Be Seen #6 - Don't forget to have fun

As the Subject suggests you have to remember that while you are in the business of promoting and selling your books, you can't do it all the time. You do need to relax and have fun as well.

Chat with your fans, find out what they are reading, what they love about characters, what they hate. Find out what they feel makes a good villain, a great hero and a readable heroine. Find out what/who they are currently reading and why they love the book or series. This is all information that you, as an author, can use to grow yourself. But don't forget to also talk about what/who you are reading and why you love the book/series. This allows your fans to get to know you better too in a not overly I-have-diarrhea personal way.

A number of authors do a day of the week event, as do many other groups including publishers, where they are just goofy and have fun with the day. For example, we know that there are groups on Facebook, for example, who do topless Tuesdays - usually geared toward the female crowd but there's usually a few geared for the men as well. Another we know about does a Throwback Thursday - blanking on the group name but if it ever comes to us we'll definitely give them the credit due to them for this brilliance. They usually do a head shot of an actor, back in the day side-by-side with one from more recent - a then and now sort of deal.

Whatever you do dedicate the day to just being a little bit silly and invite your fans to join in the fun by asking them to send you images, if that's the way you go, or info if you decide you want to do something different. It's a great way to a) interact with your fans; b) have them involved and; c) have a bit of fun!

One word of warning though. There will always be at least one person that takes offence to whatever you decide to do. DO NOT LET THIS GET YOU DOWN! No matter what group is out there, what you personally do or write, there will be haters. It's a fact of having a semi-public life. Let it roll off your back like water from a duck and move on with those that are fun and open to the silliness. And if this/these people/persons get out of hand - BAN THEIR FUCKING ASSES!

So it is, so shall it be. We have spoken.

The Moderator

The Scoop #5 - Be careful what you say

No matter where you say it, or why, you need to be careful of your words. We're not talking about slinging insults or "your mama's so fat..." jokes, we're talking about discussing your stories.

Not everyone out there is your friend. Even a "friend" may not be a true friend. So always be very careful about what you reveal about a book/story you are writing before you have it submitted to your publisher. We've been lucky and never had this happen to us but we're more than sure there are authors out there who have had a story idea/premise stolen through a conversation with a "friend".

We're not saying don't talk about your newest project, just don't reveal too much. What is too much? Good question, for example please see the below dramatic re-enactment provided to you by the people at FOX. Okay, we're kidding!

• Too much - I'm writing a new story about a man who wakes up with amnesia in a foreign land and yet knows the language. He has all these crazy ass skills, like hand to hand combat and weapons training, that just come to him when he needs them. People are out to kill him and he's trying to figure out who this mysterious government group is that apparently he belongs to, or did because they think he's dead. He races around the world trying to figure out who he is while taking out their agents and other officials trying to stop him. He kidnaps this French girl who assists him and they do this crazy drive through the city taking out vehicles and driving down stair cases. (In case you're wondering and didn't get the reference - we hijacked The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum for this demonstration)
• Enough - I'm writing a new story, it will be action packed and you'll never know where the danger is coming from. Which will be on several fronts, both supposed friends and foes will be after my character, it will be quite a ride.

As you will see in the "Too much" example, you've basically handed a plot line to someone out there. And if you do not have a copyright on it at that moment, you do not own it. Now, yes you thought it up (in this case we borrowed Robert Ludlum's premise) but can you prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt that someone else didn't think of it sooner? Someone who then wrote it before you and submitted it before you did thereby getting copyright on it before you did. Likely not. Yes, the technological age has many amazing and great benefits. But for every benefit there is an asshole out there that has figured a way around it all and will screw you over.

So, better to taunt and tease a little by giving your readers, fans and potential "friend" just enough to whet the appetite but not enough to let them grab it and run. So, be careful what you say and to whom. You never know who might be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Sad to say, yes, but better mildly paranoid then out your next book.

The Moderator

Insider Info #6 - Things you may never have thought of

Now, as most of the first world population is on Facebook - and other social media sites - this problem may not come up. But it is something important you need to know.

As an author you want to have a fan page for, well, your fans. This will be a place for them to gather and rave about your greatness and... Okay, so that may be pushing the envelope a little, but we can all hope right?

