Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

An acronym to pump the blood here. To all of the self-published and waiting-to-be-shelved folks out there, let me introduce this concept if you're unfamiliar. Which, well, you should be for the here and now, as I think (?) that I might be onto something here. B.Y.O.B. would normally imply that you're cracking out the good stuff, but in this case, we're reaching into ourselves and bringing forth a concept you might cringe at, or struggle with (you self-doubt filled thing you.) Believe me, this will be good chicken soup for your struggling authorial soul.
It's bullshit. You must believe your own bullshit. B.Y.O.B.
About a million years back now, it seems, I wrote a story about an archipelago, a standard sword and sorcery meets James Clavell style romp through something that was a lot borrowed from my admittedly Western exposure to Indonesia. It never did get finished because wallowing prevented that.
Then, I wrote a hard science fiction homage to Moby Dick (in space!), and that went nowhere because I deleted it right off of my hard drive. Time passed, and writing remained an open word document filled with half-realized notes but little else.
Now? I'm writing scripts and publishing whatever I damn well feel like it, because, well, what am I going to do? Die and not write something? Not publish because we live in an age where anyone can?
That makes no sense. If you're currently predisposed to worrying and think that just printing something is too daunting because it might not be special, it might not be out in print via a mass-market publisher or it may never win a literary award, then you're not adhering to B.Y.O.B. here.
No. We're going to believe in this bullshit wholeheartedly.
Repeat after me. Believe in your own bullshit.
Maybe good things will come of it, maybe nothing will. The important part here is to believe. You were passionate enough to write it, weren't you?
Hopefully this encourages someone to take the plunge.
Regards,
Z

I realised a while ago that if you want to be an author, you not only have to write, and keep at it, and defo do the BYOB stuff, but you also have to live the lifestyle, which means you need to put yourself into the public eye (at least locally, but also preferably as far afield as you can manage) regularly, and keep doing so. It has a lot to do with your social standing and how you see yourself...

Helen wrote: "I realised a while ago that if you want to be an author, you not only have to write, and keep at it, and defo do the BYOB stuff, but you also have to live the lifestyle, which means you need to put..."

Dear Helen,

Yes, you are right! Being active locally immediately gets you a number of readers.. unless (like myself) you have to write incognito and than its a totally different fun game!! lol

:o)

Jasmine

It's much more difficult if there's a professional or personal reason why you have to 'write incognito', as you say. I know quite a few teachers who don't feel they can have a Facebook page, for instance.

Helen wrote: "It's much more difficult if there's a professional or personal reason why you have to 'write incognito', as you say. I know quite a few teachers who don't feel they can have a Facebook page, for in..."

Oooh, I know! May be there should be some "support-co-promotion group for professional-women-who write in secret!! "

:o))

Well, that might be a powerful argument for the use of a pseudonym! ;-)

The best way to promote your book is to become famous before you write a book. The books of the rich, famous, and infamous that take up many of the spots on the best sellers list and those authors are the ones who are invited to be guests on talk shows to promote their books. So, if you are writing a book, before you publish, you might want to consider becoming a movie, TV, rock, or country western star, or robbing a bank and using a camel for your escape vehicle, or swimming across the Atlantic ocean, or??? You've got a writer's imagination. How will you become famous before publishing?

Golden Boxty in the Frypan

Story of a Stolen Girl

A Baker's Dozen For Writers: 13 Tips for Great Storytelling






. Helen wrote: "I realised a while ago that if you want to be an author, you not only have to write, and keep at it, and defo do the BYOB stuff, but you also have to live the lifestyle, which means you need to put..."

Helen wrote: "I realised a while ago that if you want to be an author, you not only have to write, and keep at it, and defo do the BYOB stuff, but you also have to live the lifestyle, which means you need to put..."

No worries there. I have Doc Brown hair, basement-dweller author-of-fiction-that-scares-children going on all day, every day in my personal life. ;) In all seriousness though, that's the nice thing about this group. The ability to do cross-posts and offer each other advice (albeit in some cases using a nomme de plume.)

It's fun and definitely reinforces the 'I can author' mindset.

Dr. wrote: "Helen wrote: "It's much more difficult if there's a professional or personal reason why you have to 'write incognito', as you say. I know quite a few teachers who don't feel they can have a Faceboo..."

Alias: Writer would be a great name for a group like that!

Pat wrote: "The best way to promote your book is to become famous before you write a book. The books of the rich, famous, and infamous that take up many of the spots on the best sellers list and those authors ..."

That's easy. We form a group of eleven women with multiple talents, put on a few confidence schemes and walk out of the Bellagio with 120 million dollars.

I'm in! Zofia wrote: "Pat wrote: "The best way to promote your book is to become famous before you write a book. The books of the rich, famous, and infamous that take up many of the spots on the best sellers list and th..."

Pat wrote: "I'm in! Zofia wrote: "Pat wrote: "The best way to promote your book is to become famous before you write a book. The books of the rich, famous, and infamous that take up many of the spots on the be..."

Excellent! Are you the bag woman, the getaway driver, an acrobat or an exceptionally good impersonator? We're going to need all of these things.

Get away driver.

Pat wrote: "Get away driver."

Do you need someone who is Daring and full of Faith and Hope ?

:o))

Dr. wrote: "Pat wrote: "Get away driver."

Do you need someone who is Daring and full of Faith and Hope ?

:o))"

Absolutely!

Always! Zofia wrote: "Dr. wrote: "Pat wrote: "Get away driver."

Do you need someone who is Daring and full of Faith and Hope ?

:o))"

Absolutely!"

Oh my God! I see so much that it seems like an interesting story to tell, but not bad, we are all involved in writing like that, some are writing and some are reading, I am in both groups, but lately I have been writing a little more, somehow they will also come up in the context of discussion.