Saturday, July 5, 2014

Moderating the #MFRWorg Facebook Group—Keeping Track of Group Posts #MFRWauthor

As of this writing, the MFRW Facebook group is at 3,918 members. While I thought I might perhaps be announcing the 4,000 milestone marker with this post, it appears that will have to wait until next month. :) I won't be surprised if we hit it by sometime around the middle of next week. The group’s growth is still going strong!

For this post, I thought I’d mention a feature I discovered relatively recently that some group members and especially moderators may find useful. If you aim to keep up with the posts to a group, Facebook has a feature that makes it a bit easier. Each new time you visit the group page, Facebook indicates the point at which the posts on the page are ones you’ve already seen. It does this with a label that says “OLDER POSTS” in the left margin. The label is a bit subtle, written in shaded gray and in a somewhat small font size. Once you know to look for it, however, it can help you keep track of which posts you’ve seen and which you haven’t.

For me, for example, it’s a very helpful feature in moderating the content posted to the group. Before I learned of this feature, I used to haphazardly visit the group multiple times throughout the day and vaguely memorize when I had last been there so I could tell when I had scrolled down far enough that the posts were ones I’d already seen. Now, I click on the group listing from my home page feed and scroll down until I see the “OLDER POSTS” heading (often I’ll just do a Control/Command + F search with the word “older” to locate it quickly). Then I simply check the new posts by scrolling up the page until I get to the top.

For moderators, this makes keeping track of checking the group page content much easier. And if you’re a group member, this feature lends a hand if you want to be sure you don’t miss any posts. :) Do note that whenever someone comments on a post, that post automatically moves to the top of the group page, so if you see posts you’ve already seen amidst the new ones before you get to the “OLDER POSTS” label, that just means a new comment(s) has been left on it.

To learn what the “OLDER POSTS” heading looks like, you can go to any group of which you are a member (the MFRW one, for example :) ). At the top of the page beneath a pinned post if there is one, you should see a shaded gray heading that says, “RECENT POSTS.” This means that the posts that follow that are ones that are new since your last visit to the group, and the font and appearance of the “RECENT POSTS” heading are exactly like the “OLDER POSTS” one. If you scroll down far enough, you’ll eventually see the “OLDER POSTS” heading, indicating that all the posts below that are ones that were already posted the last time you visited the group.

Incidentally, if you haven’t been by in a while, you may want to go check out the MFRW Facebook group—holiday weekend sales and giveaways abound! For those who are celebrating U.S. Independence Day, I wish you a safe and beautiful holiday weekend. And for those who aren’t, I wish you a beautiful weekend as well, and you may want to come by and take advantage of the sales and giveaways of those who are! ;)

Thanks for reading, and until next month!


Emerald
Emerald is an erotic fiction author whose short stories have been featured in anthologies published by Cleis Press, Mischief, and Logical-Lust. She serves as an assistant newsletter editor and Facebook group moderator for Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW), and she selects and posts the monthly inspirational quote on the MFRW Marketing Blog. Find out more about her at her website, The Green Light District.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Author-to-Author Tip: SAID IS DEAD @MSKosciuszko

"Said" is Dead
I recently saw a Facebook post that claimed “said is dead.” It went on to list all the other “better” options to use, along with the emotion that correlates to each word.
I do agree that sometimes yelled, demanded, or murmured are the best words for the job, showing how the dialogue is being said, especially if it’s difficult to show the emotion through the particular dialogue. However, most of the time, “said” is exactly what I want.
Said is dead, huh? Of course it is. That’s the whole point!
Readers barely even notice it. It serves its purpose of clarifying the speaker and then shuts up and stands in the corner like it’s supposed to. Dialogue tags remind the reader of the author’s presence, so when you have to use a tag, why not use the one that’s almost invisible?


Author-to-Author Tip from Author M.S. Kaye
M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband, Corey, in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Pinterest  |  Google+

M.S. Kaye most recently released Kindling the Past, a romantic suspense, with Liquid Silver Books.
         
