Gay Science Fiction discussion
Authors' corner: promotion, etc.
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FAQ and how-tos for group authors
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Thank you for the excellent and detailed information on what to do and how. I've got lots to do and learn before the sci/fi book comes out. I'll get to work on it in the next few weeks. Perhaps it would be possible to ask a few questions if I get lost or confused in the process of setting this all up and communicating with people.Mark Zubro
Mod
Mod
http://www.heidibelleau.com/2013/02/f....
Very informative. Thank you Charming. Just posted a chapter of the book/novel I'm working on in my writings from a different link. Now, to figure out the rest. :)
Does anyone happen to know what to do, if anything, about the following? In my list of books on Goodreads the last one listed with my name is titled Measuring Housing Discrimination in a National Study: Report of a Workshop. It says the author is Mark Richard Zubro. There are a finite number of Zubros in this country and as far as I know on this planet, much less Mark Richard Zubros. I checked the website from which the book supposedly came/is printed but got no further info. When I Google my name, I'm the only one that comes up. I didn't write the book. I'm not sure how much I care that it is there, but still, it is attached to my name, and it would be good if everything attached to my name is accurate. Unless there really is another Mark Richard Zubro? Any suggestions anyone?
Mark wrote: "Does anyone happen to know what to do, if anything, about the following? In my list of books on Goodreads the last one listed with my name is titled Measuring Housing Discrimination in a National S..."Mark, I think if you send an email to: support (at) goodreads (dot) com, and let them know the exact title of the book you didn't write, they can remove it from your profile.
Mod
I fixed it for you. The error is elsewhere too, though, so we will have to watch to see that it doesn't change back.
Thank you for taking care of that. You are most kind. Is fixing this something I should learn to do?
Mod
I don't know that you need to. There are a lot of librarians around who are happy to jump in (I would have fixed this earlier, but I just saw it). I think as the author you can remove books that aren't yours, but I don't know how that is done. You can become a librarian if you want to and there is a manual of how to make changes
Gay Science Fiction
Authors mentioned in this topic
Heidi Belleau (other topics)Blaine D. Arden (other topics)
1) How do I become a Goodreads author?
Instructions are here:
2) Why can I do as a Goodreads author?
Becoming an author means that people who search for you - or click your icon - will see your author page and your books. Keep an eye on your book pages: if something is incorrect, you can change it yourself or ask librarian for help. You can add new books if you are self-publishing or you don't want to wait for your publisher to do it.
You can expand your author page. The best marketing you can do (IMO) is to help readers find your books when they are looking for them. An author page can also help readers learn about you, find your website or blog and it provides a place to announce new works, show new covers, etc. Here is an example of an author page by an author in our group:
3) What should I not do with my author status?
This FAQ on the librarian group gives some don'ts:
Note how the site owners consider things like removing old book covers or out-of-print editions to be vandalism. Readers want the edition they own to be included, even if you now hate the cover.
4) How should I handle myself as an author on groups like the Gay Science Fiction group?
Don't do the author equivalent of spamming. Goodreads is primarily a site for readers, not authors. Many readers get annoyed when they are faced with author marketing that they didn't go looking for. When interacting in groups I advise the following:
- In any group you join, learn the culture and norms before saying anything about yourself as an author or mentioning your books. Many groups have specific areas for author marketing. Here on GSF, we are relatively easy going. We enjoy interacting with our authors and want to hear about their new projects. But even here, you will do better to use the threads that welcome you as an author instead of (or in addition to) as a reader: the New Releases and Author Self-promotion thread under General, the Introductions section, and Free books and giveaways.
- Be a reader first and an author second. Talk about the books you enjoy and how you came to love science fiction and whether you like time travel or post-apocalyptic societies better. Don't swoop in only to announce your new book.
- Be cautious joining in when your book is being read and discussed in a group, unless you have been invited. On the one hand, readers will probably enjoy being able to ask the author questions and get their insights. But on the other hand, having the author hanging around tends to chill discussion – everyone gets very polite about the book instead of discussing it freely. This is another good time to watch for group norms before jumping in. Sometimes a good compromise is to come in at the end of the discussion and invite questions. Pretend you didn't notice any unflattering comments about your book. ☺
- Do tell us about your new projects in the right threads. We want to hear about new gay science fiction and see your cool new cover. We especially like to hear about freebies so we can try new authors. We like giveaways too.
- Add your gay science fiction books and stories to our group bookshelf, and make sure they are on the right sub-shelves. Instructions are here: