Things I’ve learned from blog commenters
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Just in case you think this blog is a one-way street, I’ve saved a few comments from some of you that I found insightful and creative. You may have missed the blogs that generated these savory bits of wisdom, or you might have lost sight of a comment in the midst of scrolling through the contributions.
So here you are, a portion of the insights I’ve gleaned from all of you:
Larry says:
What I’ve noticed is that if one starts to establish a social media presence, and decides to get back into writing wonderful stories instead of tweets, blogs, updates, and stumblin’ around on tumblr, that depending on who your audience is, one can easily reconnect with them; that is an approach that I don’t think gets discussed too often, which is not potentially wasting time building a traditional social media presence, but having one through the aggregate of interaction with the audience through THEIR social media networks.
Natasha says:
I’ve been working hard on building a platform before I develop my proposal, as I understand how important that is. But I’ve specifically been working hard at building a platform of people who (I believe) would translate into book purchasers. When I do Facebook advertising for my blog, I target fans of authors who write in the same subject area (Christian parenting). In this way, I am not just building blog fans, but specifically blog fans who buy books in this area. While I would think that’s immensely important (for the exact reasons you noted!), I never see anyone address it. I only see people talking about the general importance of platform and total numbers. Of course you have to have volume first, but I would think volume without quality renders the platform somewhat irrelevant for publishing purposes.
Along these lines, I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to discuss the quality of your platform in the proposal (as it relates to buyer potential)? In other words, if you put significant thought and strategy into WHO those people are, is it relevant to outline specifically how you have generated your platform?
Christine says:
I just saw a poster on my friend’s FB page that reads: “There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.” If you’ve taken the stairs–done a great job of writing your first book, sold well and gotten great reviews, it can be tempting to sit down on the landing. I think this is what happens with some authors.
Amanda Dykes says about post-conference action points:
I particularly love the suggestion for processing valuable notes into “action” and “to file” piles; so often there is an abundance of information just waiting to be applied to my WIP, and if I’m not careful, the ideas get buried on my desk or in the cobwebs of my mind….In my WIP, whenever I encounter an idea I want to apply, I scroll down to the very bottom of my document, type up the idea, and highlight it in yellow so that I can check that list intermittently to see if I’m remembering to apply those ideas. I erase them when they’re done (if it’s a one-time plot point, etc.) or wait until the end of the WIP when it becomes a MS (*magical moment*) and delete or re-locate the rest of the highlighted “action” list.
Jeane says:
While attending a My Book Therapy retreat earlier this year, Susan May Warren helped define what a goal needs to be: SMART.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
What insights have you gained from blog commenters? What do you enjoy most about the community we’ve formed?
By Janet Grant on Nov 19, 2012 in Blog, Marketing & Publicity, Writing Craft, Writing Life | 39 Comments
Thanks for sharing these again.
I love reading the thoughts of this community very much. I have made some very sweet friendships through those who comment here. I really love to hear everyone’s unique voices and to visit their blogs. It helps to not feel so alone in the writing journey.
How great that you visit commenter’s blogs. That really is sharing in a sweet way.
The first thing that popped into my head was “the brain trust”. The sheer magnitude of intelligence and creativity from each and every person involved in this blog community just does me in!
Ha! I love that “brain trust”!
I LOVE that you ladies have created a real community here, where we can come by to drink our morning tea/coffee and get an injection of writing. I get a kick out of how, on the rare occasions when ya’ll are unable to comment, we (the readers) hijack your posts. We’ve gone down some fabulous rabbit trails in the comments section. Like a classroom full of students when the teacher steps out . . .
As a one-time teacher, I love this picture, Sarah!
And we love that we know we can step out of the classroom for a bit, and the place won’t be a mess when we come back.
“…for a bit”.
Was that a subtle hint for some of us to behave a little better? Or a compliment that you’re happily leaving the blog in the hands of greatness when you’ve gone off-blog to handle a situation that needs both hands?
Hey, I say we go with “greatness”!
Thumbs up for greatness.
Sarah, I giggled at your comment just now… (The part about ‘when the teacher steps out.” Made me think of grade school. Which made me think of fun, learning, reading, and making new friends. Kinda like we do here.) How’s that for a bunny trail??
Bunnies? I like bunnies? Can we take care of the class bunny? I like trail mix. But I think I need a new mixer….
I love hearing so many viewpoints and ideas that people share as a result of what you ladie post about. Reading the humor (Jennifer in particular), experiences and knowledge gained by writers further down the road than I am has been invaluable.
