Interview with the Web Goddess Astrid!!

Heya Astrid, Web Goddess Supreme!


So welcome to the blog of the website that is YOURS THAT YOU MADE FULL OF TEH WIN but will be unveiled on Friday!

Astrid: Thanks for having me, Jen. You are teh AWESOME :)

So I guess we'll begin, since every time I'm near you I get all fangirly and hysterical and that's good for nobody but me!

Astrid: *LOL* Do you realize that I'm speechless when I'm around you?

*blush* !! You charmer, you...all right! Here we go!

JKB: So what, in your estimation is the KISS OF DEATH for a person wanting to make an author website for themself?

AP: Oh, a lot of things. Mostly it's the design. Please don’t do a website with Times New Roman and rainbow colors! Granted, some people do have the vision and the eye for it even if they never studied web design, but most of them don't. And their website just shouts incompetent!

JKB: I always liked the sparkly stars that followed the web cursor around, myself. *hee* Do you do website design as well?

AP: Yes. It’s one of my many talents *LOL*. Well, I studied Informatics in my Bachelor, which means I can do a lot of magical things with computers ... and then I studied Digital Media, which means I could do even more magical things with design.

JKB: I'm here to vouch for your mad talents! My website is a triumph! Should we worry about SEO and CMS and all these crazy things when we go to make a website?

AP: I'm not so keen about perfecting SEO. I believe in providing awesome content for the website. Sure, you do need to care for the basic links, keywords, how you would put the information on your site, and be active on other people’s site. But I don’t think you need to hire an SEO consultant. It’s better for authors to make sure that you provide great content, and let the search engine and people find you.

CMS (Content Management Systems) depend on how often you would like to update your site and how good your knowledge is on creating a web page. Nevertheless, I would recommend using a good CMS system so you could easily update the website, and actually encouraging you to do it often (which would result in a better SEO)..

JKB: Whenyou fist told me these terms I think my head exploded. But now I can say them without twitching! What do you think the PERFECT website is for an author?

AP: It has to be easy to browse around,interesting, and exudes the personality of the author (or the genre of the book he/she is writing). One more thing, website design also has trends. It tends to be obsolete after 2-3 years. Not only from the technology, but also from the design. Just like there’s new computers every 2-3 years, new color trends, etc. There are some exceptions, but
in general you’d have to look at your website after two years (or ask an expert) if your website is still up to date.

JKB: So you're definitely saying timeless does not work as a website design, huh? *sigh* Do you think that author websites necessarily need to be in flash, or any fancy things?

AP: It’s necessary to always think to yourself that “Form follows function”. So it totally depends on your design, on how do you want to say things in your website. Most of the time, flash is not necessary for an author’s website. However, do it the right way and you get a memorable site, like J.K. Rowling’s or Haruki Murakami’s. Just be aware that putting fancy things also means more cost.

JKB: Cost. Ugh. But then there are templates! Do you think that an author website "template" can work? What do you recommend on that?

AP: Yes. It provides a cheaper way to have your website properly designed. They won’t cost as much as hiring a website designer for yourself and you can actually see how the final site would look like. The downside is, there could be other sites that use the same template. If this is your concern, choose a template that has a few things that you can customize, so you could still feel that it’s YOU.

JKB: Lots of text on the website: love it or loathe it?

AP: Define lots of text *chuckles*. Take it this way, people who access a website usually have a very short attention span. So unless you’re writing a short story or a novel on your website,don’t do it.

JKB: So give me like five author websites you like. Any tips we can take from these?

AP:
J.K. Rowling
This is the first author website that impresses me. It’s very interactive, sort of like a mini game on its own. It’s something I would always remember.

Sophie Kinsella
Her website is true to her genre. Just from a glance you could see that she’s a chicklit author. It’s nice to read, and also very easy to navigate.

Terry Pratchett
His website is also true to his genre, and it’s a combination of flash and normal text.

Haruki Murakami
I think the website is not very modern in terms of the flash websites you tend to see right now. But on the other hand, it’s very Murakami somehow. A little quirky mysterious fantasy-like.

Miranda July
Very quirky, artist like website. Especially the book promo website, it’s something different.

I have to mention this one, it’s shared by one of my Swedish friends. This is not an author website but a book promotion site. Beware though, the book genre is horror. Andreas Roman’s Morkradd (Afraid of the Dark)

JKB: How long does it usually take you to produce a website?

AP: It’s like asking an author how long does it take to produce a novel. The unpredictable bits are the designing part. After the designs are done, then we could estimate the time. All depends on the complexity of the design, number of pages, and the technology used. I would say roughly 2 weeks - 2 months.
JKB: You write, too. :-D What important points did you want to bring through on your website about yourself, like writing and computering wise?

