It's a win/win situation, and my favorite activity is to interview authors on my blogs: Anne K. Albert, Piedmont Island Trilogy, and Muriel Reeves Mysteries and talk about their latest release.
As with every relationship, however, there is always one or two people who think it is their God given right to screw up the works.
I may be insecure, people, but I'm not a door mat.
Posting your author interview takes time away from my own writing. I don't mind, I really don't, but is it too much to ask that you:
(1) supply the necessary info in a timely fashion?
If you've requested an interview on my one of my blogs, make note of it on your calendar. A deadline is a deadline is a deadline. I'm always surprised when an author fails to return their info and lets a promotional opportunity pass by. Not only does it leave a gaping hole in my schedule, it's unprofessional.
(2) follow my guidelines?
I provide authors with a choice of 25 interview questions and ask for 7-10 answers. I've had people respond to all 25. I've had others ignore the questions and provide a 4000-word essay. (My word limit is 750!) As authors we deal with guidelines on a daily basis. Give me what I want!
(3) be polite?
A simple thank you comment on your post shows you've at least taken the time to drop by. Play nice!
(4) help with promotion?
I email authors the morning their post goes live, and provide the exact url, not a generic one. If you're uncertain what that is, here's an example. My generic url is http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com. That will get you to this site. However, to view a specific post, let's say February's Insecure Writers post, this link is the ticket: http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com/2012/02/insecure-writers-support-group-what-are.html. I also include a smaller version: http://tinyurl.com/7mujjvc
I provide this info to (A) remind the author they're up and (B) hope they will spread the word to their readers. Again, it may just be me, but if an author doesn't help promote themselves and their guest post on my blog, why should I?
(5) Reply to reader comments?
It saddens me when a reader leaves a comment for an author and it goes unanswered. Making an effort to check in numerous times throughout the day and week when and where your being featured online makes for happy readers.
Okay. I've ranted and raved and bared my soul. As with everything else, it only takes one rotten apple to ruin the basket and I want to stress that 99% of the authors I meet are wonderful, amazing and gracious people who not only follow the rules and play nice, they do it with panache.
Now, a final word about my insecurities. As you're reading this I'm terrified I've crossed a line and said stuff I shouldn't have. But sometimes these things need to be said. That's why I'm grateful to Alex Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writers Support Group for the opportunity to vent.
Happy writing and happy reading.
Btw, if you follow me, I'll follow back. Just mention it with a comment and include a link to your blog. Thanks!
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If you crossed a line then it was one that should have never been drawn. People do need to be considerate of others whether in life, traffic, or the blogosphere. And as you pointed out, following guidelines is part of the getting published process.
ReplyDeleteWhat's sad IMHO is these people aren't even aware of their actions, and yes, they did cross that line. Btw, Nancy, I enjoyed your post, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you said what needed to be said. I'm guilty of being a bit slow sometimes, and this is a good reminder for me and for others.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to add, I think you do a terrific job with your blog and I truly appreciate the work you put into it.
As I said, Marja, it's only the 1% who get on my nerves now and then. Most days I'm able to shrug it off, but this has been a particularly difficult week and well, I felt obliged to speak up. :( I'm still uncertain whether or not it was wise, but it's there.
ReplyDeletenew follower here :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other commenters: they did cross that line. Not speaking up would have hurt you even more!
Well said, Sylvia...and very wise! :) Thank you.
ReplyDeleteForgot to tell you how much I enjoyed the widow's walk book I won a few weeks ago. Quality book by a great author.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed The Widows Walk League. It was such fun to chat with the author Nancy Lynn Jarvis and have her drop by my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteAnne, I don't think you've said anything that didn't need to be said. This is a good set of guidelines for how to interact politely with other peoples' blogs.
ReplyDeleteI just started my own guest feature this year (profiling writers' writing spaces) and most of the people I've featured were people I directly contacted about it, and they've been courteous to a fault. However I've had a few people express interest in participating and then drop off the edge of the world after I send them questions and a deadline, and then I have to scramble to replace them.
So this post seemed very interesting to me, although I don't expect them to promote the post because I'm just doing it because I'm interested and most of my followers have told me they like the feature -- however, many of them do promote, which is very gratifying and affirming.
I do think that going forward, I'll probably only feature people who I seek out and who are amenable, or who others recommend to me. For whatever reason, people who volunteer don't seem particularly amenable in the end.
Sadly, Callie, I'm also becoming a little more selective. The no shows tipped the scale.
ReplyDeleteSomebody on some blog, somewhere, said you should hash out those guidelines at the time you work out a guest post - who's going to respond to comments, etc.
ReplyDeleteWith the result that I've nervously queried guest bloggers on mine to make sure they are going to respond to comments, etc., and been told, "Well, d'uh, of course, I'm a professional."
I totally get your frustration, but probably better to be proactive and make sure the guest knows what his/her duties will be, ahead of time - and if they're not willing/able to live up to 'em, they don't get to guest on your blog.
LOL, Beverly, because right after I wrote the post I went back and checked what I send to authors. And yes, I made amendments and spelled it out! :)
ReplyDelete