answer them either with this blog or through a personal e-mail. The second problem with these invitations is that most people who are sending them out aren't famous enough to make other people care. I'm not being snarky now; just realistic. In other words, if one of the famous people I'm following sends me an invitation for some type of event, the odds are I'll at least check it out. And only if I'm not too busy and it's something that really makes me curious. But if I've never heard of you, I'm just going to delete the message without opening it. And if I see it there repeatedly, I'm hopping over to facebook and blocking you from my account.

So for all those out there who are sending out facebook invitations to events and book promotions, you might want to re-think your strategy. Most people are on facebook to have fun, not get frustrated. This is just a suggestion; you don't have to listen to me. It's just that there's this thin line between aggressive and obnoxious when it comes to self-promotion, and I'd hate to see you turn potential readers off just because you think it's the right thing to do or you don't understand how facebook operates. And lets face it, no one's really going to tell you this out loud. Your friends will see these things, snort a few times behind your back, and just delete the invitation. And you run the risk of annoying people instead of attracting them.

We want information about your books. We really do. We just don't want you to hit us over the head with a sledge hammer while you're telling us about them.

Facebook and Relatives

I just read an interesting piece titled, "Do Kids have to Add Grandma and Uncle Joe to Their Facebook Page?" Here's the link if you'd like to read the entire piece. I thought it was interesting because it made me start to second guess my own friend list.

First, I actually have two facebook pages. One for family and social friends, another for work related, publishing related posts where I socialize with other authors, readers, and anyone interested in publishing news. To be honest, my family page suffers. I rarely post anything, don't have any photos there, and often have to force myself to check it. And that's because I'm usually having too much fun on my work page, interacting with readers and other authors.

I usually make it known to friends and family, in a polite way, that I don't add them to my professional facebook page because I don't think they'd be interested in my posts. It's not because I'm gay and I write m/m romance. I use my real name on both professional and work; I couldn't care less what they think. But I don't want them to think I'm trying to get them to buy my books, and I know for a fact there's nothing about publishing they would be interested in.

But this article I just read discusses family members interacting with each other on facebook. Are teenagers obligated to "friend" their uncles, aunts and grandparents? According to this piece, the mother of the teenagers thinks the only reason the aunts and uncles are interested in "friending" her kids on facebook is to find out personal information about them and gossip. I never thought about it this way. I have two nephews on facebook and I never looked at it that way. I simply always thought of it as a way to communicate with them because they live a distance and I don't see them that often.

On the other hand, I have a friend with a large family. And there have actually been blow ups about what family members have written on facebook. One aunt thought her niece was giving out too much information, and when she mentioned this at Thanksgiving last year, the entire family went after her for getting into territory that's none of her business. Unfortunately, it turned out the aunt was right, when her sixteen year old niece ran off with a twenty-eight year old guy she'd met on facebook.

Personally, I don't think people care all that much about who accepts friend requests and who doesn't. But I do know this much. If you have accepted a friend request from a family member and you decide to "de-friend" them, you'd better come up with a good excuse, because you're going to piss someone off royally. And the same applies to anyone on a facebook friend list. People don't seem to care about whether or not you accept them; just don't "de-friend" them without a good reason. I did it once by mistake, when I was creating another account for just family and close friends. I accidentally "de-friended" an author, and he let me know about it. And when I tried to explain, I don't think he believed me.

In this world of ever changing social networks and trends, I think this particular piece I read tonight hits home for a lot of people. I just hope none of my nephews, nieces, or family members think I'm trying to spy on them for gossip when all I'm trying to do is keep in touch because I care about what's going on in their lives.

Secretary Clinton: "Tomorrow Will Be Better"

Quick Post: One Huge Difference Between E-publishers and Traditional Publishers

Version One: E-publisher

Me: Dear E-publishing Editor,

Something important came up and we need to talk. You know I never e-mail you about these things unless they are important. I'll be around all day.

Thanks!!

Ryan

E-Publisher response within an hour after contacting them:

Hi Ryan,

Here's what I think we should do. I'm glad you contacted me. It is important and we should take care of this immediately. Readers care about these issues.

Best,

E-Publisher



Simple. Fast. To the point. No one is left hanging. And everyone knows where they stand.