AP: I’m currently in the process of redesigning and revamping my website and my blog, so right now what you’re seeing is my general blog. When I’m done,I’ll be having parts of it dedicated on web design (tips, portfolio, templates), writing (books I’ve done, general thoughts), and travel.

JKB: So tell me. Was I super awesome to work with or what? :-D

AP: Totally! You have some great ideas already, and you’re a verycooperative client. A dream client for a web designer :). Not to mention the cupcakes :-D. I hope you’ll love your new website!

Astrid, how could I *not*? Thank you so much for answering all my questions!

So! Interested in Astrid making you a home on the net? You can contact her through her blog or her twitter right now - a new website and blog design is coming soon!

This. Friday. Is. October. First!

Heya guys!

How's it on your end?

This month...man, it got away from me! I had so much more planned, and then, well, I forgot to post it and schedule it. I am a loser. :-(

But my most Awesomest Web Goddess Astridita will be here on Wednesday to talk about author websites and what you do/don't want on them, so that will be ultra cool! Finishing off with a bang, so to say. :-D

And then of course there is Friday and a whole new look. I feel so sparkly and excited. :-D

Also, edits are completely FINISHED, the super-sekrit AWESOME idea is fully fleshed out and all eventualities have (hopefully) been addressed, so that is off to my publisher for approval, I've gotten approval for my venue in the states for the book release party (Hint: it was my favorite place in the WORLD when I was little), I've designed my butt off with promotional materials for all of it, and wow I'm wiped.

So a couple more read throughs of my edited MS the next couple nights and it's off! W00t!

Where are you at?

YAY! Get your blog to go bananas!

- we have the lovely and talented Shelli Johannes Wells with us today, with an awesome post on marketing yourself through your blog!

Take it away, missus!

Getting your Blog to Go Bananas

Before I got an agent, I started my blog in 2006 and did sporatic posts - on and off. But I was frustrated because no one was visiting and I wasn't reaching anyone. Except my mother and my critique group. :) Then, once day after being interviewed on marketing and seeing all the comments/questions, I got the idea to refocus my blog on marketing. I realized I could give back and help authors by giving marketing advice. After doing some research, I quickly realized that there weren't very many marketing blogs for authors. In addition, I came to the conclusion tha authors strugggled iwth marketing, not knowing where to start or what to do.

So I decided to not only provide that advice but to get information from publishing professionals such as editors, agents, or authors.

In Jan 2009, I started Marketing Monday. Every Monday, I would publish an interview with publishing industry professionals asking them for different ideas/advice on how authors could better marketing themselves as writers and their books.

After that, my blog ended up taking off more than I imagined. Since then, I've gone from about 10 followers and about 5 hits a day to almost 1500 followers and over 60.000 vistors a year. Crazy right? I was shocked and still am. But I love my readers and love knowing that I am helping them in different ways. Not to mention, they all help me too.

When I started my blog, I made some rules for myself so I could be sure I was making a REAL CONNECTION with my readers. I would be authentic and utilize my voice. I would do contests to help people get free marketing or get seen by agents. I would make it a point to respond to EVERY comment in some way (either visiting them, commenting on my post, or emailing them back), and I would post on the week days to ensure frequency. I still do all of this today. (90% of the time :)

So as an author - I think there some things to think through is you want to get your blog to go bananas!

1) Who are you targeting? Writers or readers? Those are different audiences that read different things.

2) Decide what kind of blog you're going to have? What will you talk about? How will it differ from others?

3) Determine the voice of your blog and be sure it shines through.

4) "To get, you must give". Go comment on other blogs to create a 2 way street. Eventually they will comment on yours. Blogging is about connection.

5) Try to post frequently and pick a schedule to follow (every other day, weekdays, MWF) Be sure to let your readers know so they come back.

6) Create your own rules. What is your blog-iquette for commenters or followers? Will you comment on your comments blog, will you email them back? will you respond to every comment on your blog. will you follow all that follow you (there are constraints to this number though) Decide how you will build the relationship between you and your reader?

7) What can you speak about that might be different. What is a niche or style or voice you have that no one else does?

8) What is your policy on promoting others? Cross linking?

9) offer to guest blog

10) Create a good blog roll to promote other blogs. People will come back to use it as a resource.

Blogging is a great tool in social networking. But if you are going to do it, you must do it well. Don't blog if you don't want to just because others are doing it. YOu have to love it and commit to it or it doesnt reach anyone and is a waste of time.

Fake it til you make it

You know, the further I get into this whole life thing...what with a baby (6 months old! What the frak?)...a book...the book's insides currently spilled all over my couch...a house...a life...and a husband...two crazy cats...a job...more books edited and being written on the horizon...

... I'm utterly terrified somebody's gonna figure out I'm faking this whole adult thing and oh snap I'm busted.

