Showing Love to Your Fellow Writers

All the fine ladies here at GOT YA are writers and we've all been on the publishing roller coaster. Some, like Veronica Roth and Kathleen Peacock, have their sparkly new book deals and are just a few months from taking the Young Adult world by storm, and others are still searching for that perfect agent/writer magical bond to happen. So all of us here can sympathize with the ups and downs of this whole publishing thing and know how hard it is to get that precious manuscript turned into a book sitting on a Barnes&Noble book shelf. Writing becomes an obsession, and don't just think once you've got your deal it'll go away, because it won't. When your book gets to the point where the marketing department at the publishing house decides to send out those coveted shiny UNCORRECTED ADVANCED COPIES (ARCs) out to reviewers, you'll be setting your Google alert buttons. I promise you that.

How do I know that? Simple. I'm a book blogger and you wouldn't believe how many authors contact me after I post a review of their work. Yes, I'm one of those people who read ARCs and post for the world to see exactly what I thought about your book. Just yesterday, my Google alerts brought to my attention one author posted my review and a link back to me on her website. So you never know who's reading your blog.

Now, I know you are probably wondering: Okay, yeah, so what, Annie. How does this apply to a beginning writer like me? Well, my friend let me tell you. Everywhere you look, there is a blog post, article or something posted about "Building a Platform" for writers at every level in their writing career. Book blogging is an excellent way to keep the posts coming on your personal blog and reach other people in the writing community who share your taste in genres and writing styles. The only thing is, when you are a writer blogging about books, you have to not only make sure you post a truthful opinion, but make sure you do it in a respectful way. Am I saying RAVE about every single book you read? No, not at all. What I am saying is you never know about the future. Someone's book you are simply SLAMMING on your blog today may be in the same publishing house/literary agency as you some day, and what do you think they'll say about your book when they are approached to write a blurb/recommendation? Awkward, right? LOL Yeah, I think so too.

So here's my advice: Blog a lot, read a lot, write a lot and you can't go wrong. Try to find not only negatives in a book, but positives too. Remember, every book you read is somebody's baby. Do you want somebody to call your baby ugly? Nope, me neither, so don't forget to show some love to your fellow writers while making your splash in the publishing world.

Center Stage: Online Presence for Writers

When you perform a song, you’re judged on stage presence. You can miss a note, forget a few words—whatever—and still shine if you own the stage. Online presence for writers is just as important. The Internet is an excellent tool for meeting other writers and *gasp* connecting with agents. Just remember, no matter how much privacy protection you place on your accounts, there’s always a way for your words to get out to the public. Be cautious and courteous without sacrificing you creativity.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

I’ll admit it, I’m lame. Up until last March the only web presence I had was my wilting Myspace account that I made in 2005. You know, the account I only signed into like once a week? Then I joined Absolute Write and found out about Twitter. I immediately joined, and I can honestly say that I think it’s one of the best ways to chat with other writers—aspiring and published—in addition to agents.

Keep an eye out for #askagent, an occasional Twitter chat held by agents who answer your non-query related questions. If you’re available at 9pm EST on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, stop by #kidlitchat and #yalitchat to mingle with writers, editors, and agents.

BLOGGING

Have something to say? Put it in a blog. You can basically blog about anything you want to talk about, but it’s usually a good idea to mention writing at some point. Don’t expect your blog to earn an immediate following. Use your blogging experience to make new friends. Visit other writers’ blogs frequently and leave comments. In addition, check out what agents have to say by visiting theirs. Don’t be afraid to comment an agent’s post—he or she wants to hear your opinion!

MESSAGE BOARDS

I would have eventually figured out how the publishing process works on my own; however, I learned super fast after finding Absolute Write and the BlueBoards. Drop your lurker status and create an account—after all, there’s no reason to be shy because nobody can actually see you. Get to know your writer peers. They’re incredible people who really understand what you’re trying to accomplish and the highs and lows you’ll encounter getting there.

Original post published on Old People Writing for Teens by GotYA contributor Stephanie Jenkins. To view the original post and reader comments, please click here.