Pet Peeves and Aggravations

I'm not usually quick to anger. For the most part I consider myself pretty laid-back and patient when it comes to most things. However, as a reader and an author there are a few things that really tick me off because they can be so easily avoided or fixed. The following is a little bit of a rant that is general and not intended to call out anyone in particular. I'm just in one of those moods.

First off, as a reader I like to win things as much as the next person. I like to read blogs and am willing to jump through hoops to enter a contest if the prize is right. Why in the hell would anyone begin a contest, promotion, etc, right before a major life event? Moving, getting married, expecting a baby? How about you wait a few weeks and do all your promo stuff after? Not only does this make more sense in your schedule, your readers don't suffer the wait while you get your shit together. Now, I completely understand life happens and doesn't necessarily give a damn about anyone's schedule. However, when you already know big stuff is coming your way that will take all of your time and attention, don't start something where readers or authors will be waiting on you to finish.

Second, get the facts straight and update. While thinning out my bookshelves over the past couple of weeks I made a master list of the series I'm currently reading. I have quite a few auto-follow authors I love to read. In order to be sure of reading order and to know if I had all the books I visited many author's sites for confirmation. Boy was I shocked to realize not everyone keeps their site updated on a regular basis. Is it really that hard and time-consuming? Well yeah, it can be. But two years?! For one I had to go to the publisher's site to learn the two newest book release titles. Not only is that inconvenient for the reader, it makes no sense for an author to cripple her/himself that way. Trust me, if I can figure out how to keep my site updated weekly, anyone can do it. I'm so NOT tech savvy.

Third, and kind of related to the rant above, check your facts. It's really embarrassing and humiliating to have an author's name misspelled on a site. God forbid you do that on your own site, but I've seen it. If you expect an author to promote the event you've worked so hard on, take the time to triple check your spelling and links. Be sure your using the right name/pen name and book title(s) as well. This might seem common sense, but I've seen it.

And last, but certainly not least, authors and bloggers if you ask for feedback, don't ignore it. I can attest that blog comments are precious and appreciated, so why would you monitor all of them only to blatantly ignore any that aren't spam? If you don't think it fits the topic or is inappropriate, take a few seconds to respond to that person directly. No one likes to be ignored even for something so small and you may lose a reader for life.

Okay I'm done. Have a great day :-)