Well, we had a fantastic response to the second half of our Hook, Line, and Sinker contest this month. There were 25 total votes and of our three entries our winner was a clear favorite. I think many of us were drawn to the drama and intrigue in that very first sentence. What do you think hooked you?

Our lucky winner is:

I’m going to kill him. Caleb found comfort in that thought. And he meant it this time. It would be quick and clean, and he could leave the body in a ditch where they were widening the highway… (read more)

Congratulations L. L. McKinney!

Fantastic hook! I’ll be in touch to get your postal details so that Les and I can get your books to you as quickly as possible.

Thank you to our other entrants, Susan Swan and Robin Joy Wirth and another huge big thank you to Les Edgerton for the added support and donation of Finding Your Voice. I know you’ll love Les’ blog, “Les Edgerton On Writing”, so check it out today!

We’ll have another new contest in September and you can tell me what you’d like to see given away or what kind of contests you’d be interested in. Leave a comment below to congratulate our winners, thank Les and our entrants, and let me know what you’d like to see at The Craft of Writing Fiction in the coming months.

We’ve had some wonderful entries in our Hook, Line and Sinker contest but now it’s time to let YOU choose which of our entries takes home their own copy of Hooked and Finding Your Voice. A HUGE big thank you to Les Edgerton for generously supporting The Craft of Writing Fiction. Check out his blog!

Now it’s time to decide which of our great entries has the most compelling hook and that’s where you can help. We’re running a poll until 8am EST August 31, 2010 where you can choose which of our entries is your favorite hook. Drum up votes for your favorites by inviting your friends to choose their favorite too. Don’t forget to click “like” on The Craft of Writing Fiction’s Facebook Fan page because next month we’ll be giving away something special just for our Facebook Fans.

Are you looking forward to future competitions? After you’ve voted stop back here to let me know not only that you’ve voted but also what you’d love to win and how you’d like to enter future contests.

It’s time to give away something awesome again! This month I’m finally letting go of the extra copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton. I first read and loved Les Edgerton’s book, Hooked, on the 16th of September 2007. I can tell you exactly because the next day I wrote a glowing review which you can read here. When I attended the Reader’s Digest Writer’s Conference in Los Angeles in 2008 I couldn’t resist purchasing a second copy intending to give it away to a lucky reader. Mine is a beloved copy with the spine cracked and pages scoured over but his sister is still pristine and really deserves a home of her own where she can feel the same love from another eager writer.

When I knew what I was going to let one of you win a copy this month I wondered what kind of competition to create to get you involved and interacting with each other. The Craft of Writing Fiction is a community of writers and we need events that promote that community feel. After thinking long and hard I was inspired! What better way to get writers involved if they want to win than to ask them to write something?

Of course, with so many talented writers I’d be hard pressed to choose who will win from among the stories you might send me so we’ll do this in two parts. This week, write a story, poem, or article with a compelling “Hook” and next week we’ll run a poll where you can each vote for the “hook” you think should win. And you can invite your friends and family to vote for you. And tell your neighbor to vote. And if your dog or kids have a Facebook account they can vote too!

So, lets define a few rules:

The Prize:

One compelling writer will win a paperback copy of Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton valued at $14.99 USD

This just in! Les offered to add an autographed copy of “Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing” to the prize pool so our winning writer will win TWO fantastic books.

To Enter:

• Write a story, poem, or article with a compelling “Hook”.
• Word Count: 250 to 800 words.
• Share on your own blog: And link back to the competition.
  If you don’t have a blog you can share directly in the comments below.
  The link to this page is: http://www.craftingfiction.com/?p=4779
• Entries accepted from August 16 until 8am EST August 23, 2010

Choosing A Winner:

• Become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page by clicking “like” on the page here.
• Vote for the story, poem, or article you feel has the most interesting/compelling “Hook”.
• Invite others to vote for their favorite “Hook”. (They need to be fans too because only fans can vote.)
• Votes accepted from August 24 until 8am EST August 31, 2010

It’s time to get writing!

