A Word to New (and Old) Members of the Inner Circle Writers’ Group
The ICWG continues to grow rapidly — perhaps even faster during these times of Lockdown than it does normally. I hope everyone who joins is making the most of their membership, which includes things that they won’t find anywhere else.
As it states in the ‘blurb’ about the group, the ICWG is for new and established writers interested in the craft and practice of writing and everything connected with that. You CAN promote your books and services — which is I’m sure why many people join — but this should be done through our popular Marketing Monday thread, NOT in the main group feed. That’s for a number of reasons, the prime one of which is that if members were allowed to post ads for their own books in the feed, it would almost immediately become clogged with advertising and cease to be of any great interest to those who want to find out more about the craft of writing. You WILL find ads for Clarendon House books and material there, but that’s simply because the group is affiliated with my publishing firm Clarendon House; I will not tend to approve anything that looks like an ad, even if, when you posted it, you didn’t think it did.
I also tend not to approve posts which are incoherent or which will cause trouble of one kind or another for you, including anything political or religious. Often I get posts submitted which say 'This is not available at the moment' or some such message, which simply means that it has been tagged in such a way as not to be shared. I can't always spend the time contacting each and every member whose posts are disapproved, but if you have a problem you can always contact me.
The good news on the promotion side of things is that you can post ANY AD YOU LIKE in the Marketing Monday thread at any time (not just on Mondays) and without having to ask me. The other main reason why I do this is because it works better — people reading the main feed don’t want to see ads and will therefore tend to skip them and even protest them, but people who browse through Marketing Monday threads are much more likely to be in a ‘shopping’ frame of mind.
As a group member, please participate in group conversations and activities, make friends and learn a lot. If things get profane, or political, or religious or become gratuitous or unmannerly (or even incoherent) in comment threads, just tag me by putting my name in the thread and I will investigate and take action. That sounds dramatic — in fact, I hardly ever have to ‘take action’, as almost all ICWG members are civil and intelligent and treat each other with respect.
Please avail yourself of the incredible value offered to you in the form of the monthly Inner Circle Writers’ Magazine, which costs only £2.00 per copy or £20.00 for 12 issues. I work hard to gather together fabulous fiction, mainly from members, along with articles and interviews from new and established writers, artwork and many other things of interest. As an e-magazine, it’s certainly worth its cover price. It also provides you with an ongoing place to send your submissions.
There are also free gifts for you and if you really want to get carried away, you can even get your own ICWG merchandise!
Mainly, though, enjoy your membership of one of the most active, interesting and friendly groups for writers on social media today!
Please email me if you have any questions:
grant@clarendonhousebooks.com