Gardening Naked with Hart Johnson, 300,000 in Book Sales, IWSG Co-Hosts, and Blogging Questions

Today I have the honor of welcoming a long-time blogger buddy and advocate for Naked World Domination, author Hart Johnson!

Gardening Naked

First, a GIANT thanks to Alex for having me! You're always a rock star!

So... you may or may not be aware that last Saturday was officially International Naked Gardening Day (proof with a full nudity warning). This was most unfortunate timing, and not just because several of my friends got snow that day.

You see... I'm the EMPRESS of naked, yet my second book, The Begonia Bribe, which is spot on with the gardening theme, didn't come out until TUESDAY—Totally missed an opportunity to promote both nakedness AND gardening!!!

But I think we should just declare an entire naked gardening SEASON.

You heard me... Get on out there and bond with nature the way nature intended.

Though to be clear, there are safety allowances where accessories are concerned. Gloves can be essential when dealing with thorns and thistles. And Crocs just make good sense if you have to shovel (save those toes!) Thorns, black widows and under-nail grime need not be your fears. Also, WEAR SUN SCREEN! For pete's sake, your skin hasn't seen the sun for months. Heck, depending on your typical prudery level, some parts may never have seen the sun.

And if you need an inspiring break from all that gardening, I have a book in mind... About a child beauty pageant, a lot of gardening and MURDER...

Hart (aka, Alyse Carlson) writes books from her bathtub and can be found at Confessions of a Watery Tart, on Facebook (author page, profile), Twitter, or Goodreads.

Book links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Thanks, Hart! Now, pass the SPF 100...

Ninja News

My awesome co-hosts for the June 5 posting of the IWSG will be Sheena-kay Graham, Suzanne Furness, and Laura Eno!

Want to be a successful Indie author? I know one author who has sold over 10,000 copies of her books, but this figure will knock your socks off. RaShelle Workman has sold over 300,000 copies of her books! Yes, that’s a three with five zeroes. You can visit her Amazon author page HERE to view all of her books. She'll visit here in June to do a guest post and share the secret of her success. RaShelle, you rock!

Today is the last day to post for the A to Z Challenge Reflections. Once you’ve posted yours, be sure to add it to the list HERE.

VikLit’s “Celebrating the Small Things” is today. I’m celebrating a week of normalcy after the A to Z Challenge. (My wife might be celebrating even more.) I’m also celebrating a couple key friendships I’ve made here online. You guys rock.

Blogging Questions

Does it sometimes amuse you what people will comment on? I always try to offer a variety in hopes everyone will find something of interest, but sometimes what people chose to comment on amuses me. Maybe I should post a section of the phone book just to see what people say?

Do you think people shy away from bloggers with large followings? Maybe they are intimidated to either follow or comment? Or they feel they won’t be noticed? I follow back anyone who follows (unless I can’t locate that person’s blog), respond to all comments, and try to comment on new followers’ blogs when possible.

Will you be gardening naked? Picked up Hart’s book? In awe of 300,000 books sold? (I am!) And what are your answers to the blogging questions?

Heading out for more fun this weekend – everyone enjoy!

Ms Bookish and One Year of Blogging!

Today I’m visiting Belle at Ms Bookish, who asked about my writing process. (And until now, I didn’t realize I had one.) So stop by her site and leave a comment. Or snark. Either one!

Yesterday was my blog’s one year anniversary. Wow, a whole year of blogging! I had no idea what to expect when I began, either. Now, 219 posts and 420 plus followers later, I think it’s damned cool! Thanks everyone for keeping me going.

And NaNo is going well. I'm right about on target. I'm not a fast typer and I'm taking my time, composing my words with care. Hit 14,881 last night.

I do miss everyone though...

How Do You Juggle?

Not the physical kind. I can do that. Not well, but I can keep three tennis balls going for a while.

I mean juggle everything else?

How do you find time to write? Time to blog? Time to actually live?

I knew this month would be difficult between my book release and virtual tour. I knew writing would slack for a while. That's why I signed up for NaNoWriMo.

Some days, it's overwhelming though. I'm starting to wonder if I will survive.

So how do you guys juggle everything? Some of you have hundreds of more followers than I do. Some of you have several books out. Some of you post daily and it's not just filler - you put a lot of work into it!

How on earth do you guys do it?

Joint Blogging Series - Post Topics and Relationships

I am joining Elana Johnson and Jennifer Daiker at Unedited this week for a series on blogging. Please visit their sites as well for some expert advice. As for me, I’ll just offer my humble advice and experience.

