The co-hosts today are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!
The optional August 2 question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?
Reading - Something I used to do a lot myself - head-hopping.
Writing - When I write a line I know is passive but my brain can’t think of anything else.
Editing - Passive words and phrases.
Audio Book Giveaway Update and Findings
From mid-May to mid-July, Dancing Lemur Press ran a weekly audio book giveaway on Twitter. Retweet the pinned tweet to enter.
While the genre of the book didn’t appear to have an impact, the author’s online social presence did. The more involved they were online, the more retweets and entries, with those possessing the largest followings garnering the most. When the author had a very small following or did not get as involved in the promotion, the retweets were very low.
All in all, the audio book with the most entries had 52 and the one with the lowest only 13, and those figures directly correlate with my findings above.
So, if you’re going to do any giveaway on Twitter, have a solid, devoted following online and be prepared to get involved.
Thanks to all who participated in or promoted the #IWSGPit Twitter pitch party. It was an incredible success – there were 2300 Tweets and we were a trending topic. The IWSG team learned a lot and the next #IWSGPit in January will be even better. Now that we’ve established ourselves and the site is a Writer’s Digest Top 101 Site for Writers, there will be five times the amount of publishers and agents watching the feed. Thanks again for such a successful event! - Alex
Dancing Lemur Press has participated in a lot of pitches. While nothing compares to #PitMad’s 900 Tweets per hour, our 200 Tweets per hour was the 2nd or 3rd most I have ever seen. And we got A LOT of submissions. Boo-yah!
On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later.The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.
Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!
Are you proud to be an insecure writer?
Then show us!
On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)
The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:
Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.
Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.
Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.
We have some great IWSG swag – notebooks, pens, mugs, tote bags, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site.
You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!
What are your pet peeves?
71 comments:
I just realized recently that I can do head hopping a bit, not a lot, but it is still there. Watching that now.
Goes to show that the more involved you are, the better the results.
So much fun coming up!!!
The first novel I wrote was chock full of head hopping before I realized it was taboo! :)
Hi, Diane,
Yes, lots of fun things to look forward to this fall! YAY! Happy the twitter pitch was such a success and you have lots of wonderful submissions ..(still working on the synopsis...get it to you soon)
Thanks for all your involvement and help in the IWSG and to all of us writers.....
So many good opportunities coming up! So glad the Twitter pitch went so well.
I'm glad you mentioned a pinned tweet. I think after I publish my second book, I'll create a pinned tweet. One that promotes both of my books. For now though, I'm still too insecure. And scared. And nervous. And anxious. You get the idea. :)
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Elsie
I'm so bummed that I was on vacation during the IWSG twitter pitch party and lacking the internet!!! I hope to make the one in January. Have a nice day, Diane.
I'm loving this month's question as I'm picking up a lots of ideas of things to look out for in my writing, like the use of passive words and phrases.
Glad the pitch party went so well. One of these days I'll get on Twitter and start to work more seriously at my online presence.
Cheers - Ellen
Pat, it's all about becoming aware.
Michael, looking forward to it.
Elsie, don't wait. Pin one now.
Glad you got a lot of submissions.
I hope I did the Twitter giveaway right.
Hi Diane, like you passive voice bugs me too. Glad that you got a lot of submissions. The IWSG Twitter contest was fun. I enjoyed it a lot. I am in for the IWSG picture contest in October.
So much happening. :) I didn't know for sure if new swag was created. They look great!
Glad to see how successful #IWSGPit was. That's a cool contest for October.
The October contest sounds fun! You can always go back and fix the passive sentences. It's when I'm in the editing stage and I can't reword them, then I get frustrated.
I hear you about passive writing. That's when I break out a little Dean Koontz and get inspired by his epic verbiage.
Networking is always essential in any business, and the more social media is involved in your book promotion, the more important social media becomes. I was impressed by how successful the #IWSGPit was. So many tweets and non-stop twitter feed.
So much tweeting! So many twits! I can see I have a lot to learn about Twitter. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Alex, you did - your book had the most entries.
Chrys, we have 3 new items.
Lee, I was almost overwhelmed, especially during the 1 & 1/2 hours I watched it.
Hi,
So happy to hear that the twitter pitch was super. We've got lots of thing happening in the IWSG. Yeah!
