Writing

Blogger Life Unscripted: Q&A with Tyece Wilkins

Tyece headshot

Many bloggers dream of one day seeing the personal essays they post on their websites on the pages of a book, a book that their fans and followers can’t wait to read. Tyece Wilkins of the blog Twenties Unscripted recently has that dream come true. Her new book Twenties Unscripted: Womanhood, Writing, and Relativity is a carefully curated collection of her best blog posts and also includes some new content and a behind-the-scenes look into her writing and blogging process.

Tyece, who resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area, begins her collection with a letter to her 20-year-old self. But nearly the whole book could be read as a love letter to all young women struggling to navigate their 20s. She reminds them to believe in themselves, she reminds them to not settle for less, she reminds them to not be assholes. It’s tough love, but love nonetheless.

And I would argue it’s not just for women in their 20s. As a 34-year-old, I found myself inspired and moved page after page and I was captivated by the vivid specificity of her personal stories. And I often had to pause from reading to scribble down a fantastic quote (I’ve included my favorite ones throughout this post).

Tyece tackles what it means to be a woman, what it takes to be a writer, and how it feels to fall in love, always admitting she has more questions than answers when it comes to these things.

I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for Twenties Unscripted and recently had a chat with Tyece about blogging, writing, and more.

blog tour promo final

 

Before we get started, when I mentioned a blog tour to some of the women of See Jane Write recently they didn’t quite know what it was. So can you briefly explain what a blog tour is and tell us why you decided to organize one to promote your book? 

One of my good friends and writing mentors GG Renee Hill of All The Many Layers is a master of blog tours; she’s where I got the idea from. There are different ways to do them, but you essentially rally several different bloggers around one common theme and have them blog about that particular thing in whatever way they see fit. When GG has done them, she has had different women write about things like beauty or dimensions of their personalities. It’s cool for readers to follow along and see how different bloggers translate that common theme. In my case, I wanted a cost-effective way to promote my book to new readers, as well as provide current readers with the opportunity to learn more about the work and expose them to websites they may not have known about before.

At the beginning of your book you mentioned that a friend of yours advised you not to turn your blog posts into a book. And so, as you said, of course you turned your blog posts into a book. Why did this friend think this would be a bad idea and why did you decide to do it anyway?

My friend (who was one of the first people to buy the book!) gave me that advice as someone who used to report for the books section of a major publication. She knew the book industry inside and out. It was certainly sound and well-intentioned advice. She thought it would be a bad idea to simply repurpose work that readers had already accessed for free. And, I absolutely agree with her. That was why I included previously unpublished work as well as the “Beyond the Essay” snippets. It’s sort of the same way that musicians will release a deluxe album that includes audio from their recording sessions and such. My book gives readers that “behind the scenes” feel.

TU Book Cover FINAL

What advice would you give to other bloggers who hope to publish their first book? 

It’s so funny when I’m asked to give advice because I am still very much in a season of learning when it comes to publishing and marketing my book! But, I would say give your blog enough time to really grow its arms and legs. Give yourself enough time to evolve as a writer. Give your work enough time to reach people and bring you potential opportunities. All of those things – a strong platform, voice and network – are crucial to your book’s success.

In one essay you write about being elated to have your work featured on one of your favorite websites only to have the wind taken out of your sails by trolls. What advice would you give on dealing with negative comments?

Ignore them. Don’t engage. But, also be able to delineate between negativity and a difference of opinion. Not everyone is going to be a “Yes” woman and that’s OK.

acquired taste

The third section of your book is all about relationships. Writing about relationships can get tricky because now you’re not only sharing your story but you’re putting other people’s business out there, too! A See Jane Write member recently asked me if she should ask for permission when blogging about other people. How do you handle this?

