April IWSG Blog Hop

IWSG April Blog Hop: Blogging from A to Z

4/5/2017

If you are taking part in the YA Scavenger Hunt, go here for Team Red and the opportunity to win some awesome giveaways! (If you've never tried this hunt to win book prizes, you might like to check it out.)

IWSG Monthly Blog Hop

It's the first of the month, which means it's time for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group's blog hop. IWSG was founded by author Alex J Cavanaugh, and this month's co-hosts are Chris @ Madness of a Modern Writer, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey!

This month's (optional) question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book?

While I have enjoyed networking with other A to Z Challenge bloggers, I haven't used the challenge much to promote my books (other than to have people arrive at my blog). For the 2014 A to Z Challenge, I blogged about Writing Inspiration. For the 2015 and 2016 challenges, I blogged about productivity.

Here are links to last year's posts, since I'm not A-to-Z-ing this year.
A is for the Anti-Muse
B is for Backing Up Your Work
C is for Clear Your Mind
D is for Daily Tasks
E is for Exercise at Your Desk
F is for First Things First
G is for Getting Creatively Unblocked
H is for How to Curate Social Media
I is for Ivy Lee's Six Things
J is for Journal
K is for Knowledge: How Are You Spending Your Time?
L is for Lessons Learned and Inspirational Quotes
M is for Marking Progress
N is for NaNoWriMo Principles
O is for OneTab
P is for Productivity Book Recommendations
Q is for Quit Something
R is for Routines to Encourage Creativity
S is for Set a Deadline to Improve Productivity
T is for Take Time to Fill the Well
U is for Unplug
V is for Victor Hugo
W is for Weekly Review
X is for Xebec
Y is for YA Writers Advise How to Get the Writing Done
Z is for Zig Ziglar

Blogging to market a book can be a tricky combination. It depends on whether the blog audience is the same as the target book audience, for one thing. Do you read blogs to find new books, or to read the actual blog content, or both?

Since this blog hop is for the Insecure Writers Support Group, I thought I'd share one of my favorite morale-boosting quotes about writing.

As a writer, how do you feel about the gap between what you are reading and what you are writing?

If you're interested in reading other answers to the IWSG monthly question, follow the blog hop links below. (If they don't show up due to tech issues, please visit the IWSG website to access the links.)

This is a Blog Hop!

1. Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh	2. Adventures In Writing: One Woman’s Journey
3. Liza at Middle Passages	4. Tyreans Writing Spot
5. Spunky L. Diane Wolfe	6. Susan Says
7. WRITING IN THE CROSSHAIRS	8. Arlee Birds Tossing It Out
9. MISH @ WRITER~IN~TRANSIT	10. C Lee McKenzie Books
11. Em-Musing	12. Jennifer Lane Books
13. Sandras Blog	14. Elizabeth Seckman
15. Carrie-Annes Magick Theatre	16. Shannon Lawrence
17. Diane Riggins	18. The Faux Fountain Pen
19. This Writers Growing	20. WordDreams
21. J. Q. Rose, Author	22. Constantine
23. Toi Thomas	24. Loni Townsend - Squirrel Talk
25. Writing Wings	26. Olga Godim writing
27. Balancing Act	28. Fundy Blue's Standing Into Danger
29. Shout with Emaginette	30. Jemima Pett
31. I Love Space (by J. S. Pailly)	32. Writing in Wonderland
33. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan: Spec. Fic. Author	34. Stories I Found in the Closet
35. Were All Mad Here!	36. Everything Must Change
37. Pensive Pens Post	38. Paving My Authors Road
39. Lynn La Vita	40. Rebecca M. Douglass - The Ninja Librarian
41. Ronel the Mythmaker	42. Jan Morrison, this crazy writing life
43. Literary Rambles	44. Michael Offutt
45. Write On - Rosemary Johnson	46. Sherry Ellis
47. Nancy Gideon - Romance by Any Other Name . . .	48. A Far Out Fantastic Site
49. Jean Davis	50. Fiction and Film
51. The Girdle of Melian	52. Joylene Nowell Butler
53. Yvette Carol, Author	54. A Writers Revelations
55. J Lenni Dorner	56. Melissa Maygrove
57. Living the Dream	58. Janet Alcorn
59. Ecce Signum	60. J. R. Vincente's Erotic Fiction Blog
61. Falling Forever	62. Yvonne Ventresca
63. MotherOwl's Musings	64. P. J. MacLayne
65. East of the Sun, West of the Moon. . .	66. Bish Denham: Random Thoughts
67. PJLs Write Life	68. Donna K. Weaver
69. Readers Roost	70. Jessica Ferguson - Author, Speaker, Writing Coach
71. Glittering Black	72. Romance Under Fire
73. Beth Camp	74. Lisa Buie-Collard Author
75. Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun	76. H. R. Sinclair
77. SquarePeg Books	78. Lissa @ Postcards from the Bookstore
79. SE White Romance	80. Kalpanawrites
81. Rosie's Reverie - Rosie J. Potter	82. Author Allie Bock
83. Consulting Writer	84. The Learning Dreamer
85. Bernard Davis Books	86. Fiction Writer
87. Jenni Enzor, Kidlit Writer	88. Nick Wilford, Speculative Author
89. Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	90. The Road To Being A Published Writer
91. Damyanti @ Daily(w)rite	92. Fiction Can Be Fun

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Arlee Bird link

4/5/2017 10:06:42 am

I try to read a wide range of genres and topics when I read. Sadly I don't read nearly enough.