Something you may not know though is that unless you create a page for your author persona and then a fan page, you could run into difficulties. Where? you ask. Glad you did. Advertising on Facebook. If you ONLY have a fan page - in other words you have your own personal page and you "Create a Page" - you can NOT advertise as your author persona, only as your real life self. At all. Ever. You need to actually make a Facebook account for your author persona and then create a page for your fans from that persona. This of course doesn't matter if you are using your real name but if you are writing under a pen name, be forewarned. Yeah, screwy huh?

We think so too but with the way things are always changing and moving on Facebook we're never sure what the hell is going on anyway. Which brings us to another tip we want to warn you about on Facebook. Check your "Active Sessions" on a regular basis. Wait! Before you freak, we have directions.

Go to the little "cog" in the blue bar at the top of your screen. It's the little round bumpy looking wheel to the right of your name and the little lock that looks like it's going really fast. Click on it and scroll down to "Account Settings" - click on it. Once you are in there you want to look to the left hand bar where a number of things are listed. It reads, in descending order:  General, Security, Privacy, Timeline and Tagging, etc, etc.

You will want to click on "Security". At the bottom of these bolded headings of the page that just appeared reads "Active Sessions". Click on "Edit" to the right of it (little blue link) and a drop down like screen will appear. You need to know where you are signed in from at all times so you know if someone is hacking your account. Try and remember if you check your Facebook from work, your phone, a tablet or iPad, etc. But these should (in theory - unless you are on a trip) be all in the same city. If there are ANY not in your current location - click the little link to the right that says "End Activity". Do this with every session NOT your own. Then, immediately, change your password and check again. Hackers are evil little shits and they love to do stuff to fuck you around.

Once you have done a second round of checks. Change your password one more time. This may seem redundant, you just did it. But that old saying, better safe than sorry, applies here. So do it! Once you have done that - warn your fans. Post up a message letting them know that you were potentially hacked -if you can, give a rough time line as well- and let them know that anything before your current message should be ignored as potentially dangerous spam especially anything with a link in it.

There you have it, our helpful tips to ensuring the safety of your online life. We will have more to come.

The Moderator

Be Seen #5 - Don't slack off now!

You've gotten yourself online, you've pimped your book and let everyone know it's coming as well as teasing them until the big day arrived in spectacular fashion, but you can't stop now.

Take a break, definitely, you need to take a little time for yourself once you've gotten over the hump. But you can only slack off for so long. You need to keep up your online presence so that you can chat with those that have just bought your book. Plus you need to mention it every now and again so it stays fresh in the minds of those who couldn't get it yet, didn't have a chance to get it or who are waiting until payday to go shopping crazed on the online sites.

This does NOT mean that you post everyday about your book that's now out and available, that just pisses people off. But posting once every couple of weeks is quite acceptable. In and between all that you should post about other things, talk about your next project or generally just stay in touch with your readers and fans. You need to keep yourself out there, but remember, don't share too much personal information (as discussed in Be Seen #1).

A good way to avoid too much personal information and yet still let people feel they are getting to know you, is talking about the next project on your plate. Is it a continuation (serial) to the book you just published? Is it something new you are trying? Give them a little bit of an idea about what it's about, just don't commit yourself to anything in particular. Especially if you are not 100% sure what the story will be yet. But you can talk about the idea a little, not too much though, you need to be very careful on this point. Too much information and someone else can scoop your idea.

Yes, that does happen, but that will be covered in another post so stayed tuned.

The Moderator

Submitting #5 - The wait

You've submitted your book and now one of the worst things possible begins... The wait.

This is the time period between submitting and getting word your work has been accepted, or rejected, by the publisher of your choice. If this is your first book it is a terrifying time of second guessing yourself and wondering what all else you could have done to maybe give your work a boost over all others. Question after question will begin to pour through your head as you go back to look at the email you sent in. Did I spell everything correctly? Did I mention something I shouldn't have? Did I not mention something I should have? Did I forget one of the steps that's a must to get this accepted? Did I even remember to send in the manuscript?

The questions will rattle you but, remember, this is normal and every author had this happen that very first time. It's a terrifying experience. More so because you know, for a fact, that some nameless, faceless person on the receiving end is now deciding your potential fate in the world of published authors. But have faith. If you followed your list of must do's (Submitting #2 - Create a check-list) then you are as well off as you possibly can be.