Kindle is fighting to survive on her own, to break free from her possessive and violent ex-
boyfriend, not to let her best friend Anna know she’s in love with her husband. Most of all, she fights the visions she sees of the past—she doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff.

Then Anna is shot and killed.

In their grief, Kindle and Ty, Anna’s husband and Kindle’s Taekwondo instructor, grow closer. Although Kindle is careful never to let him too close, he helps her learn to accept her visions are real. Eventually, the truth about Anna’s death breaks through into Kindle’s visions, and she must find a way not to let it destroy her.

BUY LINKS

Monday, June 23, 2014

What do all those MFRW hashtags mean? #MFRWauthor #MFRWorg #MFRWave

MFRW is Marketing for Romance Writers 
MFRW stands for Marketing for Romance Writers. The group motto is "seek, teach, share, learn, succeed." MFRW is a peer-oriented mentoring group open to the entire literary community. Ask your marketing-related questions, or request help, advice, or opinions. You can learn how to create a professional image and use it effectively, as well as ask for opportunities to join other authors in promotional efforts. You can learn the business aspects of writing.
News about pitch sessions and calls for submission are posted on the Yahoo group. As a member, you can attend exclusive, member-only pitch events with publishers. Members can attend free, online workshops and seminars.
MFRW promotes for its members on most social media. You can get your book cover pinned on one of the MFRW Pinterest boards, and show off your cover models, even if you don't have a Pinterest account yourself. You can get interviewed on BlogTalkRadio. Link your blog to a community hop via a unique software "ribbon" with exciting themes, and draw readers to your site. There are many other opportunities as well. All writers and genres are welcome. We break all promotional opportunities into four main categories, to better reach the right audiences for our members' books. The categories* are: Mainstream, Erotic, Young Adult, and GLBT.

MFRW Costs

Services and membership are free. There are limited costs for a few unique items (blog hops, advertising opportunities) that range from 50 cents to about $3. If you have questions about marketing your books, join us.

Peer Mentoring and Calls for Submission

You are welcome to post your questions on the Yahoo group. Another member will answer. Because we are peer-mentored, you will benefit from many viewpoints. Many publishers are members of the Yahoo group, and we allow calls for submission. Although we do monitor these calls, and attempt to ensure all are legitimate, we do not endorse any publishers. We sponsor an annual pitch event exclusively for members. We average about twenty publishers who take part. Visit our website for more information. http://marketingforromancewriters.org

Twitter and Hashtags

The hashtags #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor #MFRWave help you promote. Here's what each stands for:
#MFRWorg - anything to do with the organization. A catchall for anything and everything, and used when you need to save space with a longer tweet.
#MFRWauthor - Having to do with one of our authors. We often use it to identify ourselves to one another online.
#MFRWave - this refers to our ribbon - or "wave" type hops. The software is unique. Click the following link and you will see it in action. A hop is ending as of 6/22/14, but the ribbon will be visible for a few more days. http://is.gd/mfrwave
FYI -- the hashtag #MFRW by itself stands for Maryland Federal Republican Women. It is not associated with Marketing for Romance Writers.

MFRW History

MFRW was founded in 2006 by author Kayelle Allen for a few friends. Members now number in the thousands. Kayelle heads the group to this day, guiding its direction and overseeing the numerous volunteer staff members that help it run.
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief Rochelle Weber
Assistant Editor Emerald
Assistant Editor Barbara Donlon Bradley
Blog Director Paloma Beck
Bloghop Coordinator Mona Karel

Where to find MFRW online

Yahoo group (core site) http://is.gd/mfrwgroup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG
Facebook Author group http://is.gd/mfrwfb
MFRW Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mfrworg

MFRW Newsletters

MFRW Blogs

Marketing Blog: http://mfrw.blogspot.com/

MFRW Blog Hops

MFRW Bloghoppers Author Workspace https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrwbloghoppers/

*Authors alone determine where their books fit, with the caveat that for Young Adult blog hops only, we check to ensure the site is at or below a PG13 rating. Otherwise, the author determines heat level (erotic vs mainstream).