Brainstorm a few ideas and get the words done on the page. Then hone that opening until it’s a captivating hook that will snag readers attention and keep them riveted to your writing. Don’t forget to link to or share your story, poem, or article in the comments below.

Photo Credit: 03-09-10 © sellingpix
Book Cover: Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One And Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton

Wow! Can you believe June is almost over? It’s exciting to be here again today and with another big announcement. This week I’m announcing our three lucky 3rd Birthday Bash winners. Do you remember what those great prizes were? Here they are again:

1st Place [valued over $100]

• Anthemion‘s Writer’s Cafe Software with Storylines



• AND “How To Create Believable Characters” from Men With Pens
• AND “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
• AND Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

2nd Place [valued over $40]

• “How To Create Believable Characters” from Men With Pens
• AND “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
  OR Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

3rd Place [valued over $19]

• “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
  OR Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

But, without further ado, let’s find out who our lucky winners are.

Drumroll please…

In 3rd Place we have…

• Thorey O

2nd Place goes to…

• Kelly Smith

And finally, our luck 1st Place winner is…

• Amy Young

Congratulations Ladies! I’ll be in touch with each of you by email very soon.

Now, if you didn’t win you might want to get your hands on these things the old fashioned way. I promise you they’re worth every penny. And, if you use the links above when making a purchase you’ll be supporting The Craft of Writing Fiction and future contests and prizes. So please, invest in yourself and your writing career because your investment in you is an investment in us.

Next month The Craft of Writing Fiction will have some new goodies to give away so keep an eye out for that. And, don’t forget to make sure you update your RSS or email subscription to our new RSS feed so you don’t miss a thing.

Finally, if you linked to Writer’s Round-About in the past from your blog or website, THANK YOU! You’re awesome! Don’t forget to update your links to our new domain http://www.craftingfiction.com and site name, The Craft of Writing Fiction.

Click here to get HTML code snippets for easy linking to The Craft of Writing Fiction

Have you ever felt like you needed a makeover? As we grow and change the old look and feel becomes yesterday. Sometimes we need to put on a fresh face, cut our hair, buy a new outfit, and wear our classiest shoes. We can makeover our wardrobes when our old fashions are becoming drab. We makeover our homes when that old couch starts being more spring than fabric. And we makeover our lives with every birth, death, and marriage.

With new style and a jazzy new name I’m proud to introduce, “The Craft of Writing Fiction.”

Now, I know, you LOVE Writer’s Round-About. And we’re still the same great resource for writers in every genre but I hope you’ll be as excited about our new direction as I am.

WRA Was Great, Why Change?

Writer’s Round-About has been fantastic for three years now. Earlier this month I announced our third birthday with a 3rd birthday bash and great prizes (you still have a chance to get your entries in so go do that right now and then come back and finish reading) and every year I feel the site grow, change, and reach for a greater future. But, for some reason, it seemed to plot along rather than gaining the momentum I’ve always felt this site deserved. We were a great little site but it was always a battle for recognition. Lets face it, “Writer’s Round-About” isn’t a very compelling name so how could we expect great things from it?

In fact, “all in a name” is where I started when I tried to figure out exactly why WRA struggled for every viewer. It certainly wasn’t the content. Every weekday our writers bring us a smashing new post full of wisdom, insight, and experience. They cover a range of writing-related topics from freelancing to fiction. The quality of writing at WRA is excellent and I’m very proud of the contributors who have stepped up to write regular content.

It wasn’t in the design or the search engine optimization either. I’ve done enough work in this field and had a hand in creating some fantastically productive sites. I used my knowledge and experience in every aspect of Writer’s Round-About and I constantly tweaked the optimization to create a strong foundation for driving search traffic.

But something was missing…

Running the Numbers.

