Writer's Groups, Websites, and Publicity

Ok, so we've heard alot about the importance of networking on sites like Facebook and Twitter. (BTW Add me as your facebook friend, Nikki Hogg Wilson) But what other sites are out there that help authors specifically. The first one that I want to talk about is Goodreads. How many of you have Goodreads accounts? If you have one, add me as your friend. Now let me tell you why I think this is great promoting site for authors. I have a friend in my ANWA writer's group that self-publishes her books. It's really hard for self published authors to get the publicity others get. So I put on my Goodreads that I liked her book and soon I got a Goodreads alert that a friend of mine put it on her to-read list. I was all excited that my review of a book would influence someone else to read it!! So not only can we help promote our friend's books on there, we can also get suggestions on good wholesome books to read. And the more people reading good wholesome books, the more the market opens up for our own books!! See how my madness works???

Another site that I learned about at an ANWA conferences is http://www.jacketflap.com/ It's a site dedicated to writer's and illustrators of children's books. It's a network of writers, you sign up and make a page, kind of like facebook and then you can add friends and go to the forums and meet more children's authors. It's great way to get out there and learn more about children's writing and illustrating.

The newest site I have discovered is http://www.authonomy.com/ I discovered this through ANWA's online group. Authonomy is a webiste created by HarperCollins to flush out writing talent. You sign up for free then if you are a writer you can upload at least 10,000 words of your novel and people can read it. If they like it they can put it on thier watchlist or their bookshelf. The more people that put your book on their bookshelf, the higher you rise in the rankings. If at the end of the month you are in the top 5 of the rankings, editors from HarperCollins will read you 10,000 words and give you a critique. You can also sign up and just be a reader if you would prefer. But I challenge you all to sign up immediately and support our very own Jenni James. She went on three days ago and uploaded one of her modernized Jane Austen books, "Northanger Affect" and her book is slowly going up the ranks. Be sure to read hers and add it to your bookshelf. The girl from ANWA (an LDS women's writing group) that told me about it is Krista Darrach and her book is "Riley's Gift". Check it out. If we want the market to produce more good wholesome books then we not only have to write them, but we have to promote them as well.

There was an underlining theme in each of these sites I told you about. ANWA is a group for LDS women writers and through it, I have found a lot of tools that help me on my journey to authorhood. It's worth the $20 a year it costs to join. If there are no chapters around you there is a cybergroup that meets once a month in a chat room or you can start your own chapter. There are lots of opportunities available when you belong to a writer's group. So find one that works for you or go to http://www.anwa-lds.com/ and join today. I think we need to stick together and this group is one way to do it. Plus they already have online critique lists and social lists.

Now that I've shared my favorite sites for authors, it's your turn. Put your favorite sites in the comment section and I will add them to the "Where MMW's Hang" page. Speaking of that page, my sister, Tiffany, made the header for us on that page and I think it's really cute, be sure to check it out. I am in the process of putting all the blogs from our followers on that page as well. So if you want to get know all the people that read MMW check out their blogs. If I put your blog on and you don't want it there, please let me know. Thanks!!