I’ve heard lots of authors complaining about someone raining on their parade. You post a blog with news about your life or a new contract–even a work in progress. And you’re hoping for positive feedback from readers and fellow authors alike. The feedback IS almost always positive, but have you ever noticed that there is always an author here and there who will—come hell or high water—blatantly promote on YOUR blog with their comment?
These authors are in constant promo-mode and defy the unspoken rule of blog etiquette. Now most of what is said in comments is congratulatory or uplifting in nature, but these promo queens turn the blog topic around, whatever it is, and make it all about them somehow. Yeah, they try their best to upstage the poster.
The cardinal rule of blogging and commenting is this: THOU SHALT NOT PROMO THYSELF ON ANOTHER AUTHOR’S BLOG UNLESS REQUESTED TO DO SO.Yeah, wait until the blogger invites you to guest blog, why don’t you?
Not too long ago, a very upset author emailed me about this. She could not fathom the idea of someone commenting to HER blog all about THEIR big news and upstaging her announcement. Neither can I. Other times these promo queens–and kings, cause I’ve seen the guys do it too–will actually go so far as to mention the titles of their books and even leave buy links. But even if they don’t do that, they are pretty crafty in nature–or at least think they are–and find other ways to promote themselves. They have a way of taking the spotlight off of the poster and shining it on them.
What they don’t understand is that what they deem to be genius promo tactics isn’t winning them any brownie points with the blogger OR other commenters. Trust me, everyone notices it, rolls their eyes, and thinks: “there she/he goes again.” Yeah, again. Cause these type of commenters do garner a reputation for what they are doing after a while. People see it happen over and over again and wince every time they see that author’s name. So if you are one of those little rain clouds on your fellow author’s blog, take a step back and think before you post all about yourself and your own work. It’s not as well-received or welcome as you think it is.
I have some pretty big news of my own coming up soon. Well, I may not announce for several weeks yet. Got way too much on my plate and things are still getting sorted out. But when I do announce, and one of these rain clouds comes along, I’m going to simply smile, delete their comment, and move on. Hey! They asked for it.
On another note, Faith Bicknell-Brown, author and editor, owner of the Avoid Writers’ Hell Workshop, posted here at FAB yesterday about some upcoming news. She’s decided to close the AWH workshop in favor of posting lessons from the AWH blog. I think it’s a good idea as the lessons will be archived and much easier to access. Members and non-members alike will be able to ask questions or have discussion in general on the blog in the comment section. Faith will leave the sister group–AWH Chatters open for Monday promos, general chatter, and lesson announcements. So if you haven’t joined Chatters yet, now is your time to do so. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/avoidwritershellchatters
June 15th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I don’t make to a lot of blogs, and when I do. I normally congratulate and get back to work. I do see it on loops all the time. Which is to me another breech of etiquette. If a particular house is promoting there’s nothing worse than tons of promo coming through interrupting chats or threads during their time.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:42 am
I’m there with you Tess. It drives me nuts to see an author posting their news on top of someone else’s unless they are asked.
Congrats on your news, whatever it is since you are still keeping it a secret.
Congrats to Faith too on her news as well.
Sandy
June 15th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Promoting ones self in comments on someones blog is thoughtless, not to mention in bad taste, unless invited to do so. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
But I’m sure they’ll keep doing what they’re doing, because they really don’t care.
Can’t wait to hear your good news!
June 15th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
There are some people who would promote themselves at a funeral. I also don’t think the ones who do it will ever seen themselves in your post. Too egocentric.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
You see this on the chat loops, too and it drives me crazy. People who always manage to turn the conversation to themselves. It’s so obvious when this happens too. Just hard to keep from rolling eyes and saying…here he/she goes AGAIN.
Regina Carlysle´s last blog ..Countdown to Eagle’s Refuge Begins
June 15th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
OMG this happened to me this morning and I was just thinking about it this week too! It annoys the heck out of me, but I thought it was just me LOL
Anyway thanks for the post!
