Is Your Writer Bio Shopworn?

Is Your Writer Bio Shopworn?

Still using the same bio you wrote last year or the year before? If yes, shame on you. According to Duolit, your author bio is a key plank in your author platform, It doesn't pay to neglect it ... like I've been doing. [*cringes*]

My bios have been static since I sold Taking Vengeance to WolfSinger Press over a year ago. Though I had thought about rewriting my bio recently, I hadn't done anything about it because I was drowning in other marketing junk, ... sorry, duties.  Then, I read Robin Sullivan's blog about bios, asking "Is Yours [Bio] Working for You? Talk about a kick in the pants!

Her premise is you need three bios: short, medium, and long. Plus, you should change them often. Wondering what to put in them? She gives you a good example from one of her clients for your long bio. More suggestions for medium and short [Twitter] bios is to come.

Why not check your bio? According to Sullivan, your bio should (1) give your readers some insights into you, (2) be engaging, (3) be truthful/heartfelt, and (4) tell a story.

But your task doesn't end there.  The other parts of your author platform need polishing too. The Duolit team did a blog that can help you create a More Cohesive Author Brand. Their five tips threatens to give me two weeks worth or more of work to build my coherent online author image. Just what I need since I'm still scrounging for bloggers to review me ebook, Taking Vengeance.

Where do I stand? Neck deep in do and do more.  I don't think I've changed my bio in over a year. Granted, I don't have much to brag about, but marketing is all about presenting a polished image. My online image is totally haphazard. The good news? I found two links that'll help me polish my image ... if I ever get ambitious.

Fantasy Book Review: 
Derek Landy, The Faceless Ones

Found Derek Landy's third Skulduggery Pleasant, The Faceless Ones, while cleaning out some boxes under the table last week. My reward was great in new reading because I found two other books in the series, the ones that were published in Britain. I'm looking forward to a Skulduggery read-a-thon over this weekend without even attempting to progress on The Game of Thrones, no matter how much I like George R. R. Martin's character sketches. For my reading enjoyment this weekend, it's Skulduggery all the way.

Yeah, YA print books conquer the might of the TV series. The Kirkus review summed it up so beautifully I think I'll just quote them. "A high-intensity tale shot through with spectacular magic battle, savage mayhem, cool outfits, monster, hidden doors, over-the-top names, narrow escapes, evil scheme, and behavior heroic ..."  

I'd add double crosses and false trails or is that red herrings? Whatever, Valkyrie aka Stephanie and the reader are left hanging on her own devises when Skulduggery saves the day in a way Valkyrie doesn't expect.  How can I not read on to the next book, Dark Days. Skulduggery Review, continued. Look for the next episode next week ... if I'm diligent.

This book is dark enough and moves so fast, that even adults who don't groove on fantasy will enjoy. Hey, the series even tickles your funny bone. Best yet, the Mrs. Grundies haven't started complaining about this middle grade book's darkness ... yet.

Trivia:

Have a Facebook page up for Taking Vengeance, but don't really know what to do with it yet. At least I figured out what kind of stuff to add to it.  

Think I'm going to change the page to the Far Isles Half-Elven though. 

As I said, I don't know what I was doing. 

Incidently, I'm looking for people to like the Taking Vengeance page.

Bad Haiku Monday & Grumblings

Comment alert:
I seem to have hit a nerve on my comments about shrinking toilet paper last week.

Then Jon Ray at Big Burrito Media who did my trailer for  
Taking Vengeance
keeps telling me the book trailer will do wonders for my ebook
when I questioned the usefulness of trailers.
He thinks I'm too skeptical about the results [ie. sales].
His actual comment is somewhere in the comments,
but I couldn't find it in the two minutes I allotted to the search.
Yeah, I've started to time the amount of time I spend doing stuff online.
 

 My Grumbling:

Oh, the pain of it.  I'm trying to be organized in drafting my new Half-Elven story, like knowing where it's going before I write it.  *hangs head*  At the moment, I'm trying to figure how to work description and motivation into the action.  Maybe I won't have to revise as much when I reach the end. -- Of course, I first have to find time to write something new.

The Half-Elven world bible is slowing me down though.  I know so much more now than when I started it ... both about the world and how to craft a story.

Social Networking Links:

Is your Twitter account useful?  I know I spend more time there than other social networking sites.  The place is especially useful in keeping up with blogs of people I know or interact with frequently.  -- Which reminds me of something I should mention.  I've got a link to my Twitter address here.  So, if you are a follower or I follow your blog ... follow me on Twitter and let me know about it.  That way I can follow you back plus find your blog updates for sure.  My blog roll is getting longer and longer as I find more interesting people.

So, the question: how to get the most out of your Twitter account.  Jason Boog discusses Five Twitter Mistakes you shouldn't make in your Twitter profile on Galley Cat.

Need a pulse on the business side of writing?  Robin Sullivan who blogs at Write to Publish has an article of five blogs you should follow.  She includes Joe Konrath who recently mentioned a service that can help you get reviews for your books.

Oh, on Book Reviews.

Anyone out there know bloggers that review novellas?

WolfSinger Press gave me a pdf file I can give the reviewer for free.

I trying to steel my nerves to ask people to review a short piece rather than a full novel.

Time spent social networking is a worry according to writers I interact with personally. I'm throwing hubris to the winds and writing a guest blog on how I contain the time-slurper.  [a nice word for "such"] 

The Next Chapter of Quest

[More of my Bad Haiku story]

False King Attacks Again

5

King’s men circle trees.

Beaters narrow circle. Burn

Huts. Kill all young boys.

Heir jumps tree to tree,

Watching death’s bite through the leaves.

King’s men don’t look up.

Old king’s guards find boat,

Convince heir to leave the land,

Row across the sea.

Trivia: 

Got tricked at the farmer's market.  Needed "real" tortilla chips made from tortillas rather than paste.  Bought them without looking carefully and discovered they were flour ... harina.  While I don't have celiac [knock on my head], I do limit the amount of wheat I eat because it makes my nose drip.  [How's that for an unappetizing detail?]