As I ran through my emails today, I noted an abundance of LinkedIn, infomercial and Facebook messages making the same mistake. “____ being released today. Click here to check it out.”

One was a service, several were books, a few were new websites, possibly belonging to authors, but the common thread through them all was that they sold something and wanted me to buy it . . . without telling me much about what it was.

Sorry, if you want me to follow you, you need to sweet-talk me, and make me want you.

Like a John seeking a hooker, from a collection of hookers, I’m a customer who needs wooing and enticement. Even though I know you’re trying to coax me, I still want you to go through the motions . . . and do it extremely well. Entice me. Become a Siren, calling the sailor in.

Sure, I know what you’re doing. You’re artfully attempting to get me to buy your book, service, etc., and I know that. But I want to play the game. I want you to tell me why you’re so good, why your story is magnetic, why what you do for me will be memorable.

But to just ask me to hand you my money without dancing the dance is like a stranger coming up to you saying, “Hey, write me a check and I’ll give you this.” No personality, no friendliness, no customer service.

If you want me, you have to earn me. Make me want to read more of your story by showing me enough to suck me in. We all know that showing is better than telling, and if you don’t even tell, you’ve lost from the outset.

The Writer

You sit alone in your room, writing . . . then promoting . . . hoping nothing makes you leave your room except for maybe a few local book signings so you can say you’ve done it, and to savor the feeling.

But go on the road? Uproot for two weeks of each month to visit conferences, bookstores and collective groups of readers? It’s crazy scary. Or maybe it’s exciting the first six times you do it, then you start dragging home tired, wondering what happened to the fun of writing because you haven’t done it in a month.Even your publisher asks, “Why do you do that? Everything happens online now. Focus on that.”

The Reader

You sit along in your room, reading . . . then once you close the book, wishing you could be so bold as a writer to but himself out there like that . . . exposing his inner being through such vivid characters and a cool story.  How long does it take to come up with such ideas? How does he paint the setting so you can hear and smell it? How does he enable you to live inside another’s head for thirty chapters and make it seem so real? Seriously, you got so angry in Chapter 17 you could’ve thrown the book . . . and you cried in Chapter 22.

You hear about writers touring but it doesn’t happen much anymore. You wouldn’t mind seeing the real person who touched you like he did through words. But you work, are so busy. And what are the odds that this author would come to your town, then you find the means to see him?

The New Reality

Writers are promoting more online and less in person. Readers are less likely to see a writer other than on a website or YouTube interview.

That’s why I catch myself conceding when asked to make an appearance. And I always come hope completely satisfied I did, intensely appreciative of the readers I meet. It’s indescribable.

No, I’m not uber-famous, but I am the author who’s poured herself into stories for years. Hearing someone recite a line back to me gives me chills. Those are my words . . . and someone remembers them. Listening to someone talk about my characters as if they lived next door, or had lunch at the table next to him, shoots me over the moon. When I say the name Savvy, Slade, Ivy, Wayne, Jesse or Alan, and someone reacts with familiarity never ceased to touch my heart. That connection is fantastic, as if we both have the same best friend in common.

We do a long of online marketing, and the conduit from writer to reader is undeniably more efficient. But as a writer, take the opportunity to meet some readers in person. And as a reader, take the opportunity to travel to where a writer makes an appearance. You’ll both walk away amply and pleasantly compensated for the effort. Human appreciation is still in vogue.

NOTE FROM HOPE: Today we have as our guest, Nina Amir, the author of 
How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time published by Writer’s Digest Books. Who doesn’t want to know how to monetize a blog, so I invited her to enlighten you guys. Give her a warm welcome.

—

How Writers Can Earn More Money as Bloggers
By Nina Amir

You may consider blogging as extra work that takes you away from writing. However, blogging actually provides you with another way to create an income as a writer. In fact, as a writer you are uniquely equipped to become a successful blogger and to monetize your blog.

My blogs, for example, help me earn more money in a variety of ways. I wrote a book on my blog, composing the first draft post by post and publishing it on the Internet. In the process, I became the expert on this topic and my blog achieved #1 Google search engine page result status. The manuscript I produced was sold to Writer’s Digest Books and released as How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time. I received an advance and now receive royalties.

