Amazon Rankings - What Do They Mean and Who Really Cares Anyway?

About halfway down the page on every Amazon profile is this little-known-number to most readers and many pre-published authors. It's mixed in with all the "boring" book details like ISBN and what-not.

It's a book's Amazon Ranking.

To write a blog post on what goes into making the Amazon ranking is laughable. It is the great secret that no one other than some super secret Amazon agents actually know, but many a blog has been done after analyzing the number to try and figure out what it REALLY means. They probably all have a little bit of truth to them.

But I thought I'd do a highlight for curious minds, because once you ARE published, the number, at least at first until you learn not to really pay TOO much attention to it, will cause you much frustration. Hoping this post will help alleviate some of that!!!

1.) What is a GOOD and BAD Amazon ranking? Obviously, the lower the number the better. And this number can literally change daily by more than 10k points, so it really points mostly to RECENT sales vs long-term sales.

Here is a SUPER general and VERY subjection viewpoint of yours-truly of the OVERALL Amazon sales ranking (does NOT apply to genre rankings, I'll explain why in a minute...)

100 or less - Faint worthy
1,000 or less - Tears-of-joy worthy
10,000 or less - HUGE smile worthy
25,000 or less - Big smile worthy
50,000 or less - Smile worthy
75,000 or less - Corner-of-the-mouth tip worthy
100,000 or less - Shrug of the shoulder worthy
500,000 or less - Frown and heavy sigh worthy
1,000,000 or less - I think I'll skip looking at this stupid number for a while worthy
1,000,001 or more - Oh wait, Amazon ranks my books? I totally forgot--- worthy

2.) I'M IN THE TOP 100 of MY GENRE!!! AHHHH! That's good right? Yes, it's good. Kinda. Sorta. I mean yes, it IS good. But it's all relative. If the category is something obscure that only has like 20 books on all of Amazon and you're #19... that ain't saying a lot, folks. But yes, being ranked in a genre category, especially a BROAD one like "romance" or the like, is a good thing, but could also be a fluke too. If your grandma logged on and bought 20 copies in a day to give to her Bridge club, then chances are you'll make the top 100 of your genre for that day. Then you'll fall pretty fast right back down if sales don't keep at that level.

3.) Why does the number fluctuate so darn much? The thing is, selling ONE BOOK has the power to massively change your sales number. You might be in the millions and sell one book and it'll jump to 100,000... or sell 2 or 3 books in one day and jump to 75k. But then if you don't sell any books the day after, it creeps right back up at a VERY fast rate. The lower your sales ranking, the more books you sell, the less the number fluctuates. While one book might make a huge difference when you aren't selling a lot, selling only one book in a day when your rank is, say, 5,000, will make your book drop quite a bit.

4.) Do I CARE what my Amazon ranking is? It depends. Do you CARE if your book is selling? As a traditional published author, I cared a lot, because it was the only short-term number I could look at to see how well my book was doing. If I did a marketing campaign or blog, being able to see the number and monitor its fluctuation is what helped me to know if my marketing was making a difference or not. With my recently published Indie books, I've barely even looked at the Amazon ranking, because I can monitor my sales in real time on a day-to-day basis.

5.) So when I look at a book and its number is in the millions, it means the book tanked, right? Maybe. Maybe not. All it means is that it's been a little while since the last "sale" of the book -- and by little while I mean, like, a week or even a few days. It bounces up there FAST when there are no sales. This happens a LOT with books that have been out for more than a year, and for me, it happens frequently with my indie-published paperback books (I sell by far a LOT more ebooks than paperbooks because of the price point difference.) So you can't really judge a book's performance on one day's sales rankings. It's the trend that will give you a better idea.  (Basically, if you want to be nosey and see how well a fellow author's book is doing-- or you want to use it as a comparable in a proposal and want to make sure it sold well---pick one that is RECENTLY PUBLISHED-- then check the ranking every day or two for a week or two. Then refer to my rough number guide above! It won't but it might be a good indicator.

6.) How do I track my OWN Amazon sales ranking? I always advise authors to sign up for Amazon's author central. There you'll be able to see your historical sales ranking in chart format (by book, by format) as well as your bookscan sales numbers (by week, from outlets who use Nelson Bookscan, which is NOT all outlets and ONLY counts paperback sales) and also allows you to control your author profile on Amazon. You can sign up if you are a published author at http://authorcentral.amazon.com/.


