The Best Of... discussion

Do you guys get seemingly random friend requests from Goodreads Authors? I admire and respect writers and dream of joining their ranks someday but must they prostitute themselves to random Goodreads members? I love "friending" authors and following those whom I've had some previous or ongoing interactions, but the "cold calls" leave me cold. If they would explain in a personal message why they sent a friend request, that would be immensely better. Should we call out the offenders and de-friend them?

S.W. wrote: "Do you guys get seemingly random friend requests from Goodreads Authors? I admire and respect writers and dream of joining their ranks someday but must they prostitute themselves to random Goodrea..."

I see that complaint a lot, but I must not be part of their demographic (I keep a pretty low profile) because I rarely ever get random friend requests (I have but it's not peeve-inducingly frequent). I agree, it isn't good form = very much like the phone ringing at dinnertime, or "that" knock on the door.

S.W. wrote: "Do you guys get seemingly random friend requests from Goodreads Authors? I admire and respect writers and dream of joining their ranks someday but must they prostitute themselves to random Goodrea..."

I de-friended one. We had no books in common, he had about 4,000 friends and was promoting his book. He friended me with no explanation at all.

I leave 'em be.

And plan on returning the promos when I get this thing finished and out there, lol.

*coughrandyoceancough*

Renee, if you can come up with a way to moderate writers' promotion type content within this group, I am happy to oblige. Just want to keep it within some reasonable bounds, and I know there is a lot of controversy on GR about very aggressive and disrespectful behavior (from both sides of the issue). I would like to be able to include a section for exciting, fresh-new-work type content, but it can blow up pretty quickly into a spam-fest, I fear...

I'd doubt it would be a problem in this group, Leslie.

There's nothing wrong with talking about our projects, anecdotally or conversationally, or even a casual "by the way, I've got the thing done and live and here it is" bit of chatter, but I can't imagine any of us wanting to invite one of the Anonymous Promiscuous Friends to the party ;-)

And I've never figured out how to get people like that to stop their catassery.

"Catassery"...that's going in my dictionary. There is a section for discussing writing and projects, so hopefully that will get some action from the writers in the group! Would love to see some bit and brainstorming. :) And you are right, I certainly see nothing wrong with conversational mentions.

My characters all have colorful vocabularies, although I'm not sure where Jez picked that one up, but I've warned them I'll steal some of it for my own use.

See how slick I did that? :D

BTW...my comments don't apply to Lucie who I think is awesome and hold up as a role model. I'd love to know about writing projects you guys are working on or have gotten published. It's very motivating for me.

I guess my OP was written a warning to GR authors: if you want to "use" social media to promote your book, then you'd better be SOCIAL---like Lucie.

There's one guy who signs every post with his "business card." Cough-andrewfritsch-cough.

S.W. wrote: "BTW...my comments don't apply to Lucie who I think is awesome and hold up as a role model. I'd love to know about writing projects you guys are working on or have gotten published. It's very moti..."

Thanks for the Lucie comment. I will bug her about joining here! She wrote a great, courageous story.

It doesn't bother me too much. It's not that much work to remove them if you find they troublesome after a while.

I don't get too many though, I guess it's way more annoying if you get them daily.

Here's a Peeve: Drives me crazy when people who have watched the movie (but probably have not read the book) comment about something that was in the movie adaptation but NOT in the book, as if it was part of the book!! This seems to happen a ^lot^ with the Lord of the Rings adaptations which are ^not^ the same as the books in many ways.

I make it a rule to read the book before seeing the movie. My 8 yo daughter says the Hunger Games is her favorite book but has yet to read any of the series. I guess it's good that she at least knows about the book? She keep asking me when the next movie is coming out and I keep handing her the last book in the trilogy.

Next Movie-related peeve! - Book cover designers deserve to have their work ---> on the book <--- If a movie is adapted from the book, it is so irritating to see the designer's book cover replaced by the movie advertisement!