Then a friend talked about how she had recently had a Numerology report done and was amazed at how the numbers reflected her to perfection. I’ve always been fascinated with Numerology too and I’ve noticed from readings I’ve had for myself and read of others how remarkably accurate they can be. So, out of curiosity I ran the numbers for Writer’s Round-About. And, they were dismal.

I ran the numbers of a few other sites I know of and the ones that outperformed the others also had better Numerological standing. Interesting…

When you consider how important it is to write compelling titles, use strong headings, and select the right word each and every word we write is it any wonder that a name and domain name could also have impact on the potential growth and development of a site, product, or book?

More than Numbers and more than a Name…

WRA’s numbers were terrible. And I knew that the name and domain name ranked horribly based on the training I’ve had over the years since I created the site with market research, niche marketing, and keyword placement. It was time to approach things as I would any other site I’d consider designing now. Like a professional and from the very bedrock of the site’s foundation.

I spent hours researching with my favorite niche market research and SEO tool, Market Samurai. I ran permutations of potential names and browsed their Numerological reports. I consider exactly what direction I wanted Writer’s Round-About to take and like magic, a new name and a new direction drove forth.

Color Me Blue – For Communication, Learning, and Growth

Another change I’ve made is in the color scheme. You see, I LOVE purple. And when I first created Writer’s Round-About it was a site just for me. I wrote about whatever I wanted to write about and I really didn’t care if anyone read it. The site was my baby and I liked to feel comfortable and at home in it, surrounded by all the things I love.

Did you know that color has meaning and power? Do you know what power the color purple has? Do you know where its strengths lay? Purple is about higher learning, spiritual connection, and open-mindedness. And when I first created Writer’s Round-About those things were a big part of the sites purpose. Now we’re more about teaching, learning, and community.

Blue is about communication, learning, and growth. It’s about developing a voice and sharing knowledge. Blue is about never being afraid to say what you think and feel, to take command of your voice and your right to use it. It’s about having something worth saying and sharing it with the world. That’s what writers are about too.

And that’s what The Craft of Writing Fiction is about.

Introducing The Craft of Writing Fiction

So, without further ado, I’d love to introduce you to, “The Craft of Writing Fiction”. We’re still Writer’s Round-About deep within our souls but we’re so much more than that too. And we want to develop a powerful presence, an inspirational community, and a go-to resource for writers.

The new domain name, craftingfiction.com also has a strong sense of purpose and commitment. It is a strong foundation for growth and expansion. It’s forward thinking and innovative. It’s driven to succeed and we are too.

You’ll see other smaller changes over the coming days and weeks as I streamline the transformation from Writer’s Round-About to The Craft of Writing Fiction. There are a lot of stages involved and one of them includes going backwards through our hundreds of posts to clean up any lingering remnants of our old name. I’ll also be restructuring our categories again and working on search engine optimization at every level of the site.

So, please, bare with me through the teething stages of our metamorphosis. If you notice any errors, glitches, or strangeness, please contact me.

Meanwhile, what do you think of The Craft of Writing Fiction? Share your thoughts and impressions in the comments. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Are you excited about our new look, our new name, our new direction?

Guess who’s turning 3?

That’s right!
The Craft of Writing Fiction is celebrating it’s third birthday this month. We’re giving away some awesome prizes. So keep reading to find out how you can win!

Wow, can you believe it’s been three years already? Around this time each year, The Craft of Writing Fiction grows and changes. We reflect on what worked, and what didn’t. We consider you, our readers, what you’ve loved, what you’ve hated, where you’d like to see us go from here, and how you can win prizes. If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you.

After a strong three years support from freelancers, I’d like to focus our thoughts this year toward Fiction and the Craft of Writing.

Last year we opened the floor to writer’s from around the world and became a true “collaborative blogging project”. The contributions so far have been fantastic. As we look forward to the year ahead I’d like to extend a special invitation to fiction writers, especially those who are interested in promoting their books. There are so many fantastic reasons to get involved and it goes beyond the opportunity to win prizes. Find out exactly “Why YOU Should Write For The Craft of Writing Fiction“.