Relationships are certainly tough territory for bloggers, which is why I write about them a lot less these days. When I was writing about them during the early days of Twenties Unscripted, I didn’t typically provide the other person with a heads up. After all, it was my blog and outlet. If I did not feel like I was writing anything overly specific or damaging, I adhered to the adage to ask for forgiveness, not permission.

nonconformist

Allusions to social media are peppered throughout your book and in one essay you say, “Do not surrender your 20s to Instagram,” but I feel the sentiment behind this is one bloggers of all ages should consider. As a blogger it is easy to get overwhelmed by social media and feel pressured to share everything and basically put on a show. How do you stay active on social media while still staying grounded?

Selectively engaging with social media is what really keeps me sane. And, I was not always like that. I used to live on Twitter day and night, but that sort of non-stop engagement came at a high price. I now believe in having social media values – mine are to always remain gracious and respond to positivity, ignore negativity, only get on when I feel I am mentally and emotionally in a place to digest the thoughts of others, and always protect the vision. In other words, I never release an idea or project prematurely on social media.

In addition to being a blogger and writer, you’re also a poet and spoken word performer and there is definitely a distinct rhythm to your writing. How does your poetry and spoken word influence your prose? 

I usually say that I am a writer first and a blogger second. But wedged in between those two identities is definitely a poet. For many of my essays, I see them as potential spoken word pieces; I performed the last essay from the book as a spoken word piece at my book launch party. So, for me, how words blend and sound is important. I’m a sucker for alliteration and repetition.

platform

How do you balance finding time to blog and work on your poetry while also working a full-time job?

I don’t sleep.

Just kidding (sort of).

Like most people who have to balance multiple priorities, I am intentional about scheduling everything from tweets to naps. I have a planner at work for my full-time job priorities, a planner for Twenties Unscripted and a calendar for things like social activities and appointments. Of course, sometimes life happens, things pop up, or I may just want to depart from my schedule and go to happy hour. I give myself the liberty to do that. I have learned after one-too-many burnouts that I have to carve out time that is just for me. As much as I love Twenties Unscripted and the pursuit of my passion, it is still work and I have to nurture other parts of my life.

Tyece Wilkins believes in the power of witty women, wise words and full wine glasses. She is the creator and editor-in-chief of Twenties Unscripted and author of Twenties Unscripted: A Journey of Womanhood, Writing, and Relativity, available for purchase on Amazon now. Visit http://www.twentiesunscripted.com to read more of her work and connect with her on Twitter @tyunscripted. 

Javacia Harris Bowser is the founder of See Jane Write, an organization for women writers and bloggers in Birmingham, Ala., and beyond. Her next e-course Lady Blogger to Boss Lady will be released Sept. 12, 2015. She blogs at Javacia.com. 

 

How to Get Your Self-Published Book in Bookstores

Carrie Rollwagen, author of The Localist and co-owner of Church Street Coffee & Books
Carrie Rollwagen, author of The Localist and co-owner of Church Street Coffee & Books

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Church Street Coffee & Books, one of our sponsors for the Bloganista Mini-Con presented by Laura Vincent Printing & Design.

There was a time when self-published authors got little respect from the literary world, but things are changing. Slowly but surely, self-published authors are being seen in the same light as talented independent filmmakers and musicians — artists producing great work that they are determined to share with the world no matter what.

Unfortunately, however, it can still be pretty tough for self-published authors to get their work sold in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

But it’s not impossible.

Carrie Rollwagen has been on both sides of this table. She’s the author of the self-published book The Localist Book: Think Independent, Buy Local, and Take Back the American Dream. She’s also co-owner and book buyer for Church Street Coffee and Books. So if anyone can give a self-published author advice on getting her books in bookstores, it’s Carrie.

Carrie was kind enough to do a guest post for us listing the dos and don’ts for how to get your book in bookstores.

carriecs1

From Carrie Rollwagen:

Don’t be pushy.

The number one problem self-published authors have is being pushy and aggressive. This makes sense, because being proactive is a good thing in some sales situations, but bookselling just isn’t one of them. When approaching a bookstore, remember that it’s our job as authors to make our books attractive to booksellers and to make a convincing case that our books could make money for the bookstore — it is not the job of a bookseller to put time and effort into promoting or selling our books for us, or to give us shelf space just because we put time into writing a book.

