It won't be long before the only newspapers we have left will be clever creations like this Fairy Tale newspaper sold by the Etsy shop theFiligree.

Years ago, book reviews were printed only in publications read by professionals or if one was lucky in a newspaper’s book review section. When an author received a good review she might celebrate by popping the cork on a bottle of champagne or calling her mother. A bad review might lead to throwing pillows around the living room or placing a different sort of call to her mother.

Times have changed. Professional review publications are still around and so (at least for the moment) are newspapers. However, the internet has multiplied the number of opportunities to receive reviews be they good or bad. There are book bloggers, Amazon.com and something called Goodreads. The internet has also changed the way we as authors interact with the world and how we as authors interact with our fans. We are used to sharing our every emotion with the world and the most mundane events of our life via places like Facebook and Twitter. We write blogs where we can rant and rave about whatever annoys us. This internet thing can be a dangerous place for authors.

So no matter where you are in your writing career, here’s some tips to keep in mind.

1. Some people are not going to like your book. It seems impossible after all that you went through to finally get your book accepted for publication and then all the edits and tweaks your book went through, but it’s true, some people still won’t like it. Prepare yourself for this fact.

2. If you are having a hard time accepting the fact that there are people who won’t like your book, do yourself a favor and turn off your Google alerts, stay away from Goodreads and Amazon, and do not click on any links to reviews you accidentally stumble across on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Some of these reviews will be good, but some will be bad. It’s a fact of life.

3. If you’ve decided that you can handle reading bad reviews and you do not take the steps outlined in step 2, do not comment on any online reviews you find. Although it might seem polite to thank a blogger for a nice review, I think it might cheapen the review somehow to add your comment to the blog post. I also advise the no comment rule because you should absolutely under no circumstances comment on a bad review.

If you're determined to read bad reviews, invest in some good throwing pillows. A literary pillow case like this one by the Etsy shop BookFiend isn't a bad idea either.

4. Don’t react to a bad review. Okay, you’re human. You’re going to react to a bad review. Do it the old fashioned way. Throw pillows. Call your mother. Do your reacting away from your computer. If you need to, send an email to your close friends to vent. Don’t vent on Twitter, Facebook or your blog. These are public forums. The literary world may seem huge, but it’s amazing how small it gets when one of its member engages in bad behavior. You don’t want to be that person.

5. Write the next book. The publishing world moves so slowly that by the time a book comes out you should no longer be emotionally invested in it. You should be pouring your passion into your next book. It’s easier to ignore critical reviews if you accept the fact that once your book is out there in the world it is out of your hands. Cut the apron strings, and move on to the next project.

Well, okay there was much procrastinating on my part, but I did eventually sit down and re-write the website bio. Actually, for awhile I just stared at the computer screen and willed the perfect bio to write itself. Nothing happened. So, I had no choice but to throw words down and try to make something decent.

I’m not bad at telling stories, but when it comes to telling my own story, I find myself suffering from a serious case of writer’s block.   For one thing, my life isn’t terribly exciting. I’ve spent a lot of my life writing and reading books. I have some pets. I’ve lived most of my life in New Jersey. I’ve certainly never lived anywhere exotic. I don’t even travel to exotic places.

Then there’s the dilemma of how much detail to include. Like I said, my life is not terribly exciting so it’s difficult to determine which details will make my about me interesting and which will put readers to sleep. I like to include some funny bits, but if it’s too funny people won’t take it seriously. There’s also the problem with humor not always translating so well on the web. There’s going to be at least one person who reads my bio and thinks I’m obsessed with Hamlet or that I’m criticizing the Rutgers University curriculum, when my 7 straight semesters of Hamlet reference is meant to be funny, because honestly, it was probably more like 5 straight semesters and the only reason is that I majored in English, and as any English major will tell you college professors really like assigning Hamlet.

So, it’s not earth shattering, exciting or especially surprising, but here is my revised website bio. Hopefully, it’s slightly more interesting than a resume.