Now. Here's the same exchange with a traditional publisher:

Me: Dear Grand Editor with Traditional Publisher,

I'm getting back regarding your questions about the matter we discussed the other day. Below you should find everything you need. If you need anything else, please let me know.

It sounded as if you wanted to discuss this right away.

Best,

Ryan

Traditional publisher response from Grand Editor, day one:


Traditional publisher response from Grand Editor, day two:


Traditional publisher response from Grand Editor, day three:



And so it goes...

Are Readers Harder on New Authors?

I'm not sure there's a set pattern. But in the past few years I've noticed a slight shift in the way new authors are accepted by readers, reviewers, and by other authors. In the past, when a new author debuted, they usually received a little slack from everyone. This may be because there weren't as many new authors back then and everyone seemed to be more tolerant.

But now, with so many new authors entering the arena, I'm noticing in certain cases no one seems to want to give them a break. If their books aren't absolutely perfect, they take all the heat. I've seen new books with some editorial problems that probably weren't even the author's fault, and yet they still take all the heat in the end. And if there's one thing all authors will agree upon, it's that whenever it's time to take the heat everyone disappears and leaves you standing there alone...especially the publisher.

Let's face it, there is a lot of competition out there. Inexperienced authors are now competing with seasoned authors. And it's growing in numbers daily. Everyone who ever wanted to write a book is now able to write a book, thanks to the Internet. And I will agree that a great deal of these books are not ready to be published. But that doesn't mean the author isn't a great writer, and it certainly doesn't mean the next book won't be much better than the first.

With the concept of the "big" book slowly dwindling away these days, it's rare to see a first book by a new author that's ready to compete with books written by more seasoned authors. But that doesn't mean the potential isn't there. In the past, authors wrote constantly and suffered more rejection than they'd ever care to admit, before an agent or editor would take them seriously. For most, it wasn't until they started shopping their third or fourth book that anyone took them seriously. In many cases, it takes that long for the writing to be ready for publication. Rejection and criticism isn't a bad thing. Only in the past it was more private; now it's gone public...in some cases viral. Oh, I've read good reviews on review web sites that normally receive twenty or thirty comments a day. But the minute the reviewer goes after a new author with a snarky review, the comments rise into the hundreds and everyone jumps on the band wagon for sport. People send each other e-mails; it spreads within a matter of hours.

With so many new authors releasing books for the first time, I would have thought people would take a step back and go a little lighter on them. But these days it often looks as though people can't wait to dig into them and rip them to shreds, which is partly due to the fact that the Internet is so anonymous. Anonymity, especially on book review sites, creates a certain sense of power. And, simply put, mean people love this. I've seen comments where people even attack the author's name with snide comments and snarky insinuations. And I don't think I'm exaggerating on this. I've seen too many examples in the past five years, where new authors have been absolutely devastated by book reviewers using pen names, and sometimes for reasons that aren't even related to the book. Some were so devastated they stopped writing. Others took it hard, but continued. Personally, and this is mainly because I don't use a pen name for my m/m fiction, I refrain from following book reviewers who don't stand behind their real names. I find it hard to take them seriously as professionals and I dismiss them. I have a background in journalism and I was always taught that when writing non-fiction, your name is your best, most important asset. And if you can't stand behind your own name, what else is there?

The authors that continued to write after scathing reviews for first books have never let me down. The second book was better than the first, and each book after turned out to be better than the one before it. We speak of tolerance all the time these days. But no one ever talks about tolerance for new authors. If Moms treated their children this way, with mean comments and snarky insinuations, each time they made a mistake for the first time, we would have a lot of troubled kids in the world. So I think it's time we all take a deep breath, go easier on these new authors, and wait to see what's coming down the line. I'm not suggesting they should be coddled. If there are problems with a book there are constructive ways to express them. All I'm saying is give them a little slack and be smart about it. And please don't blame them for editorial problems, especially with digital books. Once the digital book goes to editing, there's very little the author can do to change things. And there's very little an author can do about a cover. If they are lucky, they can make suggestions. But the final result comes from the publisher, not the author.

Passion in Paris Mentions Me in First Chapter

I just heard that a new m/m romance was released that mentions me...and my romance novels...in the first chapter. Huzzah! No one's ever done that before. And I'm thrilled about it.

The book is PASSION IN PARIS, written by Adam Carpenter. I've worked with Adam before in the anothology, How the West was Done, and I had no idea he was going to do this.

