Books Read in 2011

Tessa's books-read-2011 book montage

Clockwork Angel
The Hunger Games
Mockingjay
Catching Fire
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer


Books Read in 2011 »

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Rach Writes Inaugural Writers’ Platform-Building Crusade


Crusade

That's a mouthful! But brilliant!

I'm cheating today since I won't write a post about writing. Well, I suppose this has to do with getting published in one way or another. I'm introducing my friend's Rachael Harrie's Crusade to help bloggers build their online platform. I joined the Crusade only two days ago and I've already gotten five new followers - some very nice people whom I'm excited to get to know better. Rachael still hasn't compiled the list so that we can go crazy and follow our fellow Crusaders, which means that people are already excited and are following commenters.

Why is it important to gather followers? Even though online presence isn't a requirement to get a fiction published (it is important for non-fiction), numbers are numbers, and if you have thousands of followers, it could tip the scale in your favour when you query an agent with a good story idea and a good story.

Will all those people read your blog? Probably not all of them, but many will, if you're interactive in turn and read their blogs. This is an opportunity to make more friends. There are so many cool people out there, and they all seem to be gathering in the Crusade ;)

I've copied and pasted Rach's requirements to join:

Let’s work it like this:
  1. Follow along with my site if you don’t already (I want to build my online platform too of course) :)
  2. Become a Crusader by leaving a comment to this post (include your blogging name and a link to your blog)
  3. Write about the Crusade on your blog and link back to this post
  4. Encourage your followers to come to Rach Writes… and join up (it will help them too!)
  5. Tweet about the Crusade, including a link to this post (http://bit.ly/9kMySK) and #WPBC1. Encourage re-tweets. I'm @RachaelHarrie if you want to follow me in the Twitterverse too
  6. Pop it on Facebook
  7. Generally, spread the word…
I’ll publish a list of all the Crusaders on Rach Writes..., and I’ll update the list as people join in on future Crusades.
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That's it! I encourage all my readers to join this project. It's an amazing concept and Rachael is just the person to pull it off.

Goal for the day: Finish writing my MG!!!

18 comments:

  1. Tess:

    Do you sleep?

    Shelly

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  2. I live in Iceland, so there's quite a lot of time difference ^.^ It's almost 10 AM here now.

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  3. Ack! I keep trying to leave a comment and blogger keeps eating it. Grrr.

    Anyway, thanks for letting us know about this! Sounds like a great tool for exposure. And good luck accomplishing today's goal!

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  4. *nod nod* And goal completed! It took me under and hour ^.^

    I'm going to leave it for a week or two and then start revisions.

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  5. I'm a new follower stopping by to say hello. Go the Crusade!

    I've had a browse of your blog, and it sounds like you are doing lots of thinking about querying/word count etc. I found this stage at least as hard as writing the book itself, and went through many many versions of my query letter.

    Funnily enough the letter which led me to my agent was one of the earlier versions, but she also asked for a synopsis and first chapter with the query so I'll never know which one tipped the scales in my favour.

    Good luck, and I'm sure all your time and effort will pay off in the end.

    Adina West
    www.adinawest.blogspot.com

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  6. Hey Tessa, welcome on board the Crusade :) THE LIST will be going up in the next few days (*puts hand on heart and promises sincerely*), and wait til you see what I’ve got planned for our first Crusader Challenge – what fun!!! :)

    Congrats on reaching your MG goal - well done you!!!

    Rach

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  7. Thanks, Rach ^.^ You're a gem.

    Woah, Adina! Congrats on your agent! I know that's only the "second step", but I always envision that after you've signed up with an agent, you can take a breather. But deep down I know that that's when the real work begins ;)

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  8. I posted a comment yesterday--or I thought I did--and I don't see it, so here goes again. Please include me in the Crusader list. thelmaz www.widowsphere.blogspot.com

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  9. You probably left a comment on Rachael's site. She's the one in charge of the Crusade. I already saw your name there, so you'll be on the list :)

    I'm now following you, since I intend to follow everyone who enters :)

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  10. I haven't heard of this idea, but fun! I think online presence can help, but I don't think it's a deal breaker if you don't have one :D

    Still. anything you can do to help, right? Good luck! I'm now a follower ;)

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  11. Neat! Thanks, Carolina. I can't believe I'm only one person away from 50. Pretty soon I'll be hosting giveaways of my own ^.^

    And yeah, we don't NEED online presence to get published, but I don't think it would hurt either.

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  12. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 50 followers!

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  13. Wohooo! I can't believe this. I still remember my first follower...who never keeps in contact because he's not into writing ^.^ Still, a much valued individual.

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  14. Hey Tessa! Found you from the Crusade! Looking forward to reading your blog. Looks like I need to read back some, you have some good looking blog topics!

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  15. Thanks Megan :) Megan is one of the main characters in my WIP, by the way. A girl with an attitude ;)

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  16. Ha! Love it! The only attitude I have is goofy though. : )

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  17. I just signed up for the Crusade today and I am stopping by to say 'hello'!

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  18. Hi Sarah and very nice to meet you :)

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