TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS - Spending your eTime wisely

After posting a humorous guest blog by author Robert J. Wetherall at Penumbra Publishing's blog, about the over-proliferation of technology in our lives (click here in case you want to read it), I figured it might be a good idea to revisit why many of us seem so tied to the internet and social media.

If you're reading this, chances are you spend at least some amount of your time blogging or posting or texting or liking or tweeting or poking and so on. If you're an author or somehow involved in publishing (or any commodity sales for that matter), then you probably spend a whole lot of time (perhaps more than you'd like?) on various social networking forums such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook ... and does anyone even do Myspace anymore? Regardless, you get the idea.

The question is, why do we do it? Why do we text while sitting at a stop light? Why would two young, attractive twenty-somethings sitting outside a restaurant, obviously waiting on a table for their dinner date, both be busy texting others on their phones instead of talking to each other? Why do we compulsively check our email every five minutes while at work? Why do we constantly compose 140-word bytes and send them off into cyberspace, perhaps never to be heard from again? What do we gain from this kind of behavior? Has electronic socializing taken the place of meeting up for coffee and conversation face-to-face? Has it taken the place of personal interaction? Is texting more personally rewarding than actually spending time with someone face to face?

There are obvious reasons why electronic communication can sometimes be preferred ... texting someone when you're in a boring situation, or texting someone when you're with someone else whose company is less desirable. Or texting or otherwise contacting a group of people to inform or even mobilize them. Electronic communication provides the power to connect across great distance, and with the proper setup, it can provide communication access to a lot of like-minded individuals, even strangers. It can give the illusion of being in two places at once. But as with any powerful tool, it should be used responsibly. Because, really, it only provides access. How and when you use that access is still important and requires prudence as well as thoughtful restraint.

One of the most common pitfalls of a new technology that seems to make life easier is addiction and abuse. It's easy to get sucked into the belief that a netherworld of wonder and power awaits at your fingertips. You may be led astray by this new lover, tempted to forsake friends and family for the lure of a whole new eworld out their. But after the newness wears off, don't forget that your computer's not going to laugh at your stupid jokes or give you a hug when you feel down. Your phone is just a tool, a gadget that gets you access to the people you care about. Remember that your loved ones are loved ones because you love them - so don't neglect them in the glow of your iPad screen, seeking out the next new internet surprise, whether it's some silly video or a new game app. If you're separated by distance from your loved ones, electronic communication may provide you a way to stay in touch - but it's no substitute for a hug and a kiss goodnight.

So when you're in that boring strategy meeting and you're not going to be called upon to participate actively, then, yes, maybe it's okay to text your wife and tell her you'll be home later than you thought. Or if you're stuck in traffic - traffic that's not moving! - maybe it's okay to call your kid and tell him you'll be a little late to pick him up from band practice. Just remember, that text joke isn't more important than you responsibly and safely operating a 2500-pound vehicle capable of mowing down innocent pedestrians. That phone call isn't more important than you looking appropriately busy to keep your boss happy so you can keep your job. And blog surfing to find something - anything - interesting to read isn't more important than making sure your kids' lunches are fixed for school the next day. Take care of priorities first, when they need to be taken care of, and leave electronic playtime for when you really do have downtime and aren't being called upon to be a good father, mother, daughter, son, sister, or brother.

Remember that electronic communication, like anything else, is a convenience, a tool, but it is not a lifestyle. Don't define who you are and what your life is about by how many Twitter followers you have. There really is more to life than Facebook. Make sure you get your nose out of your phone screen once in a while to smell the roses along the way. You'll be a much happier and more well-rounded person if you do. And you can tweet me on that!

Pat Morrison, Penumbra Publishing

Guest Blogger Thomas Amo: The Reality of Fiction

I want to begin by thanking Natasha Larry for inviting me to guest blog on Paranormal Wire. I’m very fond of this site and very honored to be asked to write for it. My blog today is talking about the reality of what we fiction writers believe or pray isn’t true.

Attention all indie fiction authors in the room, if you would please raise your hands so we can take this very small moment to recognize you’re here. Sorry I can’t see all of you as there are some mainstream writer’s sitting in front of you blocking my view. Raise your hands a little higher if you wouldn’t mind. Oh yes hello Mr. Five Kindle sales for the month of March. How are sales going for April Mr. Five? Oh nothing so far? Wow that’s not good. Oh Mr. Five I meant to ask you where is your best friend Mr. Three? You were sitting next to each other at last month’s meeting. You’re not friends anymore? Why is that? He’s now Mr. seventy-five? How do you think that happened? Is it because he’s a better writer? He has more friends on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and a book cover with a hot babe on it? Is he better looking than you are? Whatever it is, it just isn’t fair.

Okay so how many of us fall into this trap of self-abuse? Do you imagine everyone is selling more books than you are? Living a far more interesting life than you. What’s their secret? Are they just popular people to begin with? Because only good things happen to the pretty people, right? Wrong! I know, their book sales are sky rocketing because they did a deal with devil.

There is no rhyme or reason why some books with lousy covers make huge sales over books with gorgeous covers. Then you have some books that loaded with bad grammar and offend the English language so much you can barely get through it, but they sell books like mad. It doesn’t make sense in fact for some of us it tortures us. You will drive yourself crazy if you think there is a magic formula for becoming the next super author.

It’s kind of like being in a casino. How often have you spent hours at a slot machine and everywhere around you, the sounds of slot machine bells keep going off. People are winning all over the place, but not you. You tell yourself if I keep chasing the bells this has to pay off eventually. You run from this machine to that machine until you’re out of money and you go home angry and hurt you spent it all trying to get something for nothing. If you do win you’re not really winning you’re usually just getting back what you put in earlier.  So how is this like writing? Because we all judge winning differently. Some of us are really excited about the process of slowly building a following and seeing our sales increase gradually. So getting five sales this month is five more than I had last month. Others view it as a personal insult and become beaten down so quickly they give up too soon.
All of us would love to do this for a living and get movie deals and hang out with Johnny Depp, but how many of us are truly willing to fight for it and not give up. That’s why there is only a tiny percent of huge movie stars, NY Times Bestsellers. Because they didn’t give up when they were Mr. Five sales. I have had my share of rejection letters. Hang on to those babies. They are your medals for the battles you’ve gone through.

You want me to read your book? You want me to know your name? Then you need to find out if I read books you write. Don’t send me something about sports, or how to be a vegan. I’m not interested in those subjects. I like ghost stories, true crime, and really good scary stories. I’m kinda worn out on the whole vampire/werewolf thing, so stick with a good serial killer.

Basically what I’m saying gang is make sure you’re preaching to the right choir and be professional always. No matter how much someone else pisses you off, let it go, be nice, we live in a time where your career can end based on as little as 140 characters and you want to do this for the rest of your life, so remember when your mom said, if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say it at all. Big mouths and offenders usually end up ruining their own careers, they don’t need your help.

If sales are slumping, ask yourself what more could I be doing to improve this instead of feeling defeated and saying, no one wants my book. Network; pay it forward, because this is a gamble worth waiting for the jackpot.