When you ladies comment on peoples’ posts, it opens a little window that allows me to get to know you better. You’ve shown me better ways to think about certain topics and also given me a more clear understanding about certain aspects of this writing life.
I love stopping by here, and having a cup of coffee, so to speak, with friends.
Thanks, Jeane, and we appreciate your contributions.
Why, thank you Jeanne!
You probably just forgot to type my name in again after the part about “knowledge” right? Right?
Sniff.
Right?
I’m kidding!
I love the openness and true comraderie of this blog community. Such a diverse group of people, and yet I believe most of us have the same goal. There’s power in that, the good kind.
Camaraderie sums it, up,doesn’t it?
Well said, Lindsay!!
I’m glad to contribute, Janet, especially when newer folks show up: sharing with them some of what I have learned, as well as learning from their fresh perspective on the industry, the craft of writing, and the purpose of writing.
As Lindsay said, there is a power for good here: with the arts community overall seemingly going down an ever-more darker and disturbing path in this age, it is a privelage to stand alongside those who stand for something greater than vulgarity, self-promotion, and the debasement of basic human and Godly values.
We have the chance to remind we each other how to live out of the better side of ourselves.
As a SAHM with six children, I just love the adult conversation! I haven’t connected as much as I would like with others’ blogs, just because of the time. (“Just give mommy one more minute.”) But I am finding more and more every week. I look forward to checking in every day and learning from everyone else.
Thanks, Books & Such and the commenting community!
And we look forward to hearing from you, Meghan.
Thank you to the Books & Such team and fellow commenters for encouraging and informing each other along our diverse writing journeys!
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving week!
So thankful for this blog! It feels safe here to be a fledgling fiction writer and talk about my concerns with people who both care AND know what they’re talking about. Even the most experienced writers and industry people remember what it was like to be new and wobbly, and are gracious. (And I agree with Lisa–I love to visit other commenters’ blogs.)
I really love the respectful tone of the commenters on this blog and absence of crazies!! (for the most part, wait,that was me???)
Civility is always attractive,isn’t it?
What a fun post (and pleasant surprise)! Thank you, Janet. I agree with what the others have said today; I know a community like this doesn’t happen by accident. Each of the B&S agents has done so much both in their words and between the lines to foster this family-atmosphere here, and I’m honored to be a part of it. It’s where professionalism and relatabilty meet, and it’s one of my favorite “places” to hang out on the web.
Oooh, I think we have a tagline here: Where professionalism and relatability meet.
That’s a great tagline. So many blogs or online discussions last a few months or maybe a year before it gets hijacked by a few and most people figure it is not worth the time.
While I don’t track when I start/stop following specific sites, this Blog is one of the best that I’ve continued to learn from and regularly recommend to others.
Thanks, Rich. That’s a very high compliment.
I like it, Janet.
Thank you, Janet, for sharing the comments. They were great, as are the comments on this blog so consistently are. The Books and Such blog is invaluable in so many ways. You ladies are so generous in sharing your knowledge, experience, and wisdom. This blog really is a classroom, as you said. I appreciate that you all respond to commenters. It creates relationship. And that is another thing that makes this blog invaluable: the relationships formed among the everyone here. As you demonstrated today, everyone who comments has wisdom and experience to share. I love reading all of the comments and I try to respond most days to at least some (then there are days like today when I can’t).
Thank you to everyone! All of you are a blessing. thank you, Janet, for your graciousness. And thank you for sharing my comment. That was very kind of you
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Christine, your comment that appeared in my post struck me as apt and well-stated. So while I like being thought of as kind, I re-shared it because it articulated well some thing I had been thinking about but couldn’t state nearly as well. Thank you for participating in making this blog everything it can be.
Thank you!
Reading this blog and the comments is sort of like attending a mini writers’ conference stretched out over time.
I love that way of phrasing it, Janet.
Wow, thank you for the mention, Janet! I am new to the publishing world and have learned so much from this blog – from both the posts and the comments. I’m really grateful that there are so many people willing to share their writing and publishing wisdom. Thank you so much for all you do here!
Because of my schedules, I’m generally checking in during the evening hours – and almost everything I thought of has already been said.
But my silence doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the excellent writing information and professional advice given.
Thank you for creating this koffeeklatch and allowing me to show up late and kibitz.
Thanks for speaking up; we’re glad you’re here.