Hi friends! Welcome to a Friday recap! Here’s what’s been going on…
My Blog Turned 9 Years Old Today!
BrynDonovan.com does some serious numbers for the personal website of a not-yet-famous author. It has several thousand subscribers and it gets over 3,000 hits a day. This is my 488th post. I can’t even guess how many hundreds or thousands of hours I’ve put into this blog, and I’m very proud of it—can you tell? 🙂
But when I started it, I had almost no social media presence—maybe a thousand Twitter followers, a typical personal Facebook page, and that was it. I think I had five subscribers for the first couple of months: my husband, my mom and dad, one of my sisters-in-law, and a couple of very loyal friends. But I did have a tagline—tell your stories, love your life—and a commitment to helpful writing resources and positivity.
This website has meant the world to me, and it’s led to successful books and new opportunities. Best of all, it’s introduced me to a lot of wonderful people. Some of you reading this have been with me for years, and some of you came here more recently. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you all! Thank you so much for reading!
I Tried, Unsuccessfully, to Ignore a Publishing Scandal
Hoo, boy. On the off chance that you haven’t heard about this one yet: an up-and-coming debut author created many fake Goodreads accounts to leave one-star reviews on books she viewed as competition, while leaving five-star reviews on her own forthcoming book. The author is white, and many of the victims are authors of color. She’s claimed that an online friend did it on her behalf, which looks doubtful.
I felt terrible for all the people involved, and I think there are lessons to be learned from the nasty, sad, and baffling situation.
If you’re an author and you get a spate of suspicious one-star reviews on Goodreads, it’s worth looking into it to see if they’re from legitimate accounts or if the accounts are reviewing many of the same other books. If you’re the victim of a coordinated attack, Goodreads will often take action.
For instance, when I was still working in publishing, I sometimes got retaliatory one-star reviews on my books from people whose manuscripts I’d rejected. One time, a person set up two fake Goodreads accounts to leave one-star reviews on a book of mine, and the people at Goodreads agreed they were fake and took them down.
The truth is, there are dozens of positive ways to promote a book. If you’re reading this, you probably already saw my working draft of my 2024 book launch marketing plan; if you didn’t, and you’d like to see it, email me at bryndonovan1@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you and add you to my newsletter.
In any case, we can all remember that if we’re treating others with respect and conducting ourselves with integrity, we’re already a success.
I Discovered a Lovely YouTuber Who Talks About Aging, Ageism, and Positive Living
Margaret’s channel is called 60 and Me, but she’s been at this a while and she’s now 74. I love the joy she brings to living and her mix of positivity and practicality.
Ageism is still a widely accepted prejudice, one that cuts across political party lines. Many older people are thriving and living their best lives, but they’re doing it despite a culture that insists, again and again, that they are out of touch, weak, incompetent, and irrelevant. In the excellent book Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents, the author Isabel Wilkerson addresses this issue, writing:
“Even the most privileged of humans in the West world will join a tragically disfavored caste if they live long enough. They will belong to the last caste of the human cycle, that of old age, people who are among the most demeaned of all citizens in the Western world, where youth is worshipped to forestall thoughts of death. A caste system spares no one.”
I truly believe that we will see amazing advances in the next couple of decades against ageism, but we’ll have to be a part of that change. Margaret has some wonderful, gentle insights about that in her latest video here.
I Put 2024 Pages in My Franklin Planner
Okay, do any of you use paper planners? Soon after I got my first iPhone in the 00s, I stopped using them, but after a couple of years, I went back to them—specifically, back to Franklin Covey planners. I’ve tried other kinds, but I’ve never liked them as well (and no, this isn’t a sponsored post!) I like the Franklin’s bookmark with the “weekly compass” cards, the two-page-a-day spreads, the goal pages, and being able to throw away pages when I’m done with them. I’ve been using Franklins since the mid-1990s, and as I put the new pages in and found some planner stickers I’d forgotten about, I had this amazing feeling…like, You’re still going, kid. Go do some more amazing things.
Do you have thoughts about ageism or living a positive life?
Do you get distracted by scandals? Are you enjoying the holiday season, or not so much? We’d love to hear all about it! And have a wonderful Friday and a fun weekend!
Congrats on 9 years Bryn! I’ve been a followed for past several years and have found your posts practical, uplifting, and thought provoking.
