This some what ties into yesterdays post: Money changes everything
Questions still remain the same:
Do you like group blogs? Any not on this list you want to add? Anything nifty here you checked and liked? Anything you DON’T like about the whole group thing? Can an author belong to too many different blogs or is it the more the better?
There are more group author blogs on the left side bar (near the bottom). Not sure if they are going to stay there or not. I just thought this was interesting a year later we are still in the same place *g*.
Retro post: Group Thang first posted 2/2006
I have noticed a lot of group type blogs popping up lately. Or maybe they have been around a while and I just didn’t notice ;). Some are friends, some are ties in with websites, some with publishers and some are just trying to save time while blogging together.
I have been bookmarking some as I see them, and honestly I have no clue about most of these but they are on my to check out list. So they may or may not be work safe. Open at on risk. This is further proof of my cut and paste ability ;), please let me know if any links don’t work or a name is misspelled.
Do you like group blogs? Any not on this list you want to add? Anything nifty here you checked and liked? Anything you DON’T like about the whole group thing? Can an author belong to too many different blogs or is it the more the better?
Write Minded Blog
Stephanie Tyler, Sharon Long, Maya Banks, Amy Knupp.com, Larissa Ione, Jan Kenny
All-A-Blog
Denise A. Agnew, Karen Anders, Gail Barrett, Susanna Carr, Colleen Collins, Linda Conrad, HelenKay Dimon, Barbara Dunlop, Katherine Garbera, Dara Girard, Bronwyn Jameson, Lydia Joyce, Alison Kent, Julie Leto, Robin D. Owens, Joanne Rock, JoAnn Ross, Susan Stephens, Tawny Taylor, Lauren Willig
A group of erotic romance authors:
Allure Authors
Cathryn Fox, Delilah Devlin, Lisa Renee Jones, Myla Jackson, Sasha White, Sylvia Day, Vivi Anna
Group of Authors in San Fran:
Fog City Divas
Diana Dempsey, Barbara Freethy, Carol Grace, Candice Hern, Julie Anne Long, Barbara McMahon, Kate Moore
Paranormal Authors:
Out of the Blogosphere
Julie Kenner, Gena Showalter, Marianne Mancusi, C.J. Barry, Catherine Spangler, Angela Knight, Jaci Burton, Deidre Knight, PC Cast, Shannon McKelden, Jana J. Hanson, Robin D Owens, Liz Maverick, Leigh Wyndfield, Jennifer St. Giles, Shanna Swendson, Nina Bangs, Lucy Monroe, Rebecca York, Sue Grant, Julie Ramsey, Crystal Green’s
Running with Quills
Stella Cameron, Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell, Suzanne Simmons
A group of EC authors:
Forbidden Fantasies
sherril king, Jaci Burton, Cheyenne McCray, J.C. Wilder, Ann Jacobs, Lorie O’Clare,
Sahara Kelly, Jaid Black, Marly Chance
Regency writers:
Risky Regencies
Megan Frampton, Amanda, Laurie Bishop, Janet Mullany, Cara King, Elena Greene, Bertram St James, Lady Cordelia
A group of author friends:
Squawk Radio
Teresa Medeiros, Eloisa James, Christina Dodd, Elizabeth Bevarly, Lisa Kleypas, Connie Brockway, Kitty Kuttlestone (you just have to go see for yourself if you are wondering who the hell kitty is 😉 )
A group of women who write for Warner (yeah but you could tell that by the title):
Warner Women
Shari Anton, Shelley Bates, Kathryn Caskie, Britta Coleman, Susan Crandall, Megan Crane, Candy Halliday, Julie Anne Long, Sarah McKerrigan, Diane Perkins, Robin T. Popp, Jane Porter, Paula Quinn, Karen Rose, Stephanie Rowe, Michelle Rowen, Annie Solomon, Kelley St. John, Lori Wilde
Vamps and Scamps
Dianne Castell, Janice Maynard LuAnn McLane, Shiloh Walker, Lucy Monroe, Karen Kelley
Group of romance authors who all got their start with Zebra:
Romance Unleashed
Sandy Blair, Teresa Bodwell, Cynthia Clement, Kristina Cook, Lori Devoti, Laura Drewry, Flo Fitzpatrick, Jackie Ivie, Sophia Johnson, Pamela Labud, Caroline Linden,