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia at Everything Must Change
Right there with ya on the passive voice. One of my writing missions is to stamp it out. Grin.
I have noticed the really successful YAs are the ones that have active voice and continuous tension all the way through.
Have a pleasant, productive day, Di.
So grateful to #IWSG for the pitch party. Acorn Publishing had a TON of fun. Can't wait for January!!
www.jessicatherrien.com
I am so excited for all the upcoming events and all the successes so far! That key chain looks pretty cool!
Your stats are interesting. It makes sense to pin a tweet from yourself at the top for retweeters. I have so much catching up to do. I'm taking notes on all the upcoming and recently happened stuff. LOL
A large number of followers always helps, but the real key is engagement. If the person has 2,000,000 followers and gets 1 retweet you can be sure the social network needs a little work. ;) By the way passive vs. active voice is my nemesis. I still struggle with it, but I'm getting better. Good post L. Diane
The pitch party was epic and the next one will be even better. Wise words re Twitter. Haven't done a giveaway on there yet, but I'm trying to be more involved in it.
The Twitter Pitch Party was a wonderful experience. Thanks to all that were involved in the planning and execution!
Good advice on Twitter Giveaways. As a beginner, I have a ways to go to get a significant number of followers.
I'll have to put my thinking cap on for October's contest. Sounds like fun.
Hi Diane - being involved and socialising is so important for us all - and great to read the twitter pitch party appears to have been so successful - wonderful work you're doing helping everyone - cheers Hilary
I can get on board with your pet peeves.
Yeah, I've noticed that things are more successful when the author is working toward making connections.
Erika, it can be yours if the price is right.
Maurice, one retweet would be sad indeed.
Loni, these days, the publisher can't do it all.
Sure is a lot going on. So much fun.Sounds like some new books will be coming out before long. :) Best get busy now.
Interesting little twitter tips. I'll have to remember those.
Wow, this is a lot going on!
Don't get me started on my pet peeves! I seem to collect more as I get older...
The social networking thing is definitely not my forte I'm not even sure what a pinned tweet is? Right now, I've got to get too many other things to get settled, but maybe one day soon I'll have it all moving in the right direction!
Headhopping drives me nuts, but writers still do it!
Happy the twitter party turned out so well.
I look forward to seeing the pictures and reading the posts and comments on the October 4 IWSG Day. Thanks for the advanced notice. Thank you for the energy and creativity you invest in IWSG.
Re the audio book contest, the results were interesting but not surprising. Getting involved is the best way to promote anything.
I hate head hopping too. It happens often in romances, and if done incorrectly, it drives me crazy.
Passive voice - not so much. Sometimes, it has its uses. Not often, but sometimes... Georgette Heyer wrote in the passive voice a lot, and she is still a bestseller, has been for many years. I'm reading one of her romances now. Such a pleasant read!
My editor used to get me a lot with passive phrases, but I've gotten better over the years. Most of the time I catch myself! Can't wait to see all the photos in October. :)
I had to google "head-hopping," because I wasn't familiar with the term, Diane. And yes, it is disconcerting to me reader to have sudden switches in POV! Your post is filled with so many interesting things! I appreciate all that you do for the IWSG! thanks!
I love "pet peeve pieces!." Just a cautionary note here from #TheFrugalEditor: Passive voice can be very, very useful. Just observe the voiceovers in pharmacological advertisements! It's great in dialogue (for certain types of characters (politicians) and can slow down momentum on the rare occasions that is needed! More on that and the pet peeves from the best of dozens of interviews I did with literary agents in my The Frugal Editor. (http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor). Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. You played into my hands, Diane! Huge hugs!
Good to know about Twitter and the giveaway.
The October IWSG event looks fun!
The passive voice is not always to be avoided. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Lots going on with IWSG! I so hate that I missed the Twitter Pitch, I was on vacation. Re passive, I use Grammerly and it always catches "passive" but sometimes I just can't think beyond it.
ISWG has so much going on!!! I don't think this band of merry writers is one bit insecure. :D
I have noticed that the more you are at social media, the better the book is promoted. I'm not good at that. And I do not tweet. Too much time spent on FB and blogging I guess.
Have a great weekend Diane.
I'm still not good at Twitter. I'm not even sure I understood everything you were saying about retweeting. Oh well, I guess I'll get it eventually.
