Thursday, February 23, 2012

Querying Update and Building Your Platform

 Querying Update

 
I got my very first rejection -- a form rejection. 

Phew. I've truly been initiated ! I'm really a writer now.

One down, nine to go and I take hubby out to dinner.


Building Your Platform

You've all heard it. In today's publishing world, if you want an agent and/or publisher to consider your book, you'd best have an online presence.

So, you sign up for Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Google+, and whatever else out there strikes your fancy. You begin to stalk agents and other writers/authors to see what they're up to.

You begin blogging about your writing journey and start following loads of other writers, hoping they will follow you in return. You sign up for bloghops and contests. You're starting to get some regular followers who consistently comment. And, of course, you have to visit all their blogs and comment back. That's what it's all about, right? Networking?


And you find that you're having so much fun. The Internet has introduced you to hundreds if not thousands of interesting, entertaining people--and you've connected to many of them. You can't wait to read their next posts.

Then it starts to happen. You wake up in the middle of the night, wondering if you remembered to schedule your next post. Or worse, you wake up in the middle of the night because you can't think what to write for your next post.

The pressure mounts. What if your post is stupid? What if the people who've been commenting find other blogs they like better?

Your hands begin to shake when you haven't had your daily Internet fix. You're dying to know what everyone's up to, what things might inspire you in your blog posts.

And your writing?

When's the last time you actually sat down to write? Or when you did, your hand moved to the icon for your web browser? You didn't even realize it was moving of its own volition. Suddenly, a hour's gone by. Or two. Hours of precious time that you promised you'd spend on your book.

Because the whole point of all that platform building has been in preparation for your book.

Right?


 So, what do you do
to keep social media
from taking over
your life?

26 comments:

  1. Uh, this is so true. Blogging and facebook are my downfalls. However, the good thing about Facebook is if you visit it frequently, there isn't much new to look at, thus taking up less time each time you visit. Little and often, so they say.

    Actually I just made that up. It's my excuse...lol

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  2. It is a lot easier pottering around the web than sitting down and doing a bit of real writing.

    mood

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  3. I enjoy blogging and FB and Twitter, and yes, they take a lot of time. While I'm writing, I use them as a water cooler, zipping out of my manuscript for a few seconds while I mull something over.

    However, when I'm really in the grip of something -- writing the climax of my WIP, revising and editing -- there's really no contest. Writing wins.

    Point in fact: I have 6 weeks to complete my revisions and line edits for my new editor. The only time I get on the blogs is when I only have a few minutes, and I don't want to get sucked into my writing. Like now.

    Congrats and commiseration on the form rejection. You are one of us now!

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  4. Oh, I love that picture of the cat. It's SO true. I really struggle with this. With working I don't have much time as it is and a lot of it goes to my blog and reading other blogs.

    I don't have a great answer except to set a time limit on reading blogs and then say enough. Now if I would only follow that advice.

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  5. I try to get all of my blogging out of the way first thing in the morning, while having my coffee #1. I don't tweet, and FB for me is just a quick eyeball, since I don't like it all that much. I'll do a quick pop around later in the day when/if I need to come up for air.

    And congratulations on that first form rejection (as strange as that sounds). I like your positive attitude on it, and hope for requests for fulls soon.

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  6. I do a lot of blogging at work, plus I keep a month ahead in posts, so I'm good haha. Then if I want to write I just unplug the internet cord and away I go.

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  7. Blogging is enough for me. Anything else and I'd get nothing done, lol.

    I love your attitude about rejections. Here's hoping your husband will have to take you out to dinner instead!

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  8. Since I have a day job, I post to my blogs either 2-3 times a week. Sometimes I take off from posting.

    To keep up with everyone at least once a week, I log in at different times of the day and read only five. On my days off, I'll read up to twenty or thirty posts.

    Unfortunately, I had to do this for my health and sanity. And so I could finish various novels. But it doesn't squelch the guilt I feel about not reading everybody, everyday.

    When I become a full-time novelist(wishful thinking, perhaps), I'll keep up with everyone a little better.

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  9. In answer to your question: I DON'T KNOW!!

    Somebody help me...

    And sorry about the rejection, but Yay! about the rejection. Got the first one out of the way and you're still breathing. :))

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  10. This post reads like the history of a blogger LOL. It's so hard to keep it from taking over though. Because it takes a lot of time to build the online presence, and who wants to lose that? Two key words: schedule and balance.

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  11. Social media is everywhere and it seems likes every time I take a break I miss something important. But that's okay, because I was writing. All the platform building is for nothing if I'm not writing.

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  12. LOL! So hilarious - and SO TRUE!

    I have cut back on my blogging days. It was seriously HARD! I was addicted to blogging 5 days a week. Right now I'm struggling to decide between 3 & 4 days. But... it's given me more time to write, crit and beta read - which is good. My book is making more progress which is GOOD!

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  13. I laughed so hard while reading this! I can so relate right now. Soon as I get through the next couple weeks I'm back to working on my third book. Promise!

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  14. Building platform is more about finding support and help with something as big as a book (I think).

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  15. Balancing social media with writing time can be tough. I try to keep the social media limited to mornings and evenings, but this doesn't always work.

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  16. Have you been reading my mind? I have a few tactics to keep it from taking over my life.

    1. I write a post a week or two ahead and schedule them.
    2. I cap the time I blog per day.
    3. I've started writing my WIP at the library with pen and paper, so I can't be detracted by the internet.

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  17. You are truly initiated now! I literally don't know how many rejections I've gotten since I started querying...and I'm not sure I want to know. But power to you, and keep it up:)

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  18. I try to avoid social media at night. That's writing/researching/editing/revising/reading/critting/polishing time! :)

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  19. Congrats on your first rejection. May you have many more to come, along with some acceptances too. I limit my blogs to to or three a week and read just a few other blogs a day.

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  20. You can give as little or as much time as you want to blogs/posts, but they're so interesting a distraction. I love em. But. I really need to get on and write. Just one more post....

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  21. Oh, dear. This is so true. I love blogging, tweeting, facebooking and so on, but they take way too much of my time. Got to cut down!

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  22. As evidenced by my post today I haven't been writing! But I am trying to free up my internet time to write more. I know I can do becasue I've done it before, I just need to find the dedication again!

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  23. I do exactly what the last photo suggests. I have scheduled periods for blogging. I'll only comment during those times (or write the posts). The rest of the time, I literally go unplugged. I go in the basement and unplug the internet. I wrote 3 K today because I did that. :)

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  24. Your first rejection! Congratulations! Yes, you can point to your battle scar with pride and proclaim, "I'm in it for real!"

    I only blog, no Facebook or Twitter, and I try to corral it to when I get home from work (like now), or at the end of the evening as a reward for getting something else done. Like writing.

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  25. When I'm actually writing, I tend to write in bursts of an hour or so then take 15 minutes off to read blogs.
    When I'm actually writing ...

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  26. Great points Donna. I guess it's all about balance and building a platform starts out slow but maybe someday will mushroom into a snowball effect.
    I just keep plugging away. Thanks for the smiles.

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