Miscellaneous Tidbits On Blogging

 

This post is a total ramble, so beware! I am just going to dredge  up a few thoughts on blogging, why author's should blog, and what might be helpful to new bloggers.

1. Make your blog pertinent to your genre. The purpose of your blog it to establish a platform for your work, and to get your name known. To do this, what you choose to write about should reflect the genre you are writing in, so that you are attracting an audience that will follow your work. If you write in more than one genre, as I do,  you have a bit more leeway.

2. Make your posts timely. If new software has come out that will have an effect on how you do your work, if there is news in the publishing industry that affects authors, then make the effort to blog about this, and share the link to your blog on all of your social networks. I share links on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + ... Linked In is still in the "maybe someday" stage, although I do belong to a couple of groups there.

3. If you allow comments on  your blog, then have the courtesy to respond to them. This provides a nice link between you and the individual who made the comment.  They will feel that they are getting to know you better. If you want to build your blog up, visit like-minded blogs, and leave constructive comments there.

4. Make sure that your header is appropriate to the content of your blog, and that it holds enough interest to make people click on it and read it.

5. Use tags, make sure that the tags are appropriate, and use as many tags as possible. This is how Google finds us!

6. Use links to spice up your blog.

7. Keep some kind of schedule to your blogging, so that people know when to look for fresh content.

8. Make sure that there is accurate content info on your blog. 

9. Is your blog all over the place, or is the "voice" consistent. That voice is part of your brand!

10. Treat your blog as a serious marketing tool.

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Use in any venue without the written permission of the author isprohibited.

Paying Attention To Life

 

So often we do not pay attention to life. This happened to me this past week, when I received a post from a friend who was at the end of her financial rope in continuing to keep open two well used and significant tools within the Tarot community - Attune Magazine (she is founder and editor), and Attune Magazine Radio on Blog Talk Radio. Aside from her time, it takes money to keep these venues going. I was appalled that I had not seen this situation coming, and immediately took what action I could take. I also placed a challenge out to the Tarot community, and this was their response - Thank You! I am very proud of the Tarot community, and its ability to step up. A small plug for Mary here - If you would like to place an article/interview/review/poetry/video/ad in Attune Magazine (this is a quarterly magazine, next issue due out in July), or if you would like to be interviewed on Mary's radio show, click  here -  Attune Magazine.

Speaking of gentle promoting - my friend Jennifer Sieck invited me to an event called the Fishbowl on Facebook. The event will be going on all weekend. All we do is introduce ourselves, and place a post and a link on the event page. Jennifer also suggested making up a free card at Vista Print to add some pizzazz to my posts, so I did that too! I get to read about other practitioners/counselors/artists, like their pages,and they in turn like mine! What a deal! And what a group of very nice people!

There are a couple of links that I would like to share with you. The first one is very close to my heart - Kindle Formatting. I have a couple of books in the world of Kindle, and wish that I had known this before I very haphazardly managed to get them  up! Future books will go up with much greater ease!

I dearly love the lady who wrote this post - although we have never met, and never spoken. She is so clear, and so organized - her work is a pleasure to read! Second Thoughts On Publishing Your Print Book.

What a year! My co-author Brad Tesh and I have been promoting our book, Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti on several Blog Talk radio shows (thank you to Mary Nale, Maggie Lukowski and Jean Maurie Puhlman, Melinda Carver, and Jennifer Sieck!), and even managed to get a page up on Facebook - Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti. Next up for me - promotingmy new Tarot book - Tarot, Rituals, and You.

One last link, for those of us that are self-publishing - Write and Promote Your Indie Book Quickly and Easily .

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Republication in any format prohibited without written permission from the author.

Wendy Stokes - A Force To Be Reckoned With!

The Internet is a wonderful way to meet some very incredible people. One of them (that I met through Facebook) is an awesome lady by the name of Wendy Stokes. Wendy lives in London, UK, and is administrator for an very eclectic blog entitled "MBS Circle Network". Her blog includes articles, reviews, interviews, extracts and videos about such diverse things as ecology, ethical business, spirituality and personal responsibility,  and community initiatives.