The expert status I’ve earned from that blog and blog-to-book deal have given me the ability to offer blogging and blog-to-book coaching and consulting services. I also sell related products, teach courses and speak on this topic. All of these streams of income, while not writing per se, have become part of my current income as a writer.

You, too, can monetize your blog into written and non-written products.

First, blogging a book is the easiest and fastest way to write a book and promote it at the same time. And you can blog many books. It took me five months to blog the first draft of How to Blog a Book but only ten days to blog 10 Days and 10 Ways to Return to Your Best Self, which I then self-published. You can easily blog several books over the next year if you wanted to do so. For many indie authors, ebook sales represent a large income stream.

A successful blog—one with lots of readers—on a focused topic makes it easier for you to get more paid writing work. As you become the expert on your topic, magazines and newspapers are more likely to accept your queries—and you can command more pay for those articles. Additionally, your blog readership contributes to your author platform, which convinces publishers you are a good publishing partner; that means you deserve a book contract and a larger advance.

 Your blog platform helps sell your self-published books. 

The more you blog readership increases, the more money you make. You can:

• Sell more books
• Enroll more participants in coaching programs
• Register more participants in classes and courses
• Attract more customers and clients
• Become a more attractive publishing partner for a traditional publisher
• Increase your chances of getting paid assignments on major magazines in your subject areas
• Speak for pay
• Put advertising on your blog (and actually make money from it)
• Promote affiliate products

All of these items represent ways to monetize a blog. Not all of them involve writing, but they do result in increased income from your blogging. Remember, blogging is, indeed, writing.

About the Author

Nina Amir, Inspiration-to-Creation Coach, inspires people to combine their purpose and passion so they Achieve More Inspired Results. She motivates both writers and non-writers to create publishable and published products, careers as authors and to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose. Nina is the author of the bestselling How to Blog a Book, Write, Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time (Writer’s Digest Books). You can sign up for a free author, book or blog-to-book coaching session with Nina or receive her FREE 5-Day Published Author Training Series by visiting www.copywrightcommunications.com. For more information on Nina, go to www.ninaamir.com.

Hah, bet you thought I was going to say “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” didn’t you? Nope. Actually, I was just introduced to something called Pimp and Promote at Writers in the Storm Blog and the simple concept set me afire!

Today this is your chance you brag about something writing related here, on my blog. Your blog? Your new book? A speaking engagement? What have you done you’re proud of? Again, must be about your writing!

But the catch is this . . . you have to promote someone else, too! A blog, new release, new author, favorite author, a magazine feature . . . give someone a hand and promote him, too.

Let’s call it . . .  PUSH and PRAISE.

PUSH meaning you’re pushing your own efforts

PRAISE meaning, duh, you’re praising someone else’s.

For instance:

PUSH – I have several online guest opportunities this week.

• One at Write Now! Mastermind on Wed, September 26 at Noon Central / 1PM Eastern.
• The other is on Friday, September 28, at a women’s blog called FriendfortheRide.
• And  yet another blog post at Romance University on Friday, September 28 on Love and the Crime Fiction Sleuth (had a lot of fun with this one).

PRAISE - I follow a quaint yet intelligent blog called Bluestocking Ball. Elizabeth Boyce is a new author, and her posts are so smart! She’s a historical romance author with three books under contract with Crimson Romance. She’s just getting off the ground. Isn’t her cover gorgeous?

So, tell us your PUSH & PRAISE for this week!

When we read a good book, we readily use our word-of-mouth to aid the author in being successful. I do it. You do it. We all do it. Word-of-mouth is by far the most important method of spreading the word about good stories and great authors.

Today, however, there’s a ton of word-of-mouth out there, and hundreds of thousands of authors. Eight out of ten books sell less than 100 copies on Amazon. As a reader you might not realize the cutthroat competition that exists in the publishing world. As a writer/author, you should. In either case, there are a few tricks you can do with minimal effort to make a difference in letting the world know about a worthy book purchase . . . and at the same time let an author know you care.

1) “Like” the book page.