What to blog about? I think all new bloggers struggle at first. Hell, some days I don’t know what I’m going to say!

I winged it the first couple months before discovering my groove. There were some good posts and a few I just tossed out and prayed. I kept looking at other author and writer blogs and felt I had to do what they did in order to succeed.

Then one day while making changes to my layout, I took a long, hard look at my profile description. It finally hit me – I needed to blog about my passions.

I tweaked my profile description and began blogging on those subjects. Talk about relieving pressure! I now had permission to be myself. This was reflected in the quality of my posts, which in turn attracted more readers. I’ve heard more than once this isn’t a typical writer’s blog, but that’s okay. I’m not typical – I’m Alex! (The commenting Ninja!)

I think the key to successful blogging lies in one’s passions. If you’re excited, your readers will be as well.

The blogging community is about building relationships. We’ve walked into a party – now it’s time to mingle. We exchange ideas and thoughts, testing the waters. Those who share our kindred spirit become friends. We cheer one another on when something great happens and comfort when times are rough. And it’s through these friendships that we grow and change.

I never realized all this community had to offer until I became involved. Now that I’ve a whole army of friends behind me, I can declare it was worth the effort. And I am here to stay!

Joint Blogging Series - Comments

I am joining Elana Johnson and Jennifer Daiker at Unedited this week for a series on blogging. Please visit their sites as well for some expert advice. As for me, I’ll just offer my humble beginnings and advice.

Most bloggers crave comments. Our blog post sits there, ignored by the world, and then – a comment appears! We’re thrilled. We want more. We need more. It’s a matter of life or death!

Eh, maybe not that bad.

I’ve watched my comments grow this year from single digits to over fifty-five per post. While I’m still not sure how this happened (I swear I didn’t bribe anyone) I can tell you what I’ve done to encourage comments.

I follow and comment on a lot of blogs. My goal is a hundred a day. Some days I fall short. (I slack, I sleep in, I live my life – that sort of thing.) I usually comment on quite a few though. Now, while I enjoy the luxury of blogging from work in addition to blogging at home, I think every blogger can hit 2-3 dozen blogs a day.

I try to create interesting posts, ones that spark the interests of others. Sometimes I drift, but I try to stay within my basic topics as well. If it’s a passion of mine, I like to think that shines through in the post. I believe that’s the key, too. A blog can be about anything that excites the host, and it works as long as the posts reflect that fact. After all, excitement is contagious.

Posts that receive the most comments are the ones that encourage a response. Asking a question entices others to get involved in the discussion. Sometimes the individual comments here are longer than my post! But that’s great. Blogging is all about getting involved.

Okay, my movie posts garner a lot of comments, too. Guess my followers are just as geeked-out about movies as me!

I reply to commenters in my post, and you’d be surprised how many come back for a reply – and comment again.

Word verification turns off some people and they won’t comment. Enough said.

Participating in blogfests will draw comments, but you need to comment as well.

Contests are a big draw. I’ve held one contest and that post still holds the record for the most comments.

Finally, really big news draws comments. An event that rocks your world! When I posted my book trailer, everyone stopped by to comment on it. I don’t often post about my upcoming book, but it really made me feel good to receive so many words of encouragement.

I don’t think there’s any big secret to increasing comments. If you’re willing to do a lot of little things, then it will happen!

Joint Blogging Series - Followers

I am joining Elana Johnson and Jennifer Daiker at Unedited this week for a series on blogging. Please visit their sites as well for some expert advice. As for me, I’ll just offer my humble beginnings and advice.

I began blogging last November and started by following a few science fiction sites and authors. It was slow going at first as I figured out my topics and posting schedule. By the end of March, I’d amassed a whole thirty followers. Yes, rather pathetic!

The turning point was the A-Z Challenge, hosted by Lee at Tossing it Out - blog a letter of the alphabet every day in April with Sundays off for good behavior. Not only did I find my blogging rhythm, I gained sixty new followers that month. Lee followed up the challenge with a music blogfest in May, and I hosted The Movie Dirty Dozen in June. During this time, I continued to find new blogs, and my following grew to 200 by July.

It took a great deal more than just the blogfests to gain followers, though. Gaining and maintaining quality followers is a multi-faceted endeavor. Here are some of the actions that increased my followers and my recommendation for those who want to increase blog followers:

Be willing to follow others, and not just for the sake of enticing them to follow you. Follow because you are genuinely interested in their blogs.