This one is definitely going on my own personal TBR list.

Here's the excerpt:

Matt stole a look over at a focused Colton, who was busy placing earbuds into his ears, toggling now with his black-tinted iPod. Zoning out for the long flight, something Matt too should be considering. He fumbled in his carry-on for his new Kindle, looking over his book selections and thinking—given that his current state was horny, one of Ryan Field's cleverly titled erotic novels wasn't the right choice. He tossed the Kindle into the pocket in front of him, stole one more look at Colton's enticing profile, and then closed his eyes.

This Year I'm Passing on the Lambda Literary Awards

I've been part of the Lambda Literary Awards a few times. I'm an openly gay author, writing with my own name and not a pen name, who has been writing in the lgbt genre for almost twenty years. I've even been in anthologies that have won Lambda awards. However, this year I'm passing on the festivities and I'm not submitting any of my books. One reason is lack of time and another other is cost.

Most of my books are e-books that sell very well, but they can be downloaded as print books on demand at Amazon if a reader so wishes. But this also means if I want copies of my own books in print, I have to order them just like everyone else and pay for postage. As a reader, I've made the switch to reading only e-books. I save money, enjoy the reading process ten times more, and will never go back to reading print books again. Evidently, the LLF has not made the switch and e-books are not eligible.

My print books sell, but not nearly as well as the e-books. My fan base (thanks to every single one of you), according the hundreds of letters I receive each week, are lgbt readers who only read e-books. So for me to take the time out of my busy writing schedule to go through the Lambda submission process and order my own print books to submit to them is costly. I'm just like everyone else in America right now. I have a mortgage. I have bills. I have car payments. I have priorities to consider. And by the time I'm finished adding up what it will cost me to submit something to the LLF for the Lambda's, it runs into the hundreds. And in this economy I'm not willing to part with money as easily as I would have been in the past.

I'm thankful to Elisa Rolle for sponsoring The Rainbow Awards, which doesn't cost authors a dime out of their own pockets. I'm sure the LLF will survive without me this year. And I'm sure there will be some great lgbt books submitted to the LLF this year. I wish them all well, and if anyone reading this post is interested in submitting their print books to the LLF for the Lambda's, please follow this link.

Dinner With an Agent Last Night...

I had dinner with an agent last night. But not my agent. Someone who has been my good friend for many years. We've been through times of crisis and many great times. We've shared our birthdays and the birthdays of other good friends. He has a weekend place out here in Buck County and his office and apartment are in New York.

But, like I said, he's not my agent. We decided years ago that if we were going to be friends we would separate business from friendship. I have gone to him for advice from time to time, and I've become a fan of his clients books. But we keep it simple and rarely discuss publishing at social events.

However, last night he told an interesting story. Evidently, an author sent one of his associates a copy of her new self-published cookbook and his entire office went wild. When he saw the book, he loved it so much he brought it out here this weekend to show friends how in-depth it was and how detailed all the recipes were. And he made no bones about mentioning the fact that it was self-pubbed, he's going to offer representation to this author, and shop it to publishers.

I thought this was interesting. I read many publishing blogs that focus on queries and what to do when querying. I've seen authors slave over writing query letters, to the point of making themselves sick with worry. I've read blog posts written by agents, anonymous assistants, and even anonymous interns who've built a large following offering potential authors advice about how to write a query letter. One anonymous intern once actually offered her query services for hire. But I've never once read a story about a self-pubbed author sending a book to an agent and getting representation. If anything, I've always read this is absolutely taboo.

So I thought I'd share this post with other authors today. It's not urban legend. It happened last night during a dinner party and I was there and saw it with my own eyes. I have no reason to lie; I'm not self-pubbed and I've never contacted an agent with anything other than a query letter. But I thought it was interesting for other authors to read, so they can grasp the concept that what they read on blogs and see in comment threads is simply the tip of what constitutes the publishing industry, how books are acquired, and how agents differ from one another.

If this self-pubbed author hadn't sent out copies of her self-pubbed cook book, my friend would not have paid attention to her query. But even more than that, I can't help but wonder how many of the grand Internet blogging agents who seem to enjoy this query business so much have already rejected her because she didn't follow normal protocol and stick with just the query. I'm sure there are plenty, too. And while they are laughing at her for sending a self-pubbed book instead of a query letter, my friend will undoubtedly be laughing all the way to the bank after he sells this book.

