Lulu Forums
by Ashley Lane
Minnie
After publishing "Minnie" through Lulu, a wonderful POD company, there was nothing much else for me to do. Hungry for company regarding books, I wandered over to the extra buttons on my Storefront with words like "Community" on them. I hit that button and go to the most tempting-sounding group called "Shameless Promotion." Once there, I wrote about my book and after a while, started getting great comments about my book preview, such as advice, encouragement, and promises to buy. Getting a good response like that spurred me to continue looking around the different forums.
Shameless Promotion was the only Lulu-generated forum that I could really connect with, so I looked around some more until I found Lulu user-generated forums. Fortunately, I found a young forum with only a few users in it called "Advertise Your Book," started by a British teenager. Before long, we became good friends, bantering back and forth about books, American vs. British stuff, and then bought the other's book. He shed real tears for mine and I got a very healthy taste of British "humour" through his. The purpose of the Lulu forums for me, I discovered later, was that I should make friends that really know what it's like to have the heart to pleasantly skip a beat when a plot twist surfaces unexpectedly in the mind and to share the joy when it's in print.
I feel much more accomplished with my forum friends than by going it alone and not sharing the trials, successes, and random discussion. Without the friends made in forums, I would never have known to revise this or leave that alone, and I also wouldn't have known that a teenage girl in Texas used "Minnie" for a book report. That was a huge moment for me that I only knew about because I was a part of a forum.
It's so simple to get started in a forum. I held myself back at first because I thought "NOBODY KNOWS ME AND THEY'LL THINK I'M BUTTING IN," but that's not true at all. Most people appreciate fresh voices in a discussion that has probably turned stale. Even if the discussion is hot and totally opposite of stale, it's still welcomed for people to join in and offer what knowledge they can. Getting over the "NOBODY KNOWS ME" bit only helped me: shortly after reviewing other people's book previews on Lulu, I became a moderator and good friend with the Advertise Your Book administrator. We became such good friends that we swapped our books, I sent him a box loaded with American chocolate, and I have a beautiful china teacup with a sketching of a local cathedral on it. If I hadn't stepped forward, I wouldn't have experienced any of what I just told you. If I can step forward, anybody can. Besides, being online usually rids you of inhibitions, so it shouldn't be that hard. Really.
The only thing that sucks in a writing forum such as one you'd find on Lulu is getting the "you really need to find a professional editor" posts that make you feel like someone just hammered bamboo slats under your fingernails. But have no fear: just look at that person's Storefront and find out that they suck more than you do. Bitterness causes your body to become acidic and a host for disease, so it's not beneficial for you to dwell in bad posts, anyway.
Something really cool to ponder: you might be communicating with a future bestselling writer. It could happen. Some people you can tell won't make it much further than where they already are, but there are those few that just seem to dazzle with destiny. I have met those few and what do you know: one of them picked up two 3-book deals and has Hollywood interested in one of his books. Nobody likes a fair weather friend, so if you become close BEFORE they become famous, then hey, you might have a foot and an elbow through the door of the publishing world. As you might already know, most books are published these days via the recommendation of a seasoned author. Almost happened to me, but that's another story....
So, people, if there's one thing you must know about forums is this:
YOU'LL GROW AS A WRITER, SO TAKE THE TIME TO HELP AND GET TO KNOW OTHERS, AS IT CAN ONLY IMPROVE YOU!
Don't take that as yelling, but as me taking your hand, shaking it like a madwoman while jumping up and down, then sitting you down in front of your computer. If you don't know where to start, check out your publisher's site and jump into their Forums page and begin a new post advertising yourself or do somebody else a favor and pitch into their thread. Last thing I leave you with: a guilt trip--> if you don't join a forum soon, only think about what you'll be missing out on!
Visit Ashley's other page on this site. Then visit Ashley's Lulu Storefront. Then visit the Lulu forums!