Create posts of interest, especially those that foster a discussion. Define your topics and create a posting schedule. How often should you post? Between three times a week and daily is ideal.

Comment on other blogs – often! Most bloggers appreciate even a short comment as long as it’s relevant to the post. Some of us even like snarking.

Praise and reward other bloggers. Reference someone’s great post, announce another’s achievement, or pass along an award. Invite others to provide a guest post for your blog.

Place your favorite blogs in your blogroll.

Actively seek out new bloggers. Investigate blogs suggested by others and explore blogrolls.

Be true to yourself. Be genuine in your posts and comments and focus on your strengths.

If you adopt these suggestions and become involved in the blogging community, an amazing thing happens – others will reciprocate. They will place your blog in their blogrolls. They mention you in their posts. They invite you to provide guest posts for their blog. And they spread the word that you are an awesome blogger to follow!

We tend to measure success in terms of numbers, but it’s quality, not quantity, that really matters. My followers are an awesome bunch of people and I am grateful for their patronage. (I’m also humbled so many find me interesting.) In return, I promise to fulfill my end of the bargain so they keep coming back! Otherwise, it'd be really dull around here...

Blogging Idiosyncrasies Part Two

The first post sparked such a great discussion and so many viewpoints, I decided to continue and tackle few more issues and questions.

Word Verification and Blog Owner Approval

Some use one or the other - or both! Yvonne has been receiving mean comments, so I certainly understand why she uses owner approval. But, how does everyone else feel about these? Is using both overkill? I don't use either on new posts, but older posts require comment approval, and I seem to catch most spam with that system. Your thoughts?

Replying to Comments

Do you reply to comments, either on your post or on the blogger's site? I try to respond on my own, usually replying to several bloggers at once. But, how often do you go back to see if there's a reply? And does your blog email replies to those who comment?

Content

What do you blog about? What types of posts garner the most comments? Those about writing, movies, contests, features, yourself? We know blogfests really jack up the comments! So do posts that pose questions and encourage interaction. What subjects do you think encourage visitors and comments - and which ones don't? (Some days, I really can't figure this one out...)

Okay guys, have at it! As Simon says, snarking is allowed.

Blogging Idiosyncrasies

Everyone has their own style of blogging and much of that is due to personal preference.

But what works best?

Well, I'm going to allow you guys (and gals) to tell me!

Posting Length-

We were told in Blog Book Tours class that 250 words is ideal. My posts tend to be closer to 500 words though and I've seen others post much longer pieces. Now, I confess that I don't always read the really long posts, but how about you? What's the ideal length? At what point during a post do you develop ADHD?

Posting Frequency-

Some post a couple times a week, some daily, and some multiple times a day. I've found that every other day works best for me, and it provides those who miss a day to catch my posts. How much is too much? How much is not enough? How many bloggers do you want to strangle for clogging up your Google Reader?

Posting Time-

Morning? Afternoon? Evening? I post early in the morning and at least half of the blogs I follow do the same. Some post later in the evening, and occasionally I will miss those posts. When is best for you?

Comments -

Some blogs garner a lot of comments. I think the amount of followers and quality of posts affects comments. Interaction seems to increase comments, too. I think the biggest factor is the amount of comments we leave on other blogs. What do you think increases blog comments? Does bribery help?

I'm done. Opinions welcome! Snarking allowed, too. (Go ahead, Simon - you know you want to!)

Learning

Continuing the A-Z Challenge from Arlee at Tossing it Out

Today is L - Learning.

I'm still in the process of learning.

Starting this blog was a big leap for me. I didn't know what to expect, but it's been a great experience so far. I've learned so much from blogging, too.

It's taught me consistency, especially participating in the A-Z Challenge. I've had to think through each post and tried to maintain some semblance of order - and quality.

I've learned to appreciate the variety. There's so many blogs, each with its own theme and angle. Yet despite all the differences, I gather something from every blog I visit.

The community atmosphere has really amazed me. Everyone is friendly and so willing to encourage. I continue to gather more followers (some days I'm not sure how or why) and appreciate the comments. You guys (and gals) rock!

And of course, the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Hopefully with everyone's help, I can figure out some of this stuff by this fall.

Thanks, everybody!

So, what has everyone else learned?

Oh, and I have a bunch of stupid meetings today. (Aren't all meetings stupid? Three hours to say what could be said in five minutes.) So I may not be online until I get home. Yeah, that sucks!