The HEA Cafe

A question I struggled to answer for myself:

a lot of writers are asking themselves Whether ’tis nobler…. oh no, that’s something different.

But really, why do we blog? I assume that for some it is a way to unburden things to the world generally. I mean it’s not all about promotion. Look at the success Miss Snark had.  She got no business from her blog, because as far as I know, no one knew who her name. Maybe one day the secret will be revealed. And perhaps that was part of her success. But what was that all about?

Miss Giggles falls into that category only worse, she can be vicious, I hear. When I seriously started thinking about “why blog” I labeled these conflict blogs. They anonymously say all kinds of things that no reasonable person would say to your face, you hope.

Then of course there is self-promotion. There is the blatant kind by Jenny and Bob and good luck to them I say. They offer a service to writers, and writers are also readers. Lets face it, there were thousands of members of RWA who checked into and learned from it. It was humorous and never cruel (unless to each other). They did a wonderful blog course on writing

And there is this amazing group blog with my American Title 2 sisters, where we cheer each other up, support each other and tell the world what we are up to.

Then there are niche blogs too. For example historical writers who get together to talk about their works and the era they write about, Wordwenches springs to mind with some pretty hefty names.

There are Drunk Writers — yep, they are friends of mine and they talk about the writing life, their goals, and their thoughts and have a few laughs.

Oh and another question, do you need your own blog, if you are part of a group blog?

But if I did have a blog, who did I want to read it? Did I want to be a promoter or a teacher or simply a commentator on life? Readers, I thought. I wanted readers who would eventually buy my novels, and enjoy them, but with whom I created a rapport, something a website could not do.

So —To Blog or Not to Blog?

Blogs, if done faithfully, are interactive and constantly updated, which is a plus. but you have to do them faithfully, which means work.

What could I do that would be interesting to my readers, that I could maintain on a regular basis, that would also promote my writing business?

It is my experience that people who read regencies are as fascinated with the era as I am. I decided to name my blog Regency Ramble and to share my research.

Blogging can also be art form if you use it as a diary, lifewriting, it is known as in the literary world. It can be also be a tool to reach out to others with similar interests. Whichever way you decide to use it, do your research, decide on your target audience and give that audience something it wants.

The blogging experts say that:
If you can identify who your target audience is, you are well on the way to answering the question simply –yes– blog.

Michele Ann Young

The members of RWA Online would like to invite you to our erotic romance genre author chat TONIGHT! Our scheduled authors will be talking about the genre of erotic romance! We’ll be chatting with Kate Pearce, Cara Carnes, Bonnie Rose Leigh and Monica Burns! So come on out and join the fun!

When: Tonight!
Where: The RWA Online Public Chat Room!

Link to RWA Online Public Chat Room!

What Time: 9pm to 10pm EST!

Cordially,
Your Lovely Chat Divas,

~Marly and Jenna

As I mentioned yesterday, most disc jockeys wear a couple of different hats. Here are some of the duties that can come in addition to a four- to six-hour air shift:

Production. This is the term for recording the commercials and promotional announcements that air on the station. Some commercials – or “spots” — come pre-recorded from an outside, professional agency. These pre-recorded spots are called “dubs,” and it’s a relatively small matter to record them into the station’s computer system. A small matter, but somebody’s gotta do it. The overnight guy (or gal) usually gets stuck with most of the dubs, because their skills may not be polished enough yet to deliver a spot that’s guaranteed to make the advertising client happy. Also, some dubs have a nasty habit of arriving late!

Agency dubs are those slick, professional-sounding spots you hear for the big department stores, fast food chains, etc. But at a medium-to-small-market station, a lot of the advertising revenue comes from local businesses, and that’s where the jocks really get busy. They’re given a script to produce. Sometimes they have to write it, too. More often, the scripts are written by the sales rep, or even worse, the client. THAT’S where you get those commercials with the truly awful dialogue: “Honey, I’m SO tired of sleeping on our lumpy old mattress!” “Well, then, let’s go to Sally’s Sleep Shop, where NOW THROUGH SATURDAY, they’re offering FIFTY PERCENT OFF …” Clients (and sales reps) will often have high expectations, such as multiple voices, sound effects, or someone who can do a dead-on Arnold Schwartzenegger impersonation. The rep may turn the script in at 4:00 (deadlines notwithstanding), and expect the commercial to start the next day. This is where the jock begins pulling his or her hair out. You can see where you could get a lot of story material out of this!!

The overnight jock may thirst for the day when he or she gets to record — or “voice” — his/her very own spot. Usually the enthusiasm is short-lived. Many jocks would happily live without doing production if they could. A few have a natural talent for it. They’ll be relied upon heavily – often more heavily than they would like – but this valuable skill may keep them employed in the event of staffing cutbacks, especially if the radio station changes hands.