See that little thumbs up icon next to the title, beside the number of reviews? If you liked the book, click it. That simple! It’ll change from gray to orange and stay that way whenever you revisit that page.

2) “Like” the author page. 

Hover over the author’s name. See a like to the Amazon Author Central page? There’s where you can learn more about your favorite author. Again, see the thumbs up icon on the right hand side of the page? Click it.

3) Leave a review.

Twenty words is all it takes, but hopefully you can squeeze a few more to let searching readers know enough to make an informed purchase.To leave a review at Amazon (or Barnes & Noble) you have to have made a purchase from them at some time, so if you are a first-timer at Amazon, you’ll need to sign up.

4) Click “Was this review helpful for you?”

These clicks help tell others (as well as Amazon) that a particular review, with a particular number of stars, with particular phrasing really helped you make a decision in your purchase. These helpful clicks also determine placement of snippets of the review in Amazon’s mention of the book in other places on the page. The reviewer is also notified of these clicks (but no identity, mind you). You can even leave a comment about a review, if you like. If you read a review, remember to click whether it aided your decision making.

5) Click “Tags Customers Association With This Product.” 

Scroll down the page near the bottom and you’ll see the above wording about tags. On Lowcountry Bribe’s page, you’ll see tags posted such as mystery series, fiction, bribe, low country, crime drama, investigation, romantic suspense, and many more. You can click that you agree with all the tags or click only on those you like. Regardless, leave some clicks.

Very simple and very brief. I make a point of addressing these items for every book I read now, even if I did not purchase it from Amazon. Don’t think because an author has a hundred likes, a thousand reviews, or zero likes and two reviews, that yours aren’t needed. Each is worth its weight in gold.

A major rift I hear between the traditionally and self-published authors out there centers around money. The self-pubbed profess they want all proceeds, not the little eight percent royalty. As so many have quoted to me, almost verbatim . . .”I have to make money from my book!”

Listen to me . . . unless you have an established platform, you will not make money on your first book. Maybe not your second, either. Unless you have the brand in place, unless you are already recognized as a specialist, expert or wonderful writer, you will not bank much at the end of the day with your first book.

An author wrote me recently with a concern about this subject. “While certainly some authors do (make money), we know most don’t, and it seems to me an unreasonable expectation. Have you written about this?”

So I decided to write about this.

Are you selling books or are you grooming a career? You can sell widgets or you can improve quality of life with your invention. It’s how you look at your writing, your career as a whole that makes a difference. Are you planning for the long haul or trying to break even in six months before deciding if this is what you want to do?

The longer you envision your writing career to be, the better the odds of you becoming successful.

In other words, if you think you have to make money on your first book, then you are looking at your career in terms of that one book. It will make or break you. That’s amazing pressure.

Few businesses start off making a profit. That’s why start-ups so readily fail. They fight to make a profit right now instead of planning long range. They have to endure the “trial by fire” before coming out on the other side as an entity able to handle difficulty. But all too often they cannot see that far.

Making money takes times. You are usually an unknown with the first book. Heck, when you see that new small business on the corner, do you say, “Hey, that’s a new business. I’m
going to give them a chance and check them out.”

People may not be inclined to try a new business if they have a current one they love. I have a list of well-known authors I love who are famous. I can rely on what they write, for the most part. Do you read new authors all the time? Probably not, that’s why it’s difficult for new authors to get started. So the next time you see a new author on the shelf, pick it up and give the back cover a read. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

 That’s the obstacle. Becoming known.

So why do we wonder why we can’t quit our jobs and write for a living after only one or two books?

You can be proud of a book, but are you even more proud of your profession? Are you willing to do anything to make it work? That fight, that effort to write better, that tenacious drive to stick to this climb for the long haul is what will introduce readers to your work.

Sure, some make splashes with a first book. But most of the time, the first book is a case of paying your dues. And you need to be very happy to do that . . . so you can move on to the next step, then the next, and then the next.

I know we can’t get to know the author of every book we read, but when you read about an author, does his personality matter to you? When you hear him speak? When you read an interview? Hear his podcast? See comments by other authors/readers who have met him?