Arlee Bird
<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/">Tossing It Out</a>

Yvonne V link

4/5/2017 10:07:55 am

It can be a struggle to find the time!

C. Lee McKenzie

4/5/2017 10:51:53 am

I seldom read in the category I write in. I know! I should, but I don't--unless a friend writes the story. I'm much more likely to read a horror story or an adventure in the African jungle than a young adult book. And I really love to read biography and history. I guess my answer is there's a huge gap between what I read and what I write.

4/5/2017 06:35:48 pm

Interesting! I read an eclectic mix, but I do love a good YA book, too, so my pile keeps growing. I bet the NF you read informs what you write.

Chrys Fey link

4/5/2017 02:02:53 pm

I am going to spend some time explore the links to your Challenge for last year. Thanks for sharing those!

4/5/2017 06:36:16 pm

Thanks so much, Chrys!

Gail M Baugniet link

4/5/2017 02:07:25 pm

Thank you for your inspiration and for sharing your experiences marketing through AtoZ

Yvonne v link

4/5/2017 06:36:38 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Gail.

Julie Flanders link

4/5/2017 02:10:50 pm

I remember your productivity posts last year and the great tips you shared. Sadly I have still not put them into practice. Maybe now I will.... ;)

4/5/2017 06:37:18 pm

It seemed unproductive to come up with 26 new tips. :) I have to work on the implementation, too.

Stephanie Scott link

4/5/2017 02:39:58 pm

I love the Ira Glass quote! And the YA Scavenger hunt is epic!

4/5/2017 06:37:44 pm

Agree on both counts!

Crystal Collier link

4/5/2017 03:22:34 pm

Team red, eh? Sweet! I actually read blogs for neither reason. I do it to socialize. Granted, I really like finding new books through them, and love stumbling across an article that inspires or educates me.

4/5/2017 06:38:21 pm

You're absolutely right -- there is a social component, too. :)

KT Wagner link

4/5/2017 05:51:16 pm

Your writing inspiration posts sound interesting and I've bookmarked this post.

Also, great Ira Glass quote.

4/5/2017 06:38:42 pm

Thanks so much, KT!

Alex J. Cavanaugh link

4/5/2017 07:10:04 pm

It is indeed tricky. I've seen it done wrong, where it came off as promotion or was just boring if you weren't at all interested. Blogging about a book during the Challenge has to be done just right.

4/5/2017 07:31:00 pm

Right, you don't want to discourage blog followers!

Tyrean A Martinson link

4/5/2017 07:35:41 pm

Great point about marketing and blog content. I read blogs for blog content. If I like the blog content consistently and the author writers a genre I like, I will purchase a book. Sometimes, if I love the content, I will purchase a book outside of my usual reading tastes. Writers like Cherie Reich, Milo James Fowler, and Madeline Mora-Summonte have all pulled me back into reading a little horror fiction again - even though I "gave it up" about ten years ago. Their writing is so good - for blog and for fiction writing - that I fell back into reading that genre.

4/5/2017 07:53:13 pm

Thanks for sharing that, Tyrean! (I don't read much horror these days either, BTW.)

Liz A. link

4/5/2017 09:18:41 pm

I read blogs more for the community. But I'll read a book by a blogging buddy because they're a blogging buddy. Well, sometimes.

4/5/2017 09:43:48 pm

Yes, there is a nice community aspect. :)

Tonja Drecker link

4/5/2017 09:29:01 pm

I read quite a bit and have learned that writing is as wide as the ocean. Some authors are masters at a level I know I'll never achieve, where others are more in my range. But then what is good and bad?

4/5/2017 09:44:20 pm

It is all very subjective, Tonja!

Michelle Wallace link

4/6/2017 05:48:11 am

I love the Ira Glass quote.
I remember reading some of your A to Z posts last year. Some really good topics and thoughts...
I'd like to go through them after April, at my leisure...
I love reading blogs for networking reasons...getting to know other writers.

4/6/2017 07:31:41 am

Getting to know other writers is a nice part of it!

Marcia Strykowski link

4/6/2017 05:45:49 pm

Wow, what a lot of participants in this group---you find the best blog hops. Loved your A to Z challenge!

4/6/2017 07:05:55 pm

Thanks! This one if fun, if you want to join.

Lana_SHON link

4/6/2017 07:48:30 pm

Great post. Thanks for sharing!

4/6/2017 08:32:07 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Lana!

Erika Beebe link

4/7/2017 06:52:30 am

I love your quote Yvonne. It's true. The first few years are lots of work when you start to write. You don't realize it until you finally see a difference and others make comments about how much better your work becomes.

4/7/2017 07:24:59 am

Glad you liked the quote, too, Erika!

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IWSG April Blog Hop: Blogging from A to Z

IWSG Monthly Blog Hop

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