Month: March 2019

Hello, and happy Friday.  Thanks for coming back to my little corner of the webosphere.  Today, I wanted to share my thoughts about audiobooks. I just read…errm, listened to my first one. It is with mixed emotions (feeling unreasonably melodramatic today) that I share my thoughts with you.  Book review on the audio book in question will be coming soon…so stay tuned!

To keep things simple, I am segregating my thoughts into a pros and cons evaluation.  

Pros:

1. My audiobook was free!  I mean it doesn’t get any better than that.  If you download the audible application, an amazon company, to your phone, your first book is free. Score! I have noticed too that on amazon audiobooks are frequently less expensive than the other formats.
2. For time constrained people (aren’t we all?!) they are convenient.  You can listen to them in the car while driving to work or any other destination.  You can turn one on while cooking, folding laundry, or any other everyday task.
3. Audiobooks are eco-friendly.  I hear this is all the rage.
4. They will bring you, and Marie Kondo ‘joy’, as they take up no space.
5. They are a welcome break for your eyes, especially if you sit in front of a computer all day.
6. If you have vision problems and love to read, your problem is solved.

Cons:

1. For a book reading snob like me, who really has no reason to be one except that I feel like I am, reading a tangible book makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.  There is nothing quite like cozying up on the couch with a soft blanket, a cup of honey-sweetened chamomile tea, and a good book at night. The audiobook did not have that effect on me. Maybe I will adjust. When I was first gifted a kindle, I didn’t want to use a tablet for a book. I wanted to turn actual pages, and look at a drawing on an actual piece of paper.  Weird, I know.
2. When I read something in a book that has an impact on me, I stop for a moment.  You don’t get to do that with an audiobook. It just keeps right on going.
3. Usually you cannot share audiobooks, and I love sharing a favorite read with a friend or family member.
4. I don’t know if all audiobooks sound alike as I have only read…there it is again, LISTENED to one, but the narrator on mine had a robotic undertone.  If you are into non-fiction, it probably wouldn’t bother you, as you are a fact seeker. The audiobook I am listening to now is non-fiction, but that is a rare read for me. I love fiction because of the way the novels transport me to another place, and I need emotion and feeling in that, not a robot.
5. In audiobooks it is a little tough to refer back to a place you want to find, though this is not a dealbreaker for me.

So, I know inquiring minds are dying to know if I will listen to an audiobook again (J/K I know you are in fact completely indifferent).  The answer is YES, of course I will. They fit into my perfect, crazy busy, life and I find them irreplaceable. Make no mistake though, a good ‘ole paperback will always have my heart.

What are your thoughts on audio books?  Have they made you into a reader when you were a non-reader?  Share your thoughts, even if it is to disagree with anything I have said.  

Have a wonderful weekend. See ya’ll soon.  Same bat time, same bat place.

Hello friends, hope you are having a wonderful and shiny day!

Today I wanted to talk to you about something still along the bookish lines.  In case you cannot tell by now, I am all about books and writing. It turns out, that as a writer of books in the age of social media, you can no longer just write books (surprise!).  With the prominence of social media and all sorts of other ‘techie vessels’, if you are not in the know, and not involved, you may struggle to become the successful author you wish to be.

So let’s delve into this a little bit.  When I first started writing my novel, I learned through the writing community I am enrolled in, that you should really have a blog if you would like to get published.  This blog becomes even more relevant if you are not a published author. Also, you would need to have several, or at least one (like me), social media platforms. A good follower count on the platform and social media accounts is a plus, and you use the blog/social media profile to promote your work as a writer or author.

It took me several weeks to become comfortable with the idea of blogging since my writing is so personal to me.  Then it took several more weeks to be comfortable with promoting it on social media. The thought of saying, “Hey look at me! Come read my blog.” mortified me.  I write stories about other people. Not myself. Still, I decided that my writing meant more, and getting it out to the world, to make the world a better place, meant the most. (Does that read as cheesy as it felt to write it?). All of this said, it was time to be a writer, and aspiring author, in today’s world.  The world of technology and social media.

In addition to blogging, and marketing yourself on social media platforms, a writer can create a youtube presence or a podcast.  Some authors have sworn that their podcasts are the sole inspiration for the work they write. How amazing is that? Also, the youtubers and podcasters obtain a following, and those people read/buy their books. But, what do you do when you do not consider yourself a speaker, or in the case of a youtube platform, a vlogger?  (I really feel about ten years too old to even use the term vlogger, but here I am, usin’ it.)

I cannot tell you how many days, I sit and wish, that I could just focus on my novels versus the necessary accouterments to it. Any other writers feel me on that?  Anyone feel that way about any of the work they are passionate about? Still, I found that I have really liked having this blog to connect with the folks who enjoy my posts. It also helps me remember why I started writing. So in that sense, the blog was a win-win for me (business casual terminology seemed to fit best here).

For those of you with the same ‘writer’s personality’ as mine, ie. introverted, I feel you. It is tough to ‘put yourself out there’. And no, not every writer is an introvert, contrary to stereotypical belief that they are.  Still, introverts, it is important to get your message or your story out to the world. So break down the walls, and be bold with those aspirations. We all want to hear you!!

What have been your experiences in writing, or in any creative fields, that seem to take away from your primary interest?  Have you found that over time you have developed an appreciation for any of those things? What other techie vessels can you think of that play a role in becoming a traditionally published author?  Please share your thoughts, I would love to know.