I tweeted and won a free audio book! So excited to listen to it, but it won't happen until the weather cools off and I can start walking again. (I walk and listen to audio books). Thanks so much for the freebie!
So glad the twitter pitch went well. I tweeted a bit for everyone I saw pitching.
Nice to see Dancing Lemur and IWSG teaming up!
Glad Twitter pictch went well. Good for you guys. Hope you find some great new writers.
I still struggle with Twitter. So much of it still just feels like everyone screaming into a crowd, hoping to be heard. I know there's a proper way to do it, but...
Yolanda, when you Tweet, click on the right corner and it will give you the option to pin that Tweet.
Olga, as just a reader, it doesn't bother me as much. But when I'm reading submissions or editing, it drives me nuts.
Glad I could, Carolyn!
Sandra, LOL!
Ken, you figured it out well enough to win a book though.
Gwen, I'm glad you did.
CD, I'm not sure there is a proper way.
When it comes to trad pub books, especially the Big Five, my expectations are high and I’m annoyed by unnecessary typos and grammar errors. Not fair, I suppose. But I always imagine that these books have big budgets in place, and top notch editors working on the manuscripts…am I right?
Okay, maybe the 'big budget' is a misconception on my part...
Passive voice makes me crazy too. My Microsoft Word spell/grammar check usually has to point them out for me. I've gotten better at using active voice, though. Have a great night!! Eva
Head-hopping really does bother me when I'm reading a book. I prefer ones with a limited point of view.
That's great the Twitter Pitch went so well!
The pitch party was a huge success. Lots of great stuff coming up, too. Marketing on Twitter is a strange thing. It constantly evolves.
Were there chapter requests from the Tweet Pitch Party? Or do we know yet?
Head hopping used to be a problem for me, but I have worked on it and I don't think it is a problem now. I sometimes get annoyed when I am reading a book and there is head hopping going on.
Fascinating information about the audio books and twitter. Makes sense that the more online presence someone has the more their tweets will get shared. Sounds like all the books sold well. Thanks for sharing. :)
~Jess
Very exciting about Chrys's interview!
Hope you had a pleasant, productive day, Di.
I set the reminder for Chrys Fey's interview. I'm probably doing absolutely nothing that day so should be available.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Great opportunities now coming up for writers.
My writing pet peeve is that I use the wrong homophone without noticing and then having a wtf moment later when I'm editing what I wrote.
Lots of lovely giveaways for 10/4 (good buddy:) isn't there?
YOU, have a great one, Di.
Thanks for the giveaway information. I love listening to audio books while working.
Pretty exciting about trending and getting 2300 tweets.
You, have a great one.
Hope your Thursday has been pleasant and productive.
Head hopping drives me nuts, even when done by an experienced author who has the prowess to pull it off. I'm reading a book by Robert McCammon right now, and he head hops multiple times within paragraphs sometimes, making me have to read again. And it's an almost 1000 page book!
I love your reference to head-hopping. It used to be acceptable, as long as it was done well and I enjoy it - both reading and writing. Alas, I seem to be in a very small minority.
Lots of great prizes for the 'show your insecurities'. The marketing will be a great help for the winner.
Hope your day is pleasant and productive.
I don't mind head hopping if it's not extreme. Some of the writing royals do it quite effectively.
YOU, have a great one.
Interesting observations about Tweets. I think Twitter works a lot like blogger. If you comment on a blog, chances are they'll come to your blog and comment back. In the same way, if you retweet something, the person who has been retweeted will check out your posts and maybe retweet something of yours.
I'm glad the Twitter pitch was so successful!
I just checked out the swag. Very nice!
I'm with LD on the head hopping:)
I don't mind passive voice in some instances. Sometimes it looks odd to use active voice, but of course I can't think of any great examples off the top of my head.
My pet peeves are obvious info dumps, books where nothing happens, and, as a long-time journalist who's spent a lot of time working alongside cops, books where reporters and cops act completely out of character. It's scary how many writers include both in their books without doing a shred of research.
I once read a work in progress where a child went missing. The mother went to the police station to give a statement (which usually wouldn't happen) and, by the time she got back to her house, a crowd of reporters had gathered and were screaming, "Did you kill your son?" That's not how it works.
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