It's the funniest thing. I'm old enough to be an adult, technically. I gots all the side bits that qualify me. But do I feel it?

Nope.

I still feel like the kid that rolled out of bed on Saturday morning, grabbed her raccoon and set out for the creek on her appaloosa. The one that stick and balled late into a Thursday night in the warm summer air. Shoot, even the one that walked from her Gran's house to the library in the BIG TEXAS CITY: population 1500 (if you visit on a day the immigration police didn't stop by).

When did all this time pass? And how have I *not* become more patient as time goes by? You'd think I'd get all zen about it and be over the whole waiting thing. But I'm as impatient as ever, still waiting on things, still doing everything.

Isn't it the weirdest thing?

Do you ever have that feeling?

Lead up...on marketing angles

...wow!

How is this month already more than half over! How can that be?

I have some interesting people planning on stopping by, but in the meantime, I've been working on the finalizations to my beautiful new website, which will make its debut on the 30th of this month!

It has me thinking about market. As in, do you know yours? (I had to figure out mine!)

I've been doing a lot of work on the different marketing angles I can consider for POSSUM SUMMER, and I can't help but think this might help you on your marketing plans. It can't hurt, and in fact my publisher encourages, different ideas with different angles to be given to them for review. Any new idea could turn into a golden one for your book!

So look at it. Answer me the following questions:

1. What is the THEME of your book? Success through adversity? Never giving up? Write it down.

2. Tell me three different aspects contained within your book that you could actually work into marketing angles. For instance, POSSUM SUMMER has an orphan possum in it. Guess which angle I'm going for here? Every possible angle I wrote down, and will consider.

Now, knowing this, make a list of possible blogs, internet radio, news outlet sources and informational products that might tie in with your book. (Now, if you're writing about sparkly unicorns, UM. *hee*) Once you have this, you can work up a MEDIA KIT (come back next week!) and figure out the best way to approach these people.

So tell me. What are your angles?

Friday check-in!

Heya all!

Just a quick note that if you're continuing to follow Hilary's blog tour she can be found HERE yesterday, and HERE later today!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Marketing Interview with SHARI MAURER!

Heya guys!

Today I'd love to introduce a good buddy of mine to the blog, SHARI MAURER!

Her debut CHANGE OF HEART was published by Westside this year and it's an absolutely fabulous read!

JKB: I know that everyone says it's not fair to just expect your pub to market your book. Did you do anything special to your books subject matter in terms of marketing?

SM: I tried to supplement WestSide's efforts with a big blog tour and have been coordinating signings, book festival appearances, etc with a publicist who I have hired on my own.

When I started to think about marketing, I realized that I had the chance to spread the word about organ donation (Emmi, my main character is waiting for a heart transplant). Since my husband is a cardiologist who cares for people waiting for hearts, he was pretty excited about the idea, too. I approached the New York Organ Donor Network about working together--they'd talk about my book and I'd talk up organ donation registration. They were wonderfully receptive, even offering to print bookmarks that had Change of Heart info on one side and Donation information on the other.

For more information on how to become a donor visit: http://donatelife.net/

JKB: I saw you all over the blogosphere. When did you start to prepare your blog marketing for your launch?

SM: About two months before launch.

JKB: How did you approach your blog visits? Did they give you a theme to talk about, or different questions right up front?

SM: It varied from blog to blog. Most provided me with a list of questions. And when possible, I asked them to give me an opportunity to talk about the organ donation.

JKB: What were you particularly wanting to answer but didn't get asked?

SM: I've done so many interviews I feel like there was no Shari Maurer stone left unturned!

JKB: How would you handle being given the same three or four questions? Do you recommend any ways to keep different interviews separate?

SM: It's funny, the question I've gotten the most is "Where did you get the inspiration for the book?" And I didn't mind answering it, though felt like I was repeating myself a lot. That said, now that I'm conducting interviews on my own blog and thinking about what I want to know, it is the thing that makes me the most curious--what was the genesis of someone's idea?

I've been trying to read the books of the authors I am interviewing so I can ask questions that are more tailored to each book. But I also like to throw in a few standard "fun" questions, too.

JKB: I know you've done a couple very successful signings. What makes a good one, do you think? And how did you get the word out?

SM: It's very difficult. I've had some really good ones and some "lightly attended" ones. In places where I really don't know anyone, I still put the word out via Twitter and Facebook. And in places I do know someone, I reach out and personally invite them to join me. It's been nice because I've gotten to see some people I don't ordinarily see.

JKB: what do you think of twitter as a marketing source for your book? Do you have a facebook author page? Do you prefer one form of social media over the others?

SM: I'm not sure what I think about Twitter. And I'm not sure I'm using it very successfully. It's very hard to tell what works and what doesn't.

