But today I got an award that I really think suits me. It's called a Kick-Ass Award. And here it is:
I have no idea where they found that old picture of me rocking it on stage. Those were the days. Wasn't I thin? All that hair, too. As you can see, I'm wearing boots. As ever. By my boots shall you know me.For awarding me this honour, I'd like to thank Cat Clarke of This Counts as Writing, Right? [Yes, obvs.]
Anyway, the point being, yes, I do kick ass. And very proud I am of doing so. The incredible thing is that people seem to like having their asses kicked so much that they even pay me to do it. My lovely clients at Pen2Publication are the proof of this.
Frankly, there's no point in trying to be all sweetness and light when it comes to publishing. Readers are a ruthless, cruel, heartless lot and you'd better realise how hard you have to work to please them. And publishing is a cruel business, especially at the moment, and the sooner you get your armour toughened for the fight, the better.
So, I will continue to kick ass. You, meanwhile, just need to go and kick your WIP's ass. Whip that WIP, one might say.
39 comments:
You deserve it, as I notice you just hit 400 followers woo-hoo. I'm currently shooting for 50 lol. The idea of 400 is overwhelming, don't know if I could take that kind of pressure! Love that shot of you rocking it out up there on stage.
Thank you! I also noticed the 400 followers but didn't like to say anything in case one disappeared. It was 399 yesterday and then went down to 398... Anyway, the least I can do is go and follow your blog now and hope that karma comes my way!
Not only do you kick ass, but you wear fine boots while you do it.
My hero.
There, KarenG! I'm your 50th follower.
And I was the 49th! Hooray!
Nicola, may I hijack the comments for a moment? (It seemed fate after seeing KarenG's latest post.) Our blog is doing a Polish Your Pitch contest next week.
Do you have any resources on the elements of a good pitch? (By pitch, I mean a 3-4 sentence summary of your WIP.) I skimmed the blog a few days ago, but didn't have time to really look.
I'd love to learn more about kicking a pitch's ass.
Utterly deserved, Nicola! Your blog is in my top 6 most visited web pages. Your posts are always excellent/ enjoyable/ enlightening/ informative + a real etcetera.
More than a few times I've been ready to write a blog post and read a post of yours which is the definitive version on the particular subject; so i leave it to you!!
Bit confused: is that really you on stage, Nicola?
"Whip that WIP" > Heeheehee!!
:-)
Sarah - I've covered aspects of pitching but I think UK and US meanings for *pitch* are different. (I think you are in the US?) We would use the word *pitch* to mean any or all aspects of the approach to a publisher, whereas you mean the briefest descrip of your book/WIP. We might sometimes call that a pitch, or else a "hook". And, now that you mention it, although I've often mentioned the importance of having a hook, I've never actually tackled how to write one. Which is a serious omission. Problem is that I promised to blog more about craft than approach for a while... But, sod promises - I will blog about hooks on Monday, rescheduling a scheduled post. Watch this space!
Awesome award! And very fitting as your blog does kick ass!
Congrats on the 400! And Karen, congrats on your 50! I am still working my way to 30 -- I was thrilled when I recently hit 24 because now my little follower widget on the site gets filled up with no empty spaces. How's that for measuring success?
Thanks, Nicola! That's wonderful.
Nicola, Sarah and David, thanks for following and thus bringing me up to and PAST that magic number, the big 5-0!
Nicola, when I first discovered your blog a couple months ago, there were about 200 followers. Now it's double in such a short time! If anyone deserves a kick-ass blog award it is YOU.
Well deserved award!
I call myself a writer in progress, so that means that I'm a WrIP that will whip that WIP.
Hi
Oooh you are good when you kick asses all over the place!
:-)
Your blog put mine on Google - seriously! At your lovely blog party when you left a comment - the google bots found me..!
SO THANK YOU!!!!!! Your ROCK! In a nice and friendly way. BTW, what was wrong with the "One Lovely Blog Award?" It's all pink and pretty and sweet...
Take care
x
Nicola - you do kick ass and you do it so well ;)
Sarah - I just became a follower of your blog, love it! I'm not a children's writer, but I think that'll be ok :)
Well done! When will the nominations for Crabbit Old Bat of the year be announced? ;)
Steena, we also share a passion for chocolate. You'll fit right in!
Does this make you feel like the Pied Piper Nicola?
I cannot imagine having 40 people interested in my mewsings let alone 400. Tell me it is not a competition!
Holy Crap, it's up to 401 already. Watching your follower list is like seeing bamboo grow.
Congratulations!
I don't have an ass any more, but my mule is over there by that Ford Mondeo. Please wear the red boots.
