Jim Devitt's Blog, page 9

Myspace is Back ... Really?

They’re back! 

Yup, the New Myspace has been rebranded and re-launched. What? You didn’t know the old one was gone? Technically, it never was really gone, just forgotten about.

Myspace has rebranded itself as a social entertainment network. It focuses heavily on music and comes off as a cross between Tumblr and Pinterest.

Myspace is currently in “beta” test. There is suppose to be connectivity with Facebook and Twitter, but as of this writing, the functionality was not working.

You can sign up at www.myspace.com.


When I first signed up, I was encouraged by the changes, but that quickly went down in flames. After providing the basics, Myspace asked me to choose a category.



Alright, that’s cool, one of the categories is writer/journalist. That’s about where the coolness ends. The search is very limited and it was a little frustrating to build connections. At this time, you can only connect with people who have created profiles in the new Myspace.

If you want to get serious with Myspace, I would click the Writer category AND the Brand category. That way you can build your brand around a particular publication or book. I’m not suggesting here to get serious with Myspace (see below.)

In an effort to be “different,” the stream and profiles scroll horizontally, that took a little getting used to. Connecting is similar to Twitter, you can connect with others without their agreement. In my opinion, the posting mimics Facebook, the following copies Twitter and it is visual like Tumblr. Will it catch on? Not sure.

They make it easy to click a playlist and listen to music, but Pandora can do the same for me.

Usually, in this space, I post about cool new tools and things that help you be more productive or get your brand out there. Today, I’m giving you a heads up on Myspace.

Don’t bother.

Don’t waste your time.

Don’t spend a half day setting up everything.

Maybe they will prove me wrong in the end, but for now, this will not be a focus in my marketing efforts. Most big brand companies haven’t jumped on board yet, either. It’s great for music or if you are a musician. As an author, you can much get more mileage out of Facebook, Twitter and especially Goodreads.

Let me know what you think. Do possibilities exist with Myspace? We’re you a Myspace junkie in the mid to late 2000s?

A version of this post by Jim Devitt originally appeared on Indies Unlimited last week.

Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing via CJ Lyons

Here's a great post on self-publishing vs traditional publishing. Not your usual Good vs Evil. Great advice and a sound plan.

Check it out on Jane Friedman's blog 

http://janefriedman.com/2013/01/30/self-pub-and-traditional-pub-cj-lyons/

Devitt Consulting Quoted in Recent Article

Today is Community Manager Appreciation Day! Yeah, I know, you didn't even know it existed. 
Image courtesy Kozzi.com

It's fairly new... like only the second year for it's recognition. According to The Community Manager a community manager is engage in a businesses communication, moderation, guideline writing, day to day online (forums, owned communities, blogs, newsletters) and offline (events, conferences, meetups), strategy, working with the social teams/marketing/support/product/PR/management, surveying, customer service, and a variety of other activities. 

Phew!

Regardless, the cool thing is I was quoted via Devitt Consulting in the recent article published this morning as a social media expert. You can check it out here ...



Don't forget to give your Social or Community Manager a hug today!

Hugh Howey and Wool

Check out Chris James' post on Indie Author Hugh Howey and his leap to fame. Great story and a reaction by the author himself in the comments.

http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/01/22/indie-news-beat-special-report-on-the-latest-self-publishing-success-story/

I'm Still Writing, How About You?

You’ve heard it all, Amazon is bowing to the Big Six, Barnes and Noble and Amazon are destroying self-publishing and the traditional publishers are taking over the industry while charging $25,000 dollars to get your book out.

Enough!

Dudes, who cares. Has anything really changed? Can you still put your product through the grinder and be making money in twenty-four hours? YES.

Can you upload to Kindle today and see sales by tomorrow? YES.

So what are we doing? We’re spending all our time lamenting about how the industry is disappearing. We won’t be able to sell books. My sales have plummeted in October so it must be because Amazon is not counting my sales!

That’s a pile of crap.


Let’s just get back to the roots of what makes us great in the first place. We’re doers. We’re pioneers. That’s what makes the United States great, it’s always been about pioneering. You too, UK, you were pioneering before we were born!

Let’s stop our complaining and start doing. If you are going to make it in this business, you’ve got to keep writing.

Are you telling me that the self publishing/Indie Author revolution is over? In what, three years? Some of our brethren have gone from nothing to bestsellers in matter of weeks. The legacy publishers have snatched Indie Authors up with million dollar contracts. Legacy published authors have jumped to the indie side. All kinds of things have happened.

Did I say Enough , already?

Put the noise behind you. Pump out the quality, edited books. Buy books from those you know. Help other indie authors and they’ll help you.

Can I say one other thing? Maybe I shouldn’t, but I’m going to say it anyway. What are you really complaining about? Seeing a drop in sales from 20 to 12 copies a month? Get real, most of the people out there who are complaining make $400 or less selling books, A YEAR .