Some of the most recent entries include a review of the "Angels of Atlantis Oracle Cards", a review of the book "Elen of the Ways", a review of what looks to be a very good book on "Loneliness in Philosophy, Psychology, and Literature", an oracle reading for April, a review of the book "Living Shamanism", a review of the book "Immortal Yearnings", a review of the "Sacred Geometry" cards, a  video on "Adventures In Eco-Therapy" and much, much more! For anyone who loves to read, and loves to find diverse subjects presented in one place, this blog is for you!

As an administrator Wendy does a marvelous job of presenting the material in a professional manner, on a "clean" site, that is easy to move around in. It is like going down the rabbit hole once you click on this site - there is so much that you want to see, read, and experience that you could easily, pleasantly leave a good chunk of time behind you!

Wendy has a separate blog entitled the "Wendy Stokes Blog". I found this one to be just as fascinating, with the focus changed to reflect Wendy's personal work in her capacity as a qualified counsellor, workshop tutor, spiritual healer and channeling medium. Material can be found here on her Egyptian Goddess Workshop, articles on Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, Spiritual Healing, Chakras and more. IMHO, this blog is a learning venue in its own right, and I am delighted to have discovered it!

What I could kick myself soundly for is that it took me this long to discover what Wendy is all about! We need to network with a purpose, and part of that purpose is to get to know the people that we are meeting. Only in this way can we know what we have to offer them, and what they have to offer us.

I hope that you take a few minutes to discover what Wendy has to offer!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

All material copyright Bonnie Cehovet - written permission is needed to share this work

in any venue - print or electronic.   

Promoting, Promoting, Promoting

 

The past couple of weeks have been focused on promoting "Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti", the book that I co-authored with Brad Tesh. Our interview with Mary Nale of Attune Magazine Radio can be found here - Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti. We have an upcoming interview with  Jean Maurie Puhlman and Maggie Lukowski on Personal Empowerment For Your Soul, and two more radio interviews scheduled for May (I will place links here at a later date).

We offered our book as a free download on Kindle this past weekend, and had a very good response. We will do this again in a few weeks - it lets people know who we are, as well as have access to our book. While the free download is for the Kindle version only, we do have a print version through Create Space. The books can both be found here - Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti.

A work in progress for me is getting a book page up on Facebook. Then we will have to map out a plan of action to keep people talking about the book. There are many ways that we can do this - including sharing excerpts from the book, or discussing points from our "Toss the Confetti" section at the end of each chapter. This is a section that suggests ways in which people can actively place joy in their life. 

Brad and I are both very excited about this book, and feel that the first step is just to get people talking! We really don't realize the lack of joy in our lives until we start to loo for it ... and find it amongst the missing!

My next book,which will also be an e-book, addresses the subject of decision making. The ability to make decisions is where we empower ourselves. Understanding how to make informed decisions, and take decisive action, is what manifests our dreams into reality! Stay tuned!

(c) 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

 

More Random Thoughts

I am very excited about the reception that my latest book, co-authored with Brad Tesh, is receiving. "Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti" can be purchased in both print and e-book formats here . We would certainly appreciate any reviews that any of you would care to leave! Here is the lin to our chat with Mary (c)on Attune Magaine Radio - Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti. On May 25th we will be on Personal Empowerment For Your Soul with Jean Maurie Puhlman and Maggie Lukowski. Here is a link to a past episode - Personal Empowerment For Your Soul. We have two more radio interviews coming up in May - one with Melinda Carver, and one with Jennifer Sieck. I will post those links as the exact date is set.

I have just finished re-reading "Our Power As Women", by Helene Lerner-Robbins (1996, Conari Press). This incredible book consists of a series of essays from well known women on topics relating to women, women's issues, and inner strength and personal power. Contributions came from such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Patricia Ireland, Olympia Dukakis, Marrianne Williamson, Barbara Bush, Geraldine Ferraro, Ann Richards, and Gloria Steinem.