So what do you think? Clear as mud? Any questions I can answer? Do you ever look at a book's Amazon ranking? If you're published, do you check your ranking regularly or is ignorance bliss?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, A Side of Faith and A Side of Hope. She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

Mastering the Art of Imitation and Enhancement

From the moment we were born, imitation has been our first response to learning. 

We hear a sound and attempt to repeat. We imitate laughter that pleases us (notice small children have several different laughs before they stick with one). We see an object, are told it is a tree, then are shown a similar object and know it, too, is a tree.

Even in respect to our Christian life, God set up rules but knew we needed someone to imitate. God sent His Son, Jesus to not only be our Savior, but to demonstrate God's ideas, laws, and intentions for us. We are told to be imitators of Christ for a reason. Because when we do, we are meeting the standard intended for us.



The best way to become great or accomplished is to first imitate those who have been great or accomplished before us. 

This rule can, oddly enough, be done in many ways. For example: I remember hearing one of those behind the scene stories telling how Paul Simon from Simon and Garfunkel or Paul McCartney from the Beetles walked the streets of New York one morning. He heard a bird's song and liked it. The melody stuck with him the rest of the day. From that bird's song, he wrote one of his group's best selling melodies.

The second step is to enhance what we have witnessed and make it our own.

The songwriter didn't write the melody exactly like the bird's song. He used the melody as a base, then added his own ideas to form the words and tune he performed. The performing group Stomp does the same. They hear rhythms in the city and country and compose rhythmic music.

One day I walked out of a hotel elevator and rounded the corner toward my room. As I did a man past me. He went to the elevator but missed getting on. How did I know? A musical sound came as the doors closed. He imitated the notes with a whistle. The first time he tried the sound didn't match. He tried again three times then seemed satisfied with what he did. Later that day, I walked back toward the elevator. From the alcove ahead of me, I heard the same whistle, this time, the man added notes and made a little melody. I stayed out of sight to listen, knowing he'd probably stop if he saw me. The short tune was nice to hear.

Several years ago, a writing contest judge told me what she felt was the main problem with my writing. "You need to read more in your genre. Imitate what other successful writers are doing." Ahh, these were good words. 

This was only step one, though. Because once I imitated, I needed to enhance what I saw to make it mine.

My daughter's third grade rendition of
Vincent VanGogh's painting, Starry Night
(I couldn't legally download a copy of the real thing
If you want to see it, click here) 

Think of famous paintings. 

Vincent VanGogh's Starry Night is not the image we would see with our eyes or take a picture of with our cameras. Yet, he started with the imitation of something we the viewers knew and enhanced it with a deeper meaning to produce his work of art. 

This is what our stories need to do. We cannot create something from nothing, like God. But we can imitate to provide a link for our readers then enhance the story to form our unique, rich work of art.




Literary researchers have found that in all the stories that exist, there are only seven main plots. Imagine a single large oak tree with only seven main branches. From those branches are many smaller branches, twigs, and leaves. The seven main plots are:

1. Overcoming the monster
2. Rags to riches
3. The Quest
4. Voyage and Return
5. Comedy
6. Tragedy
7. Rebirth

The story we write forms a smaller branch growing from one of these seven main branches forked from a single tree trunk call fiction. 

Can you place some famous stories into one of the seven on this list? Sure. Cyclops, Cinderella, Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Rings, Romeo and Juliet, etc. 

Which of the seven plot does your story imitate? 

Once you figure out which of the seven main plots your story matches, you can read stories that are in that category and snatch some ideas to enhance your story and morph them to fit your work. 

Consider all the stories that have rags to riches story idea like Cinderella. I'm not talking about Cinderella remakes. The Beverly Hillbillies is one. The backwoods hunter goes out one day, shoots at what he thought was a critter. Up from the ground came black oil. The oil company paid them millions. They moved from their shack to Beverly Hills. An entire television show was built around this comedic idea.

What can you see to imitate from a story in your category? How can you enhance the idea to make it unique and appropriate to your story?

This is a great tool to use when you need help deepening your story. 

I can't wait to read your comment!

Photo Courtesy: www.morguefile.com - modified for this purpose
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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Tips for Turning Off Your Internal Editor

Have you ever had this happen to you? You sit down for a spell of uninterrupted writing with plenty of inspiration and no distractions. Caffeine of choice at the ready. Promising blank page in front of you. But an unwanted intruder rains all over your keyboard -- your Internal Editor. The uninvited kink in the lines between brain and fingertips. 