In the not too distant pass, pre-Internet and before global communication, we relied upon author photographs and bio blurbs on book jackets to introduce us to authors. They looked classy or homey, sophisticated or sweet, dignified or girl-next-door. Right then and there we nailed them as someone we liked or didn’t like, but we were usually less judgmental about looks and personality than we are today, giving those authors loads of credit and any benefit of the doubt, just for being published–especially if they made it to a Barnes & Noble window.

But I have to admit . . . once I experience negativity about an author, it tries to get in the way of whether I buy her book.

Today, however, you can learn about an author’s family, hobbies, food preferences, travel habits, and medical problems with a few short clicks of a button. You can see them at conferences and listen to them on podcasts and online readings. You can join groups they belong to, connect via Twitter and LinkedIn, and study their personal interests on Pinterest. Their lives get dissected, and even if they stay private, we have the essence of literary paparazzi per blogs, newsletters, and weekly emails from those making a living following the business.

Author personality is quickly factoring into publication, and ultimately in sales.

When we hear of a new author, we Google her. How many times are authors declined by traditional publishers because they don’t have any sort of online presence, basically are invisible to potential fans?

Writers. . . you might need to recognize the importance of being “seen” and “heard” in promoting your work, and think seriously how to groom a platform. Think hard about the impression you are making to potential fans, the industry, and other writers. What have you said in an online group that could make you look bad? What joke have you forwarded that tends to color you in a questionable light?

Readers . . . you might want to cut authors some slack. Their looks, personality and hobbies might have little to nothing to do with their remarkable stories. It’s hard promoting books, being in the limelight, and remaining neutral. Some readers don’t even like them for being neutral. Authors can’t please everyone.

But I have to sheepishly admit . . . once I experience negativity about an author, it tries to get in the way of whether I buy her book. I want a great story, and I really don’t care if the person loves kittens or not. However, when I have twenty new books I’d love to read, and only have the time to read ten, I can’t help but let non-writing issues factor in to which books I buy.

What about you?

Those who have followed me on FundsforWriters for a while, know that I shiver a little when it comes time to do a real-life interview or make a presentation. So when Austin Moss ask me to do a Skype interview for his podcast series “What the Glass Contains,” I told him I wasn’t very seasoned at this sort of thing.

Soon Austin had me working it like a pro, and we completed a lengthy but amazingly pleasant interview. Time just flew, and seeing Austin on the other end asking questions made the event elementary and fun. Here’s our interview in case you missed it.

Then along came WorkStew, a unique site that’s tastefully done in simplistic lines. Per their site, “The Work Stew podcast is a forum for frank talk about what people do for a living.” The host Kate Gace Walton recently interviewed me and took the conversation into a completely different slant than normal. Again, we used Skype. It’s a tad over 11 minutes long, so it’s brief.

“In this episode (of WorkStew Podcasts) featuring author C. Hope Clark, I learned that the work Ms. Clark is doing these days—penning mysteries and mentoring other writers—follows a decades-long career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, Ms. Clark managed to take the darkest days of her time as a government employee—when a bribery attempt turned her life upside down—and convert that ordeal into page-turning fiction.”

 The  next one was a ball as teenagers interviewed me. Express Yourself!™ is the #1 YA radio program in the world. My interview with them airs on August 14th at NOON PM Pacific. You can listen from your computer by going to http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself .If you miss the live show, you can find my interview archived at http://www.starstyleradio.com or http://www.BTSYA.com .

They are all about spreading positive messages. “Teens talk, the world listens on Express Yourself!™”

Finally, on August 30, I’ll be truly tested as South Carolina Educational Television (SC ETV) arrives in two trucks to my house for a two-hour interview on film for reproduction into a series about the literary map of South Carolina. Designed for schools, particularly middle and high school, the series educates others from the mouths of real writers and authors. It should be on their KnowItAll page for schools and education groups, a site recognized and praised by the American Library Association. I’m ecstatic to represent my profession to my state. I feel like one of those chefs on a cooking show! When that comes to fruition, I’ll let you know, but I’m awful glad that this event happens on the heels of many conferences, interviews and appearances, after I’ve had lots of practice.