Anyway, the other thing that the new year means is New Year’s Resolutions. I’ll be honest I’ve never been much of a resolution maker or keeper, but I’m going to go ahead and make some this year. So, here are my writing related New Year’s resolutions:

1. Be a better blogger.

It’s only the second week day of 2012 and this is my second blog post. Sure, yesterday’s was only a sentence long, but I’m still way ahead of my usual blogging tendencies. I can’t promise a new blog post every day, but I’m definitely going to try and be a much more active blogger.

2. Be a better social networker.

This sort of goes along with the be a better blogger resolution, but this includes stuff like Twitter and Facebook and the much neglected Google+. I’m really going to try and stay more active in all these arenas.

3. Write more.

This might seem to contradict the first two resolutions because if I’m spending more time blogging and more time social networking, how can I spend more time writing. My theory is there is always extra time to find in the day. I may even try to do a little more outlining, since I think this will lead to more productive writing time.

4. Enjoy my writing life.

Sometimes I complain that my schedule is too busy or that I have deadlines or that I have to spend time doing all that social networking stuff, but this is stupid. I am very lucky to have my first novel published and a second due out in May. So, you know what? I’m going to try and enjoy all of it, even the tedious stuff.

Well, that’s it for me. What resolutions have you made for yourself in 2012?

But, I have some other assistants lending me a paw, and I thought I would share them with you.

Alcibiades, or Alci for short, is Autumn’s bestest, bestest friend in the whole world. His job is to keep my arms warm when I type. I’m not sure why he decided my arms were in need of warming, but since the day I brought him home from the shelter he has made it his job to sit on my arms, not my lap mind you, but my arms, while I type. He also has this thing about going for walks on a leash like a dog. So, yeah, he’s a pretty strange cat.

Amber is my cheerleader. If she sees me slacking off she yells at me to write. “Write faster. You need to make money to buy cat food, and you know how sensitive my stomach is, you can’t be buying any of that cheap stuff.” Her cheers are not nearly as rhythmic as those ones I recall from high school pep rallies, but there’s something about a hungry cat screaming MEOOOOWWWRRR in my ear that inspires me to type a little bit faster.

Finally, there’s Jack. Jack is in charge of mental health breaks. He’s pretty good about detecting just when I need to go out for some fresh air to clear my head. He reminds me by smacking me with his big, strong doggy paw. Strangely enough, he also does this on bitter cold days or days when the weather is not really conducive to walking.

So, that’s my team. They are the secret to my success. Without them, I don’t know what I would do. Well, probably get more writing done, but don’t tell them that.

Last Tuesday I was lucky enough to visit the Cape May County Library as a guest workshop leader for their annual teen writing workshop program. It gave me the chance to meet some talented teen writers who are working on some exciting projects, everything from high fantasy to memoir. I had a great time!

On Saturday I attended the second annual Monroe County Book Expo. Last year, I attended as a writer anticipating the release of her first novel. It was nice to go back this year, with actual published books. It was also nice to meet so many talented creative folks and such wonderful readers. Since it was held at the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, PA – where I worked for several years – it’s great to go back and see so many familiar faces.

In between my day job and writing, fellow author Stephen Parrish was peppering me with questions for an interview on his blog. Steve is a novelist and author of the award-winning mystery The Tavernier Stones. So, it was an honor to take part in this interview and answer all sorts of questions about important subjects like getting an agent, writing in the male perspective and, of course, Johnny Depp. You can read the interview, which is possibly irreverent, but never libelous here.

As every school kid knows April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring pilgrims. So, what do March showers bring? Well, ear infections and floods, but I see a bit more green out there and hear a lot more birds so there are some positive effects as well. I’m hoping that today you are able to find a sunny window of your own, and if not a literal sunny window at least a metaphorical one.

Today I’m over at Adventures in Children’s Publishing for their WOW Wednesday feature writing about writing and being a rebel. So, if you have a chance please stop by.

And in case it didn’t make it to your inbox or you aren’t a subscriber, the latest issue of my monthly writing newsletter is now available. Click here to read it.