Authors Behaving Questionably...

I'm not going to title this post "Authors Behaving Badly," because I think it's all a matter of opinion, and this post is simply my opinion. Anyone can disagree with me, and I know there are plenty who will. Just not here on the blog. I like to keep the blog a positive place, and any negative comments will be deleted.

Yesterday I had a few extra minutes, so I went over to goodreads.com to accept a few new friend requests and leave a few ratings for books I've read in the past month. And while there, I happened to notice more than a few snarky comments written by authors about other authors. Some were downright vicious, leaning more toward Internet bullying than constructive criticism. If an author did this to me, I can take it, trust me. There's isn't much I haven't experienced. But I know there are newer authors out there who take this kind of criticism to heart, and it literally ruins their entire sense of well-being.

Personally, I don't care what kind of comments readers or reviewers leave. Readers pay for books and have the right to leave any comments they want. Not everyone is going to love every single book and nothing can be done about that. In all honestly, some of the worst reader reviews for a few of my books have turned out to be exactly what I wanted them to write. (I'll save this topic for another post.) However, I have a rule that when I don't like a book I simply leave a rating, not a review. I do this because as an author with almost twenty years of experience in publishing I read with a different "eye" than the average reader. And naturally I'm going to be more critical than the average reader. I even hesitate to leave reviews about a book I love because I'm not sure I can be totally objective.

But I've seen several authors leave vicious comments on goodreads. They take personal pleasure in attacking other authors, with snide attitudes, and never bother to consider their own reputations in the process. When I see this happen, my first question is how good is the snide author making the scathing comment, and then I hop right over to where I can read an excerpt of their book. Nine times out to ten, I find the author who made the mean comment isn't very good, knows very little about m/m romance, and suffers from not only a sense of entitlement, but also an unwarranted sense of superiority. Which then makes me wonder whether or not the scathing comments and ratings are nothing more than a case of jealously. I'd hate to think this would happen. But I'm not naive enough to think it couldn't happen.

Even if the author who made the mean comment is a halfway decent writer, I still find it hard to take them seriously after I see them attack a fellow author in public. It's a tacky thing to do, it shows poor judgement, and it suggests a limited amount of professionalism when it comes to working within the publishing industry as a whole. You don't see doctors attacking other doctors, or cops attacking other cops. Most professionals within specific industries stick together even if it means remaining tastefully quiet sometimes.

I wouldn't go after another author in public unless the author attacked a social issue I know more about than they do. The worst rating I've ever left on goodreads was two stars and I didn't bother to leave a detailed comment. Readers can do that, and in turn they can help other readers in choosing what they may or may not want to read. But when authors do this to other authors, I rarely ever take these authors seriously again. And the funny thing about the Internet is that whatever you write in public never goes away. It's there forever. And people have excellent memories.

1romanceebooks.com Changes Its Name. Please Read and Help Promote

I read some news on a yahoo thread this evening and wanted to post about it fast. 1romanceebooks.com has changed its name. All the info is below, so feel free to pass this along.

We could really use your help. In the next couple weeks, 1RomanceEbooks will become http://1PlaceForRomance.com . The same great romance stories, the same great romance authors and publishers, the same great customer service... we're just changing our name. 1RomanceEbooks appreciates your past support. We would appreciate your continued support during our transition. 1PFR's Facebook and Twitter pages are active and we extend an invitation to you to friend and follow us. 1PlaceForRomance is our new website name: http://1PlaceForRomance.com 1PFR has a Facebook: http://facebook.com/OnePlaceForRomance 1PFR is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/1PFR Please help us get the word out! Please mention the change on your website and in your blogs and email lists. We have included links to some banners to make it easy. We appreciate your business and we appreciate your trust. As a thank you to the authors who blog for us, we'll be putting everyone's name in a hat and will draw 5 names for a special promotion package. This will include highlighting your books and banners in our newsletter and on our blog. We'll also prominently feature your books on our FaceBook page and Twitter feed. Questions? We are happy to help. Just let us know. Email Val at promotion @ 1PlaceForRomance.com and let us know you are willing to help 1RomanceEbooks transition to 1PlaceForRomance.
Wishing you the best of success, The Folks at 1RomanceEbooks (soon to be 1PlaceForRomance.com)