Becoming a contributing author isn’t the only way you can promote your books here either. Ask me about our blog tours, author interviews, and book review opportunities.

So, want to know what you can win?

To kick off another year with style we’re giving you fantastic win prizes. Writers will absolutely LOVE these goodies. Trust me, I know, because I’ve loved them all myself and recommend them any chance I get. There are three prize packs and lots of ways to enter so there is no excuse not to get involved and spread the word.

1st Place [valued over $100]

• Anthemion‘s Writer’s Cafe Software with Storylines



• AND “How To Create Believable Characters” from Men With Pens
• AND “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
• AND Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

2nd Place [valued over $40]

• “How To Create Believable Characters” from Men With Pens
• AND “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
  OR Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

3rd Place [valued over $19]

• “The Unlimited Freelancer” from Mason Hipp and James Chartrand
  OR Problogger‘s “31 Days To Build A Better Blog“

How do you get your hands on this booty?

Because I like to give as many people as many chances to win prizes as possible there are lots of ways you can enter. Some methods are worth more than others based on the effort required but it’s worth making a little extra effort to increase your odds.

1. Leave a comment listing your top 5 all-time favorite CF posts. (5 entries)
2. Write a blog post on your own blog: (10 entries)
   • Fiction Writers: a fiction story about a birthday
   • Non-Fiction Writers: interesting non-fiction birthday facts

   You must include a link back announcing this contest to your readers.

3. Stumble this contest with StumbleUpon (2 entries)
4. Share this contest via Twitter. (max 1 entry in 12 hours totaling 2 entries per day)
5. Share this contest with Plurk. (max 1 entry in 12 hours totaling 2 entries per day)
6. Share this contest on Facebook. (max 1 entry in 12 hours totaling 2 entries per day)
7. Add @laffarsmith on Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook. (1 entry per network)
   • leave a comment if you were already my friend on any of those networks for a free entry.

Remember to come back here and leave a comment to let me know you’ve done any of the above. If you forget you can’t win prizes!

What about rules? Any of those?

Actually, not a whole lot. I’m going to reserve the right to disqualify for unsportsmanlike behavior. But anyone can enter and anyone can win. There are no limits on age, gender, or location. You can tell all your friends and talk them into entering even if they don’t want the prizes so that you can score them. You can bribe people to help you win. You can shamelessly promote the contest. So long as you’re keeping it fun and lively then you rock!

I guess the only really important rule is the deadline. We’re going to rock up those entries for three party-hard weeks! So you still have a chance to win prizes but only if you hurry! Entries close Friday June 25th 2010.

And YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT when you complete any of the above ways to enter so that I know you’re entered and can track all of your entries.

One final note before you go.

I’m sponsoring this contest myself but I’m hoping to offer more contests in the future and want to invite prize donations and competition sponsors to step up and help me out. If you’re an author would you consider giving away a copy of your book? Do you make cool pens? Do you ship wicked gadgets and gizmos? I’d love to plug your stuff and your business in exchange for the opportunity to give some goodies to the thousands of CF readers eager to win prizes.

Ok, now bring on those entries!

Let’s get this party started!

Don’t forget to leave your comments below when you enter!

It’s time! Time to draw the results for this month’s contest and your chance to win “Book by Book, the complete guide to creating mother-daughter book clubs” (Seal Press, October 2009) by Cindy Hudson. It was wonderful to have Cindy visit us last week and very generous of her and Seal Press for offering us a copy of Book by Book for this give away.

But, without further ado, lets announce the WINNER!

With a result of “3″ drawn from Random.Org‘s random number generator we offer congratulations to…

I’ll email you shortly, Kelly, to get your postal details so we can get your book out to you soon.

Thank you to those who entered. I’m hoping to put together a fresh new contest each and every month now so I hope you’ll stay tuned for June’s contest.