June 15th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
It happens. I think I’ve been guilty of it myself on the loops a few times. And I got drive-by promo’ed in the comments on my last post here on FAB.
Some people aren’t content to let others get their due attention, unfortunately, and some just figure “I’m a writer, I have to promo my azz off to get the sales.”
And some people don’t like to see anyone happy, so they have to wreck it.
Good post, Tess!
Karenna Colcroft´s last blog ..Getting Organized
June 15th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I agree! I’ve even seen it on a lot of the groups I’m on. Someone has great news and then it’s like, “Congrats to you. Oh, and let me tell you about meeeeeee….blah, blah, blah.” Self-centered.
Good blog. Oh, and let me tell you about…..lmao Nah.
Can’t wait to hear your news.
June 15th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Can’t wait to hear your good news, Tess.
Too bad about AWH yahoo group. But at least lessons will still be posted on the blog, so AWH will still be posting lessons, just in a different media.
Janice~
June 15th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Hi Tess:
Mostly I read blogs without making comment, but I have definitely seen what you are talking about. I could name names, but I won’t. Your point about people remembering names is quite valid. I’ve reached a point where I delete the postings from certain authors without opening them, because I know in advance they are advertisements and nothing more.
Jim
Jim Hatch´s last blog ..James L. Hatch added a new photo to the My Photos album.
June 15th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Hi Hales,
Yes, I agree. It’s done on loops all the time too. But I generally consider loops “public property”. When an author blogs, it belongs to them specifically. Now that doesn’t make it right on loops either. And it definitely happens. I see it constantly. But the way an author promotes on a blog is by leaving a comment. Other commenters do click on their names and try to find out about them. But those that engage in upstaging the poster aren’t getting themselves as far as they think.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
lol Congrats are a little early yet, Sandy. But thank you anyway. Very gracious of you. There are still issues to be worked out.
And again, you’ve seen the same thing happen that everyone else has. Would it kill these promo queens and kings to consider their fellow authors? Apparently so.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
You are so right, Lisa. It is very thoughtless. But I suppose it all has to do with the make up of these type individuals in the first place. It’s all about them. No one else counts.
And my secret isn’t far off. lol But I’m waiting for it all to be finalized first.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
LOL Pat! You are sooooo right. They’d find a way to do it come hell or high water. I keep expecting one of them to pop up on this blog and say something along the lines of: “I posted on this very topic myself not too long ago. I had thirty two comments. Everyone thought I was so insightful.” And then, of course, leave the blog link. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? lol
And Pat? Sadly no. They would never think they have done any wrong. Never see themselves as being one of the offending commenters or posters on loops. But we all know who they are. And like someone said below—they are on auto-delete.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Hiya Regina! You and I have talked about this before. But is it just me, or is it getting worse? In one way it comes across as just rude and in another way it seems desperate. Regardless, it’s wrong.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
No Sandi, it wasn’t just you. It’s becoming a big big topic in romancelandia these days. More and more authors are finding themselves on auto-delete for engaging in these type of promo tactics. It takes so little energy to simply be polite and thoughtful. I can’t imagine the amount of energy they expend to concoct ways to upstage other authors.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Exactly, Laura. Your post is basically just a whisper, and then it is all about them. And like Pat said, they would never even think that this blog is about them.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Hi Janice. Thank you. I’m still sorting it all out. But I’m pretty happy. I feel like I am finally on track. And I think AWH is going to do well with the lessons on the blog. Easier for authors to access overall. And I’ll still be around, in and out occasionally.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Hi Jim. Like you, I don’t always post to blogs but I read quite a few. And quite frankly, I always read the comments. And if I see an author upstaging the poster, I generally by pass the blog too. You’re like me. I have a good memory for the offenders. I think a lot of authors do.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I so agree, Karenna. Some people just like raining on other’s parades. And I’ve never seen you upstage an author, girlie. It’s not in you to do something like that.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 15th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I try not to comment much beyond my blogger pals’ blogs and they aren’t in this industry. As Karenna said, it’s easy enough to slip when you’re busy and stressed and you want to leave a comment and you chose the wrong comment to make… “Oh, I understand how you must have stressed waiting to hear. I’m going through the same thing with XYZ publisher.” It happens. It doesn’t always mean someone did it with malicious intent.