Speaking of prizes, each month’s giveaway will now be a fun prize pack of goodies with fun stuff for writers and book lovers and the other generally cool sort of people that read my newsletter.

Another change for 2011, is a special section I’m adding called Subscriber Spotlight, and I want your help. Have a writing or book related tip to share? Have a burning writing question to ask? Just want to do some shameless self promotion? There aren’t really any rules for Subscriber Spotlight (I may regret that) so just contact me with your Subscriber Spotlight suggestions, and I’ll see if I can get it into a future newsletter.

This week’s question is: What do you wish someone would have told you when you started writing?

Here’s my answer:

I wish someone had told me to stick to one thing and see it through to the end. It’s lot easier to finish something if you aren’t constantly getting distracted and starting new projects.

Cruise over to Elevensies and see what everyone else had to say.

Also, writers, how would you answer this question?

I’m thinking the life of a pre-internet writer pretty much consisted of sitting at a desk and writing. If they needed to look something up there was probably a dictionary close at hand. Something requiring more research might have involved a short note and a trip to the library at some point.

Modern writers have a wealth of information at their fingertips. Unfortunately, all that information can be a bit distracting. When I need to look something up, I just pop open my web browser (Who am I kidding? It’s probably already opened.) it can be anything from a complex research question to a very basic spelling question. Even though I have a dictionary within reach, it’s still easier to go to Google and let the search engine correct me on my misspelling.

Of course, once I have my answer all I need to do is head back over to the old work in progress, but usually I don’t. I remind myself that’s it’s been awhile since I’m visited those great lands of timesuck known as Twitter and Facebook. Also, I should check my email. I then waste three and half minutes watching the funny video someone sent me. Then I remember to read that blog I like, but there’s a link to another blog, and another. I discover a blog I’ve never read before and am instantly hooked, and oh look she’s soliciting captions or inspired stories for a funny photo so I have to use some of that creativity I should be using on the WIP.

By the time I get back to work, my stomach’s telling me it’s time to take a meal break. The illusion is that computers let us write so much faster than having to write things out by longhand or fighting with a typewriter, but I have a feeling that only computers without web access really let us work faster.

Well, now that I’ve caught up from my internet hiatus, it’s time to get back to work. Well, just as soon as I figure out how to fix my busted iPod. I should probably look that up on Google.

One of the things I found interesting about my fellow panelists, is that each of them had a different story of publication, and that along with me none of us has had what might be considered the “traditional” story of publication. I don’t know if there is any one traditional publication story, but in writing circles the the most traditional publication story is that after completing and polishing a manuscript one goes looking for an agent. With luck, an agent represents you, sells your book to a big publishing house, and with a whole lot more luck you make gobs of money, quit your day job and spend your days crafting your next bestseller. Okay, so the ending part might not be too traditional. But for the most part the find an agent who in turn finds you a publisher story is pretty standard.

Gloria Mallette kept writing novels and filing them away, until her husband convinced her she had to do something about them. So, she published them herself, creating her own publishing company to self publish her book. More than just a writer she made herself into a savvy business woman and it paid off. She began to sell a lot of copies of her book and the big guys took notice. She found herself with a contract from a big publishing house and her first book was heavily promoted with a first class book tour, but as she continued to publish books with the big publishing house, she became disillusioned when the publisher chose to do little to promote her work. Eventually she decided to return to self publishing because she already knew she could be successful at it.

Jeff Widmer is a writer for hire.  He is the author of The Spirit of Swiftwater, which he wrote for a corporate customer and which was initially privately published, but later was published by a university press. Freelance writing and ghostwriting have helped Jeff to carve out a successful writing career.

And me? I bypassed the agent route and the big publishers, and submitted my manuscript directly to a small publisher. The Subrosa Semesters was picked out of a slush pile and is now well on its way to publication.

If you’re a writer, and you’ve had trouble going about things the traditional way, or if you just prefer to do things your own way, it’s good to keep in mind that there’s more than one way to become a published author.