How things are going to shake out

As we dive into October, I’m going to be starting my blog tour for The Midnight Rambler. This means chaos around here for a while.

I’m eternally grateful for my hosts, and want to create some benefit for their hosting me. This means I’m going to be reblogging the posts here on the day they go live.

The hope is that you’ll visit these folks, read the posts, and meet some incredibly generous members of the writing community. Check out their books, consider following their blogs, and help me repay the favor in some small way.

My hosts are all the kind of people authors should get to know. They’re helpful, intelligent, charming, and worth spending some time with.

I’ve gone out of my way to make each tour stop unique. This won’t be like the, now out-of-style, cover and blurb days. There’s a bit of content at each stop so my long-term fans won’t get bored. Let’s face it, you can only look at a cover and blurb so many times.

Lisa Burton is going on the promotion trail, too. She has some fun new posters to share with everyone, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

My work weeks have gotten hectic, and there’s no end in sight. I can manage a few comments before my morning commute, then I’m going to have to pick it back up after I get home.

I have a few outliers that I might still have to squeeze into the schedule, but I’m hoping to have it all wrapped up this weekend. It’s the only time I have to do this stuff.

It’s going to be a great October, but I might be tired after it all ends. Tonight, I need to come up with my next Story Empire post. It would be great if I could nail that down before the work week arrives once more.

Have a great weekend everyone, and I’ll be seeing you along the tour route.

Action in the back catalog

I’ve been doing a lot of promotion lately. Considering I released two books in three months, it’s kind of understandable. Things are going well and both books are selling.

To be honest, promo wears me out. I’d rather talk about you guys than myself, but books die on the vine without this kind of thing.

This time out, I’m still going slow. John Howell hosted me today. If you missed the reblog, this is the link. I’m custom writing all the pieces once again. I have one post I need to write this weekend, and another I need to get close on. There are other folks I intend to ask this time out. Don’t want to wear out my welcome at any of the sites.

There is something interesting going on right now. I’m seeing action in my backlist. This is where authors used to make their living decades ago. That model kind of died off, but with ebooks it still has some validity.

Some of this is caused by Viral Blues. That’s the one that included a sequence of my previous characters in a story with Lizzie and The Hat. It’s possible that folks liked VB, and are interested in reading more about some of the characters that appeared in it. I hope so anyway.

Victoria Zigler published a nice post today that included a couple of my older titles. She’s an author herself and a big time supporter of independent authors. Here is the link to her post. I’d appreciate it if you’d run over there and leave her a comment. Check out her site while you’re there and browse her books, too.

I have a lot to think about with some of this. It’s a lot of promo since September, but there are some interesting results. It may be time to move the chain a bit.

When I’m hosted somewhere, I always try to reblog the post. This isn’t to shove it down your throat, I’m trying to drive traffic to those bloggers who were there for me. The hope is they get some good numbers on the day, and maybe my introduction will lead you to another cool blog you might enjoy.

These are positive thoughts, but they could be slightly off-base. Helping others, I’m all about that. However, I am also wearing my regulars out by doing it. Let’s face it, you know I have a new book by reading about it here before I even take it on tour.

I want to balance out gratitude for the favor and keeping my own site from becoming like a broken record. I’m always willing to host something for those who’ve helped me, and that’s also being nice.

Is a post, similar to this one, that includes a few links, easier to digest over here? I could do a weekly post with tour links and a bit of salesmanship, then have a more digestible schedule here for the rest of the week? Is that a balance between polite to my hosts and still respectful of my regulars?

Where is the chain today between polite and efficient? I’d really like to hear from some of you on this.

More promo seems to be working, and it’s something I ought to keep doing. (Who knows if I will, but I can see the results in the new titles and the backlist.) Is it appropriate to keep posting things around the Internet, but not reblog every single post? Will I irritate those who went out of their way for me? I would participate in the comments, and share like crazy on social media either way.

I’d like to see those older titles keep moving. I could run out a post about Yak Guy, or Panama on a monthly basis. Maybe step up Lanternfish when the second book in the series is near publication. Maybe I could prepare a backlist post and have someone host it where several older titles are included.

This is stuff all authors struggle with. Do you have any secrets here? Do you have an opinion about this stuff. I have followers that come here for more than sales-pitch. They like my bulldogs, my sourdough bread, and my backyard fruit trees. Some of you would rather visit the Idea Mill, than read another post about one of my books.

This has rambled on for long enough. I think you understand where I’m coming from. What suggestions do you guys have? What is appropriate these days? Talk to me. Chew me out. Tell me how to make polite changes. Tell me if you think I should not change anything.

It’s like a theme that won’t let go

I posted recently about how slow things have been in Blogland lately. I get it, many of us are involved in other things this time of year. One thing many have done to stay involved is to reblog the posts of others.