Want to suggest the prizes for upcoming contests? Let me know what you’d like to win or offer your ideas for contests we could host in the future, leave a comment! And don’t forget to add your congratulations to Kelly!

Jennifer Greenleaf visits WRA!

You might have known her before as Jenn Hollowell, a talented a Maine-based freelance writer and author who married in 2009 and became Jennifer Greenleaf. This weekend she’s promoting four titles through a virtual book-tour and signing.

Writer’s Roundabout contributor, Dawn Allcot, had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer who has been writing for 10 years, and has much to share with both aspiring writers and professionals about organization, discipline, marketing and more. You can read more about her books on her blog, 12 Publications in 12 Months.

You’ve got a virtual book-signing going on this weekend. Can you tell us what that is and how you got the idea to do it?

I’ve decided to create a virtual book signing for a couple of reasons… Touring around to do face-to-face book signings just isn’t in the cards right now.  The next reason is because I wanted to open this opportunity to those who are living in other states, and even foreign countries.  For those who purchase any one of my books before or during the designated dates, they will receive a custom-made signed bookplate.

I heard of another author doing this years ago, but their name escapes me.  I remember participating in the signing, which was coupled with a message board discussion, and thinking it was a great idea.  Not only was this author able to reach their audience in real time, but they were also able to do it from the comfort of their own home.  This is a win-win situation for everyone, as far as I’m concerned.

Any other unique marketing ideas to promote the sales of your newest titles?

For the “While we’re Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book” series, I plan to send messages to Head Start and Advocates for Parents (and other related groups and organizations) about these titles. I used to serve on the policy council for the Head Start program when my children were pre-school aged, so I’m able to tap into that marketing avenue with a “familiar name.”

For all the titles as a whole, I’m going to schedule once per month virtual book signings (because several more titles are releasing throughout 2010). That way, each title can have its own custom bookplate and customers who missed out on previous signings will have the opportunity to participate again.

What are some of your most effective marketing strategies?

Social networking has been playing a huge roll in my marketing strategies. I’ve been able to use the “fan pages” on Facebook.com quite effectively in terms of creating events, sharing photos, sharing information about book progress, as well as links.  I’ve also found benefit in using Twitter.com to get the word out about my books, and book related events.  There are dozens more networks I plan to tap into as the year progresses.

Many experts tell writers they need a niche to build a platform, etc. Each of your books is in a different niche. Was that a conscious decision?

It was because I don’t want to lock myself into one particular topic. I enjoy flexibility, and I want to continue having the opportunity to write about whatever interests me.  I agree building a platform is important, and I’ll do that by building my name, rather than just one book.  I’m hoping that, when people hear the name Jennifer Greenleaf they’ll correlate that with “life” topics, rather than just one niche.

Has it been easier to market four very diverse titles at once, or has that been a challenge?

At first I felt challenged because I didn’t know which direction to take first.  It wasn’t until I was invited on to the 92 Moose Morning Show, and then Elemental Musings BlogTalk Radio Show that I decided to keep the titles in a group for the time being.  Then, I’ll branch out into segmented marketing efforts geared specifically to art, parenting, and travel.

Your goal is 12 publications in 12 months, and you’re well on your way. How do you stay so prolific?

I don’t believe in locking myself into one specific niche because I feel I’m missing out on opportunities for expanded success.  If the topic interests me, you can be sure I’ll be writing about it in the form of articles, blog posts, or books.  I’m an avid learner, and I’m also looking for more ways to educate my children; so writing has helped me achieve that in a very gratifying way.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

I’m a mixed-media artist, and am frequently looking for opportunities to add creativity to my daily routine.  I love painting, using photographs in art, and working on collages.  This is another aspect of my life my children also enjoy doing with me, again further inspiring me!

