Indies Together and WisCon Schedule

Best-selling indie author Susan Kaye Quinn has started a Facebook group to help other indie authors. It's called Indies Together. It's a private group, but she's encouraging other people to join. Susan is sharing her marketing knowledge with indies and offers a couple of different "recipes" depending if you're exclusive to Amazon or have your work available in multiple markets. I've read through her advice, and it makes sense, though it does take multiple books in series, time, and some seed money to make it work. If you're looking for a group with supportive members, I recommend it.

It's hard to believe WisCon will be this weekend. Today is the last day to register here. Standard price is only $10, but there are other tiers available. I won't be able to participate much on Friday since I have to work, but I should be able to do more Saturday through Monday. I'll report back next week how it went.

Solar Unicorn Stitching

I've finally started a site for my crochet and sewing projects. So far, it's only a Facebook page called Solar Unicorn Stitching. (It ties in with Solar Unicorn Publishing, which is how I publish my books.) Thanks to Maria Zannini for designing the logo to the left. There's not much else on the page at the moment, as I need to get some good pictures of my crochet projects. I plan to build it up over time. In the meantime, here's a picture of my latest project: a blue stegosaurus. I crocheted most of it while we were driving last week; now I just need to sew everything together.

Authors Against Hate

Although authors are commonly warned against discussing politics, as human beings, we have to condemn the alt-right rally and resulting violence and death that happened in Charlottesville last weekend. Therefore, I've decided to donate $25 or my September royalties (whichever is greater) to the Stop Hate Project. It's an organization that helps communities fight hate crimes. I've also started a Facebook group called Authors Against Hate to encourage other writers in all genres and all levels to do something. You can donate royalties or signed books or whatever you feel comfortable with. I just started this group yesterday, so there hasn't been time to plan a group activity yet. If you want to join us, either on or off Facebook, feel free to grab the graphic above to display on social media. We'll see how much interest we generate before going further.

Reviewer Roundup

If you like reading and reviewing books, along with possibly winning signed paperback and Amazon gift cards, then head over to Facebook for the Reviewer Roundup Event! It's hosted by Kelli Smith of Totally Talented Productions, and it's going from January 15th to February 4th. The four books currently available in my Season Avatars series (Seasons' Beginnings, Scattered Seasons, Chaos Season, and Fifth Season) will be available during the second and third weeks of the event. (Only two books per author are available each week, so Seasons' Beginnings and Scattered Seasons will be available from January 22-28 and Chaos Season and Fifth Season will be available from January 29-Feburary 4th). I'm posting about it now so readers have a chance to participate during the entire event, but I'll either post reminders or put up a link in my sidebar when my books are available. It's a multi-genre event, so there should be something for every taste. Be sure to read the pinned posts for the rules and the procedure for requesting books. Happy reading!

So Tsu Me....

Last week, I joined tsu (pronounced Sue, and there should be a line over the "u"), one of the newest social networks out there. So far, it seems like it potentially could be better for connecting with people than Facebook. While I do like the games and groups on Facebook, I don't like the way they limit how many people see posts on an author page and then expect you to pay to "boost" them. They also put too many ads in the news feed. Although tsu is also supported by ads, they distribute 90% of the revenue to the content creators and keep only 10%. It would take a long time and a lot of work to earn a decent income solely through tsu, but it's still better than nothing, so I figured I'd try it. If you'd like to join, or if you want to connect with me on there, you can do so via this link. I'd love to meet some more readers and writers!

Guest Post:Facebook Fandom: Social Media, Authors and Readers By Gail Z. Martin

Gail Z. Martin will be returning to this blog in two weeks for a Blog Ring of Power interview. Today, please enjoy this special guest post from her on social media, authors, and readers.

Not so very long ago, if you wanted to let an author know how much you enjoyed his/her book, you had to write a letter and mail it to the author in care of his/her publisher, hoping that the author would eventually receive it.  You didn’t really expect to hear back, but if a postcard with a few scribbled lines did come your way, it was a rare treasure worthy of framing.

Back in the day, if you were lucky enough to live near a big city, authors might come to a book signing at a local store.  You’d only know about the signing if you read about it in the newspaper, saw a sign in the store window or happened to be on the store’s mailing list, but if you did find out in time, you might have a few seconds to talk to the author while he/she signed your book.  No one expected more, unless you were a regular at genre conventions, a pastime limited to a very small sub-set of die-hard fans in major cities.