However, there are people who just dump those sorts of things on loops and in comments constantly. They’re all over Facebook, Twitter, and every loop and blog all day long every day. Some people call that making good use of social media to drive sales. I’m sure other people think it’s being annoying.
Congrats on the big news, whatever it may be! I’m sure it’s richly deserved!
Lex Valentine´s last blog ..Lunch With Lex
June 15th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Hi Tess! Took me a while to get here as it’s nearly 10:30 PM, but my lovely new “server” only works when it feels like it.
I know what you mean about some authors promo’ing on someone’s blog posts when they shouldn’t. I’ve had it happened to me recently too. I guess it’s the coat tails thing, but it’s still very annoying.
And Pat…LMAO! Your comment cracked me up!
Faith´s last blog ..Out of the Blue
June 16th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Wow…your blog made me think about some of my responses. Sometimes I comment and relate it to one of my books or some experience I’ve gone through in the industry. Never thought about how this would be looked upon as overshadowing the blogger’s news. I’ll have to be more careful and make sure I don’t do this.
Perhaps others like me may leave a comment and the “promo” aspect of our messages are really accidental.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Good post. Now let me tell you about my ….just kidding.
June 16th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Hiya Lex!
Actually, I think it is perfectly fine for authors to share their experiences when a blogger basically talks about something that has happened to them or explores a subject matter that calls for it. Nothing at all wrong with that. But even in those posts, some authors go too far. They still find a way to turn the spotlight on themselves.
As for FB and Twitter, etc? Well, as long as the blogger is posting from their own page, it’s really no different than blogging in my book. Now if they go to someone else’s page and constantly post their promo, that’s where I’d have to draw the line. I don’t really mind seeing links tweeted or the announcement of a new book or one on sale. That’s an accepted format of these social networking sites.
Heck, I even think that on groups you can get away with it more so than on another author’s blog. But it gets old real quick.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 16th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Well, it took me a while to get here today. lol Hi Faith.
You know, I hadn’t really considered the coattails thing. But now that you mention it, that may play into this. They see a blogger getting attention and try to grab it. Of course they try to grab it all along, but if one is getting lots of comments, they rush to that blog, don’t they?
And someone mentioned to me in a private email how some of these same authors are name droppers too. They always know this person or that person. This editor or that editor. They seem to sidle up to other authors hoping or thinking–erroneously so–that the author’s success will somehow rub off on them. Interesting way to look at it. But hell, we deal with those kinds of hangers on in real life too, don’t we?
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 16th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Hi Marianne,
Judging by the tone of your comment, I seriously doubt you’ve stepped on anyone’s toes. As for these type of upstaging comments being accidental?
I’d have to disagree. Sure maybe once or twice, an author in their zest to promote a book would do something like this. But there are those out there who have the reputation for doing it every single time. And that’s no accident.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest
June 16th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Caroline! Too funny. That’s the way to work it, girlie. Prompted me to visit your website. Gotta love an author with a sense of humor. And OMG, your sense of humor translates into your writing too!
Love your Southern style and your sense of humor is something else, lady. I had to take a look at your free read. It was so funny. Loved it!
Anyone who reads these comments should run on over to Caroline Clemmons’ website and check her out. Hey! It’s okay to promo on my own blog post! LOL
Gonna have to buy your books, Caroline. Yes, I am.
Tess MacKall´s last blog ..Winner of the Big Fat Liar’s Contest