I reblog posts from time to time, if I think others might appreciate them. I also reblog posts that have a direct connection to me somehow. This is my way of supporting those who've helped me along the way.

I mention this to show that I am a kindred spirit, right before I start complaining about it. Lately my Reader looks something like this…

There are bloggers out there who are guaranteed to appear in my timeline seven or eight times per day. I usually read them… Once. They are generally good posts. One blogger appears to reblog her own posts.

I qualify those posts I reblog, meaning I read them first before sharing them with you. I read blogs for original content, and lately it's been pretty easy to get through my timeline. I just keep moving when I see the words, “Originally posted on.”

I'm probably missing something, and admit to that. Maybe someone qualified a post from a blog I do not yet follow, and my bad attitude caused me to skip it.

Twice now I've opened a post that was a reblog, clicked through and discovered it was also a reblog, leading me to a third site to read the post.

What about the rest of you? Are you seeing the same thing lately? Are we so scared of low stats, or losing momentum, that we look for something to reblog rather than skip a day? I actually understand that, in a way. Many of us are blogging to build an author platform.

Would you rather your favorite bloggers skip a day, or reblog something as a placeholder? I'm asking because I want to understand, not to be snotty.

Oh, and while I'm at it, feel free to reblog this post all you want. Maybe we can get our own Deja's Vu reblog mirror going about reblogging. Maybe even re-re-blogging.

Blogging just got a whole lot less important

I intended to say something about returning from camping. WordPress changed my mind about that. I have my doubts whether anyone will read this post, because I have my doubts about whether anyone will find it now. I have a cool photo from camping, and I'm not including it on purpose. I want to see how this post comes across.

WordPress changed its Reader design this afternoon. I don't like it, and wonder if WordPress continues to hold the value for me now. As of today, they are taking my (your) content and spreading it across a white page. If you decide to read this post it has all the appeal of a typewritten letter. Gone is a link to my site, the one I change the wallpaper on every month, the one that is as individual as I am, the one where my book covers are proudly displayed.

There is no point in coming to my site if you can get the content via reader. Those people will never see my cool covers, and their all important links. They will never see my free paper dolls either. I've never hidden the fact that I started this blog to connect with people who might want to actually buy my books. Future connections are going to be a lot harder to make.

The new Reader is designed around photos and images. I'm not a photographer, I'm a writer. I think a decent image can help out a post, but most of my posts are written words.

I tested my re-blog post of Mae Clair's announcement. The first click was a boring white sheet about my reblog. You have to click again to read more, in fact you have to click three times to get to Mae's site. People will never do this. This could mean the end of any value in reblogging something interesting. Reblogging shows support, but if I reblog something I kind of hope my fans will check it out. Now it's kind of similar to another like button.

The like button remains on the Reader. This means you can like a post without reading it. If you bother to read it, there is no like button. (But you can like comments from there.) You have to click all the way through to the original post before getting the option of showing your appreciation. (Or go back.) I sincerely doubt this will happen. I honestly read your posts before I click “like.”

I have a concern about stats too. If people view content in the Reader, but don't follow through to my site, will I be able to track my progress?

When I clicked through to my site, it was displayed as a single post. I like the fact that people could scroll down and read more, now they can't.

I like having my categories displayed in the sidebar. If someone enjoys one of my Idea Mill posts, maybe they want to open the category and read more of them. I honestly don't believe anybody is going to click four or five times to get there.

The value in WordPress was that I got an original site to display something about myself. WordPress just stripped me away and homogenized us all.

Like I said, I have my doubts whether anyone will find this post. If you're out there knock twice, or something. What do you think about the new Reader?

Look! Posting on my own blog.

I admit to being a serial reblogger lately. It’s all such good stuff though.

I’m thoroughly enjoying Karen’s story, Neighbors. My character, Lisa Burton, is playing a supporting role here. Karen’s characters are wonderful too, and extremely colorful. I won’t link this time, you’ve probably seen my reblogs through the past few days.

Karen also read my book, Arson. She posted a wonderful review too. How could I not reblog this? I need reviews, and this is awesome.

This has been a Godsend for me. I’ve been very busy at work, with the holidays, and on other projects. I didn’t want you guys to think I’m dialing it in. I’m watching and reading all this along with you.

Old What’s Her Face* recorded the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last night. We both get up extremely early for work, and the Idaho puritans wouldn’t air it at a decent time. We’re watching it right now. OWHF is thoroughly enjoying herself.

Alright, I admit to peeking once or twice. I just wish they had a girl or two with bat wings and tattoos. Maybe just a touch more meat on their bones too. What can I say, not everyone’s into Barbie.

What’s everyone else doing tonight?

*Not the name on my wife’s birth certificate.