Weebly – YA Chit Chat

Well, it’s not exactly my ideal website but it is pretty, it has some cool stuff, like a game (in the “Extras” section), and it was free. Would love to hear your thoughts so head on over and tell me what you think. You can find it here.

Also, I avoided a potential copyright issue last night. See, I found a picture of a dragon on Wiki and, after reading the Terms of Use, Licensing, and Privacy sections, it seemed as if I was okay to use the picture. Just to be sure, I contacted the artist to get his permission. This is something I usually do anyway, but didn’t in this case. Something gnawed at me while a friend and I were trying to ‘edit’ the pic, so I e-mailed the artist. I’m glad I did because he asked me to NOT use the pics as there is no way to keep people from copying and distributing what they want, when they want. As an artist, I accepted his request and chose not to use the photo. I also took it down off my blog (it was my green dragon picture) so as to avoid any future issues.

Lesson: always use your own pictures, pictures you’ve purchased, pictures licensed to you through sites like 123rf or get the artist’s permission. If you don’t have any of those in place…don’t use the picture on your website or blog. It could cost you tons of money in the end.

Enjoy your Sunday. 🙂

The Difference Between .com, .net, .org and Why We’re About To See Many More Top-Level Domains (howtogeek.com)

Yesterday, I received my marketing kit from J. Taylor Publishing, and yes, another big squeal escaped my lips. I have to say, I began reading it with enthusiasm, but by the time I was done, my head felt mushy, tears actually fell and I started freaking out. Why? Because I can’t market anything. I can’t sell water to a fish. How in the world am I going to do this?

I felt like I was staring at that dreaded Geometry test in high school all over again…the one I studied so hard for but didn’t ‘get’. The one I got a tutor for because no matter how hard I tried, the answers always eluded me. There is just so much to do. At least I’ve already started some of the crucial marketing, like having a blog, and Facebook and Twitter accounts. But what about branding?

We hear about it all the time. Authors have to create a ‘brand’, something unique that makes people (readers) remember them. This means as a soon-to-be published author, I have to take a good look at what type of author I am and how I want to be remembered.

First, what kind of author am I?

Well, I love writing and reading Young Adult/New adult fantasy novels. Anything that has to do with dragons, faeries, gnomes, trolls, castles, I’m there. Urban fantasies? Got it covered. Dystopians? You betcha. So, is this my brand? I think so, but what do I do with it?

I know I have to create a website, but I can’t afford a fancy one with my own domain name, which means I’ll have to have a free one. Hmm, Weebly looks good. But what do I do after that? I don’t know! (another clump of hair lands on the floor).

What is clear is I’m about to embark on a rollercoaster of a ride, and seeing I’m such a wimp, I’m taking each one of you with me. So strap yourselves in. Don’t worry about the floor falling out from beneath you. That’s supposed to happen. Keep your arms inside at all times and hold on tight because this train is about to leave the station, and it’s going to be a wild and crazy ride!