For Facebook, I have my personal page "Shari Berger Maurer" where I have reconnected with old friends, interacted with local friends and met new reader/writer friends. But I also created an author page, "Shari Maurer." This was mainly to give the teens (particularly my kids' friends) a way to follow me, without them feeling like I was monitoring them by getting their updates and being able to see their pictures, etc.

I find it easier and more interactive on Facebook. But that's just me--I know lots of people (yourself included) who have such wonderful Twitter presences, it's fun to follow them.

JKB: what is the best piece of marketing advice you've learned so far?

SM: I like to think of marketing a book like investing. You want to have a diverse portfolio, made up of blog tours, personal visits, standard press (if you can get it), social networking and whatever else you can imagine. I'm not sure which thing is the thing that's working, but I feel like if I cover lots of bases, I have a better shot at reaching people. You never know what little thing you do is going to be the thing that finds someone.

JKB: What a brilliant interview, Shari! This raises some seriously valid points, and only will help everybody stopping by today (and in the future) I am totally positive!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

>> Question for you, dear reader: What marketing question would you ask an author if you could?

Blog tour update and Interview !!

Hey guys!

Yesterday I started my job again after six blissful months off with little Loki. I wanted to catch you up as to where the lovely and talented Hilary Wagner can be found!

Yesterday!

Today!

I'll have the others up tomorrow! Thanks to everyone for participating!

And swing by later today for the fabulous and talented Shari Mauer to give some great marketing advice!

Month of the Rat meets Marketing Month!

I'd like to welcome my good buddy Hilary Wagner to the blog today!

A group of writers will be hosting Hil on their blogs this Month of the Rat. Stop by each day for a link to a brilliant host on yet another blog!

Whew. I just realized this month is gonna be mad busy! wowsa!

So anyway. On to Hilary!

----

JKB: Welcome to the blog, Hil! Your debut, NIGHTSHADE CITY, comes out in a month! How does that feel?

HW: It's been nuts! I'm crazy busy with my debut, plus that pesky real life has really been getting in my way! ;) It's been tons of fun and just as much work, but so worth it!

JKB: I bet. And all this for rats! *ducks and runs* What interesting things have you done, marketing-wise, for NSC's release?

HW: Holiday House has done some great promotions for me - they had me do a signing at the IRA in Chicago last April, which I think brought in about 30,000 educators, and this Thanksgiving I'll be speaking at the ALAN Workshops at Disney World, following The NCTE! I'll be on a 3 author panel with Andrea Creamer (Nightshade) and Becky Fitzpatrick (Crescendo), which I'm super excited about! Then, since it's only 2 days after, my family and I are having Thanksgiving at Disney World with Mickey and Mulan (my daughter's favorites)!

JKB: How cool for the kids!

HW: Definitely! I'm also working with Blueslip Media for specialized markets like independent bookstores, and book reviewers and book bloggers! Then there's my recent Kirkus review, which was so positive (I was scared, so what a relief!), to help spread the word ! I've also got a link up on my website for booksellers, librarians and teachers to get free bookmarks for their readers!

JKB: That all sounds wonderful! I see you have a specialized website for the book, not just you as an author:www.nightshadecity.com ... why did you do that?

HW: I wasn't a blogger when I wrote the book, so I decided to create a website for the book instead. I thought it was a great way for people to get to know the book--who cares about me anyway? My rats lead a far more exciting life! ;)

JKB: Quite! You've also given away ARCs and other books on sites like Goodreads. Did you like that exposure?

HW: Goodreads is a great way to connect with readers and the giveaways are simply a lot of fun! I won a book on Goodreads a couple months back and it was such a nice present to get in my mailbox! Who doesn't love free books??

JKB: So...*leans in confidentially*...are you nervous? About your release?

HW: I was more nervous a couple months back then I am now. I've learned with promotion, etc., there is only so much you can do. At one point, you just have to say your prayers and cross your fingers and toes (and tails) and hope your book makes it.

JKB: Thanks for visiting, Hil!!!! Your rats are *almost* as cool as my possum, ha ha! I'll definitely cross my tail for your success!

Go! Order it! Yay!

OH . OH OH OH OH OH !

Well, it seems as though there's new news every day here lately at Casa Blom, and today will be no different!

To say I'm excited about this would be like saying a terrier is pleased when you throw their ball. A cat is happy to have some catnip. A possum is happy to bash on a rat!

What is it, you ask? Coming soon:

POSSUM SUMMER

The online video game!

Oh yeah! Awesome game developer, an awesome idea straight out of POSSUM SUMMER, and an awesome game designer and we are set, people!

How nifty is that, right? You'll see it here first!

(Even before the beautific game will be the fabulous new website! Visit often this month to watch the magic unfold and read about great marketing tips from experts all over!)

But wait. You say you want a short taste of the new design?

There you go. Happy? :-D