tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post1172654426229021613..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: The Writer vs The AuthorStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-894768193057842042016-12-13T11:55:05.767-06:002016-12-13T11:55:05.767-06:00YES! They are all achievable! Every single one of ...YES! They are all achievable! Every single one of them. Blogging is an interesting beast these days--they say fewer and fewer readers are actually commenting on blogs which makes it insanely difficult for a writer to know how she's doing. I come back again to authenticity and consistency. These two things will serve you well.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-83884166780768649572016-12-13T11:53:31.825-06:002016-12-13T11:53:31.825-06:00Thank you, Tracey! And Steph, you're always so...Thank you, Tracey! And Steph, you're always so on top of the numbers! I'll be real, the whole platform building thing is daunting at times and I feel like there's so many voices screaming for attention, it's often hard to be heard. But, nothing, NOTHING beats authentic interaction and I think it takes times, but platforms can be built that way. Small but real can slowly but surely grow into something more.Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-76169398018169712752016-12-09T23:58:55.780-06:002016-12-09T23:58:55.780-06:00I'd most definitely say the 'author' s...I'd most definitely say the 'author' side of me is the one I have trouble with. Though I rather dreaded reading this article to see how far I had yet to go, I found the important points you made for being an author achievable, except maybe the platform part. Still not sure how to do that part. I've started blogging, but it's hard to know for sure what people like to read about (especially if you're a fiction writer, but you aren't about to post too much of your hopeful stories on a blog for public reading, or do you?). I think if you're a non-fiction writer, your blogging platform would work more accurately to show interest in your work. I don't know. *shrugs*Meaghan Rutherfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17144939103660147492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-17060575647122729422016-12-09T20:26:04.777-06:002016-12-09T20:26:04.777-06:00Thank you! That's good to know--even if it sho...Thank you! That's good to know--even if it shows me I have a long way to go! XD It is encouraging to hear that publishers value engages followers too. Because what's the point of having 25k blog followers if most of them never read your blog? Thanks for the reply and encouragement! You guys make GTW such an awesome place. Tracey Dyckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445222618456673198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-31081460782093245872016-12-09T13:37:33.720-06:002016-12-09T13:37:33.720-06:00That's a great question, Tracey. And I underst...That's a great question, Tracey. And I understand what you mean because I feel similarly. That's the best kind of publicity work there is!<br /><br />It's been a few years since I've heard specific numbers throw around so I don't know how accurately I can answer your question. I've heard things like 5,000 Twitter followers, a blog following of 25,000, etc. Those numbers seem like huge things to expect from a debut fiction writer, and I do think there's more slack for first time novelists. <br /><br />But one encouraging thing I'm hearing is an emphasis on engaged followers. That publishers recognize not all followers are created equal, and that someone with a smaller but engaged audience has power to move the same or even more books than someone with a large but disengaged social media following.<br /><br />That's probably not as concrete of information as you were wanting, but I think it's important to keep building your audience the way it sounds like you have been. Where you care about them and they care about you.Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-43692976757891931872016-12-09T13:11:29.435-06:002016-12-09T13:11:29.435-06:00That's a really interesting point, Ms. Morrill...That's a really interesting point, Ms. Morrill! I've been working on building a platform ahead of time, but honestly, blogging is so much fun it hardly feels like that kind of publicity work. :) One question, though: is there an average number of followers that publishers consider to be significant? I love and appreciate all my readers, and I never want to see them as mere numbers, but it would be good to know what's worth mentioning to industry professionals and what's not. Tracey Dyckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445222618456673198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-80292140207803805112016-12-09T12:34:21.008-06:002016-12-09T12:34:21.008-06:00These are great thoughts, Shan. The idea of buildi...These are great thoughts, Shan. The idea of building a platform really confused me as a new writer. When my first series got picked up without me having any kind of presence, I thought this meant I had outsmarted the system. What it actually meant is that it was extremely difficult for me to sell my books; I had such limited exposure to people! It's easy to think the platform is just something you do for publishers, but it really isn't. It's for anyone who wants people to read what they wrote!Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-4881725561124565532016-12-09T11:21:38.901-06:002016-12-09T11:21:38.901-06:00Me too! I am always looking to get better across t...Me too! I am always looking to get better across the board! Don't feel guilty about taking breaks. They're necessary. Shannon Dittemorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07757781231485815876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-70698884333745590852016-12-09T08:45:07.811-06:002016-12-09T08:45:07.811-06:00I really think I need to work a little in every ar...I really think I need to work a little in every area... life and writing is an ongoing process ;) I am good at finishing things, with deadlines, love research, and all that stuff. But sometimes I do feel drained and just need a break from my writing (so I have been learning after long periods of writing to just live for a couple days). I really enjoy writing, but I like it to be original, creative, flowing. I know that it can't always be that way with ease, though. Often I do need to just force myself to write, and work out the perfections later on.Keturah Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041749245034077912noreply@blogger.com