Jennifer Greenleaf is visiting us this weekend and is happy to answer your questions. If you’d like to know more about Jennifer’s books, her experiences in publishing, or her years as a writer leave your comments below. Dawn continues with Jennifer tomorrow but in the meantime, check out her books:

• While We’re Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book (Volume 1)
• While We’re Still Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book (Volume 2)
• Maine Living: One Writer’s Perspective (Volume 1)
• 101 Mixed-Media Art Projects, How-To’s and Ideas: A Beginner’s Guide

“Each book has its own custom bookplate designed and signed by Jennifer Greenleaf. All customers have to do is forward their receipt to Jennifer once the purchase has been made, and then they will receive their signed bookplate. The email you need to use in order to receive your custom bookplate is jgbooksigning@aol.com“. So get yourself the book or books of your choice and get in touch with Jennifer.

Later this month, Sue William Silverman, author of “Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir” is visiting Writer’s Round-About as she travels the Web on her August Blog Tour hosted by Wow! Women On Writing. But before she gets here, I need YOUR help!

When Angela and Jodi of Wow! asked if I would take part in Sue’s blog tour this August I knew I wanted to be involved but I wanted to do more than just review “Fearless Confessions”. I wanted to give Sue as much launch as WRA could offer and not just for her book but the whole idea of writing fearlessly! As many regular WRA readers know, I’m a writer frequently plagued by fear and the idea of taking fear out of the writing experience appeals to me. What is the real secret to writing Fearless Confessions and can Sue’s guidance regarding memoir be taken into other writing genres?

Questions! The questions that sprung to mind compelled me to ask Sue to meet with me for an interview. But, to be honest, I’ve not had much experience with interviewing. That is where you come in. Sue is making herself available to our questions, I have a few of my own but would love to include your questions in my interview. What would you like to ask Sue? Do you have any questions about writing with fear?

As if having this opportunity to ask you questions might not be enough I want to give a copy of “Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir” to one special WRA Reader. I don’t know how many of your questions we will be able to include in the interview (hopefully Sue will have time to answer any that are not covered when she visits) but one of the questions submitted and selected for the interview will earn a copy of Sue’s book.

It really is that easy. Ask your questions in the comments between now and August 17th and you could win!

Earlier this month, Writer’s Round-About had the opportunity to talk to MaAnna Stephenson about her new eBook series, “Just The FAQs”. It is wonderful to be able to share this interview.

It is such a pleasure to have this opportunity to talk about your new eBook series, Just the FAQs. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

1. First, what prompted you to write the “Just the FAQs” series of eBooks?

I took four years off from developing sites to do the research for my book The Sage Age – Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom, which was featured in Publishers Weekly. When I began creating an online presence for that book, things on the Internet had changed and Web 2.0 had become popular. I wasted a lot of days trying to find clear resources to learn what I needed to know to get caught up with the new technology. Since that process was difficult for someone with my background, I knew it would be a nightmare for non-geeks. I simply documented the steps as I went through them and that’s where the material for Just the FAQs eBooks originated. I made sure that they were clear, to the point, and easy to understand for folks who had no prior technical experience.

2. What do you feel is the most important fact these books give readers?

I believe the most important thing these books impart is a sense of confidence built on a solid education so that folks feel very comfortable creating an online presence for themselves that works right the first time and gets results.

3. Who would most benefit from reading these books?

The books are beneficial to anyone who is just starting out with online marketing and wants to promote a product or share news with a target audience. Or, if you’ve been blogging for a while but don’t know if you’re getting the most out of your blog or are confused about how to best use RSS feeds, the eBooks can help take you to the next level. The new classes also teach advanced tips and tricks not covered in the eBooks. Also, folks who already have invested in a nice static site that is tied to their shopping cart but have never blogged can integrate a blog into their site very easily. The eBooks will help them get started on the right foot with that.

4. You’ve taken to Web design and marketing alongside your writing.
How important do you feel it is for professional writers and
freelancers to learn the fundamentals of internet use or the more advanced aspects of Web design?

