Remember last week?
1. 1pp for ROSB
2. Outline for SSG4 (title TK) (TODAY)
3. Finish unicorn book
4. Finish judging RITAs
5. Finish judging Golden Heart entries
6. Read and return CP’s work (simply devouring it!)
Still super busy!
Elsewhere:
Justine and Scalzi make the point I’ve argued often: blogging for the purpose of marketing is a zero sum game. Of course, the folks at Harper Children’s and Simon & Schuster disagree, according to this Publisher’s Weekly article. I don’t know what Melissa Marr’s online history is, though, but Cassandra Clare had an enormous online fan base before her books came out, so I would guess she falls into the Scalzi camp.
I blogged for two years before my books came out, but no one (no one) read my blog before I sold my first book, a year after I started blogging. Since then, it has mostly been writers, and when I bother to check my stats and see how people come to my blog it’s almost always from one of the following searches (in order of popularity): 1) my name (spelled right or wrong), 2) “kill your darlings” 3) “four act structure” 4) people writing book reports on Scott Westerfeld books who want to know something about plot, character, character archetypes, and the name of a Scott Westerfeld book, 5) the name of my books, and 6) The Ivy Gate Blog post about my books. So, one can presume that a large number of those people are writers who may or may not be reading my books (I read many a blog by writers whose books I do not read), and the rest are high school students who like Scott (or don’t like Scott, which is why they are googling instead of reading the books themselves). The Ivy Gate thing apparently has legs, though. Hi, Ivy Gate readers!
But the real point to make is: Dude, don’t blog if you aren’t having fun. If you’re blogging for hits, or comments, or little bumps to your Amazon rankings, you’re going to get stressed out. It’s like the people who join social networking groups then spam everyone they know in order to get more “friends.” Obviously, this is different if blogging is your job. But it’s not my job. It’s something I do for fun. the original name of this blog was “Diana’s Diversions” — which meant stuff I did for fun. Sometimes I find it fun to talk about writing, sometimes I find it fun to talk about my books, sometimes I find it fun to post pictures of the party I went to on New Year’s Eve. There’s no theme.
Now, speaking of fun, I just found out that Vicki Lane is doing a giveaway on HER blog of my newest book, Rites of Spring (Break). The book isn’t out until June, and I don’t even have the ARCs yet, so as far as I know, this is the first giveaway of my book known to man. But I’m sure you don’t want to wait until June for her prize (though I’ve been making her wait for like a month for the prize she won off my blog of those Scythian CDs, and there’s a very good reason for that: I went to Europe and when I came home I forgot where I put them. But I shall find them this week, as soon as I’m done with the synopsis). Anyway, what was I saying? Right, Vicki. I’m sure the winner of her contest does not want to wait until June, so I’m going to give Vicki a copy of the ARC when it comes and she can make that the prize instead. (And, Vicki, maybe I’ll send it to you with that CD I’ve been promising, huh?)
So head on over to Vicki’s and enter. The best part of this giveaway is that y’all have no idea what the book is about yet (other than the Spring Break bit). Still can’t post the cover copy (bummer) but I can tell you this:
1. There’s adventure.
2. And romance.
3. And head wounds.
4. And a game of backgammon.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Blogging is a tricky thing. You’re definitely walking the fine line between talking about your books too much and not giving people the insight they often want into the publishing process. Some people have e-mailed that I talk too much about movies and not enough about writing, so I try to keep it balanced.
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February 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
All my hits come from me saying things on other blogs. That’s how I know something was either funny or stupid(though I contend that ’stupid’ is a misinterpretation). Honestly, that’s why it’s there. I’m less anonymous that way. The real reason for anon is day job related. Not hard to find my last name since my mom posts hers.
Besides that its pretty much just my mom and my brother reading. And that’s ok.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Jess, ignore people who tell you what you SHOULD be writing about on your blog. Look at Meg Cabot. She hardly ever talks about writing. Because her blog is for readers, not writers. Do you think of your blog as for other writers?
The people who visit your blog now are other writers. When your books come out, and you have legions of teen fans, the people who will visit your blog will be teens. Some will also be writers, but most will be fans. This is true for EVERY writer of teen fiction I know of.
This is what happens: when you don’t have a book under contract, the people who come to your blog are your mom and your brother and a few of your friends. When you do, the people who come to your blog are writers who want to know how you did it. When your book comes out, depending on the audience for your books, the people who come to your blog are: 1) other writers, 2) fans. YA writers get more fans, because more teens read and comment on blogs. More adults read blogs but lurk, because they are used to reading newspapers where they don’t necessarily have to comment about what they read. My hit/lurk ratio is lower than a lot of my friends’ who write YA.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:02 am
*I’ve* been reading your blog since before you sold. I didn’t even realize you weren’t Diversions anymore. I find you very diverting.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:05 am
OH BACKGAMMON! Sold!