One day I hope I can master how to put together a podcast. They are amazing to do and listen to. What do y’all think? Do you like Skype? Podcasts? Interviews you can see and hear?

For those of you just following the blog, who have missed the home page of the site, here is the book trailer for Lowcountry Bribe. My wonderful editor came up with this. It’s short, simple, and just catchy enough. Enjoy.

Today I’m doing a wonderful book signing at The Edisto Bookstore, down the street from beautiful Edisto Beach, on Edisto Island, where Lowcountry Bribe takes place. I really look forward to this event since it’s in the thick of Carolina Slade country, and people will be guessing if they can recognize the roads, the tomato packing shed, the fields and JT’s Grocery Store. Chuckle.

Love it when people try to guess what’s real and what’s not. Earlier this week, I attended a neighbor’s birthday party, and her FBI husband came up to me and said, “I can tell you really know Jesse Rawlings.” I just smiled . . . because I so totally made up that character from scratch! That’s when you know you really took a reader on a ride.

If you like the trailer, give it a thumbs up at YouTube!

I walk away from many writing events exhilarated . . . at other times crushed. And it scares the be-Jeesus out of me not knowing which emotion will rule me when I finish and leave.

And it frustrates the hell out of me being so uncertain of myself.

Each time I step behind a podium, a mic, even a telephone if the interview is long-distance, I have a plan, a rehearsed plan. I have passion, no doubt about that. I’m doing what I love to do, often wishing there were more hours in the day so I could do more, perform better, deliver more profoundly to those I hope to serve. Write more.

There aren’t enough hours, days, or years to complete the stories I wish to write, or deliver my passion to the world to such a a degree that everybody I touch “gets it.” I find that so important . . . passion. It pains me when I don’t connect, and it pains me more to see writers going through the motions instead of jumping, dancing arms wide, being writers with something to say, wanting people to read their work so badly that they sometimes make fools of themselves. I would rather buy a book or read an article from somebody who trips on his feet, stumbles his words, or mixes a metaphor, and then laughs at himself, than I would the person who stoically follows the rules, shows the way to their book, then leaves the room, leaving nothing of themselves behind.

However, I think the worst pain of all to a writer is silence.

The silence of no questions from the room. The silence of no comments on a blog post. The silence of no ReTweets. The lack of likes on Facebook. The lack of reviews. Less than stellar sales. We all know some of these.  Hopefully nobody knows them all. That’s sad when you try and wait . . . and are left waiting. Maybe that’s why some leave quickly, stoically, afraid to see nobody has questions.

Such silence can make a writer choke on self-doubt, even shove them toward quitting. Why do writers feel ashamed when others don’t read them? It’s failure on an extremely high level, and we often quietly “disappear into that good night.”

We’d rather be rejected, have something  proactively to address, gnaw on, or refute. Even booing is a response. Give us a bone, for God’s sake.

But that silence . . . oh God that silence.

Writing should be my voice, the page my podium.

But it’s not. Not in this world where noise is required before you can be seen and then make your point. So just remember this:

== When you read a book, write a review . . . somewhere. Leave your thank you for the writer who dared expose his heart and oh-so-sensitive soul to you.

==When you read a blog post that is smart, touching, witty, or informative, leave a comment. Or forward it, Tweet it, FB mention it. Again, thank the person for daring to show personality to a very critical world.

==When you hear a writer speak, watch him, follow him, then clap madly at the end. Ask a question, just so he knows you listened. Thank him for being there . . . for being him . . . for giving to you.

Some may wonder what’s brought such a melancholy post, but the fact is, I’m writing for so many who’ve confided in me about one of these points or another. Maybe the latest email just pushed me far enough. So many silently hurt, almost physically, at the platform effort, dog-and-pony show we’re forced to endure, even if only online.

I want to tell them to DARE!

I want to tell them to APPRECIATE DARING in others!

I want people to feel better, try with passion, and know that every time they receive silence in response to their effort, thousands others understand. Keep trying.

Dare NOT to be silent, no matter which side of the podium you’re on. Appreciate each other. The passion, talent, and success spewed into the world would be astounding.