Blogging networks, syndication and social media

I have blogged on Boston.com (I currently can't find any of those posts so they may be deep in the archives or they may be gone altogether) and Working Mother.com. I had hoped to blog on Guideposts.com, but the scope of their home page changed a little and the only bloggers allowed are people who write for the magazine (on my "bucket list" as was being featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul(R)).

Aside from my own blogs, I currently publish on Blogher, and have had some of my posts featured. Because of my participation with Blogher, I have been chosen to participate in a social media influence program where I can earn money by posting about certain topics. Not that I want to be a sellout...but I do intend to crack the code on monetizing my writing. 

I syndicate to facebook and twitter, and I have just joined tumblr. Why, I do not know. There are so many social media platforms it can be overwhelming (I'm on instagram, too, mainly to keep an eye on my kids). I could literally spend all day posting and promoting, but I don't have the time for that. 

What is the right mix? How can I publish once and proliferate? How can I get my blog included in a relevant blogroll? Is the ultimate goal to sell books? To drive people to my blog(s) where they will be exposed to affiliate advertising (at some point in the future when I actually execute on that idea)? Or both?

Writing multiple blogs

I have -- and have had -- other blogs.

I deleted at least one of them (started on BlogSpot, the precursor to Blogger, or perhaps still related in some way...??), which was kind of dumb in retrospect...at the time I didn't know I could just change the name and thus preserve the longevity of my blogging ("member since..."). At the time, I only had an inkling of why it mattered.*

I have other blogs besides this one (formerly "Write On!").

One is MotherMorphosis. I do not write in that one anymore, but leave it up because it contains a ton of stories and is connected to my book by the same name, as well as another book I wrote, What Would Mary Do?

Another is Boy To the World! This has the stories that are going to go into the book I want to publish next, also by the same name. This one is a hosted blog on Wordpress, which was recommended to me by a marketing/business consultant. I followed all her instructions, and many times since, I have wondered why, because it is really hard for me sometimes to keep up with all the updates and plug-ins and tech support issues that I have to resolve myself.

(My book Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tales evolved from many sources, including those two blogs.)

Yet another is Next To Godliness and has nothing to do with books or writing, but is a hobby-turned-business my family created on the side. The blog serves as a primary website and not so much as a web log.

I have another blog for stories that I write under a pen name. I am on the fence about continuing this. It doesn't serve me very well in the plan for "Me, Inc." but is an outlet for the things I have to say but probably shouldn't or they'd embarrass my kids (or me).

Write On!'s revival is because I figured I need somewhere to write about writing and sharing general thoughts, ideas, questions about being an author and columnist. I have found that just publishing stories is *nice* but not all that effective in promoting books (why would someone buy a book when they can read (almost) all of the material online?) or engaging in repartee about writing/publishing (mostly I get "likes" and a comment like "I can relate" here or there.)

*Why would an author and columnist NOT have a blog or website...I don't know. Many don't, as I learned at the author event I attended yesterday. Some asked me for advice. Part of me thought, "Why are you asking me? I'm not an expert..." and then the other part of me thought, "Well, yes you are. You have been writing for 35 years. You have three published books available on Amazon.com, you have a regular column, your work has appeared in several popular anthologies, and so on (the litany of things I tell myself when I need shoring up, which is a lot...unless you're Stephen King or Rick Riordan you are probably your own biggest fan.)"

There was a dad I knew from Cub Scouts who is a social media professional. He told me I should blog every day. He is actually the person who inspired me to start this blog, with its first empty post from more than four years ago (and another draft post, which will likely never be published as it is now irrelevant): "I should blog more." So, yeah. I should.

Writing multiple blogs

I have -- and have had -- other blogs.

I deleted at least one of them (started on BlogSpot, the precursor to Blogger, or perhaps still related in some way...??), which was kind of dumb in retrospect...at the time I didn't know I could just change the name and thus preserve the longevity of my blogging ("member since..."). At the time, I only had an inkling of why it mattered.*

I have other blogs besides this one (formerly "Write On!").

One is MotherMorphosis. I do not write in that one anymore, but leave it up because it contains a ton of stories and is connected to my book by the same name, as well as another book I wrote, What Would Mary Do?

Another is Boy To the World! This has the stories that are going to go into the book I want to publish next, also by the same name. This one is a hosted blog on Wordpress, which was recommended to me by a marketing/business consultant. I followed all her instructions, and many times since, I have wondered why, because it is really hard for me sometimes to keep up with all the updates and plug-ins and tech support issues that I have to resolve myself.

(My book Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tales evolved from many sources, including those two blogs.)

Yet another is Next To Godliness and has nothing to do with books or writing, but is a hobby-turned-business my family created on the side. The blog serves as a primary website and not so much as a web log.

I have another blog for stories that I write under a pen name. I am on the fence about continuing this. It doesn't serve me very well in the plan for "Me, Inc." but is an outlet for the things I have to say but probably shouldn't or they'd embarrass my kids (or me).