Kathleen Long, Kathy Love, Sally MacKenzie, Barbara Plum, Paula Reed, Kate Rothwell,
Eve Silver
reader blog, tie in with Fresh Fiction site:
FreshFiction…for today’s reader
Tracy, Kelley, Fresh Fiction, Mindy, Lexi Carter, Sara Reyes, Pat Richardson, TiggerRobyn, Tanzey, msrbshil, Reel Vixen
Aphrodisia Author (romanctic erotica)
Aphrodisia Authors
Jami Alden, Renee Alexis, Vivi Anna, Alyssa Brooks, Rachelle Chase, Sunny Chen, Jodi Lynn Copeland, Lacy Danes, Kathleen Dante, Nelissa Donovan, Kate Douglas, Bonnie Edwards, Vonna Harper, Celia May Hart, Morgan Hawke,Deanna Lee, Renee Luke, Susan Lyons, Noelle Mack, PJ Mellor,Sharon Page, Devyn Quinn, Karin Tabke, Sasha White
** I really want Sexy Beast… I haven’t gotten to read any of the Aphrodisia line yet but have to I will post reviews on soon – Wolf Tales and Three
Wet Noodle Posse
very nifty… too many people to cut and paste but you can get the whole scoop on how they came about here
The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills
Cindy, Margo, Shana, Anne, Shirley, Robyn, kim (looks like all AVON authors)
Will have to check these out…you’ve named some I’ve never heard of. 🙂
That me… searching the deep dark places of the internet so you don’t have too ;).
Come back and tell me if any of them or good and I should like go see them and shit.
I like some of them — the ones I avoid are the promo blogs, where it seems every entry is just a “just released!” entry.
I can see why they are popular, though — much easier to be part of a group than maintaining your own blog.
Er…as I just realized I took mine offline for updates and because it has sucked lately…*runs away*
I noticed the same thing too actually, but I generally don’t frequent them. I guess it’s easier to maintain than having a personal blog.
The only one I visit is Writeminded Blog, just cuz the content is generall quite interesting.
I don’t do Squawk Radio cuz I’m not an Elizabeth Bevarly fan.
(Did I just say that out loud?)
I was going to say the same thing as Maljean and Karen but they said it first. Too many of them seemed like nothing but promotion stuff for each others books. Not interested.
Ahhh karen I like you more and more have I told you that lately. I can’t say I am not a fan of Elizabeth Bevarly as I have never read anything by her.
But I can say I have avoided buying anything by her after her lil erotica post.
I am peachy keen with anyone not wanting to write erotic romance, not wanting to read it, even not wanting to know about. Whatever, to each their own. But I tend to get pissy whenever it shouldn’t be done or that it makes ‘romance’ look bad.
I only visit every once in a while because of Lisa Kleypas, which I am sure comes to a shock to everyone ;). And they have some nifty guests, I normally learn about way late.
So which ones DO you visit?
And meljean you site better be back up soon young lady!
I’ve visited the Out of the Blogosphere one a few times, because I like a lot of the authors there. But the other’s I’ve never been to and don’t really know too many of the names featured on them.
And I do agree with everyone else that posted about a lot of the blog posts being promotional.
I like Out of the Blogosphere too. And Vamps and Scamps seems pretty cool.
Risky Regency has some interesting facts around the time period and they are just some silly girls to drop by and see.
There are prolly more there I have visited but I can’t see the list ;). OH the wet noodle one is really pretty cool and not omg buy my book now! But they do link to the books and I think that is cool.
Sybil, I’ve been pissy at her since that ridiculous post of hers. She was far too judgmental for somebody who’d never even read erotic romance.
Read it and criticise by all means, but for f*cks sake, don’t make sweeping gens about shit you know little about.
