AuthorShawneda

"Do monthly thematics with groups of bloggers by blog subject matter, have an overall monthly theme that everyone participates. Post and follow a schedule to engage on each other's blogs around the theme.  Use social media to cross promote the posts about the topic making it something of a month long round table discussion. Win win win for bloggers... readers and demographic impacted by the topics of discussion. Schedule themes around topics that are being discussed globally... have a common place to announce thematic changes for breaking news topic changes like 1)the Cosby scandal when it happened, 2)a new Black Lives Matter incident, 3) political developments during the voting season... Even when it is "entertainment" based blog subject matter discussing how current national news events impact the subject matter covered by the blog."

Troy, I'm a marketing professional now.  I returned to college to get a BBA in Marketing because I fell in love with it as a result of becoming an author who needed to spread the word about my books. I have four different levels of ways we can execute or implement this in a way that will benefit AALBC. The simplest and riskiest way to implement it would be to send out an invitation to the bloggers you know to sign up and offer slots to be featured during each thematic month for everyone to participate. This is simple because it is first come, first serve and sign up based. Risky because when people don't invest in things like this in MOST cases... they don't follow up on it and participate. This kind of community would require mature commitment, ongoing engagement and a desire to see other blogs increase traffic. If you want to know the other ways, I'll be happy to discuss how to do them so you're able to implement them if you choose. 

Do monthly thematics with groups of bloggers by blog subject matter, have an overall monthly theme that everyone participates. Post and follow a schedule to engage on each other's blogs around the theme.  Use social media to cross promote the posts about the topic making it something of a month long round table discussion. Win win win for bloggers... readers and demographic impacted by the topics of discussion. Schedule themes around topics that are being discussed globally... have a common place to announce thematic changes for breaking news topic changes like 1)the Cosby scandal when it happened, 2)a new Black Lives Matter incident, 3) political developments during the voting season... Even when it is "entertainment" based blog subject matter discussing how current national news events impact the subject matter covered by the blog. 

Okay so now I have to go google Teri Woods because I thought Wahida Clark was the street lit chick...never heard of Woods.

Update:

Checked her out and saw her on Grand Central Publishing now

There are still lots of authors who write for the love of it and not for the money. There is I believe a priority that should be placed on things versus an all or nothing choice forced. Writing can be profitable but writing for profit only is not something I'm comfortable doing because that would mean writing stories I'd never read. This is the problem for me. I don't write in the genre's that most African American's read because it isn't my cup of tea but I'm sure I could make more money if I did.

Writing clean fiction, suburban Christian fiction (my category), urban Christian fiction, serialized fiction (coming in 2013) and devotionals hasn't put me in the "baller" category and I accepted a long time ago it might not ever put me on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Writing" but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop. Publishers told me my writing was solid but were concerned about stories my subject matter and didn't want to take the risk so I brought the books to ebook and POD markets on my own. I love the creative expression self publishing affords me and I take improving my craft serious, my stories aren't perfect but they're from my heart.

I believe passion for the story and reason for writing if not founded in something more than monetary gain will be the best vetting system for the people writing for profit and if that doesn't work readers are smarter than some publishers give them credit. Readers want to read a story that the author believes in not just something written for profit.