I joined your blog a couple of days ago via another. It still amazes me how virtual networking springboards and catapults us into the world of another where paths would never otherwise cross.
Amazing but fun.
David - no, it isn't me on stage! I am afraid that I don't really do stages, except for speaking. I don't act, sing or dance, or play an instrument!
colette - am off to follow you now. Although actually, to be honest (Catdownunder, this is for you) I don't REALLY know what it means. It's definitely not a competition but I suppose it's a nice way of showing something - appreciation, solidarity? Dunno. But it's nice. So, thank you.
Old Kitty - that's amazing! And weird...
Helen - there is only one COB!
Thomas - behave!
KarenG - must be something in the water.
Others - thank you all and do stick around. This blog would be a shadow of itself without you.
Catdownunder, if this is a contest then we need to count 'subscribers' who don't use blogger, don't we? Just kidding really, I'm honestly just happy that anyone at all reads my blog!
Congrats! Not everyone can claim to be the crabbit kick-ass bat of the literary world.
I think I'm the 399th if I signed up correctly. I'm still a bit behind every one else technologically speaking.
Precisely Colette, I feel incredibly honoured that anyone should bother with my untidy, lopsided paw prints! It makes my day. I purr contentedly at having made contact with the world. (Especially important if you work from home!)
Well done! You talk a lot of sense in a largely senseless business!
Whip the WIP - I love that!
Okay, a little scared here, so off I go back to the wip!
Cogratulations on the Kick Ass Award, your 400 and 1 followers and your fine boots! Love your blog.
Kick-arse with class!
T'interweb is an amazing thing the way it links things/people together. I wonder if there's a 'tipping point' for followers, after which they just grow exponentially because people saw your blog on someone else's blog, who found it on so-and-so's...
Follower Quadratics. [cou-nerd-gh!]
Cat, it definitely should not feel like a competition. I was loath to even add the followers application for the first year of my blog, and I've only just worked out how to utilise the dashboard!
I'm glad I did though because it means I get images of chocolate cake when I scan Steena's blog!
I seem to be missing something because I haven't yet discovered the point of following a blog. I thought I'd be notified of new posts, but it seems I was wrong. Also, I was always signed in but now I'm not and wasn't able to sign in, so I seem to have created a new account, but if I click Follow there will be two mes. I'm confused. Plus, I don't know if my name will appear up there on this comment. Agfugkukgrk! ~Miriam
No, definitely not a competition. Cats like contemplative uncompetitive lives. I will welcome visitors if they happen to drop in - and otherwise get on with the business of writing.
I have been contemplating this blogging business and wondering why people blog. (Margaret Adams was suggesting that writers should actively seek blog readership. I am still contemplating that and have reached no conclusions.) Nicola's blog gives me plenty to contemplate!
Dude, you SO kick ass. And you write damn fine stuff. BTW, "stuff" is my word of the day. All-encompassing dontcha think?
andewallscametumblingdown, if you add yourself as a follower, the simplest way to get updates is via blogger. In your update list you'll see the new posts. If you don't use blogger then you'll get them in your google reader.
catsdownunder, on why people blog -- I don't know why anyone else does it, but the reason I do it is because I can write what I want and publish it myself instantly. It's instant gratification!
As a reader and reviewer [I am excluding my writing self from the mix] yes, readers are greedy, capricious, needy, pretentious. We snort at how you can botch up the easiest job in the world and think we can do ten times as better and we wonder how the publishing industry allowed some books to be published [at least the intelligent ones].
The writer-me slaps and then spits in the reader-me's face and people wonder why I act weird.
Miriam - I kind of know what you mean. I follow some blogs to be appreciative and friendly but I don't get updates by doing that - to do that you have to go to your blogger dashboard thingy and then all the blogs you follow appear.
Mickmal - woah, that's the first time anyone's called me dude! I feel all kind of ...young.
Catdownunder - why do people blog? Why do people write? And, as Colette says, it's instant gratification. Also control. Frankly, I don't know why writers don't blog!
So many lovely comments here and I'm blushing and going off to clean my boots. Thanks, all. Nx
Congratulations!
I knew you had something in common with my (other) favourite lady. She kicks ass in boots too.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/02/article-0-04C71684000005DC-798_468x595.jpg
Oh miaou! I am failing to communicate properly. (What's new you ask?)
Yes, I can understand the "why" in the sense of the compulsion to write something and perhaps the instant gratification bit. What I meant is (now let's see if I can get the question straight this time) "What is the purpose of your blog?"
The purpose of Help! I need a Publisher! is obvious. I think I just used up a life being curious about other people!
Congratulations on the kick ass blog award and the growing follower count (now at 408 ;) )
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