You’re doing good work 😊
-Brooke
Thank you for the kind words, Brooke! And thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
In my long life, I have battled against various …isms. Feminism, for instance. I was never a bra-burning fanatic; but scurried around in the background, proving my worth by doing whatever job I tackled. There’s a place in any cause for the sword-wielding front-line knights, charging into battle; if only to raise awareness of The Cause. But there must be many behind-the-scenes working ants like myself, oiling the wheels of change by proving our worth.
Now that I am 90, I am becoming more aware of ageism. One of my pet hates is being talked down to by a younger person, who assumes that white hair is an indication of senility. They are quickly made aware of the fallacy of their perceptions. Then there are the questionnaires and quizzes and the like, which classify results by age bands. When they get to 60 or 70, the bunch the rest of us together. There is a wide gap in the physical ability of most people between the 60 to 70 group, and the 70 to 80 group, and between them and the 80 to 90 group. Statisticians please take note.
Above all, I come all over aggressive when someone uses the phrase “…for your age.” Examples – “You look good for your age.” “You’re still driving at your age?” “Wow! You’re writing novels at your age.” No! Do not judge my by my age: judge my by my achievements.
Thank you, Anne! I’ll be 90 on my next birthday, so you’re a few months ahead of me! I constantly rant about ageism, and even those who know my history often forget and make comments with the word “still.” You’re still working? You still live alone? You still drive? A new one surprised me recently. “You still do a nice job of accessorizing.” What?? I retired as a college prof two years ago and none of my students would have dared to make any comments about me or my ability to think. Yes. I use a walker, but my brain “still” works just fine! And don’t call me “dear!”
Oh, yes! I’m now rapidly approaching 80 and walk, last summer climbed part way up Cat Bells in the Lake District (UK), only recently gave up cycling and kayaking. I play the piano and took my Grade 5 exam last year as I missed out on it when in my teens. I write, starting that venture when I was in my 60s and now have a thirteen books published. I make all my cards and paint and do gardening, although heavy digging is now beyond me.
I would like to add to your list those patronising people (usually middle aged rather than young) who call older people, women in particular, dear, love, my lovely, and other similar things.
And I agree with you about ‘for your age.’
My mother-in-law was once told ‘You don’t look 80.’ Her reply was, ‘What does 80 look like?’
V.M., you are so impressive! I smiled at the “What does 80 look like?” Thanks so much for the post! And thanks for reading!
Anne, I’m ashamed to say that I never thought about that (lumping multiple decades into the 65+ category), and you’re so right—that’s nonsense! “For your age” is so aggravating. Thank you for the great post!
Does the total of 12 million views on your site include the roughly seven million views from bot traffic rather than real people or has the count been modified to exclude bot traffic? Given your emphasis on “conducting ourselves with integrity,” demonstrating honesty would align with this proclaimed value. Those of us who prioritize integrity would appreciate an accurate count,
Hi J. Donovan! I don’t know anything about bots, or how or whether WordPress tracking tools identify them.
Congratulations on 9 years.
Thanks so much, V.M.!
Congratulations on your nine years here!
That Goodreads scandal makes me just shake my head. Some authors don’t understand that shooting at the competition turns around to hit them too. Who’s gonna buy a book written by someone who pulls such dirty tactics? Also, it says a lot about the quality of the author’s own book if they have to resort to such measures. sigh Just so much head shaking.
Hey there! Yeah, I know…that author had everything going for her, and heaven only knows what happens now.
Bryn, Do you know how important your positive attitude and uplifting feedback have been to me? With your encouragement, I gained the courage to step forward on the publishing path. At very nearly three quarters of the way to a century, it is good to know I don’t have to be young to be valuable.
Oh Jessie! You’re going to make me cry. 🙂 I am so grateful to you. I’m always interested in your take on things and you’ve always been such a positive influence! I’m so glad you’re pursuing your writing the way you are. ❤️
Happy Blogiversary!
Thanks for the explanation on the GR scandal. I heard bits and pieces, but didn’t realize how awful it was.
I use Simplified.
denise
Thank you! And yeah…it’s a mess. I just feel awful for everyone involved.
Congratulations, friend! I remember taking your blogging class back in the days of yore and I still think about it! I literally just added a blog to my own website. It only took me YEARS to get started. Trying to figure it all out, but thank you for the inspiration and hope you’re well!!