I think a picture of the book with the original cover should appear on movie posters and trailers.

My writer friends don't seem to have much input on the cover art. They are shown several options but the publisher picks the final version. I suspect the target audience for the movie version is going to be younger and less educated so the marketing geniuses dumb it down. If the movie becomes a hit, the book publishers redo the cover art to ride that new wave of enthusiasm. I like to buy hardcover books and throw away the cover if it annoys me. Nothing beats a leather bound book with gold edges and a silk bookmark---but I still have all my crumbling old paperbacks too!

I don't mind if they keep the old cover art and add the tagline: Now a major motion picture starring x,y and z.

S.W., that's one of the beefs I've heard from writing friends who have publishers. Cover art that they have minimal input on and wind up having to cave and accept something they hate that doesn't reflect the book well at all.

That must be extremely frustrating, after having put in all those hours, days and years :/

And I as a book buyer prefer the original cover art to a photo of some actors in a film adaptation that fails to do the book justice.

When Spielberg finally buys the movie rights to my book, I'm going to be really hurt if he doesn't put the original cover (my own design, I'm such a cheapo) on the poster. I shall go hideout in some exclusive Italian resort and lick my pounds.

Here's another bit of flagrant self promotion; if any member here would care to read it, send me your email address and I'll post you a pdf of the book gratis.

I put it on my to-read list a few days ago. It looks interesting, but if I'm going to read it I'll definitely buy the physical book! Possible to get it signed?

Paul Martin wrote: "I put it on my to-read list a few days ago. It looks interesting, but if I'm going to read it I'll definitely buy the physical book! Possible to get it signed?"

I'm thinking of having some more copies made locally, which I can sign and post out. Have to catch up on my earnings first (at least one good reason that summer's over). Other than wait for that, you'd have to post it to me and then I'd post it back. I suggest you read it before deciding if it's worth it.

Ah, I just assumed that you shipped them out yourself, sorry.

Philip wrote: "When Spielberg finally buys the movie rights to my book, I'm going to be really hurt if he doesn't put the original cover (my own design, I'm such a cheapo) on the poster. I shall go hideout in som..."

LOL !!

Renee wrote: "S.W., that's one of the beefs I've heard from writing friends who have publishers. Cover art that they have minimal input on and wind up having to cave and accept something they hate that doesn't r..."

When I published my novel, Crashing Eden, a couple of years ago, the cover art was so abysmal that I spent over a thousand bucks for an artist to do another cover. At least the publisher went along with this.

Michael wrote: When I published my novel, Crashing Eden, a couple of years ago, the cover art was so abysmal that I spent over a thousand bucks for an artist to do another cover. At least the publisher went along with this.

A thousand bucks sounds an awful lot for a cover. Did you make it back in sales?

Yes, though sales were disappointing since it was a very small publisher and they did no promotion. I'm hoping to find a bigger publisher for my new novel.

Before you sign a contract, make sure that the publisher is actually going to do some promotion, and it is clearly delineated in the contract.

No promotion isn't just something you get with small publishers.

Factual observation. If I'm responsible for building my own "platform", why am I paying a general contractor to watch me do it?

E.D. wrote: "Factual observation. If I'm responsible for building my own "platform", why am I paying a general contractor to watch me do it?"

Perzactly!

Another one:

Don'tcha love it when the feed is nothing but one or two people posting bookspam on every group that seems remotely applicable?

Pet Peeves?

Anyone for gerbils?

Ferreting . . .

Not for weasel, I hope.

Always wondered why Rowling picked "Weasley" for a prominent character's last name.

Weasel has a secret meaning.

Aside from the urban dictionary sort of ones?

Renee wrote: "Another one:

Don'tcha love it when the feed is nothing but one or two people posting bookspam on every group that seems remotely applicable?
"

I need one of those meters.

Renee wrote: "Aside from the urban dictionary sort of ones?"

If by "urban" you mean the Forest Fields area of Nottingham, then no. That is the secret one.