The issues covered were, of course, from the 1990's time period. For me, since I was there, the reading was fascinating. We have certainly gained some ground as women since this time, largely because of these women. We are still also facing many of the same issues - home and children versus career, dealng with bosses, promotability, and living up to our full potential. 

I am also expanding my scope on Google +, joining new communities, and attempting to set the groundwork for moving into making my living as an author. i would encourage everyone to read everything they can get their hands on to move your life forward! Dream the biggest dream possible, peeps!

   (c) 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Small Steps

 

Small steps is what it has been lately ... but small steps do get us where we want to go. I am co-authoring a book on Joy with Brad Tesh. As any writer knows, writing the book is only the first part of the process of getting it out there. We are working with Create Space, which I really like. It is a template format, and works well for me. We have the interior (text) up, the cover is done (thank you to Roxi Sim for allowing us to license one of her images!), and all of that is in to Create Space for review. We have keywords up, and will be working on how to promote the book next. We are getting there! :) (Note to self - create a page on your site for this book!)

One of the things that I am looking at is upping my presence on Goodreads. Well, more like creating a presence! I am on the site, but have really done nothing with that. It is more important now than ever, as Amazon has just purchased Goodreads. You can read more about that here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/02/amazon-purchase-goodreads-stuns-book-industry, http://www.salon.com/2013/03/31/amazon_buys_goodreads_were_all_just_data_now/ , http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/its-about-time/2013/apr/1/amazon-grows-its-book-retail-empire-purchase-goodr/ .

What I am looking to accomplish over the next quarter (we are already into the second quarter of 2013!) is to firm up a social media strategy for my books, to promote the book that I co-authored, and to continue to promote my existing books. I have one more e-book to get out this summer - on decision making, and will devote the third quarter to getting my first mystery on board.

I have not been making any use of my Amazon.com Associate affiliation. I am strongly considering adding that to my pages.

A lot of work ahead of me ... but it's all good! :)

(c) 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

No reproduction allowed in any format without my written consent.

Conscious Responsibility

I just finished reading an article on leadership and responsibility, by Deepak Chopra. Here is the article, so you can read it too - The Conscious Lifestyle. Yes, indeed - this comes from Linked In! This is a social network that I joined years ago, but am only now starting to interact with in a consistent manner. I have joined a limited number of groups there, and follow a limited number of people in what they share through that site.

Although the article itself is on leadership, and the qualities it entails, I think that we can certainly place these thoughts in the world of writing. In general, I doubt that we consider ourselves leaders, but we have to remember that we do influence the people that read our words. We need to be aware of who we are, and what we are saying.

Chopra talks about responsibility as being the mark of a mature, conscious person. As writers, we have to be conscious of the people and things that influence us, and how they are shaping our perception of the world around us. Whatever genre we work in, and whether we are writing fiction or non-fiction, we need to speak from our own beliefs, from how we truly see the world. If in the middle of writing we start to feel uncomfortable, to have questions, we need to stop and see why we are having questions, and how we can resolve them. The work we present to our reading audience needs to be consistent, and to have a strong foundation. people may disagree with us, but they will follow us if we are authentic ... that is, if we are consistently who we are.

Chopra also talks about the responsible person as being willing to take educated risks, to  act on those intuitive leaps, and to think outside the box. (If you haven't seen the TED series of videos, you really need to check them out. Here is conscious responsibility to the max!) I like what Chopra has to say about being too cautious,too conservative. He says that these qualities can hold us back from taking those intuitive risks. I agree with him, because I have seen this in my own life. If I let my Cappie nature run away with me, I have a very boring life, and my work shows it!

I am going to stop here, and allow you my readers to read Mr. Chopra's article yourself. It is well worth the few minutes time sent!

As writer's, we have a responsibility to be all that we can be. Part of the process is recognizing that we do have an influence on our reading audience. May we all be consciously responsible!

(c) 2013 Bonnie Cehovet