Live broadcasts: Radio staffers refer to these as “remotes,” but for clarity, it’s easier just to call it a live broadcast. A disc jockey is sent to another location – a community event, or a local business – to talk it up and, ideally, bring people in. They’ll usually call in to the studio from a cell phone, where the jock who’s on the air will either talk to them live (this is chancy), or, usually, record the call-in for the next break. Live broadcasts usually last 2 to 3 hours, with about 3 call-ins an hour. The live broadcast is usually sold as an advertisement to promote the location, though at some community events or a big concert, the station may choose to be there.

Now, to bait listeners to drop by, the jock will usually have prizes: station T-shirts, bumper stickers, CDs, or goodies from the place of business they’re visiting. This will attract a certain number of “prize hogs” – people who follow the radio station obsessively, go to tons of remotes and relentlessly demand freebies. One prize often isn’t enough, even if they already picked up prizes at another remote earlier in the week. The worst thing about these folks is that the advertiser who’s paying for this exposure isn’t likely to see any business from them. And the station is supposed to be bringing in business!

Then again, some businesses who choose to use a live broadcast are pretty ill-advised. Not many listeners want to drive out for all the fun and excitement at a vacuum cleaner store or a uniform supply shop … but I promise you, I’ve seen remotes held at those places and worse. Sometimes the jock won’t even have prize hogs for company … in which case they have to work hard to make it sound like SOMETHING is going on, and try to avoid standing there looking lonely.

Program director: Usually one of the most experienced jocks doubles as the program director, supervising the on-air staff. They get paid a little more to do this, but I’m not sure it could possibly be enough! If the morning show host says something bad on the air, the “P.D.” gets to yell at him/her. If someone doesn’t show up for an air shift with ten minutes’ notice, the P.D. usually ends up filling in. If the computer crashes and there’s dead air, the P.D. will be down there at 4 AM in his or her socks. If the ratings are down and management starts getting twitchy, the P.D. feels the pressure. (Are those jocks talking too much again? Do they sound too young? Too old? Too mild? Too “in-your’face”?) The program director is also usually involved in developing promotions for the station such as on-air contests. They often schedule the jocks for their remotes and talk to the consultants about which songs are to be scheduled. Sometimes a P.D. will delegate some of these responsibilities … but it’s a gig that really brings out the workaholic in a person.

Music director: Another hat for an on-air staffer. The music director implements the consultant’s instructions on which songs to play, usually filtered down from the program director. Depending on the station, they may have some latitude here, but it’s limited. The music director generates the daily computer log listing the songs by each hour.

So, disc jockeys can be a busy lot. But a radio station isn’t run by jocks alone. I’ll talk about some of those other staffers tomorrow. Then, on Friday, I’m declaring it a free-for-all. Be on the watch for any questions I may have left unanswered … then pop in and ask away!

Sierra Donovan
LOVE ON THE AIR, Avalon Books
www.sierradonovan.com

Part of the legacy of growing up in a small, midwestern town is that I had a strong work ethic drilled into me from an early age.  So when I signed up to blog here on the 19^th of every month, my first question was – what useful thing could I blog about?  What could I say that might be of interest to other writers? 

So I decided to talk about some of the things you can do BEFORE you’re published to make the transition from unpublished to published writer easier — things I wish I’d done.  Because once I got “the call,” my life changed.  It was a great change, of course, but it came fast.  Suddenly I had to deal with all sorts of issues I never worried about before: publicity and promotion, back cover blurbs, book signings, marketing, branding.  Did I need bookmarks?  A book trailer?  Did I have to advertise?  Hire a publicist?  The list was endless and overwhelming.  I felt panicked and lost.  Even worse — I lost valuable writing time as I dealt with these suddenly pressing issues.

 Not that there is an easy answer to these questions.  A lot depends on the type of book you sell (category or single title) and your budget.  But there are still plenty of things everyone can do to prepare for life after “the call” and make the transition to published writer smoother.

So that’s what I figured I’d blog about — helpful tips for the pre-published.  In other words, how you can learn from my mistakes.  Today I’ll start out with a basic sales tool — marketing blurbs. 

You might already have these.  I didn’t.  They are hard to write, so I ignored them (big sigh).  Your life after the sale will be easier if you write blurbs in the following lengths:

A one-sentence blurb.  This is your elevator pitch (what you say when you have 15 seconds to explain what your book is about).  It should be short, exciting, intriguing.  Before you sell, you can use it in query letters and pitches.  Afterward, you can use it on bookmarks, in advertisements, on your website, postcards — basically any place you promote your book.  So make it good!