Membership is open to anyone in the literary community, and is free. Why not join us? Begin with the core group, found here. Yahoo group (core site) https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MarketingForRomanceWriters/info
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edited 02/15/15 to update links

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

#MFRWorg Monthly Quote - June 2014

"From the age of six to fourteen I took violin lessons but had no luck with my teachers, for whom music did not transcend mechanical practicing. I really began to learn only after I had fallen in love with Mozart’s sonatas. The attempt to reproduce their singular grace compelled me to improve my technique. I believe, on the whole, that love is a better teacher than sense of duty."
-Albert Einstein



Emerald
Emerald is an erotic fiction author whose short stories have been featured in anthologies published by Cleis Press, Mischief, and Logical-Lust. She serves as an assistant newsletter editor and Facebook group moderator for Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW), and she selects and posts the monthly inspirational quote on the MFRW Marketing Blog. Find out more about her at her website, The Green Light District.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Creating Solid Blog Content. #MFRWorg Talks Memes.

Blog Content can be a challenge for authors. It's important to post with some regularity but coming up with new ideas for your posts can pose a challenge. Why not participate in a blog meme? It gives you a weekly blog feature with the benefit of a group of people interested in the mutual success of your blogs.

Blog Memes
Memes are weekly blog features posted across multiple blogs centered on a common theme. A blogger can choose weekly to participate so if you need a break, you take a week off. One of the most recognized memes was Six Sentence Sunday. The organizers discontinued it - it grew huge - but several off-shoots have now taken root in the blogging community. There is power behind a group and memes are driven by the group.


Sexy Snippets
In Sexy Snippets, participants select seven sentences from a WIP or published manuscript. This gives you the chance to feature a piece of your work, along with a short book promo weekly. See a sample of my Sexy Snippets. This meme operates out of a facebook group. You can sign up weekly at the Nuthouse Scribbler's website. The heat level in this meme runs across the board from sweet to spicy. As a participant, you are encouraged to read and comment on as many others as possible.












Tantalizing Tuesdays
Participants select a photo of their choice and write an original 200-word story to post every Tuesday. It's an awesome way to keep your writing sharp because telling a story in 200-words is not always as easy as it sounds. See a sample of my Tantalizing Tuesday post. This meme operates out of a facebook group where you can sign up weekly and also has a website. Erotic Authors will be most comfortable with this group. A special note about this group is that as a participant, you're expected to read and comment on the other stories - they extend you the same courtesy. Hey, it's guaranteed blog traffic!


Thursday 13
This meme is not exclusive to authors. But it's easy and can be fun if you get creative. Participants simply post a list of any 13 things. You include your link on the group's website and others will pop around from blog to blog reading the lists. Here's a sample of one of my more creative Thursday 13 posts. I've hosted other authors as guests for this feature. I've also posted 13 sentences from one of my books, listed 13 character names, quotes, super heroes, chick flicks, romantic places, etc, etc... the list is endless and can always be used in a way to promo your writing. MFRW uses this feature on our Author's blog!







This meme is fun and promoted on the MFRW Yahoo group. It also allows authors to post the longest excerpt. Participants post 6 paragraphs (no more, no less) from either a WIP or a published work. It's every Sunday, open to both unpublished and published authors. Just sign up at their website and include the link code in your post so readers can hop around from blog to blog.











This is MFRW's own weekly meme. MFRW authors are invited to participate by signing up on our blog each week. It's a chance to hook readers on your current WIP or any previously published book. Then you include the link code in your post and readers will have the chance to jump from one author to another. FIND MORE DETAILS HERE.

So... Do You Meme? Share other memes you like.

Paloma
Paloma Beck is a Romance Author living a life of contradiction... she's a happily married carpooling mom writing erotic romance. It's almost naughty! Paloma writes full-time and has three series in the works with others on the fringes. Her books span both the contemporary and paranormal romance genres.

Paloma serves as MFRW's Blog Director.