Online or Offline, Let's Join A Group!

What online groups can do for you:

·         help you set goals

·         make you accountable

·         celebrate your successes

·         help you overcome your failures

·         provide you with information

·         help you build the confidence to succeed as a writer

·         connect you with like-minded people

 No matter what genre you write in, there is a group for you. At Yahoo Groups, for example, just type in your interest. Related groups will come up in the search. Click on them and read what they are about. When you find a group that fits your needs, simply join by clicking on the join button.

One of my favorite groups is called GIAM , Goal Setting, Inspiration, Amity, Motivation, which I found on the Yahoo group list. At the time I joined, it was a group of twenty women who aspired to be published. They shared everything from information on agents and editors taking pitches, self-publishing journey, to cheering each other on in contests they entered. This group has expanded and now offers free on-line classes to its members, as well as a website where each member can blog. Membership is still free.

They are 300 members strong. Just think about that for a second. These are all people who love books and reading, just like you do. Think of all the potential there is to connect with people who will probably be interested in visiting your blog/grog and/or reading your book. Even if you connect with just one person, think of that old Fabergé commercial. It starts with just one person. That person tells someone else. Then they tell one person, and so on….

You might shy away from this type of connection, thinking it’s just shameless self-promotion. It’s not!

I have become friends with some of the writers in the GIAM group. I even met a few of them at conferences, traded material to critique, and found people who understand my need to write.

I'm also involved with The World Literary Cafe. The authors and bloggers come together and form blog hop when the authors have book launches. The blog hops allows the readers to find new authors, and vice versa. There is also an opportunity to pay it forward at the World Literary Cafe that you should definitely be taking a part of. JOIN the Tweet team! It's an amazing opportunity. 

Savvy Author is another phenomenal and inclusive site. It’s a community of writers and is bursting with information, blogs, classes, resources, forums, and more. You’ll find like-minded people and hone your craft, building your network and making friends along the way.

There are also many genre specific reading groups out there. These groups are about the reader. THE READER! That’s who we are spending all our time marketing to. To connect with a reader on a group level is much more personal than signing a book for them at a signings. Believe it or not, readers can be both introverted and extroverted too, but in an online group, you can get into deep discussions about the genre, and books within the genre. Personalities shine in a different way online.

Readers love to connect with authors. Trust me when I say, if they can connect with you on a personal level, they will buy your book.

There so so many other online groups that are genre specific, Romance Writer's of America and Sisters in Crime are two great sites that do cost a minimal fee to join. 

Do you belong to any online groups? Let's share!
Wednesday I'm going to talk about all the great groups off line and IN PERSON!

International Bestselling author Tonya Kappes believes that targeted and smart promotion and marketing can take a book from lackluster sales to the world of bestseller. She pooled her resources and knowledge to write The Tricked Out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs. When not touting marketing and promotion through her workshops, she write cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. I'm addicted to coffee, McDonald's Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy!