Tag: blogging

New goal: bog every day (except Sundays)

For a long time, I’ve struggled to figure out exactly how this blog fits into everything that I do. And while, in the past couple of years, I think I’ve figured out a better way to integrate it with my other creative efforts, I still occasionally go through periods of time where this blog gets neglected, followed by periods where I struggle to come up with relevant content. Not only does this mean that the blog isn’t running as well as it should be, but it also takes energy away from my writing.

After thinking things through, I’ve decided to try out a new approach: blog every day (except Sundays) for the forseeable future. The last time I did this was probably the A to Z blogging challenge several years ago, and that turned out really well. Why not try it again?

But Joe, isn’t that going to suck up more time and energy from what you’re already doing?

Not necessarily. Writing is a muscle that gets stronger every time you exercise it, and blogging every day is one way to keep that muscle toned. Also, when something you do becomes a habit, it takes much less effort to keep up on it. 100% is easier than 99%.

But Joe, this is 2019. Blogging is dead.

I’m not entirely convinced of that, but even if it’s true, I don’t plan to shutter this blog anytime soon. Better to go all the way than to do things halfway, especially if there are benefits other than increasing my unique visitors and engagement stats. Besides, it’s not like this blog is monetized (beyond my own book pages and affiliate links, of course).

So yeah, that’s the plan. We’ll see how it turns out. I don’t expect the content to change much in the near future, but it may, especially as I figure out what needs this blog best fills. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to share them! I always appreciate hearing from you.

Trying out some pop ups

I just set up a pop up with a subscribe form for my email newsletter. It should only pop up once every two weeks, and only on the first page you visit. If you think it’s too intrusive or have strong opinions on the matter, let me know.

I’ll be experimenting with a few things in the near future, including pop ups. I may also change the layout here to the new WordPress Twenty-Nineteen theme. It looks interesting. Again, if you have opinions, I’d appreciate your feedback!

New plans for the blog

I’ve been revising my business plan lately, codifying a lot of things I’ve tried over the past year into a coherent, unified strategy. It feels like I have all the pieces now for a successful writing career, but I just need to figure out how they all fit together. That’s the goal.

One of those pieces is this blog, which has unfortunately fallen into a state of chronic neglect. I haven’t abandoned it entirely, of course, but I haven’t been focused as much on it as perhaps I should have. Instead of using it to support all the other things I’m doing, I’ve treated it more as a thing unto itself, which makes it a distraction instead of an essential part of what I do.

That’s going to change soon, because I think I’ve figured out how this blog fits in with everything else. But that also means that I’m going to make quite a few changes.

First, I’m going to post a lot more book reviews. Ideally, I’d like to post one every week. I’ve read a bunch of really good books over the last month, so once I sit down to review them I should have enough content for the next several weeks. In this way, my blog can reinforce my reading goal (50 novels per year) while also sharing something of immediate value to my readers.

Second, I’m going to experiment with pop-ups on my blog pages to get more email subscribers. I know, I know, everyone hates those things, but they do work, believe it or not. My email list is the centerpiece of my marketing plan, and if this blog is going to be more than a thing unto itself, I have to integrate it into that plan.

I’ll do my best to keep the subscription forms from being too intrusive, like having them only pop-up after you’ve scrolled to the bottom of the page, or only have them pop up on the first page you visit.

Third, I’m going to be a lot better about posting whenever I have a sale, a new release, or a featured book. I already have book pages for all of my titles, and it’s not difficult to post the links in the sidebar, or embed them in a blog post.

Fourth, I’m going to be a lot better about posting updates on WIPs, publishing projects, and other things that I’ve been up to. I already include those updates in my newsletter, but I could do a lot better at putting them here.

I want this blog to be both a platform for connecting with my existing fanbase as well as a vehicle for gaining new fans. So that’s what the content here is going to be geared toward. I’ll still include my personal reflections on various subjects from time to time, and I’ll probably put a few more blog series together, but I’m going to be more careful about keeping my readers in mind.

This isn’t a writing blog anymore—indeed, it hasn’t been a writing blog for the past several years—but I’m not going to put too many restrictions on what I blog about either. We’ll just have to see how it unfolds. As for the more controversial stuff like politics, I’m not going to hide from it, but I’m not going to wear it on my sleeve either. As much as you love it when authors of escapist fiction rant at you like your batshit crazy uncle on Facebook, it would seem that niche has already been filled many times over. </ snark>

There’s a bunch of other stuff I’d like to try out, but let’s stick to this for now. Book reviews, more frequent updates, and better integration with the email list. It’s going to be a great new year!

Yes, I still exist

Wow, it’s been more than a month since the last time I posted on this blog? This needs to be rectified, and by more than a solitary post.

It’s been a bumpy few weeks. Not rocky, but not smooth either. Between working unpredictable odd jobs and unexpectedly finding myself in a romantic relationship, it’s been difficult to get into a productive writing and publishing routine—hence, the less frequent posting on this blog.

That said, I’ve seen a marked increase in book sales recently, which is encouraging. Getting a couple of Bookbub featured deals definitely helps. By my calculations, I have about six months of expenses in my business savings, which includes things like Bookbub deals and convention costs. The goal, though, is still to build my email list, and that’s proceeding a lot slower than I would like. I need to find new and better ways to get my books in front of the readers who will love them.

Writing-wise, things are proceeding at a slow but steady pace. I’ve put Queen of the Falconstar on the back burner for the time being, to work on Gunslinger to Earth. If all goes well, I should be finished with that WIP by mid-January, and release it in April. That will complete the Gunslingers trilogy!

I think it might be cool to release a few excerpts in audio as well as on this blog. What do you guys think? Record a few MP3s of my own narration, release them as downloads. Or maybe put them up on YouTube. It’s a bit ironic, because Gunslinger to Earth is a first-person book from Jane Carter’s perspective, but still, I think I can pull it off. It will also be good practice for audiobook narration, which I hope to do more of in the following year.

In other news, I’ve decided to hold off on self-publishing any more of my short stories until I’ve sold the first publication rights. Up until now, I’ve been fitting them into my publishing schedule for the months when I don’t have a novel release. But I think that holding off to publish them traditionally, even with a market that pays semi-pro rates, is better than self-publishing them just for the sake of having something to release.

Don’t get me wrong: I still want to self-publish my short stories, I just want to sell them to a magazine first. In the short term, this means that I won’t have as many things to fill out my publishing schedule. In the long-term, it means that I need to write more short stories now in order to have more content to submit to the magazines, and ultimately to fill out my publishing schedule later.

So my goal from now on is to write at least one short story a month, on top of my regular WIP schedule. Some of these will be in the same universe as my novels, much like Starchild or Jane Carter of Earth. I’ll probably self-publish those first, to promote my new releases. But the other stories will stay on submission until they sell, preferably at professional rates.

I really need to up my short game. Speaking of which, Larry Correia just released the cover art for his second short story collection, and it is hilariously badass, much like Larry himself. I love the fact that his wife is in it too.

Looking ahead, I hope to get back into a semi-regular blogging routine, with more book reviews. I’ve read quite a few books recently, and it would be good to share a few reading recommendations. And I’m still writing regularly. Just because I’ve neglected the blog doesn’t mean I’m neglecting everything else.

That just about does it for now. Take care, and thanks for reading!

Trying out a new blog theme

I just switched blog themes from WordPress 2016 to WordPress 2017. If it isn’t working or you have strong feelings or opinions about the change, please let me know.

I know I’ve been sparse about posting on this blog, but that’s hopefully going to change soon. I’m gradually putting things in order to allow me to post more frequently, and not just whenever I have a new release or some group promotions or something. It helps that I have a more permanent living situation now, that isn’t so ridiculously stressful.

Some of you have asked me to blog about my outlining process, so I will be posting that within the next week. Until then, take care!

So for the last month, I’ve been blogging every day except Sundays. What do you guys think? I haven’t seen much of an uptick in views or comments, but I haven’t seen much of a decline either.

Also, what do you think of the stuff I’ve been blogging about? It’s all stuff that’s been on my mind lately, but not all of it is writing or book related. Should I tone it down a bit and focus more on books, or do you guys enjoy reading about that stuff too?

One thing I definitely need to do is engage with other bloggers. There’s a lot of blogs I follow, but I almost never comment on them (probably like many of you!) That’s something I could definitely do more of, and probably should.

I dunno. What do you guys think?

Trying something new

I’m going to try something new and post to this blog every day for a while. I’ve heard that blogs do best if they have daily content, and while I personally find it difficult to keep up with those blogs (unless, like The Passive Voice, they’re more like a subject-specific newspaper), I’m willing to give it a shot.

I gave up social media about a year ago… or was it two? I still post stuff to Twitter occasionally, but only to procrastinate or waste time. For a variety of reasons, it’s not a platform I take very seriously.

But blogging, I actually enjoy. Mostly, I just like reading other people’s blogs, but I have been posting to this one for… what, ten years now? At times, it’s been more sporadic than others, but it’s something that’s definitely stuck. I’ll probably keep blogging for the rest of my life.

In any case, I’ll try this out for the next month or so, just to see how it works out. If you have any ideas or suggestions, or you’re a longtime follower who just wants to say hi, feel free!

Quick update on writing and the blog

I was really bad about updating this blog last month. My goal was to post something new every Monday and Thursday, but that fell through and I’m not sure why. It’s not like life got super complicated or anything, more like blogging was just the ball that got dropped last month.

No excuses, just getting back on the horse. I’m hoping to build up a buffer of interesting posts before the end of the week, which should make things more consistent around here. I’d also like to put together an old-school blog tour for the release of Captives in Obscurity, just to see how it goes.

In terms of writing, things are coming along well. I’m currently in the middle of the first draft of The Sword Keeper, which I hope to finish before the end of the month. There are a few non-writing things on my plate (selling car, rebuilding computer) that may interrupt my progress, but writing is my top priority and I’m getting it done.

 

New free books this month, just waiting for Amazon to price match so I can update things and send out the email to my mailing list (by the way, if you haven’t already subscribed to my mailing list, you can do so here). Also, I’m redoing the print edition for Genesis Earth and the first Sons of the Starfarers omnibus. Just got the first proof for Genesis Earth, and the new cover looks pretty freaking fantastic (same art, just tweaked a little).

In terms of the blog, I’ve got another Self-Sufficient Writer post in the works, which may be a bit political (though not directly partisan). It will almost certainly offend the perpetually offended, but more importantly, it should also be pretty interesting. A lot of thoughts have been coalescing in my mind for some time, and this is the result.

Other than that, I plan to do a blog post on my new scooter in the very near future, which is going to be a lot of fun. Also another tvtropes post, and maybe another WIP excerpt.

I also had a crazy idea to put together a promo page kind of like Patty Jansen’s, except with buy links for all of the stores, not just Amazon. It’s going to take a LOT of work to put it together, though, so don’t expect to see that soon. Hell, I haven’t even done the preliminary research yet! Still in the crazy idea phase—but let me know if you think it’s a good idea.

That just about does it for now. Good things are happening, and now that I’m back on the horse, more of that should make it to the blog.

New blog design

So perhaps this wasn’t the best thing to do at 2:00 am this morning, but I downloaded the new Twenty Sixteen WordPress template and tried it out. As you can probably tell, I liked what I saw.

Specifically, I like this one because it’s a lot less busy, which probably translates well to mobile devices and tablets. Also, it makes the landing pages for my books look much cleaner. The sidebar is a lot wider, but the design is less distracting. It really puts the focus on the images, which is good, because that lets my book covers really shine.

This blog has evolved a lot over the years. It started in 2007 as just a space for me to gush as I wrote my first novel. From there, it turned into something of a public journal. When I graduated from college and started publishing, it gradually turned into something for my friends to something for my fans.

Nowadays, it’s as much of a book site as it is a blog. All of my books and stories have their own pages, complete with buy links, and connected by series and genre. The teasers in the backs of my books all link to these pages, as well as the subscription page for my email lists.

All of this has necessitated making some changes in the site’s design. I like this template, but I’ll probably play around with a couple of others before I settle on one for the long-term.

What do you guys think? Twenty Sixteen: yea or nay?

What do you guys want me to blog about?

I’ve been around the blogosphere (is that still a word?) long enough to know that when a blogger says “wow, it’s been a long time since my last post,” or “I’m going to start posting more often!” it’s often a sign that the blog is about to fade. Plenty of my secondary blogs have met a similar fate. But I’ve been blogging here on One Thousand and One Parsecs for the last eight years, dammit, and I’m not going anywhere.

That said, I’ve totally been neglecting this place, and that needs to change. One blog post every couple of weeks is not enough.

But I’m wondering: what kind of stuff do you guys want to read? Discussions of story tropes? Thoughts on reading and publishing? General geekiness and just-for-fun weirdness? Politics and controversy? Or general updates on my current WIPs? Also, do you guys generally like reading longer, more thoughtful posts, or shorter, more concise posts?

When I started this blog back in 2007, it was mostly just for me. That gave it a more authentic voice, I think, because I wasn’t trying to please anyone except myself. However, now that I have something of a readership, I want to write for you guys too. Ideally, I’d like to keep that authentic voice while sharing something of value, not only to myself, but to you guys as well.

Either way, I need to be more consistent about blogging. I’ve installed a plugin that will help to schedule posts, and plan to post something every Monday and Thursday at a minimum. I’ll try posting mornings, see how that works out.

Some things I’d like to blog about:

  • Reviewing some of the books I’ve read, especially indie sci-fi books.
  • More Self-Sufficient Writer posts (don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten those).
  • Some tvtropes stuff, kind of like the old Trope Tuesday posts.

What do you guys think?