I’m not a writer. I have no idea why I continue to visit, but I do because I find the background to writing, as you present it, interesting.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Yes, gina, but we WUV each other! That’s totally different.
Ah, Rhiannon, I *knew* I’d get someone on the backgammon.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I definitely blog because I enjoy it. In the beginning I thought I needed to blog about writing and the craft there of. Not that I don’t ever blog about any of that, but not much. I enjoy the contest I do and the crazy things that I come across or sending others to other blogs in the Saturday check outs.
I’ve also made some great internet friends. People I may never meet but enjoy blogging with.
Backgammon, you say. I haven’t played in so long but love, love, love the game.
Thanks for sending the ARC for the winner, that is so cool of you. But then you sort of roll that way, cool.
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I think up blog entires all the time, I’m often just too lazy to write them down at the end of the day. Or I forget what I wanted to say. I always feel bad that I don’t blog more often!
I tend to write about writing because that’s what’s on my mind all the time. I’m sure I’ll have some posts about planning a wedding too cause that will be on my mind as well. I have no idea what I could talk about that would interest teens — I’m a very boring one or two track kind of girl!
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February 26th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’m pretty sure weddings interest teen girls, Carrie.
I know. I blogged about my wedding as little as possible, since if I didn’t, most of my blog posts would be rants about evil wedding dress shops and jewelry stores.
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February 26th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Excited about #6! Did you already send it to me??? = )
Loooooooove backgammon! Was the “champ” of it at my school in 6th grade. Yes, I know how pathetic that sounds. LOL!!
I’ve always loved your blog. And I’m glad that I’m part of a group blog where I only have to come up with one post a week.
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February 26th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I’ve always loved your blog, too, Diana, and have been reading it since the begining. Like Gina, I didn’t even realize it wasn’t Diana’s Diversions anymore. Your blog is always interesting, thought-provoking or entertaining — sometimes all three!
I don’t think blogging has much if any effect on sales numbers, except for blogs with a strong platform that pulls readers in as a point of information, the sale of the books being perceived as secondary. Also, probably helpful with YA books keeping readers interested while waiting for the next book to come out. Just my opinion.
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February 26th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I admit I found your blog after reading the first SSG book. Of course, I just got into blogging in the last year.
BTW, love that backgammon is going to be in the new book. My sister and I used to play all the time when we were growing up. My grandmother gave us the coolest travel set so we could play in the car too.
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February 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
So many backgammon fans! I hope you are not disappointed with the way it is portrayed in the book.
I always get worried when I say something like this. fans of X thing I’ve put in my book will come after me with pitchforks.
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February 26th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
All the cool kids played chess in 6th grade, Marley!
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February 26th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
You found my blog before I found yours… but I’m so happy you did! The only reason I keep coming back is my eternal hope that you’ll post more photos of SB dressed as Wesley from The Princess Bride.
BTW… also a fan of backgammon
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February 26th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Okay, I liked first two books, but I absolutely cannot read anything about backgammon (though I am intrigued by head wounds). I’ll tune in for book four.
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February 26th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
See? And now I’ve lost a reader through backgammon as well! Oh, the tragedy!
By the way, if you skip book three you miss a lot of important plot events. I kill George off.
Oops.
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February 26th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I saw that coming. Happens after Amy discovers she’s pregnant with Poe’s kid, right?
Really, you put the foundation for that in the previous two books.
I can’t wait for the ten chapter sex scene either.
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February 26th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
What really blows your mind hole is when Jenny steals Lydia from Josh. DRAMA! DRAMA!
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February 27th, 2008 at 9:22 am
What a fun comment thread!
Like others, I only found your blog after reading and loving SSG. Immediately after.
And since I wanted to comment, I joined blogger. And started my own blog. Giving credit where due right from the get-go.
I then went back and read the archives to see what I’d missed. And learned a lot. So even though I wasn’t an early reader, I was an avid one. And still am.
In a word: thanks!
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February 27th, 2008 at 9:59 am
I don’t care one way or another about the backgammon. Bring on the romance… and hopefully with the RIGHT guy!
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February 27th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Trish, it’s possible you’ll like the backgammon scene best of all, then.
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February 27th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Hi Diana. I started to write a comment here earlier, but I found I had a lot more to say than a comment would allow, so I addressed this on my own blog (with the appropriate links to yours, of course). In case you’re curious, you can find it here: http://booklady.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/blogs-are-weird/
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February 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Hmmm. Didn’t show up all the way. The address is http://booklady.wordpress.com/
blogs-are-weird
(Just take out the space in the middle.)
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