How times have changed!  Today, every author who is at all serious about the craft has a web site, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, an Amazon author page, a blog, often a podcast, and a presence on sites like Shelfari and Goodreads.  Authors also have email newsletters, video trailers on YouTube, downloadable excerpts and bonus material, even avatars in Second Life that hold virtual readings for an audience of virtual people.

As I’ve gotten ready for the launch of my new book, Ice Forged, I’ve taken nearly all of those components into consideration, making sure that I’m accessible to readers through a variety of channels, and assuring that readers can sample the book in as many places as possible.

What changed, besides technology?  The short answer is: everything. 

Digital publishing, print-on-demand and ebooks made it possible the democratization of publishing.  Social media meant that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection could have a global reach greater than many cable TV networks.  Amazon and other online booksellers made books available to a world-wide audience, and ebooks eliminated the costly issues of advance printings, warehousing and distribution.
The number of new books climbed to approximately one million (counting all forms of publishing) in 2010 by one estimate.  How do readers find the next book to read amid all the titles competing for their attention?

Relationships. 

Social media enables authors to create relationships with readers that last beyond a casual comment at a signing or a fan letter.  Watch a video, and you have an idea of the book that goes beyond the blurb on the back cover.  Read the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, and you can get a sense for what a cross-section of readers think.  Participate in the forums and community of sites like Goodreads, and you build relationships with other readers while also getting to have a real, ongoing conversation with the authors who are active on those sites.  Read an author’s blog, and not only do you have continuity between book releases, but you also get some insight into the person who creates the works you enjoy, along with the way to comment.  Stay tuned to the author’s Facebook page, Twitter feed and web site, and you no longer have to depend on the book store or news media to keep you informed about new books and appearances.
Social media has transformed what were once two solitary and disconnected activities: writing and reading.  Sure, you could discuss books with your friends, or with a book club, but even the old-fashioned online bulletin boards don’t compare with the quantity of discussion opportunities available through communities like Goodreads, LibraryThing and ReddIt.  Authors who couldn’t afford to do a national tour once had few options for engaging with readers outside of their local area.  Now, authors Skype into book club meetings on the other side of the world to make a personal appearance, upload readings to iTunes and add video greetings to their web sites.

All this technology has also opened up new opportunities for writer and readers.  Some authors have experimented with crowd-sourcing books, where creative collaboration is part of the fun.  Other authors “test drive” ideas and scenes with their Facebook followers.  Certainly it’s become not only possible, but desirable for authors to post short stories, deleted scenes, bonus material and out-of-print books, as well as new books on a schedule that fits the needs of the author/reader, outside of the timetable of publishers.
Comments and forum boards mean that readers can get beyond the opinions of professional reviewers and see what other readers think, add their two-cents, and commune with like-minded others.  Authors can encourage each other, support each other’s launches, share resources, and collaborate, or just stay in touch between conventions.

Personally, I think it’s great—and I hope that you’ll find me and friend me so that we can begin a conversation that becomes a relationship!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.


Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here:

Making the Scene in 2013

I'm posting much more than I usually do this week, but that's because I have a lot to blog about. One of the most exciting topics is this: I've been invited to join a group blog called Scene 13. We're a group of about 25 authors with books coming out this year. Here's the list:

Michelle McLean
Lisa Amowitz
Ellen Booraem
 Lindsay Eland
Toni Kerr
 Kristal Shaff
Jeannie Ruesch
 Kelly Hashway
Jennifer Allis Provost
Kimberly Ann Miller
Lisa Gail Green
PJ Hoover
Rhys A. Jones
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Christine Johnson
Rachel Harris
Christine Fonseca
Sherry Ficklin
 Hilari Bell
Ednah Walters
Ali Cross
 Tyler Jolley
Heidi Ayarbe
Lena Goldfinch
Cole Gibsen
Leigh Hershkovich


I'll be posting there once a month, on the 15th. For this month's topic, you'll get to read about characters' New Year's resolutions, including Paul Harrison, the protagonist of Twinned Universes.

In addition to following the group blog, you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. Please check us out and meet some other great authors!