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Mary Kathryn Johnson
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That was then...

2/2/2012

10 Comments

 
Successful Authors use Triberr
"You know, it's a funny thing about writers. Most people don't stop to think of books being written by people much like themselves. They think that writers are all dead long ago - they don't expect to meet them in the street or out shopping. They know their stories but not their names, and certainly not their faces. And most writers like it that way - " Inkhheart

That was then...this is now.

Before I read the above quote last week, I knew the names of many famous authors, and the faces of only a few. 

I would not have recognized Edgar Allen Poe had I strolled into that bar room in Baltimore, or J.R.R. Tolkein, unless I was privileged enough to take one of his classes at Oxford University, but I know their words as intimately as I know my husband.

There were only three authors whose faces I knew as well as their names.  One is J.K. Rowling, and well...if you need an explanation, please get up from your visiting friend's wireless laptop, chip away at your ice block front door, harness up your sled dogs and join us in civilization.  The other two are J.A. Konrath (at least in profile with sunglasses) and Joanna Penn.

I think as a group, that Inkheart quote is correct - most writers are solitary creatures, and most readers know the words that moved them, not the author who imagined and wrote those words.

In the 21st Century, however this scenario has changed drastically for every writer who wants to publish her work and have it read, AND for every lover of the written word who wants to know more about her favorite writer.  With the sudden ease of self publishing and the ability of indie authors to broadcast exactly what they want to say, unfiltered by publishers, we now have an amazing amount of electronically published works to devour.  This basic, yet amazing change in publishing has made that Inkheart quote obsolete, I think.  If an author, indie or not, wants her books to be read, she must show her readers who she is - literally!

Monday, January 23, 2012 saw this transformation for me.  I now know the names and faces, and have devoured the delicious work of 35 incredible writers (and counting), who have changed my blogging and writing life forever.  In the hope that you can do the same, here is the cause of this wonderful transformation.

It's called Triberr.

Belonging to a tribe is a basic human need.  Triberr fills that need for writers, and it allows us to help each other.  I don't look at another author as a competitor, like another maternity company is a competitor for MommyLoves.  So having other authors read, comment and promote my work is the most amazing thing that could happen for my message and my books.

If you are an author, and you want your work read, promote others whose work you admire, and karma will take care of the rest...no really karma is a basic function of Triberr!

Here's to a new world for authors, and once you have edited and formatted your manuscript, send it out into the world by joining the tribe!

~Mary Kathryn Johnson 2012
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet

10 Comments
Jo VonBargen link
2/2/2012 06:43:27 am

Spot on, girlfriend!! Thanks for that link, by the way! I think Triberr is the best thing I've come across in a long time for the writers among us. It's been sort of hairy working out all the bugs, but overall my experience has been over the top! Feeling connected and part of an amazing whole is....soothing, somehow, in this frenetic world of publishing. Our tribe, Bert Carson's "Writers and Readers" is an awesome group, and I've come to feel like it's my family! Thanks for this great write...you rock, MK!!

Reply
Mary Kathryn Johnson link
2/3/2012 11:40:38 am

Thanks Jo, I really feel a change since joining the group - a change for the fantastic!

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Bert Carson link
2/2/2012 01:03:55 pm

Triberr is not only the best way to get serious traffic to a blog, from my experience it's the only way, Triberr is so far ahead of whatever is in second place, it's like there is no second place.
However, I must say, traffic is, for me, second to the family our little tribe has become.

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Mary Kathryn Johnson link
2/3/2012 11:41:49 am

I agree 100%, Bert, and I would only add that the interaction/comments we generate with tribe members' content is wonderful!

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Christina Carson link
2/2/2012 01:59:14 pm

Very interesting observation - not only are we driven out of isolation, we're herded into communities.Weren't writer's communities what writers of the past paid good money to enter? Fascinating time to be a writer. Great blog Mary Kathryn.

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Mary Kathryn Johnson link
2/3/2012 11:43:31 am

"driven," "herded," You're reminding me of my days as a Wrangler, Christina...good analogy! I love Mustangs (both the horse and the 1966 car version!).

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David L Atkinson link
2/2/2012 07:38:18 pm

I agree Mary Kathryn this tribe is so supportive and I feel that I have made new friends already. The advice and information given is excellent and I have read some great blogs.

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Mary Kathryn Johnson link
2/3/2012 11:44:33 am

That has been the fun of it for me too, David. Glad to be considered a Tribe Mate and Friend!

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Laura Zera link
2/3/2012 04:27:01 am

So very true. At a talk that I recently attended, a publishing industry veteran said that reader expect access to authors now (although boundaries must still be set, obviously!). I thought her choice of the word 'expect' was telling. And while I'm still 'getting comfortable' with Triberr itself, getting to know the people in my tribe has been a lovely experience.

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Mary Kathryn Johnson link
2/3/2012 11:49:09 am

I think readers will certainly start 'expecting' more interaction with authors when more realize it is possible. I had a personal experience with a reader contacting me through social media and commenting on the impact my book had on his life. That one interaction made me feel more successful than any amount of money through sales...hey, I feel a blog post coming on...
Thanks Laura, for including me in that 'lovely experience.'

Reply



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    Hi, I'm Mary, a woman constantly working toward becoming a Master of herself and all things named Duane, Evan, Riley, Seren, Linus and Katie ~ that's why it's so messy around here.


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