An online presence is critically important to all writing professions now, therefore, it is almost mandatory that folks learn at least the most basic skills of how to make the Internet work for them. This will include becoming familiar with HTML code, not just for their own site, but to enhance posts they make on other sites that will help get them noticed and stand out from the crowd. Also, new widgets are being created every day that are handy tools that help make managing on online marketing campaign easier and more efficient. Knowing how to work with some of the code to customize them to suit your needs is helpful. Those are part of the advanced tips and tricks I teach in the classes.

5. What sort of impact do you feel the online world has had or will have on the future of writing and publishing?

Digital media is the future of writing and publishing, just as it has been for the music industry for the last several years. Increasingly more folks are viewing online or downloading digital media, whether that is music, podcasts, or videos. The popularity of the Kindle and other digital readers are increasing the demand for more writing content in digital format. Fewer folks are purchasing the tangible medium these days, as we’ve seen with the decline of paper subscriptions to newspapers and magazines in favor of the online only editions. However, I believe some print material will remain for at least the next few decades, including reference books and study material. However, most college students own a laptop and use the school’s digital library and resources everyday, so the trend toward digital reference media will continue to grow.

6. Along with reading your eBooks, where would you recommend a writer begin learning about creating an online presence?

There are literally hundreds of thousands of folks who claim to be gurus on this topic and I’ve been fortunate to develop relationships with some really wonderful folks who are degreed in marketing and help folks develop strategies that work for their product. So, even though there are a lot of people who can teach you how to write an exciting blog post that gets attention and results, there are very few folks who teach the basics of the technical aspects of creating a blog and using all the whistles and bells of it. I’ve attended many teleclasses where the host is giving out the most wonderful information about blogging, but so much of it goes over the heads of the participants because they don’t understand the lingo or know how to install some widget. I’ve found very few sites or other resources that give clear, concise information about the basics in a step-by-step manner where folks can build on their knowledge. In fact, when I first heard about RSS feeds, it took two days of intense searching for me to have a full understanding of what they were and how to get the most out of them. I had to visit multiple sites to finally piece together that there are three components to RSS feeds. I’m posting new articles on the Resources page of Just the FAQs every week or so to help others avoid that frustrating and time-wasting search and to teach folks what they need to know to get started.

7. I love the smart and fun presentation of the Just the FAQs eBooks.
What went into making each of the books? Do you follow a particular process when creating a new eBook?

Thanks, I had a lot of fun creating them. I’ve written several types of technical documents, including engineering change orders, training manuals for technicians, and end user manuals. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to include colors and symbols and make it fun and appealing to the more creatively-minded folks. I’m a woodcarver, multi-instrumentalist, and composer and I hang out with all sorts of creative folks, so I know how they think and what they like. In fact, I asked a few of my artistic buddies, who don’t feel very comfortable with techie things, to proofread the eBooks. They gave them a thumb’s up for ease of use and fun without being silly or verbose.

I’ve been an electronics engineer for so long that documenting a process as I go through it is simply second nature. Because finding the information was such an arduous task, I wanted to ensure that I had good notes for my own use. When my editor for The Sage Age heard that I was doing this, she began asking questions about her own sites, including her blogs and feeds. I sent her the documentation and she strongly suggested I consider publishing them. They are all step-by-step guides and all have the same color coding, symbols and layout.

The websites book is a little different. It’s written more in prose format and was developed from my years of experience working with clients, especially clients who came to me to completely redesign their site. They had no idea what they were getting into with the first one and made a lot of very expensive mistakes, including losing the copyright to the entire content of their site or not being able to get control of their domain name to point it to a new site. The book is full of information that will help you avoid these mistakes and create a site that both looks great and functions in a way that gets results. (I love your site, by the way. It’s very well done!) The websites book also contains the three worksheets I gave my clients to help them organize and gather the content for the site, which most folks get bogged down in doing because it seems so overwhelming. The only thing they had thought about before hiring a designer was making it look pretty. That’s only skin deep. You have to create content and functional aspects that capture your audience and drive them through the site. It’s the same reason grocery stores put the bakery up front, the meat counter at the back, and the dairy section on the last aisle.

