Wednesday, September 3, 2014

ISWG: Touring and Tanking

Today is Insecure Writers Support Group day. The first Wednesday of every month is when we post about our insecurities and concerns as writers, receive and offer support. If you want to join, click HERE. Thanks so much to Alex Cavanaugh and his helpers who manage this event every month.

I'm releasing my Afterlife series. The first novella, Second Death, will be released on September 22nd, then the other two in October. All three are written, edited and formatted. I'm waiting on one more cover to be completed. I'm on top of it. Second Death is even up for pre-order.

What's my insecurity?

It's the blog tour. I've toned it down because I don't want to stress myself out since the day job that pays the bills really takes a lot out of me. I've barely asked for any hosts (asking for help has always been a problem for me), since I know I can rely on my buddies in my Untethered Realms group to host me. That's the good part.

The insecure part is writing posts for the blog tour. I tend to go with character-based posts, fun and quirky (according to me) rather than the serious. What if the posts are dumb? What if people (hosts) think they're too silly. And *gasp!* what if readers (bloggers) find them boring? What if I tank? What if people don't comment because...all of the above?

Still... I have spots open if, you know...

That's my current insecurity.
What's yours?

26 comments:

  1. Hey I'll host a spot! Let me know shah wharton @ gmail dot com. :)

    The vulnerability over being liked is always there with us to some extent. But in any situation, no one can be everyone's cup of tea. *shrug! :) I suppose as long as we avoid potentially offensive subjects, or deal with them with tasteful humour if at all, e can't do much else. Essentially we are selling books, not our company for a dinner party. :)

    Here for #IWSG
    shahwharton.com
    X :)

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    1. Shah, unless anyone is offended by ghosts (always my theme, LOL) then I don't think I ever offend anyone. That'd be so awful. I'd never want to do that! Thanks for the host offer! You're on my list :)

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  2. Yes, it's really hard to juggle with working full-time. I'm sure all your posts will be great. To maximize your books' exposure, you might want to explore some of the book review blogs that set up blog tours for you and help you reach new audiences. Not sure if they'd do it for a novella. Congrats on your new projects!

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    1. I'm definitely going to do that, Natalie. But I'm waiting until the last one is out and do a boxed set. Great idea!

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  3. Blog tours are so hard to plan and figure out what to write. I'm sure you'll be fantastic. Good luck with the series. I preordered the first one. Yay!

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    1. I go blank sometimes! Thanks so much for pre-ordering, Miranda.

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  4. Congrats on the new releases. I get your stress. Email me about a spot. I'd love to have you and have some open dates.

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  5. Congratulations on your books. Tours can be frightening. I've been answering interview questions about my upcoming tour and it's not easy. Yours will turn out great. Hang in there.

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    1. Interviews are especially hard. I have a hard time talking about myself and making me sound interesting. LOL.

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  6. Congratulations - three all ready to go is impressive!
    You'd never tank a guest post.

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  7. I think you're always fun. Add me to your tour list, unless I'm already on it. (after this summer, my brain is a wee bit fried!)

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth. I've always enjoyed being at your blog. (Especially the Supernatural questions!)

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  8. never fear this as you are fun to read and bring so much. If anyone thinks otherwise, they are not worth a powder to blow(as my dad used to say). You should look at all your accomplishments and realize many talk about doing things they enjoy or want to do but few actually do it. You are one of the few and that is great!

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    1. HaHa! Powder to blow. I like that. Thanks so much for the encouragement!

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  9. I've always enjoyed your posts and still remember when I first discovered both you and Angela through your Partners blog tour - I still think that is one of the best blog tours I've ever seen! I have no doubt you will do great with this one too. And I don't know if I've missed this in UR but I would be more than happy to help out and host you, just say the word. Good luck!

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    1. We had a blast on that tour. Angela is so much fun, too. Thanks, Julie!

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  10. I ALWAYS enjoy your posts!! You know you're welcome at my blog any time :-) :-)

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  11. You won't tank.


    I, on the other hand, tanked but I'd no net for months...

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  12. Congrats on your upcoming release! VBT takes a lot of preparation, but so much fun to actually get out there! Think about the fun part. You won't tank. Best wishes.

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  13. Chill, Gwen. :) You are an awesome writer. Why would your guest posts be any different. People love to hear what authors have to say. I've never read a bad post by you yet. Just have fun with the posts, be you, be con traversal if you wish. Relax! Good luck with the books.

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  14. The marketing part of releasing a book is the hard part for me. When I first started writing, I was writing romance, and RWA is such a supportive organization, you could do a lot of your promotion just by attending conferences. When you had a booksigning, everyone from your local chapter would show up. Children's writing is a little tougher. You can promote to the parents, teachers, and librarians, but to reach the kids, you have to do scary events, like show up at schools and speak to classrooms. Yikes!!!

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  15. Hi Gwen, wanna do an interview for Idea City (my blog)? If so, I will send you my list of typical Qs.

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  16. I feel like that with my REGULAR blog posts. lol. It's a natural feeling. Don't worry. People will be engaged!

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