Get your mind off the wait, it is going to take a while no matter how polished and amazing your story is, how concise you were in your synopsis and cover letter. 

Do the only thing you can, occupy yourself. Pour all that nervous tension and energy into something productive, like another story. Any time your mind starts to wander and you start looking at the calendar to calculate the days, hours, minutes and seconds since you emailed the publisher, push it aside and write. Focus everything you are on a story to get out of your own head.

Or you could clean, if you really wanted to, but who really wants to clean? Cooking is also good or baking, but do something to keep yourself busy and otherwise occupied mentally.

Remember, just because you haven't heard back from the publisher within 8 minutes 42 seconds of sending the email, means NOTHING. Most publishers have a huge waiting list of works to look over. Check the submission section (or the FAQ) of their site and you will likely find what the "average" time for word back on a submission is. On average 2-6 weeks is relatively standard. Some will give longer time frames depending on the time of year. Remember, these people get holidays too. So, chill!

The Moderator

The Scoop #4 - The clique mentality

Oh, how we fucking hate this. It's not bad enough we all had to suffer through the clique's in high school, now we have to do it in the business world too.

All publishers have clique's, it's a fact no matter how much they deny it. There are some "good" clique's and then there are the ones that we will be discussing.

• Genre Clique's - These are not necessarily bad, but can go that way if the people involved don't keep their heads out of their asses. This clique is based specifically around the genre's in which author's write. For example: Historical Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal, Erotic are just some of the many genre's. In most cases, but not all, these clique's are geared toward assisting writers in these specific genre's and they do tend to be helpful. From providing help over blocks, assistance in research to just reading something that isn't working for you and providing a second (or third) set of eyes to help you figure out why this isn't working.
• Ass Kissing Clique's - These are bad, bad, bad clique's. Like in high school these clique's are a group of people that revolve around one central figure and generally can't think for themselves. They always look to the central figure, or leader, of the clique for how to behave and what to say in any given situation. This is the clique that if you are not on the inside you are on the outside and acts much like Sheeple (which we covered in The Scoop #3). These are "yes" men and women who, like a group of high schoolers, really don't have the mentality to stand up for anyone because then they wouldn't be "popular" any more. These are also the ones we often refer to in our posts as the Golden Ones.

The above are just two of the clique's most seen but there are clique's within clique's, sub-genre's if you will, that can be potential holes to fall into. No matter what you do as an author remain true to yourself. Think for yourself and be yourself. While this will not always be popular, who said life was fair?, at least at the end of the day you can feel good about yourself and what you did that day. Which is better than wanting to crawl into a little hole and hide because you compromised your own integrity.

The second clique from above is more likely to be found in smaller, more intimate publishing houses. Think under 100 authors. Any of the bigger houses it's harder to find these clique's but they do exist, it's just not as noticeable and obvious and therefore a little trickier to navigate. Unfortunately if you are a part of a smaller publishing house and you are not in the clique than you are pretty much screwed. Because those inside the clique will gleefully and with permission make your life and career hell. Not that you'll be able to prove anything, but you have to remember that they are going to do whatever is necessary to ingratiate themselves further with the leader of their pack of assholes.

Just don't get sucked in. If they are into making snide and snotty comments that ride the line of bullying, always be chipper and cheerful, don't give them anything they can use as fodder against you. Remember, because they are sadistic brats they will be reading all your posts looking for an opening to dig into and be shit heads. If they step up their game to outright bullying and such, screen shots and report their asses to anyone and everyone you can think of. While it won't stop them from coming back at you at a later date, at least they know you are onto them. The downside of that of course is they will likely come back with a strategy that is harder to prove.

That's all we've got on this topic, for now. Sadly there are enough assholes out in the world of writing that we will end up with more over time.

The Moderator

New FAQ page

Greetings one and all,

You may have noticed we now have a 3rd page added to our site - look at us grow! This is a page of FAQ's that we thought may help you know more about us.

If you too have a question you'd like to see up on the page with our answer email it to us at:  the-unvarnished-author@gmail.com and we will post it up. The FAQ page will grow over time so remember to check it out once in a blue moon.

June Smith, Owner