8. We all began somewhere and I know from my own experiences that learning how to build websites and become known online often requires a great deal of trial and error. What sort of mistakes did you make as you learned the answers to the FAQs you share in your eBooks and how
have they helped you develop your skills?

Years of developing sites for non-profit organizations taught me a lot about being in the business of site development. They always wanted something that I didn’t yet know how to do, so I was constantly being challenged to learn and try new things. Of course, being an engineer or in any other technological field is that way. You may graduate, but you never get out of school.

I think the biggest challenge most everyone faces now is how to effectively and efficiently use an online marketing strategy. There are simply too many ways to market online to do them all. It’s important to develop a strategy that is a good fit for you and your product and have a site that lends itself to that strategy. At first it was important to develop a static website as an online brochure. Later, it became popular to post news on a blog as a way to drive traffic to your site. Now, you have to use micro-blogging and social network sites to drive traffic to your blog, which, for many folks, is integrated into the static site. The next wave that is already getting red hot is to use video clips on your site and in articles.

9. Creating a website, writing a blog, and developing a presence in article directories are all fantastic ways to build a writers brand.
With new opportunities becoming available on the Web every day, what else do you suggest a writer get involved in to develop their skill and personal brand?

As stated previously, videos are the next big thing. YouTube has created a culture of folks that want to watch instead of read. Internet radio and podcasting has created a culture of folks that want to listen on their iPod while they’re doing other things, like driving. So, it’s not enough to simply deliver great content now. The culture is demanding that it be entertaining and/or convenient too. Fortunately, there are lots of free applications that allow folks to create this type of content for themselves. Because of that, most of what’s on YouTube, internet radio, and podcasts is not produced by professionals nor is it always edited. It has a genuine, almost folk-feel to it. And that’s the key. The reason this low-budget production content is so well received is because of the cultural shift away from hard-sell marketing tactics to soft-sell, people oriented ways of building relationships between the seller and their target audience. It’s a natural extension of Web 2.0 and social media marketing, which is credited with creating two-way conversations between seller and buyer.

I’m moving in that direction with Just the FAQs. I introduced a podcast series a few months ago. Video articles and instructions are next on the to-do list.

10. You’ve already created several fantastic resources but I know most writers often think ahead to the next mountain. What are you working on now? Will you be adding new eBooks to the “Just the FAQs” series?

Besides the videos, I’ll be exploring WordPress this summer. My background was in enterprise level sites for businesses, but WordPress offers a lot of advantages for authors, musicians, and artists. I want to learn it at a developer’s level so I can create custom templates and widgets as well as add other functionality to it that’s not included with the original code. I’ll be expanding the eBook series to include the same type of information for WordPress that I’ve already done for Blogger, which is a much better platform for a small business to integrate a blog into their existing site very inexpensively without a huge learning curve. I’ll also be expanding the advanced section of the classes with this information too. I’ve considered doing a free teleclass at least once a month to help folks get started with the basics because I work with several editors and other marketing guru folks who need a little help getting their clients up to speed with the technology so they can help the client develop the rest of their marketing strategy.

Thank you so much for your time, MaAnna.

Thank you for the opportunity. You have great questions and it was a pleasure to answer them. I hope your readers find them informative.

MaAnna is visiting us at WRA today so if you have more questions of your own please leave them in the comments.

Each time a blog visitor comments on any or all of the blog stops, they will be entered in a random drawing for two free Just the FAQs classes. Not only that, but every commenter is a winner and will receive a copy of MaAnna Stephenson’s e-book the Quick Step Guide. If you haven’t already read her books, be sure to pick up the series at MaAnna’s Site, Just The FAQs.