Zig Ziglar
One of the things I like so much about the writing community
is that so many are willing to help others. The ladies in my local critique
group are a great example, but I’ve also been given countless words of
encouragement and wisdom from authors who don’t know me from Eve. Thank you to
all of you, and I sincerely hope we get to meet some day when we’re all wildly
successful.
I am a sincere believer in the concept of karma, at least in this life, and I think this attitude of giving helps the giver as much as it
does the receiver. Other than the warm glow that comes from the feeling of
helping someone else, the results aren’t always readily apparent. However, things
usually seem to work out in the end for the “good guys.” (Am I just in a good mood today, or have I
been reading too many happily ever after stories?)
If you’re looking for that warm glow or a way to interject a
little karma into your writing career, here are some things you can do:
1.
Write a glowing
review. I like to follow the advice of, “if you don’t have anything good to
say, don’t say anything at all.” I don’t think I’ve ever written a bad review
in my life. However, if I like a book, I tend to tell the world. I wish I had
more time to write reviews – it would mean I had more time to get through all
the books I want to read!
2.
Retweet. I
mentioned this in my recent 8 Twitter Tips for Writers post. If someone has a
launch or a successful review, retweet it. You will be making their day,
especially if they are a new author wondering if anyone cares.
3.
Thank people for
following you. I really don’t like autofollows. Most of them try to sound
friendly but seem so self-serving. I try my best to send a thank you to
everyone who follows me, usually in groups of five or six. However, when I do
get a follow, I also check out their tweet stream to see if there is anything
worth retweeting.
4.
Do a giveaway.
This has a self-serving component to it, obviously, but a giveaway is also a
way of saying thank you to the reader community.
5. Comment on blogs. If you don’t have a
blog, you’d be amazed at how hard it is to crack the ice on comments. Those of
you who do know what I am talking about. I get a satisfying number of visitors
to this site, but as of today, I’ve only received one comment. (hint, hint!) If
you want to do something nice for an
author you’ve recently discovered, write a comment on his or her blog.
6.
Like facebook
fan pages. I can tell you personally that a “like” on a fan page, even if
it comes from my critique partners, is like a shot of B vitamins.
7.
Become a fan on Goodreads. I just
discovered Goodreads a couple of months ago. (I know. Was I living in a cave or
what?) I’ve been adding books to my shelves so fast that I haven’t had time to
go back in and become of fan of some of the authors who have provided so much inspiration
and enjoyment. I think that will be my “to do” as soon as I post this.
Finally, it goes without saying, that you should thank your
publisher. Even if you aren’t crazy about everything they do, these people have
tough jobs and have to deal with prima donnas all day long. Not that any of you
are in that category!
MJ
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