Do you love books? Come and say hi!!!
I’ve been thinking
lately… my entire twitter family is composed by writers (mostly).
This is not because I
want to close myself off to the rest of the twitterverse. Rather, I’ve done it
because I’ve never had ‘real life’ writer friends, not really. I don’t go to
conferences or writing groups (just occasionally), so I’m mainly depending on
Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, and Google+ to stay updated about the Publishing
world and to meet like-minded people.
And I’ve grown out of
the habit of posting in writing forums. So I thought, if I don’t go to the
mountain, I’ll ask the mountain to come to me, a.k.a. ALL OF YOU GUYS!!!
So today I’ve the
pleasure of introducing a BRAND NEW blog feature called Author Intros. Since I got back to tweeting every day and reading
as many blogs as I can (among lots of other projects I’ve lined up), I’ve also
been actively looking for new writers I could follow and stalk. You see, the
more the merrier!!! Besides, I need to fatten up my Blogroll a bit.
Basically, the feature
will involve YOU – the writer (or editor, agent, publicist, etc.) – talking about
yourself, your site/s, your book/s, and the services you provide for other
writers. It’s meant to be a kind of Introduction, which will both help you meet
fellow writers and also be useful if say, you want to promote your book or
offer your services to some lucky soul.
It’s writers meeting
writers (and co). And don’t forget, it’s meant to be fun as well!
One of the reasons I am
doing this is selfish, I might as well admit it now. See, my blog has been somewhat
asleep lately and my heart can’t stand it. It just looks… sad, you know? It’s
like publishing a book nobody wants to read. So I’ve decided to liven it up a
little!
The other reason is
not so selfish actually. Ever since I started my blog and got a twitter
account, I knew my online experience wouldn’t be just about me. You may
remember that I’ve done a bunch of collaborations here and on my other site: WriMos FTW. I do it because I get a
rush out of meeting new people and expanding my online family. In addition, the
people I’ve found meet one another and it goes on and on; an endless network of
people sharing the same passion.
So if the world really
is my oyster, this site is where I stash the pearls.
Now, before I outline the steps, let me
tell you that you don’t have to be
published to submit your Intro. I picked the word Author over Writer
because it sounds better. Hell, I’d rather be an Author! Also, I welcome old
friends, new friends, and strangers to join the frenzy.
Finally, here are the
mighty steps you need to follow if you want to give it a try:
Step 1: Follow the guidelines:
1. Wordcount must be
between 400 and 700 words!
2. Use some or all of the
following sections:
- About you: This is sort of like your short bio but not exactly. It’s where you tell us about yourself: who you are, where you’re from, what you do, what you dream about. Make it funny or inspiring or shocking, just be yourself.
- About your site/s: Do you blog or vlog? What about? Give links if you want.
- About your books: Have you been published? Self-published? Are you working on your first, second, third novel? Tell us about it. And give images if applicable.
- About your work/services: Are you an agent looking for new talent? Are you a freelance writer, editor, reviewer, or graphic designer? Are you looking for guest-posts or doing a competition/collaboration? Do you run a writing community? Whatever you can offer your fellow writers, tell us about it here.
- Where can we find you? Give links to your social media profiles here.
- Tell us a secret: Shake it up a little and tell us a secret about yourself: something nobody knows… or just something weird. We wanna know YOU, not your CV.
- Anything else you’d like to add? I’m open to suggestions. Maybe you’d like to share your favorite music band or TV show. (Being Erica anyone?) :p
- Basic info: This bit will be included under your photo...
Status: aspiring writer, published, indie, editor, etc. You can choose two. I'll be putting your name under those categories in the blog sidebar.
Occupation: (optional)
Current goal: make it short and writing-related, e.g. to find an agent, to self-publish, etc.
Step 2: Write your Intro OR email me with a query. Alternatively, use the Contact form.
Step 3: Format the article in the following OCD way:
- Times New Roman, 12 pt.
- Justified, NO space before or after paragraph.
- For everyone’s sake, keep your paragraphs short.
- Add a title next to your name. It’ll help SEO.
Step 4: Send it to me as a Word Doc attachment to: lyn [dot] midnight [at] gmail.com. Also,
attach a good-quality photo of yourself.
Step 5: Follow my blog and/or like my facebook page (see sidebar). I’ll
return the favor!
Step 6: Spread the word when your feature goes up, and I’ll gladly
do the same.
Step 7: This one’s important! Always answer comments. Interact and
mingle. Also, invite people to ask you questions. We’re dying to
know more!!!
So there you have it.
I’ve also put the guidelines on the Author Intros page, where you
can find some tips for writing your feature. Just in case you’re feeling
unsure about it.
I’ve decided not to designate any particular days
on which the features will go up, so everything’s nice and flexible right now. I know it’s strange for someone who likes structure so much,
but I’ve discovered that flexible means less stress, and less stress means
healthy mind and body.
Now, spread the word and start writing your Intro. My inbox is always open!!!