Write On!'s revival is because I figured I need somewhere to write about writing and sharing general thoughts, ideas, questions about being an author and columnist. I have found that just publishing stories is *nice* but not all that effective in promoting books (why would someone buy a book when they can read (almost) all of the material online?) or engaging in repartee about writing/publishing (mostly I get "likes" and a comment like "I can relate" here or there.)

*Why would an author and columnist NOT have a blog or website...I don't know. Many don't, as I learned at the author event I attended yesterday. Some asked me for advice. Part of me thought, "Why are you asking me? I'm not an expert..." and then the other part of me thought, "Well, yes you are. You have been writing for 35 years. You have three published books available on Amazon.com, you have a regular column, your work has appeared in several popular anthologies, and so on (the litany of things I tell myself when I need shoring up, which is a lot...unless you're Stephen King or Rick Riordan you are probably your own biggest fan.)"

There was a dad I knew from Cub Scouts who is a social media professional. He told me I should blog every day. He is actually the person who inspired me to start this blog, with its first empty post from more than four years ago (and another draft post, which will likely never be published as it is now irrelevant): "I should blog more." So, yeah. I should.

The Authors' Fair

I was traveling for business last a couple of weeks ago and got an email about participating in an authors' fair at our local library. Normally I don't find typical author events (like book signings) worth my time (e.g., nobody buys books), but this one was going to include several other authors I knew and I figured it would be fun to get together just for that reason. The first pic below is me with Christine Lindemer and Cindy Reynolds; the second one is Ellen Olsen-Brown and me.

I think in all there were 20 or so authors, plus the editor for our local online newspaper and one of the stringers for the local paper where my "Boy To The World!" column appears.

You can see more pictures at Dale T. Phillips's website. 

I was inspired to think about finding an illustrator for my next book, syndicating my column, and what other things might I write about besides my kids (such as actually doing this blog, which was my vision four years ago!)

And, no, I did not sell any books, even though I had six different offerings (three of my own and three copies of anthologies).

The many paths to success

“Is that what you wanted to be when you grew up, Mommy?” my eight year old asked me at the breakfast table after I told him exactly what it is I do on the computer and phone all day, until 5:30 – when, if they are home, they are allowed to turn on the TV – and sometimes later at night when they are supposed to be sleeping.

“Oh, gosh, no! I didn’t have the words for what I do when I was a kid. What I do now wasn’t even possible then.” (I manage a corporate marketing program – remotely – for a technology company.)

“What did you want to be, Mommy?”

“Well, when I was about your age, I thought I would like to be the President of the United States. But I didn’t like the risk of being assassinated so I decided I might rather be a jockey because I loved horses so much. But then I got too tall, so I thought maybe a veterinarian. Or an artist, or a hairdresser… I really wanted to be a hairdresser…”

“Why don’t you go to school to be one?” my oldest chimed in.

“Well, hon, I can’t just drop out of the workforce and go to school...how would I afford school, never mind anything else?”

“You could save up a lot of vacation time…” my middle son suggested.

“Well, that sounds like a good idea but in our company you have to use it or lose it by the end of the year, so that wouldn’t work. And besides, when you take vacation, you’re expected to return to your job afterwards…”

We all sat in silence for a few moments and I wondered exactly when it is that our childhood career dreams die and we have to get practical. Certainly not everyone’s die: there really are plenty of veterinarians, hairdressers, policemen, doctors, nurses, and firemen in the world, as well as numerous professional athletes, musicians, and actors. And, of course, I will encourage my kids’ dreams as long as they have them. However, dreams do change as we move along our life path. I thought about one time in the car when two of my sons were playing the Game of Life on one of their electronic devices. One had asked the other to “spin” for him and he wound up being a salesman. He wanted to quit the game because it wasn’t fair: he had wanted to be a doctor or lawyer. I listened to them argue in the back seat before I said, “Sometimes your career takes a detour that you might not have imagined, but it winds up being the best thing for you.”

My oldest will be going to high school next year, and there are choices that have to be made. The reason we were having this discussion in the first place is that some of his classmates had gone to tour our local technical school the day before. My middle son had perked up when we started talking about the technical school. He’s familiar with it because I have taken both his brother and him to different open houses there and they have friends from church who are enrolled there. He likes the idea of learning a trade such as carpentry and having a choice whether to go on to college right away or not. I like the idea of him doing something creative with his hands, something that cannot be offshored, something that will always be in demand and around which his own business could be built.

My oldest, however, has made the informed decision to choose the traditional high-school-as-a pre-requisite-to-college route and is applying to a private, Catholic school. Why, I do not know, since our public school system is among the best, but perhaps it’s because one of the Catholic school’s cardinal rules is “it’s cool to be smart” (my son has been called a nerd because he reads on the school bus and he’s planning to participate in an after-school math competition).

I wrote about this in my first book, MotherMorphosis, more than ten years ago: I hope and pray my children are the people God wants them to be and that they are happy and productive members of society. I can encourage, nurture, socialize, care for, teach, and love them, but ultimately who they become is not up to me.

There are many paths to success.