Here are some tips to send the overthinking intruder packing. I'm not talking permanently, but just on a little vacation with a return ticket that you get to negotiate. 

Get rid of all distractions. Turn your Wi-Fi off. Set your phone to Do Not Disturb mode. Check into programs that will freeze your browser so you can't waste time inciting the suspicion of the FBI with your search engine terms. When I'm in the middle of writing, if I'm not 100% sure about a fact or wonder what detail can add a little something-something to a scene, I will stop what I'm doing and Google it. The temptation is real. But this is a temptation that can lead to rabbit trails, so it's best to avoid it in the first place. You can fill in details once you're in editing mode and not sacrifice the flow of your story in the meantime.

Free write. Sometimes it works best to dig up a blank notebook and a pen with plenty of ink and just write. Though some of the most famous writers wrote their masterpieces on cocktail napkins and hotel stationery. No Delete key or Undo option to tempt them. Just free, unhindered writing. There's something about going old school that turns off the Internal Editor. You don't see misplaced commas or phrasing that doesn't feel quite right. There's more of a focus on what words are coming next, in my experience. {Free writing also can work wonders for writer's block!}

Set a timer. If you like competing against yourself, set your phone, oven, or other device and see how many words you can crank out in that increment of time. Depending on your level of attention, you can start small with 15- or 30-minute increments, especially if you're pressed for time, and then work your way up. If this kind of thing motivates you, before the timer starts, think of a small reward like another piece of chocolate or 15 minutes to make sure the world didn't end in the time you weren't on Facebook. Somehow the urgency is helpful to stave off the lure of the Internal Editor to press pause.

Commission some accountability. If you're part of a critique group, ask them to hold you accountable to turning off your internal editor. There are also entire hashtags in existence on social media where total strangers keep each other accountable. And there's some really sweet, encouraging people out there! Two communities off the top of my head include #1K1HR and #SprintWithUs on Twitter. Even though it's technically not a competition, if you're a competitive person, knowing you have a fixed period of time to write more words than someone else can be great motivation to employ less backspacing and more unhindered storytelling.

Edit after each writing session. Some can't imagine a life without editing as they go. If this describes you, there may be a way to trick your Internal Editor a little, or at least pacify it for the time being. Why not wait until the chapter or scene is finished and edit on a more micro level? This way those nervous ticks toward the backspace key can find solace in the fact that they'll be needed soon.

Turning off the Internal Editor can be difficult and takes lots of practice to perfect. But I'd invite you to see what less interruption and overthinking can do for your writing and how saving the editing, fact-checking, etc. for later means you can better look at your story as a more cohesive body of work. 

What tactics help you turn off your internal editor? Which of these tips are you more inclined to try first?

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and received the Genesis Award in 2013 (Contemporary) and 2014 (Romance). 

Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Stranger Than Fiction - Bringing 'Real Life' into Your Stories

I don’t know about you, but I LOOOOVE a good story. How many of you have wonderful memories of someone telling you a story – a fairytale or maybe reading you a good book. The best kinds of stories are those that make us feel like we’re experiencing the action, like it’s part of our lives.

Well, what if it is? Or at least, what if someone in your past, your family history, is telling a story about their lives and it’s too amazing to imagine.

That’s what happened to me about eight years ago – and sparked the creation of several of my novels.

Family history. Truly – stranger than fiction.

As part of my eclectic family history, there are horse thieves, accused murderers, a possible witch, and at the top of the unseemly characters list, my great, great grandfather, John. He was heralded as the meanest man in the mountains. John did many horrible things in his life, but one story is that he traded his wife for a hunting dog. Since he was said to be the meanest man in the mountains, perhaps we should feel sorry for the dog.

As a product of the unique culture of Appalachia, I benefited from a granny who kept a long oral history. I can tell you stories of my ancestors that go back about seven generations, a few maybe longer. And I’ve taken those tales, those memories, and incorporated them into various novels I’ve written or am writing.

As a matter of fact, my novel Just The Way You Are takes the idea of a young woman searching for the mystery her ancestry and makes it into a fun adventure of romance, discovery, and second chances.

So, how can you discover the stories of your past?

First of all, I suggest you write down the stories of the present. We get so busy that we forget our stories might be interesting someday, and because we have a tendency to forget various parts of the story, we should jot it down along the way. Keeping a journal is a fantastic way to do this.