Conspiracy? Puhlease. Better watch out for that big bad indie author selling ten books a month … every other month.

And, what if the indie industry goes away? We’re right back where we were before. Finding agents, sending out queries and trying to publish books. Unless of course, you are in it just to rip people off in the eBook craze. If that’s the case, I want you gone anyway.

I was at a party last weekend and a guy I was talking to asked what I do. I said, “I’m an author.” He immediately went off on all the domain names that he owns and how he’s going to make millions off of them with the books he writes. WHAT?!

We can complain or we can do something. I choose to do something.

We know better. We can do better. We know the value of a good book. Indie authors are not going away … unless you don’t write.

A version of this post was written by Jim Devitt on Indies Unlimited in December of 2012

Burnout? But the Year Just Started! Five Steps to Being More Productive

We’re firmly entrenched into the New Year—the stress of the holidays is over, we’ve marketed like crazy to get to all those new device owners and the last thing we want to do is look at another social media tweet, blog, post or anything—especially, if you have to generate the content.

Burnout is serious business. It can kill your motivation and even leave you with a negative attitude toward the things that are an integral part of your overall writing/publishing career. So today, here are a few tips to avoid and even attack social media burnout.



1. Disconnect. Yep, that’s right. Let go for an entire day. No Facebook, Twitter, Socl, Pinterest, Google+ or any other platform. It’s just one day! Even give up your e-mail and blog. 

2.  Analyze why you feel this way. Start with the amount of time you’re spending on social media. Are you participating on numerous sites? Do you focus too much on just one site? Are you bored? Are you not getting the results you want?

Once you figure out why you’re burnt out, you’ll be able to redirect your focus to more productive activities. If you feel like you are not getting results with a particular platform, change what you are doing—shift to paid ads or free book campaigns with Amazon or giveaways on Goodreads.

After all, the definition of insanity is Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

3. Set boundaries. Schedule parts of your day where you don’t allow yourself to participate in social media or even answer e-mails. Do you realize that you lose four minutes every time you stop what you are doing to look at e-mails? That’s two hours a day if check your e-mail every fifteen minutes or so.

4. Set goals. You’ve heard me preach about this before on this blog. It’s so important to set goals and write them down. Schedule your day with specific blocks of time for each activity. You’ll find a whole new freedom with a schedule. You’ll be more productive and have time for everything, including social media.

5. Focus. This goes hand-in-hand with number four, but when it comes to social media, don’t try to be everywhere. Make sure you have quality posts and alternate weeks where you focus on different social media platforms. Divide the month into four segments where you focus on a particular platform. For example: Week one-Pinterest, Week two-Goodreads, Week three-Google+, Week four-Socl. You figure out what works best for you and schedule it into your overall plan.

You might think that once a month is not enough for a particular platform, but don’t worry, it will still be there when you get back. Figure out for yourself which ones are the most important and make that your primary, the lower tiered platforms are the ones that you divvy up for the month.

With these simple steps, you can avoid burnout, organize your day better and be more productive in 2013. What are some of the keys you have for making your week productive?

This post originally appeared in a post by Jim Devitt on Indies Unlimited, January 5th, 2013

Review: 47 Percent: Uncovering the Romney Video That Rocked the 2012 Election

47 Percent: Uncovering the Romney Video That Rocked the 2012 Election by David Corn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Regardless of which side you are on, this book is an excellent look behind the scenes at a political fundraiser. More importantly, it shows how intense the media circus is and the process one goes through to work with sources to gain trust.

If you are a political junkie or a journalism student, this is a must read.



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Review: The Twelve

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I was really looking forward to this next in a series book. It was a little difficult in the beginning because it had been so long since The Passage came out, I had to go back and re familiarize myself the characters. Plus the story moves through a hundred years in a short time.

In the end, it was well worth it. Cronin delivered a great story and I'm anxious to continue with the final book when it is published. If you like The Passage, you'll re-acquaint yourself with some old friends and have fun on the way.



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Review: Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This sequel started out slow and I was a little disappointed in the beginning. Once I got into it, the pace picked up and the story became what we loved in the first of the series. I'm looking forward to the final book in the series.



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Review: Bill of Human Wrongs

Bill of Human Wrongs by C. Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Bill of Human Wrongs is an exciting look at how political decisions today can effect life in the future. Interweaving the present with the future, this book looks at current issues and the struggle of a Senator as she decides on how to vote on life changing bills. Only in this surreal setting does one get to see the impact of their decision years into the future.

This quick and fun read sends a message without being preachy. C. Michaels does a great job of developing characters and sprinkles in a dose of current day personalities that I'm sure you'll recognize. While the election is just around the corner, this book should be a must read in every election cycle.



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