Blog Policy

Glad you could stop by the Writing in the Modern Age blog! And thank you for your interest in appearing as a guest. :)

 

UPDATE for June 2021:  This site had a major overhaul, and my policies have changed. 
 
Please read the following rules carefully... 

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

Our promos or features include a variety of posts, such as a guest article, author interview, service interview (if your service helps writers/authors in some manner, or even book readers) or character interview, reposted book review (with the permission of the original reviewer), basic book features, blog tour spotlights, new release features or cover reveals, poetry spotlights, and our cool new option called The Author's Bookshelf. We also run occasional book giveaways and special features. Refer to the blog schedule on the left side of the home page for clarification about guest spot availability.  

This blog was designed to foster creativity, to help writers with any aspect of their careers, at any stage or from any background, and to introduce readers to new authors and books. Keep these two facts in mind:

 

I will NOT turn this blog into a forum for your inflammatory political views, so don't even bother sending those types of articles. That's not the point of Writing in the Modern Age.

We accept all book genres on Writing in the Modern Age, but please know I will NOT post adult excerpts. Curse words and some tough issues are fine. As I can't be sure who exactly visits the blog, it's best to keep everything professional. If you do submit a highly adult or graphic excerpt, and you give me no other options, I will only post the content that I deem fit for the blog.


***Feel free to approach me with your creative ideas about a blog post. However, please know that I’ve been through too many illnesses, family emergencies, and other drama this year, and I am now taking a hiatus from my blogs. I may pop in now and then, just to write an article relevant to this blog’s theme, or to post something. Basically, consider me away, working on my books for a while until I state otherwise. I value my time wisely nowadays, therefore I’ve started charging for certain services.

 

SERVICES AND CHARGES (in US dollars) starting for September 2021, etc. spots:

 

Author Interview - $10.00

 

Character Interview - $15.00

 

Service Interview - for a service which helps writers/author or book readers (yes, there's a small fee for that, I'm sorry) - $10.00

 

Author's Bookshelf Feature (you talk up 5 or 6 books that influenced you in your career - any genre - and I'll feature your book at the end of the post) - $15.00

 

New Release/Book Feature - $20.00

 

Cover Reveal - $10.00

 

Poetry Spotlight (any theme, as long as it's mostly clean) - $15.00

 

****You may pay through PayPal here (please click the down arrow below for other guest feature options).

 

Blog Spot Features



Or reach out to me via email and I'll issue you an invoice for the guest spot.  

Contact me at the same email to get a guest post (any type of feature) scheduled, just so I have your real name/pen name and can keep everything organized. And for God's sake, PLEASE learn my name, as I'm the point of contact here. It is not 'Mariella', 'Marianna', or any other derivative of Mary, Maria, or Mariah. It's just Marie (as in 'Marie Lavender's Writing in the Modern Age blog, listed at the top of the site)

 

 

Though I can understand occasional typos and such, to continue to call me by someone else's moniker is a bit unprofessional. 

 

Anyway, shall we continue?


FREE OPTIONS FOR POSTS:  

 

1) Guest Articles - (****Stay within the guidelines! Your post must be about some aspect of writing. This includes writing tips, telling new writers about your writing/publishing journey, or even offering some book marketing tips. I will also take a listing of apps that you believe can help writers at any stage of their careers. The sky's the limit, as long as you're not shamelessly promoting your own book. I will do my part, and include enough information about you and your work at the end of the article to entice readers to follow you.)

 

2) Yes, I am willing to accept a 'Guest Book Review'I will NOT write these myselfBut please email me if you'd like to gush about a great book that you've read! Don't find this daunting. A book review can be as short as a paragraph, and as lengthy as you like. I will always, always do my best to make a blog post as attractive as possible, regardless of how much you say about the book. I can post about any genre, but if I decide the work might better fit on a different blog of mine, I’ll ask if it’s okay to move it there instead.

As aforementioned, our interviews are ever popular, whether in the form of character perspectives, service interviews about a company that can help authors/readers, or an author interview. The greatest thing about our author interviews is that on Writing in the Modern Age, if you as the author have a second/third/fourth interview on the blog, the questions change for you, so readers will always get a different take on you, your book and your life.


****REMEMBER: At this time, my schedule is full and does not allow me to consider writing official book reviews for your books on this blog. Requests for such reviews will be politely denied, no exceptions. Thanks for understanding.

Authors, I am, however, more than willing to celebrate your new release by offering you a spot on the blog, if there is availability, or at least helping to tweet/retweet a promo if you simply email me. I also have two other blogs. One is the I Love Romance Blog, where I usually host character interviews and other interviews for romance authors, guest posts about romantic relationships, features for the latest releases of romance novels, and romantic poetry spotlights. Please pay attention to the right-hand side of ILRB for submission calls for specific blog features. My other blog is Marie Lavender's Books and Other Things, which sometimes accepts guest authors in the form of various features. I won’t have a specific schedule for that blog, as it’s mainly for author posts. I do not charge for guest articles (general topics, unrelated to writing or books), but I will for book features/new release/cover reveals, author interviews, and kitty character interviews (yes, that's a thing).


***ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY – We also take sponsored posts here, if your company’s budget allows it, AND if the post would be a good fit for Writing in the Modern Age. Please reach out to me for a quote and details. Email me at marieannlavender@gmail.com


 
Book readers and aspiring writers, feel free to leave your thoughts or comments on the blog posts. We always love to hear from you! ;) 

P.S. Commentary provided by guest writers on any subject does not reflect the blog moderator's personal views. Thanks in advance for understanding.
 

***Proper Conduct for Guest Writers***

This shouldn't need to be said, but given some of the poor behavior I've witnessed in recent years, here it is...

PLEASE have your information for a post sent to me in a timely manner - preferably a week in advance. I usually need materials by the Friday of the previous week (yes, that means even if your post is coming up on Monday or the following Friday). But for God's sake, COMMUNICATION IS KEY. If for some reason you cannot meet a deadline, please offer the common courtesy of sending an email. Flaking on a blogger is just rude, and even as an author with occasional features on other blogs, I would never do that to someone else. Please know I am human too, and I understand when life gets in the way. But just let me know with a quick email and we're good. I hate having to chase people down and beg them to send in their stuff, ESPECIALLY if I never receive a response. It's a waste of both of our time. Just keep in contact, and I will fully understand if you need to reschedule or require more time to get everything together. You can even reach out to me in a private message on Facebook or via email (to be honest, I rarely, if ever, check my notifications on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok), so we can communicate about any delays you're having. As a blogger, I prefer to be prepared, but things will go smoother if you respect me the way I respect all of you. I don't think that's too much to ask. 

In the case that you do need to reschedule, PLEASE let me know as early as possible so I can get another guest settled in for that date. These spots go fast. 
 
If you're still at a loss for how to behave, please consider the following tips or guidelines for Writing in the Modern Age as well:
 
 
 

 
Many thanks for visiting us!  

Featured Post

A Character Interview with Dillon from MOUNTAIN BLAZE, plus a conversation with author Debby Grahl!

Today we're bringing something different to Writing in the Modern Age in the form of a character interview. These character interviews, ...