For example, just a few years ago I had one of those HILARIOUSLY unbelievable moments happen to me. I’d been kind of depressed about some things for a few weeks and was driving to work and praying (as a mom of 5 that’s about the only time I have to be alone ;-) About five minutes into my drive I felt something on my leg. I reached down to swipe it off and felt…FUR. Then the ‘whatever’ scuttled up my leg to my knee. When I glanced down I saw a MOUSE sitting on my KNEE!!!!!

Long story short – before I crashed the van into the ditch along the road, I found a place to pull over and proceeded to beat my purse around the inside of the van (with all the doors open) until that mouse jumped out and headed for the nearest SANE woman :-) Anyway, that story didn’t just get me out of my funk, but it also inspired a scene in a story which then inspired an entire book.

NEXT, Find old…er….well-seasoned people in your family and spend TIME with them. Stories and culture comes from starting a conversation. I’ve been taking notes on my granny’s stories for fifteen years. The tales of her life in Appalachia, being raised by an unpredictable alcoholic father and strong-spirited mother are the inspiration for my YA WWII historical series – kind of like a cross between Anne of Green Gables and Little Women set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Va.

Daydream! Yes, I'm giving you an assignment. I have my great, great, great grandmother's china salad plates from Ireland. She left her home to move to America when she met my great, great, great grandfather. When I pull out those plates, I let my mind wander through what it must have been like to be her. Did she HAVE to marry him because of the famine in Ireland, or was it a love so great she was willing to leave her homeland for him? What kind of guy would inspire that sort of commitment?

 (The picture to the left is Peveril Castle Keep in Castelton, Derbyshire, UK - my ancestor, William Peveril built it in the 12th century)


Genealogy sites are great, but the REAL stories come from PEOPLE. It’s not just about dates and names, the people become three-dimensional when you have a flesh-and-blood person recounting the tale. The REAL challenge is finding the right people.

Do you have some stories in your family’s past that are stranger than fiction? Ones that would be the start of a great book? Or maybe some that have INSPIRED a novel you've already written?
Share with us.
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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She’s a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate. She enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction whenever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she works with kids with special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn and her debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in April 2015. Her first contemporary romances is slated to release in December. You can connect with Pepper on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com, Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pepper-D-Basham or Twitter at https://twitter.com/pepperbasham

Casting Call: Heroes Sign Up Here!

*What did you do last summer? I wrote this post! :) This is a revisit simply because it was too much fun!*

Calling all Heroes! Spineless, chauvinistic jerks need not apply.

Every girl has a type. And thank heaven our tastes aren’t all the same! Can you say global cat-fight? I myself tend to favor a more rugged, less polished type of man. A man’s man with callused hands, five-o’clock shadow, sun-kissed skin, and a certain country boy swagger. In other words, not a man that requires more upkeep than I do.

Brad Paisley’s Song “I’m Still A Guy” comes to mind and always makes me giggle…

“These days there's dudes gettin' facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can't grip a tackle box

Yeah, with all of these men linin' up to get neutered
It's hip now to be feminized
But I don't highlight my hair, I've still got a pair
Yeah honey, I'm still a guy”

Not my thing though, to be fair, those are the just the initial things we notice on first impression. The true measure of man is determined by far more important things underneath. (And don't go gettin' all randy on me, I don’t mean what’s under his clothes!)

Sense of humor. Integrity. Loyalty. Compassionate. Strong. Honest. Brave. Sensitive. Intelligent. Suave. Loving. Tender. Oh, the list of attractive qualities could go on and on.

But…

Since no man is perfect our heroes will naturally have some less than desirable flaws.

Arrogant. Temperamental. Jealous. Gruff. Stubborn. Proud. Unfaithful. Overbearing. Controlling. Indifferent.  

Now we may be married and monogamous, but as authors we get to take our heroes out for a test run in our imaginations. And more than likely, you will not be writing the exact same man over and over throughout the course of your writing career. Variety, in this instance, is the spice of our writing life. Ahh, yes, a fictional boyfriend. Who knew we’d revisit our 12-year-old starry eyed selves as adults. Good times!

But even though I favor a certain type of man that resembles my husband, whether I’m creating a hero or reading someone else’s, I can still start falling for a hero who colors outside my preference. Sure I love a laid back hunky cowboy type, ooo or say a firefighter with that charming yet arrogant swagger. But I’ve also written heroes that are the suit and tie kind, or the goof ball best friend type you might just overlook at first. The stoic hard-edged soldier. The smooth-talking bad boy. The antisocial intellectual. Yes, we take the good and the bad and despite our “type” we can still get snared in that hero’s web. 

