As you can guess from the title of today’s post, I’ve run across even more instances where authors are behaving badly. In some cases it’s not intentional. Life definitely does get in the way at times and destroys our carefully plotted out schedules, but other times…well, there is just no excuse for rude, inconsiderate behavior. One of my biggest pet peeves since I’ve entered into the publishing world and the vast blogosphere is how some folks handle guest appearances on another blog.
One would think that if an author requests a spot they would have visited the blog/website and see if they would be a good fit there BEFORE they request and secure a date. Well, this has become a HUGE problem as of late with a few of my adult blogs and even my PG rated ones. It looks like what’s happening is that a potential guest sees a posting somewhere that another author/blogger has openings for guest spots. Instead of checking out the site first, they immediately sign up for their preferred dates only to check out the site much later. This is usually around the time the the deadline for turning in their materials is at hand. NOW they decide they are uncomfortable with the rest of the subject matter on the blog in question.
Sending an email to the blog owner a day or two before your post is to go live after you’ve had TWO MONTHS to figure it all out really doesn’t put you in a very good light. I’m not upset that you don’t want to be associated with erotica or erotic romances. I’m a bit miffed that you waited so long to figure it out when all the guidelines are clearly posted on the blogs and the email sent to you clarifying the dates explained in great detail what is expected of a guest on my blogs. One of my adult sites is booked two to three months in advance, with a list of those willing to take any spot that suddenly opens. It’s not only a little rude to me and my fellow blog owners to take a spot that you really shouldn’t have, but it’s disrespectful to the others waiting patiently for their turn.
As one of my fellow Siren authors has said on many occasions, “You are not a special snowflake.” ~Tyber Dalton
None of us are. We all have real life intruding on our writing schedules, juggle evil day jobs, families, and households to run and still have to find time to put together our own blog posts before setting up the guest spots. That’s why we write the guidelines to help all parties involved put out the best post we can together. The whole point of offering our blogs up to other authors is to HELP them promote themselves and their work. An added bonus is that it brings more traffic to our pages and both of us gain new fans and friends.
So why on earth would you want to mess that up by not doing your homework first?
I’m not picking on those authors who don’t write erotica or erotic romance by any means. I’ve had problems with those in the “non erotic” genres actually request to be on my adult blogs because a) they liked the names of those blogs better than the PG ones, b) they want to appeal to a more adult crowd even though their books are clearly for the young adult crowd, or c) they WANT to be associated with the “cool” crowd and say their books are erotic and really they aren’t even close. As you can guess, the last excuse really burns my britches.
If you want to write erotica an erotic romance then Do. It. Stop trying to turn your book with one or two barely sensual scenes into something it’s not. If you want the label, you better add the heat or you will be laughed at by readers who are looking for the explicit details you’ve left to the imagination. The same can be said for readers who want to feel all risque and tell folks they are reading erotica when in actuality they wouldn’t be able to finish the first chapters of many of the best selling erotic romance authors out there…the REAL ones who have many, many books under their belts. Those who’ve earned those labels and didn’t have them handed to them by the media.
Back to the topic at hand…
Do yourself a favor. The next time you see a posting somewhere about available guest spots, take the few extra moments to visit the blog and read through it. Take a look at several of the posts there to get an idea what is expected of you. If the guidelines say “No straight promo,” then by golly be sure you send them more than just promotional materials for your new release. If you’re unclear of what you need to do, ASK before you finalize any dates. If you can’t figure it out from the guidelines, the posts of other guests and repeated emails from the blog host, then you should graciously back out and give the spot up to someone who can figure it out.
Meet all deadlines. If you have a problem and are unable to get your post to the host on time, then let them know. You can be rescheduled for a more convenient time for both of you. Don’t leave the blog owner with an empty spot when they were counting on you to fill it.
Don’t be a DIVA! You are the one who asked for a spot on the blog. It doesn’t matter to me or anyone else that you have 17 books published since 1985 if you can’t follow simple, detailed instructions. We are not forcing you to be a guest on our sites. If you don’t wish to be, then don’t ask in the first place. You are not doing anyone any favors by acting as if you are the one being inconvenienced. Oh and you might not want to slam your perspective host’s genre by calling it “blatant porn.” That’s just a tad tacky. LOL!
Lighten up! Have fun with guest spots on other blogs and in turn invite them to be guests on yours. We need to bond together more instead of tear each other down. I’m guilty of it from time to time as well. Let’s all promise to move forward and lift each other up instead of tear each other down.
Who’s with me?
~Tammy
Behind Closed Doors 
What really pisses me off is a) authors who don’t respond in a timely manner. I used to host weekly interviews and sent out the questions an entire month in advance. Sometimes I had to send out two or 3 reminders, and in one case, enlist a backup interview in case the author blew me off entirely. And b) authors who don’t promote themselves. If I’ve hosted someone, it’s a sure bet we’re not on the same loops, but we’re at least on ONE. So why isn’t their promo showing up on that loop? I’ll post on the loop, FB, and tweet it…..but if the author doesn’t do his/her part, I cannot be held responsible for low traffic.
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You’re preaching to the choir, Molly. I totally agree with you. I’ve even had folks who’ve barely sent me any materials to work with and I’ve had to go looking for their links and even their cover art. And I absolutely hate it when the author I’ve posted doesn’t bother to promote at all or even stop in to leave a comment.
I completely understand when issues come up and their appearance has to be postponed, but at least let me know for crying out loud! The worst is when authors use a third party to book their promotional tours and then the authors never follow up with their materials. It’s frustrating for me and I’m sure for the person who did all the leg work to secure the spot.
In January I posted in my guidelines that I wasn’t going to remind folks repeatedly about their posts. If I don’t get their materials by the deadline, I’ll assume they don’t want their spot. I do send out a reminder a week before the materials are due and that’s the only one they’ll get. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just as much their responsibility as it is mine as the host to make sure the post is done on time.
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As a host, I’ve stopped reminding authors who sign up for my blog. As an author, I’ve now set aside an hour a day to write any posts coming up and have them all recorded in my task list on google calendar.
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Excellent idea, Paloma! I haven’t switched over to using the google calender yet. I’m still using the large printed calenders to write in my guest spots and assign the spots to other authors. With six blogs, I have to use colored pens to write everyone in. That way at a glance I can tell what blogs are open. Okay, yes I am Queen of the Dorks! LOL
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