I read her earlier books when I was younger and didn’t know any better, and I thought her books were crap.
(Ooops there I go winning friends and influencing people again)
The only thing I can say is that I simply don’t have time to track that many blogs so the ones I do tend to put on Bloglines are usually written by readers not authors. Honestly, I love ’em to death for the books they produce but can do without hearing about publishing and writing problems on a daily basis, you know. I suppose that would go double or triple for group author blogs.
(Which is also why I question almost daily why RtB is on my bloglines list in the first place.)
As for group blogs, ones by readers are so few and far between, I’m not really sure how to answer that. Let me find a couple and then maybe I’ll have an opinion. (G)
I only visit a couple of group blogs, mainly Running With Quills and the vamps and scamps one (Hey i gotta go there… I’m a member).
i like group blogs and I understand the reasoning behind them, although since I’ve started my personal one, I have found it is easier to train yourself to write daily, which is all good when you write for a living. I don’t slack off quite as much now.
The 2 main ones I read are “Dishing with the Divas” (because I like Candice Hern and Kate Moore) and “Word Wenches” (Loretta Chase, JoBev, and MJ Putney, even if I think Putney jumped the shark with Stolen Magic). I think the Wenches are great with info on research for aspiring writers (which I am not)
For the most part, I think the group author blogs are great even if there are too many of them to keep track of now
Like Meljean, Karen and Kristie, I’m not a real fan of group author blogs, I hate the promotion and self congratulations. To be honest I don’t have a lot of time to spend hoping around I barely have time to visit the reader and the few author blogs I have on my sidebar.
I can’t say I am not a fan of Elizabeth Bevarly as I have never read anything by her. She’s on my Never, ever, ever read again book list. Not because of her bad behavior, but because the 3 books I read of hers have scarred me for life, bad dialogue, really bad dialogue.
I’m with the consensus here. While I’ve visited many of the group blogs you’ve mentioned here trailing for news about a particular author, I don’t return or keep up with the site or the posts. For me it’s not about the promotion, although that can be irritating, it is more the feeling that the authors are filling in a square that says “it’s good business to have a blog so I guess I’ll do one this way because I don’t have time for it otherwise”. It shows in what they write…it doesn’t feel like it comes from a genuine place.
You left out one of my favorites–Lipstic Chronicles!!!!!!!! 😀
What about the Brava authors?
Brava Authors are on my side bar (look to the left) and their blog didn’t exist when this post was first created.
Plot Monkeys
Babes in Bookland
I know of those two because of working with Karen Kendall on her website, and helping out the monkeys with theirs.
We did a sort of exchange thing with a blog of unpubbed writers last week and I really liked that–not just because it gave me a chance to kvetch and whine. It was interesting hearing the same subject addressed by a bunch of different people. I hope we do something like that again soon.
kate of unleashed
Can an author be on too many blogs? Gee, I’d love to know the answer to that. It was nice to see you listed all the ones I’m on – The Wet Noodle Posse, Warner Women, Harlequin Historical Authors– and Risky Regencies, but I didn’t get names as being there. I blog every Monday and hope we provide interesting tidbits about the Regency as well as mentioning books, too. One of the things we’ve been doing a lot is offering interviews of other Regency authors. Come give us a look!
Diane Perkins / Diane Gaston
This is ironic, because I just started a sort-of group blog on the 21st, LOL. But it is NOT a promo blog. It’s a teaching blog for aspiring authors. I’ve given a lot of lectures and talks and hear the same questions repeated, so I thought–why not post blog entries answering these same kinds of questions? I can do some myself and have authors answer similar questions.
Now, readers who could care less about how to get published might be bored out of their minds, but aspiring authors might want to know.
Of course this might not fit your definition of “group blog.” I’ve started it myself and am in the process of inviting others–who knows how it will end up?
http://www.jenniferonwriting.blogspot.com is the URL
You helped me put my feelings about group blogs into words:
http://cubiesconfections.blogspot.com/2007/02/saturday-night-fondue.html
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has mixed feelings about them!