I'm don't mean to "type-cast" because there’s always that moment when the country boy cleans up and WOWSA! But that’s neither here nor there. Forgive me, just picturing my man clean shaven in a suit and having a pre-menopausal hot flash. ;)

What about these examples of unconventional on-screen heroes you KNOW you swooned over…

Nick in The Wedding Date. Charming. Clean cut. And a PROSTITUTE. 

Benjamin Barry in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Tough. Competitive. And out of control egotistical.

Declan O’Callahan in Leap Year. Quiet. Playful. And opportunistic. 

Ben Wrightman in Fever Pitch. Quirky. Funny. And Obsessed.

George Wade in Two Weeks Notice. Successful. Self-centered. Needy.

Amazingly enough, NONE of those guys are my type. Shoot, if I’m being honest, I don’t find a single one of those actors attractive. And yet… they reeled me in. Had me pulling for them. And falling just a little.

Maybe we just root for the hero regardless. Or maybe there’s a special ingredient, that chemistry that makes you swoon in spite of your preference. The point is… there is no right or wrong way to write a hero. And you pair him up with the right woman your reader wont stand a chance. 

So let’s dish… What’s YOUR type? Also what type of hero are you currently writing and who would play him? Tell me about the two men in your life! (And er… if any men read this post turn the tables on us… tell us about your women. One real and one fictional, please and thank you!)

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little tow-headed mischief makers, one pretty little princess, and wife to her very own swoon-worthy hero. Represented by the oh-so-wise and dashing Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.

Conflict Vs. Tension - A Guest Post by Melissa Tagg!

Friends, I am SO excited to be hosting the fabulous Melissa Tagg on the Alley today! She is a dear friend of mine and such a talented writer. If you haven't already read her new book, From the Start, be sure to pick up a copy... I know you'll love her writing as much as you'll love her! -- Ashley

###

Hi, guys! It’s so fun to be back at the Writer’s Alley. Thanks bunches for having me.

So, recently a couple writer friends played superhero to my damsel in writing-distress. I’m in the final stretch of rewrites before my late-June deadline. And for weeks, I’ve had this pit in my stomach that something was wrong with my story. I thought it was just the meet-cute—you know, that point where the hero and heroine meet. It wasn’t, well, cute enough, I guess.

So I sent out a SOS to some of the coolest writers I know and had the immense blessing of spending some valuable Google Hangout time with Rachel Hauck and Beth Vogt. They asked all the right questions…got me to the point of admitting the problem with my story wasn’t just the meet-cute but, ahem, kinda the whole story. And by then end of the Hangout, I’d decided to remove one rather massive thread from my story.

I’m hopeful my editor has fully recovered from the shock of the news…but perhaps only time will tell. J (Actually, honestly, both my editors were hugely gracious about my “plot schizophrenia” and even helped me dig to make sure all the story pieces are in place as I make the change. So it’s all good. And I’ll still make the deadline!)

But I bring up all this as a looong way of introducing what I’d like to talk about in this post: Conflict vs. Tension

If you’d asked me a few years ago to describe conflict or tension in a story, I might’ve given the same definition for both. They feel similar on a surface level.

But they’re actually two very different things. At least in my head. I’ve come to define them this way:

Conflict: The stuff that happens in the story. The obstacles. The disappointments. The problems.

Tension: The taut feelings that happen in the story. The push and pull, the strain, that sense of being torn.

In the original version of the story I’m currently working on, I made the mistake—as I think we novelists often do—of thinking my hero needed more conflict. More to do. More in his way. Because the story felt a little too light. So I threw an extra story thread at him.

And it backfired. You know why? Because in filling the pages with one more conflict, I robbed myself of space for tension. Internal tension. Romantic tension. Spiritual tension.

In removing that thread and replacing it with something a little more logical and a little less complicated, I’m giving my guy—Logan Walker is his name and I love him!—more time on the page to develop and deepen as a character.

Don’t get me wrong. We NEED conflict in our books. We need obstacles and challenges and disappointments. We need to throw crappy stuff at our characters and see how they deal with it all.

But the best stories aren’t just rife with outward conflict…they’re hefty with a depth that comes from internal tension. The tension that forms from a fear of failure. Or a romance that can’t possibly work. Or the push and pull of conflicting values or goals. Tension is a little harder to pinpoint, it takes a little more finesse to craft…but when it’s there, it’s THERE.

I think of conflict as something that widens a story…and tension as the thing that deepens the story. And I think the best story tension grows where a character’s greatest dream collides with his greatest fear.

And here’s where I take a turn for the spiritual. I think sometimes I approach my life as a series of goals to meet and conflicts to work through and chapters to complete and story threads to add. I let life get wide—possibly wider than it should be—and my faith becomes like a subplot that hobbles along, not fully developed, trying to exist alongside everything else…  

And what I really want? What I really crave? A life that’s deep. A life where I’ve got space to develop into the person I want to be…instead of a character who just hurries from one chapter to the next, juggling too many story threads.

I want to recognize the threads that aren’t working and take the time to get untangled.

I want to find that tension-filled place where my dreams and fears meet up…and see what God will do when I let him deepen the story of my life.

Melissa Tagg is a former reporter, current nonprofit grant writer and total Iowa girl. She writes romantic comedy for Bethany House, and is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. Her latest book is From the Start, the first in her new Walker family series. Check out the FREE enovella prequel, Three Little Words. Connect with Melissa at www.melissatagg.com, Facebook, Twitter (@Melissa_Tagg) or Instagram (melissatagg).

Social ME-dia: How to Lose a Reader in 10 Seconds or Less

Between Bruce Jenner and the Duggars I was about ready to say goodbye to social media.

Before that it was Fifty Shades, or the Kardashians, or Honey Boo. I lose track.

Why even bother with CNN or Fox? All that's needed is to glance at our twitter stream for a few seconds and we know all the "important" events of the day.

Social media. The emphasis on ME. Everything I "think" about every issue of the day matters. (Can you sense my sarcasm?).

 ONE QUESTION FOR EVERY WRITER: WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE BEHIND USING SOCIAL MEDIA? 

TWO QUESTIONS BEFORE EVERY POST:
1) IS THIS POST GOD-HONORING?
2) IS THIS POST A GOOD USE OF MY READER'S TIME?
3) IS THIS POST WHAT THE READER WANTS FROM ME SPECIFICALLY?

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE BEHIND USING SOCIAL MEDIA?

First, where are you in your career? Are you pre-published? A debut novelist? Or multi-published?

Is your opinion relevant to your writing? Recently, it was the anniversary of the end of the Civil War. If you write novels about that era, readers will be interested in these events. You could include news articles or pictures and you don't even have to be afraid to mention your novel occasionally. I'll bite. Because if I read your books, chances are I love the Civil War time period and all that entails.

Is your feed for a few real-life friends or does it contain every person you ever met at ACFW 2013? Your real-life friends might care what you think about the Kardashians. It might be something you even sit at a cafe and chat about. But most of your writing friends don't. Even more than that most of your readers probably don't.

How much of your feed is spent on partisan issues, politics, economics, church issues, opinions on controversy. Although many care what's going on in these arenas, is your opinion helping them. Do you care what another writer thinks about these issues? How about your favorite author? If I follow a favorite suspense author, I don't mind hearing about their personal life a little bit or seeing some photos of their hometown. I really don't want to hear about who she's voting for, but I DO want to know what she thinks about what might be going on in the FBI right now (especially if she used to work for them).


What can YOU share with your reader on social media that nobody else can in quite the same way?

If your book features a star chef, I would probably like to see what you're cooking for dinner. Henry VIII plays a prominent role in your story, please share with me about that Tudor Faire you went to and the silly costumes you made for your family to wear.

Hopefully, your reader is already head-over-heels in love with your work, make them fall even deeper. 

Here are some brainstorming questions to help you get started in streamlining what you post on social media:

1) What topics do I know about because of my research that might be interesting to my reader or my future reader?

2) Who is the average reader of my feed? Why do they follow me specifically? (Ask yourself why you follow those you do).

3) What settings do my books contain that readers might be interested in knowing more about?

4) What other people might my reader be interested in? Don't be afraid to point to other bloggers, authors that your feed readers might enjoy.

5) Have I watched, listened to, or read anything that might be of interest to those who like the genre of book I write?

6) Have I participated in an activity or event that those who read my novels might be interested in? For instance, if you went to a police conference, your suspense readers might want to hear more.

7) Most of all, is this post just for MY interest? Or so I can say something I want to get out? Sure, you can share your opinion on Facebook. But keep in mind if you do so often enough, you may lose readers because let's face it. Most of us follow authors because we love their work, not because we care about their personal opinions.

Julia Reffner lives in central Virginia with her husband, two children and three ragdoll cats. She freelances and reviews for Library Journaand is a blogger at Wonderfully Woven.