Do offer your books on consignment.

This is one part of the process that self-published authors almost always mess up, and it’s the one that’s most likely to mean you’ll never see your books in stores. In order to be considered for shelf space in most bookstores, you’ll have to offer the store at least 40% off the cover price, and you’ll need to offer your books on consignment instead of asking a store to buy them outright. It’s true that this makes the process much more annoying for us as authors because we’re never sure if our books will be returned, and we might even have to pay shipping for returns. But if we’re going to ask bookstores to give our little books a chance in their stores, we need to offer terms similar to the returns policies and discounts they get from more established publishers. A 40% discount and consignment agreement is really the only way to do that.

Do leave a free copy of your book.

When you self-publish a book, it hurts to give copies away for free, especially when you’re fairly certain they won’t be read. But it’s important to give free review copies to booksellers anyway. Don’t leave a copy of your book and ask that it be returned to you — booksellers receive anywhere from dozens to hundreds of review copies each month, and they just don’t have time to keep track of returns. Giving away review copies for free is just part of the cost of doing business in the world of publishing.

Do be willing to wait.

Booksellers and managers are often very busy, so don’t walk into a bookstore and expect someone to have time to meet with you (although you should be prepared with a copy of your book and a consignment agreement in case they do). Tell the bookseller you’re an author who’s hoping to see the store carry your book, and ask what the best way is to reach the manager — usually that’s leaving a copy of the book so they can look at it when they have time, or sending an email with a summary and contact information. (Never interrupt while customers are buying books or when a bookseller is trying to make a sale.)

Don’t tell a bookseller how to display your work.

It’s a great idea to provide marketing materials like free bookmarks or posters for book signings, but do not tell the bookseller that they SHOULD use these materials. Do not tell a bookseller how much shelf space to give you, or tell them that they need to set your book face-out, or tell them that if they would only sell your book, they’d be making tons of money. Give the bookseller enough respect to assume they know their business better than you do, and let them be the ones to decide how to market and sell your book.

Do be a customer.

If possible, buy something at the store when you visit. This isn’t always doable, but proving that you’re a smart bookstore shopper who cares about the financial health of the bookstore will usually go a long way toward getting you an audience with the store’s book buyer.

Do follow and communicate with the bookstore on social media.

The more the booksellers know that you understand their store and pay attention to what they do, the more likely they are to give you a hearing when you come in and ask them to pay attention to your book. Follow on social media, favorite a post once in awhile, and retweet when you can — often the person running the social media account is the same one you’ll be talking to when you pitch your book (or at least those people work closely together), so a little positive attention can really help.

Don’t mention Amazon.

Amazon is an incredibly touchy subject with a lot of booksellers because the company is actively trying to destroy local bookstores. Most customers, and sadly, most self-published authors, don’t understand this, and try to use Amazon numbers, Amazon reviews or Amazon rankings as reasons for stocking books. There’s no need to attack Amazon, but it’s probably wise to avoid mentioning them when talking to independent booksellers. (Also be aware that if your book is published through one of Amazon’s self-publishing services, you could meet a lot of resistance with brick-and-mortar stores.)

CS door prize

At this year’s Bloganista Mini-Con you could win a free copy of Rollwagen’s book The Localist and an adorable Shop Small tote bag designed by Rebecca Minkoff. Be sure to bring your business cards to enter to win this and other door prizes!

Why Writers Must Be Entrepreneurs

Pen, Diary and Glasses
Image by GenerationBass.com via Flickr/Creative Commons

Writing and personal branding coach Nikki Woods believes that writing a book is one of the best ways to build your business as it gives you credibility. However, she also believes that writers must be business-minded.

In a recent blog post she writes, “Let’s face it, most creative people expect someone else to handle the business side of their operations. But it’s a new day.”

