As I approach the one year anniversary of my first post, I decided to go through my post list and see which ones had been the most popular. I was sure that the ones I'd done on indie publishing versus traditional publishing would be at the top - these seemed to generate the most passion. Turns out that I was in for quite a shock.
I'll review the top nine, all of which got at least 65 separate views:
1. Make Your Readers Cry(65 views) - I penned this piece shortly after finishing a novel I called Wrongful Death(I am looking at new titles since there's a bestseller by the same name written by Robert Dugoni). It was important to the story that the reader strongly identify with the main character in order to overlook some of the bastard-like things he did. Therefore, I wrote about the struggle to make the reader feel the main character's pain. I think I linked to this on a Writer's Digest forum, which might account for its popularity.
2. Author Interview and Book Review(65 views) - I like to interview published authors whenever I can, and Christine Rice wrote a book entitled Freelance Writing Guide: What To Expect In Your First Year As A Freelance Writer. The book is all about breaking into freelance writing and how to navigate the waters. Christine was a fun interview.
3. Witty Repartee(69 views) - This was the first piece I'd done in a recurring series where the struggle between my Muse and I is at the center. I'd read so many books with dialogue that made me want to wretch that I decided to talk about how I, as both a reader and a writer, liked to see it depicted. However, instead of just lecture about how to do it, I decided to demonstrate, and that element has been a part of the Muse Saga ever since.
4. Cutting for Content(84 views) - As we finish a novel, we think of it as perfect, even though no first draft is. It's easy to edit for excess adjectives and adverbs, or to re-word something that didn't quite work, but cutting out content - parts of the story into which you've poured your soul - is a lot more difficult. I tried to capture that and point out that we need others' help here since we're too close to the work.
5. Breaking Through(aka - The Query Letter)(89 views) - One of my first posts, and now among the most outdated as my views on which route to pursue have changed. The query letter is essential to those who want to acquire a literary agent and go down the road of traditional publishing. I've crafted a couple of query letters, and doing so opened my eyes.
6. Author Interview - Sarah Hoyt(101 views) - Sarah Hoyt is an exceptional writer and has sold well, primarily in science fiction. This interview was a blast, and I've enjoyed interacting with Ms. Hoyt and her readers over at her blog. I'm sure that her mentioning the interview on her site helped drive traffic.
7. Frustrations(110 views) - Another early post that is outdated by now. This one dealt with the couple of folks I queried Akeldama on back when I was looking to go traditional(at that point, I was of the mindset that indie was the last resort of losers...my how times have changed). I tried to speak to the frustrations of every newbie who has tried(and failed) to break into the country club known as traditional publishing.
8. Salvation Day - Chapter 7(250 views) - Okay, honestly, this one shocked the shit out of me. I posted a sample chapter from Salvation Day nearly a year ago as kind of a throw away and promptly forgot that I'd posted it. To my astonishment, this one accounts for nearly 5% of my total views. Since I always respond to comments, and this one got none, I never gave it a second thought. I don't know whether to be flattered or devastated by that. Did people read it and walk away satisfied, or did they read it and cringe? Maybe I'll never know...
9. Salvation Day(449 views) - Although this was a mild surprise when I first looked at it, upon reflection, it occurred to me that it probably shouldn't be. Salvation Day was the second novel I completed and remains the one I'm most proud of. I also mention it in a great number of posts, so it makes sense that those reading other entries would click on that link to see what all the fuss is about. Salvation Day will be the second novel I release, somewhere around six months after the release of Akeldama.
Based on the two most popular posts, I've decided to include another chapter from Salvation Day in my next post. I'd love it if some folks would comment on it, good, bad, or indifferent.
I'll review the top nine, all of which got at least 65 separate views:
1. Make Your Readers Cry(65 views) - I penned this piece shortly after finishing a novel I called Wrongful Death(I am looking at new titles since there's a bestseller by the same name written by Robert Dugoni). It was important to the story that the reader strongly identify with the main character in order to overlook some of the bastard-like things he did. Therefore, I wrote about the struggle to make the reader feel the main character's pain. I think I linked to this on a Writer's Digest forum, which might account for its popularity.
2. Author Interview and Book Review(65 views) - I like to interview published authors whenever I can, and Christine Rice wrote a book entitled Freelance Writing Guide: What To Expect In Your First Year As A Freelance Writer. The book is all about breaking into freelance writing and how to navigate the waters. Christine was a fun interview.
3. Witty Repartee(69 views) - This was the first piece I'd done in a recurring series where the struggle between my Muse and I is at the center. I'd read so many books with dialogue that made me want to wretch that I decided to talk about how I, as both a reader and a writer, liked to see it depicted. However, instead of just lecture about how to do it, I decided to demonstrate, and that element has been a part of the Muse Saga ever since.
4. Cutting for Content(84 views) - As we finish a novel, we think of it as perfect, even though no first draft is. It's easy to edit for excess adjectives and adverbs, or to re-word something that didn't quite work, but cutting out content - parts of the story into which you've poured your soul - is a lot more difficult. I tried to capture that and point out that we need others' help here since we're too close to the work.
5. Breaking Through(aka - The Query Letter)(89 views) - One of my first posts, and now among the most outdated as my views on which route to pursue have changed. The query letter is essential to those who want to acquire a literary agent and go down the road of traditional publishing. I've crafted a couple of query letters, and doing so opened my eyes.
6. Author Interview - Sarah Hoyt(101 views) - Sarah Hoyt is an exceptional writer and has sold well, primarily in science fiction. This interview was a blast, and I've enjoyed interacting with Ms. Hoyt and her readers over at her blog. I'm sure that her mentioning the interview on her site helped drive traffic.
7. Frustrations(110 views) - Another early post that is outdated by now. This one dealt with the couple of folks I queried Akeldama on back when I was looking to go traditional(at that point, I was of the mindset that indie was the last resort of losers...my how times have changed). I tried to speak to the frustrations of every newbie who has tried(and failed) to break into the country club known as traditional publishing.
8. Salvation Day - Chapter 7(250 views) - Okay, honestly, this one shocked the shit out of me. I posted a sample chapter from Salvation Day nearly a year ago as kind of a throw away and promptly forgot that I'd posted it. To my astonishment, this one accounts for nearly 5% of my total views. Since I always respond to comments, and this one got none, I never gave it a second thought. I don't know whether to be flattered or devastated by that. Did people read it and walk away satisfied, or did they read it and cringe? Maybe I'll never know...
9. Salvation Day(449 views) - Although this was a mild surprise when I first looked at it, upon reflection, it occurred to me that it probably shouldn't be. Salvation Day was the second novel I completed and remains the one I'm most proud of. I also mention it in a great number of posts, so it makes sense that those reading other entries would click on that link to see what all the fuss is about. Salvation Day will be the second novel I release, somewhere around six months after the release of Akeldama.
Based on the two most popular posts, I've decided to include another chapter from Salvation Day in my next post. I'd love it if some folks would comment on it, good, bad, or indifferent.
It's always interesting to contrast comment count against the post's page views. Sometimes there's a correlation and sometimes there isn't. I may have to look at doing a post similar to this myself. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYup. I thought the more popular posts would have a higher comment count, but that has definitely not been the case.
ReplyDelete