One and two-paragraph blurbs.  I was surprised one afternoon after “the call” when my editor emailed and asked for a two-paragraph summary of my book that she could send to the senior editor — and she needed it within the hour!  Of course, I didn’t have one, which threw me into a total panic.  So be prepared.  This is basically the back-cover copy.  I suggest having both one and two-paragraph versions prepared.  You can use these blurbs in advertisements, on promotional materials, and on your website.  Think hooks!  I now write these blurbs before I write the story to make sure that I’ve got a marketable book.  And I put them at the top of my synopsis as a lead-in to the story itself.

The short (one to two page) synopsis (oh, dread, dread).  Seriously, you need this, even after the sale.  If you sell to Harlequin/Silhouette, for example, you have to fill out something online called the Art Fact Sheet, which they use for both the cover art and overseas sales. Included in that Art Fact Sheet is a short synopsis that overseas buyers will glance at to decide if they want to buy your book.  Other editors in your publishing house might read the synopsis to get an idea of what the book is about.  Your future editor might use it to pitch your book in-house to get you that sale.  So while it isn’t fun to write, it has to be done.

 One more thing — put effort into these blurbs.  You really want them to be snazzy.  They will (or won’t!) sell your book.  You can take online courses to learn how to write them (Suzanne McMinn offers a great one).  Or collect bookmarks and study back cover copy to see how it’s done.  Either way, it’s worth getting them right.

So these are my first tips.  Have your blurbs ready.  I hope this helps!  More on the 19^th of next month!

Gail Barrett

Heart of a Thief - Book One of The Crusaders miniseries, coming May 2008 from Silhouette Romantic Suspense

www.gailbarrett.com

If you’re writing about radio, it’s hard to skip these folks.  And why would you want to?  They’re the face of the radio station.  Listeners may refer to them as DJs, but in my experience, within the station they’re always referred to as “jocks.”

Here are the typical air shifts, and some of my (subjective) personal observations about the types of people who inhabit them:

The morning jock:  This is the high-profile air shift, the one that people are listening to when they drive to work (usually 5 to 9 or 6 to 10 AM).  Likely to be funny; also likely to have the biggest ego at the station.  And don’t get me wrong, the jocks ALL have egos, and some wear theirs more nicely than others.  The morning show person may be an arrogant so-and-so or a glad-handing charmer.  Either way, he/she probably gets paid the most, often has lighter off-air duties, and may be resented by the other staffers who wish they were in his/her shoes.  BUT – the morning shift is also the hot seat.  Management looks to the morning show to bring in the listeners and keep ‘em listening … so this person is under a lot of pressure to perform.  Unless they’ve been doing it for years and years, in which case they’re so well entrenched in the listeners’ minds that they’re well-nigh indestructible.  Oh, and if there’s a morning show team, chances are, they squabble — how happy would you be to see ANYONE at 5 AM?!  Plus, there’s the duel of egos … usually one of them is the dominant on-air personality, while the other is the “straight man.”

The midday jock:  On the air from about 10 AM to 2 PM.  This is generally treated as the listen-at-work shift, if the station’s music format is office-friendly at all.  The midday person is often female, and in my experience, usually pretty easygoing.  (Not that you can’t turn her into a scheming, clawing ambitious witch if you have a mind to….)

Afternoon drive:  From 2 or 3 PM to 6 or 7 PM.  Listeners are getting back in their cars, so more personality is called for again – this person often offers a lot of entertaining or newsy tidbits on the air, often bantering with the person who calls in with the traffic reports.  This is a hoppin’ shift, and usually calls for an energetic personality.

The night jock:  On the air from about 7 PM to midnight (notice how the air shift just got an hour longer?), this person often handles requests and dedications.  A lot of their callers are going to be teens or pre-teens.  If the jock is young enough, they may thrive on this audience, but most of them would probably prefer one of the previous shifts.

The overnight jock:  VERY few people thrive in this spot, from midnight to 5 or 6 AM.  (That’s right, some overnight jocks have a 6-hour shift, while most daytime shifts are 4 hours.)  It’s usually the starting rung on the ladder, so you can learn from your mistakes while fewer people are listening.  The overnight jock may be rarely seen by the rest of the staffers … or, like my heroine Christie in LOVE ON THE AIR, they may be working very hard to be as involved as they can and learn how to advance to the next level.

So, if these jocks are working 4 to 6 hour air shifts, sounds like a pretty cushy gig, doesn’t it?  But a lot of energy gets expended talking to people, and by that fifth hour, fatigue really sets in.  (Plus, by that time, some of the songs you played the first hour are probably starting to repeat….)  And, in most cases, a disc jockey’s work isn’t over when they get off the air, unless they did their other duties before they went on the air.  We’ll talk about those tomorrow!

Sierra Donovan
LOVE ON THE AIR, Avalon Books
www.sierradonovan.com