Pay It Forward vs. Entitlement

Editor Kitteh is judging you. Judge, judge, judge.

If you read Secrets of a Snarky Writer or my blog on paying it forward, you know that I feel rather strongly that authors have to help each other. For the most part, out of all the jobs I've ever had, the writing world is by far the most helpful universe and is filled with folks more than happy to give you a little bump when it is needed.

Share this post, please? Why, sure. I'll share your post. Best of luck on future sales!

Retweet this post about my new release, please? No problem, friend. Retweeted. Have a great Tuesday.

Can I be on your blog for a day to reveal my cover/tell the world about my new release? Yup, yes you can. I'm happy to do so, just email me the stuff and tell me the date you want!

But then the water gets murky.

"Could you please write a blurb for the front of my book?"

Maybe.

If I have time to read your book and I enjoy it, I'm happy to provide an endorsement using my author name and brand to give you a bit of a bumpdraft. BUT, if the author you contact doesn't have the time or isn't allowed to do so for whatever reason, the response should never be,

"Well, you're a self-important jerkface!"

I've seen/heard/experienced this one a couple too many times not to make some kind of comment here, so bear with me. At the end of the day, yes, it is wonderful to help out other writers. Yes, we are the only ones who understand the unique hell of being in the middle of writing a book and feeling like we're a hack.

Yes, we're the only ones who understand what it is like to shove your baby book out of the nest with the hope it will fly like an eagle and not flop like dropped bologna.  

 

But we are NOT unique in being busy or having work of our own to do.

Every single job out there is shared by other people. You don't hear teachers saying, "Well, we teachers need to support each other!"

You know why? Because teachers aren't temperamental artists, stomping their feet and feeling like no one is listening. Yet writers behave this way ALL THE TIME. Like it is perfectly okay to do this, even if logic suggests it is so not okay.

If you're going to go out on a limb and ask someone for help/support, you have to understand that the other person could and might say no. They might explain why they said no. They might not. We're all grown up enough to be graceful and move on with business, right?

Wrong. Some folks attack the other person for that negative response, sometimes by simply telling them off in a message or email and others by publicly attacking the other person's work (via reviews or other possibly damaging acts.)

Seriously, this is a thing. Why are we doing this thing?

So here is my call to action — stop doing that.

When someone else succeeds, instead of doing mean girl backbiting, give them a little round of applause. When someone else says they are busy, nod and say, "Well thanks anyway, friend." When someone just says no, thank them for taking the time to respond.

If you're going to be in business, drop the entitled attitude and realize that, although sometimes it feels like it, the world does not revolve around you.

We all have to do it. We all have someone who is too busy/too important/unable to help out when we ask. The part that is memorable is when we bow out gracefully instead of staging a war.

Happy Writing!
xoxo
mama virg

Paying it forward- Author Style

Okay, I have done querying, not paying reader fees, writing groups (I still have to do crit partners), how to write a book, how to write sexy, character description, names, killing off characters, NaNoWriMo , (more NaNoWriMo love Here), evil nicknames, and story starters on the blog. But I haven't mentioned promoting each other.

Time to knock this one off the list of writer-how-to blogs.

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

This line may be familiar to some of you. It was used in the TV show, Heroes, and it was all about super powers and other magic-y stuff. But the same theory applies to your writing. Once you did the writing, survived the censure of your peers, wrote the query and synopsis, managed not to give yourself a concussion slamming your head against your desk when you got your first rejection, got that contract and now have a book out there...

You find there is a whole community of other writers out there. Some of them write the same kind of books that you do. Wow!! Like minded individuals!! Who knew there was so many people like you OUT there???

(That last comment doesn't count for you, the alien fry cook legal assistant author... I know, your book, it is awesome. But seriously, you may be alone. Sorry.)

So now that you have found all of them and they are on your twitterfeed and facebook page and blogfeed... What are you supposed to do?

Pay it Forward

Isn't that from a movie, too, Virg? Okay, busted. It sure is. I like movies and TV. I don't get to watch a lot of them but the kids do so they keep me informed. If your pal who also writes suspenseful romance happens to be doing a giveaway on her blog, it would take you five seconds to share it on your fb wall. And the worst thing that could happen? Some of your followers who also read suspense might win her book. (Wow, they would hate you if they won something free. Hate.) If your pal who writes historical romances that you read and enjoyed is celebrating a new release, blast that out to your followers. I mean, you liked reading her... why not tell your friends she is releasing another book? You might even mention that you read her other book, Historical Romance, and what you liked about it.

What will this do for you?

Well, aside from the great karmic goodness that you get from being an all around nice person, perhaps when you have a new release, some of these people that you remember to promote will see that you are posting that release. And they might share it to THEIR walls. And their friends may not have HEARD of you. And they might see that, read the blurb, and pick up the book. They might not share it. But some of them will. If you have a contest, probably tons of those people that you promoted will remember you and mention on their social networks that you are giving something away. Again, their friends might want to win free stuff, so what do THEY have to lose?


But what if they aren't the genre I write?

You mean that you might read things other than what you write? GASP! You freak! You are the only one out there like that! No, I kid. Seriously, readers are readers. Lots of us go through moods or phases of one genre or another. So if they aren't the same genre, big whoop. Share their contest anyway. Your friend from highschool might love their cold legal style of writing more than they like your sexy, steamy one and they might be really interested.

So you are telling me this is a give and take kind of thing?

Yes. Don't expect other authors to give and give and give (promoting the hell out of your stuff and receiving no love in return.) And don't expect love from everyone you promote. If you send, for instance, a tweet to me, asking me to check something out and I take the time to not only check it out but to send you back an answer...

And you ignore my response and just send me another promotional tweet...

I am going to assume that there is just one looooong infomercial coming from your end and I am dropping your ass like a hot potato. I am all about helping other authors. But if you don't talk back and you just blast me with your promo.

Buh-bye. Good luck. You have lost me.

Don't be that guy. (And no, this isn't a rant against guy authors. The one I am thinking of was a woman. The phrase Don't be that guy just fit better. Yeesh.)

Basically, be the kind of promoter that you would want to deal with. No one wants 24/7 infomercial. That is why we tune out the TV at 3am. Readers WANT to know about your contests (I for one LOVE winning free stuff.) and I love hearing about new books I want to read and new authors. (The greats all started somewhere. I am excited when I discover someone that I think will be the next BIG ONE.)

But I don't want it shoved down my throat on my social networks. No one does.

Help each other. We have the platform to do it. Use it wisely.

Okay... Now I have to do one on crit partners at some point...
Happy Writing!