Even writers with book deals and especially those who self-publish must learn to market their own work. And this isn’t just about trying to sell a single book. This is about creating a long-lasting career.

Woods writes: “Royalties and book advances are great if you can get them but you can’t depend on them to sustain you. The sooner you begin to promote your book through speaking engagements, conventions, seminars, etc., the sooner you can build up an audience, your brand and your bottom line. ”

Not sure where to start? See Jane Write is here to help.

Join us at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16 at the Books-a-Million in Brookwood Village for D.I.Y. Marketing for Authors. Learn how to be your own publicist and promote your book and your brand. This free workshop will feature author A.D. Lawrence and See Jane Write member Chanda Temple, who is the co-author of the Birmingham’s Best Bites cookbook.

Get more details here and RSVP via Facebook.

DIY Marketing with Books-a-Million

Birmingham-based authors, learn how to be your own publicist at the next See Jane Write event.

On Tuesday, June 16 we’re partnering with Books-a-Million to bring you a FREE workshop on how to market your book. You’ll also learn more about BAM! Publishing and Books On-Demand — which could be just what you need if you’re looking to self publish your next book.

The event will feature talks by Chanda Temple, co-author of the Birmingham’s Best Bites cookbook and A.D. Lawrence, author of the book When the Lioness Roars.

chanda.temple_1389496170_89

Chanda Temple worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years before switching gears to public relations in 2012. This change meant that no longer would she cover buzz-worthy events but would now be responsible for building buzz and she’s going to help you build buzz for your book, too. For the past three years Temple has crafted numerous public relations campaigns that the public and media noticed.

Her latest success was coauthoring the Birmingham’s Best Bites cookbook. The self-published paperback book sold out three times in late 2014 and earned an international gold medal award in 2015. Also in 2015, her public relations campaign for the book and the Birmingham food festival it was connected to, won a first place state award in public relations.

AD Lawrence

Although, A. D. Lawrence is new to the official writing world, she is not new to the art. She has spent a lifetime putting pen-to-paper to express her deepest feelings and thoughts and to do research.

A.D. grew up in Tennessee at a time when children were to be seen and not heard. In 1989, she moved further south where she believed blacks were treated the same. During this major transition, she wrote. This era helped to hone her writing skills by giving her an outlet for unspeakable truths, while she dealt with social changes.

Lawrence is the author of When the Lioness Roars, When the Lioness Roars…Again, and When the Lioness Roars…Again and Again. She also has two works in progress. One is entitled Life Beyond the Shadows and the other is A Coloring of Hearts. The underlying theme in both deals with personal disappointment, struggle, growth, and survival. Unlike these two, the current book uses humor, anger, fact, prayer, rhyme and reason to produce a personal journal/textbook.

Join See Jane Write and Books-a-Million as these authors share the secrets to marketing their books. Zach Kendrick of Books-a-Million will also be on site to tell you all about the Espresso Book Machine and how you could use it to self-publish your next book.

This book is free and open to the public but seating is limited so arrive early.

DIY Marketing for Authors: How To Be Your Own Publicist

Hosted by Books-A-Million, Brookwood Village in Partnership with BAM! Publishing and See Jane Write

6 – 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 at the Brookwood Village Books-a-Million

The Geography of a Memoir: An Interview with Amy Bickers

Amy Bickers edit

I met Amy Bickers on March 24, 2011, the night of the very first See Jane Write Birmingham event. That night Amy told me about a book she wanted to publish — a memoir. “What’s it about?” I asked jovially. “Well,” she said, “my husband killed himself in front of me.”

I was speechless. I wanted to know how she could survive something like that. I wanted to know how she could ever be whole again. But I didn’t ask her because I knew these were questions only a memoir could answer.

Now four years later, Amy has written that book — The Geography of Me and You: A Memoir — and she’s raising money via Kickstarter to self-publish.

In this candid interview Amy talks about how she found the courage to finally share her story.

(more…)