#i was going to include this in the august compilation but it disrupted the flow

[32bitterra]

Not Berry Good

(August 20, 2024)

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, mid July to August, 2019

Welcome to my latest summary of recent news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & ecommerce! This covers articles I came across from July 14 to August 24, although some may be older than that.

Tumblr has not been saving all of my drafts correctly, which has led to me rewriting some of this post more than once. (I’m now going to be compiling it elsewhere & pasting it here when done, to avoid this issue in the future.) That, a heavy workload, and some vacation time delayed & truncated this report. 

But the good news is I am now on a more consistent schedule, with more time to read and write. I expect to be getting this back to 3 times a month very soon. 

Are there types of news you would like to see here? Please let me know! Leave a comment below, email me through my website, or send me a message on Twitter.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES

The priority placement is US search for items that ship free has been around for nearly 4 weeks, and doesn’t seem as disruptive as some feared. Etsy is conscious that non-US sellers are particularly upset about this, and have therefore published a list of things they are doing to help international sellers. (note that most of those things also help US sellers that ship to other countries, 

Etsy’s 2nd quarter results came out on August 1. Everything was up, but not quite as much as some experts predicted, so the stock is down quite a bit. The big announcement was that Etsy will be combining Promoted Listings & Google Shopping ads bought by sellers into Etsy Ads. They are supposed to launch in August, but I have yet to hear of any seller who thought this was a good idea.

3.5 million people worldwide use at least one social media platform. (That’s 46% of the planet’s population.) And more than half of the planet  - over 4 billion people - watch videos online. “[H]alf of all internet users below the age of 35″ use voice to operate their devices, with 43% of internet users worldwide using voice at least occasionally. 

SEO isn’t enough; you are going to have to spend money to be seen, if you don’t already “The last 18 years have been an anomaly. Twenty years ago, if a brand couldn't afford to pay for a newspaper or a radio ad, the media company didn't give the company time to publish a public service announcement. SEO allowed companies to go through a period where they received free listings on search engines like Google and Bing. Sending people to a brand's website is like getting a free television or radio commercial or newspaper ad or billboard at the baseball park in 1984″

Trend watch: both clothing retailers and makeup companies are seeing a drop in sales as their markets shrink. If you sell either, you will want to read both articles, as there are some parallels between the two areas in regard to what is and is not working. 

ETSY NEWS

Etsy purchased musical gear website Reverb for $275 million; it will continue to run separate from Etsy. Etsy stock went up at the time. This is notable because Etsy hasn’t bought much lately; it looks like they are slowly dialing back the panic mode, single-goal approach. Their business acumen has disappointed one commentator [humour].

Etsy is “improving” Etsy shop stats. (Note that the Google Shopping category is apparently for the ads you buy yourself only, not the ones Etsy buys, so you will need to use Google Analytics to look at those hits for the moment.) This seems to be leading up to the launch of Etsy Ads (see above).

Here’s some coverage of Etsy changes in the past few years (not a lot new, with some errors). 

Etsy seems to be ramping up its monitoring of seller customer service factors, as more people are receiving email notifications that their shops are falling below Etsy’s customer service expectations. I expect that any updates in this area might involve the new chat convo thingy: Convos are changing to live chat threads, which you cannot write more than one paragraph for because hitting return sends the message. It’s a mess. (Please forgive my frustration; I’ve already had to deal with over 40 separate convos from one buyer alone.)

There will be a site-wide Labour Day sale August 30-September 2, which Etsy will apparently be promoting. 

Fall fashion trends as promoted by Etsy: apparently silk scarves are in, for all sorts of uses. They also released their holiday trend report (pdf file), which I will summarize next week if I can find the time. It’s worth a look, because they divulge some top search data. You can also listen to the podcast, or read the podcast transcript. 

This article on tiered pricing and increasing your average order value is geared towards people using the $35 free shipping guarantee, but it is also useful for anyone wanting their customers to buy more from them. 

Staff will be using the Etsy Success section of the forum to post weekly tips called “Etsy Insights”. So far, they have been posting each week’s thread in that announcement post, so it is easy to skim and see if any topics are relevant for you. 

They are also asking members to sign up for more research surveys; so far, I am finding it pretty boring, and all of the content on their “hub” page is over a year old. 

The expansion into India saw their domestic listings more than double last year. Free workshops have helped bring many new sellers aboard. 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

Google’s John Mu, who does SEO outreach & education, reminds us that “LSI keywords” are not actually a thing. (LSI was a computer method to figure out relationships between words back in the 1980s; no search engine today is using it, as they have real search data on how people relate words to each other, and it just doesn’t give any insight into modern search technology.)

You don’t need tons of backlinks, but you do need good ones. And linking out on your own site is a good idea in many cases [video], as long as it serves your readers. 

Using images that show up on many different web pages can harm your SEO. They used stock photos that showed up on hundreds of pages for this experiment, so it is not likely that using your own image on 5 sites, for example, would be a problem. 

It looks like there was a fairly significant Google update around July 18th; there’s a bit more coverage here. The last 3 large Google updates are summarized & analyzed here. 

Google then released a blog post explaining their core updates and what you should do if you are negatively affected by one. They linked to several SEO websites explaining Google’s concept “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness), which is particularly important if you produce blog posts or educational materials.  

Less than half of Google searches now lead to a click on a website result, at least on desktop. Mobile Google searches overwhelmingly do not result in traffic to a website any more. (Note: as I always remind people, the data from these types of studies is always a bit suspect, because they only have a slice of the data, but the provider here probably has the biggest slice worldwide. 

Do you do some simple coding on your website or blog? You will find this beginners’ guide to canonical tags and the different uses of redirects and canonical tags [video & transcript] very helpful. If you are a bit more advanced than that, here’s a good guide to meta tags. 

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails)

Hubspot puts out a lot of good digital marketing guides; check out their “Ultimate Guide to Content Distribution”. Also, they covered how to write a great (& SEO-effective) blog headline, with examples. 

Some stats on current social media usage [infographic]. 

Verizon sold Tumblr to Wordpress owner Automattic. 

Snapchat users continue to increase, as does revenue. They still aren’t profitable, but didn’t expect to be yet. 

Not getting enough traffic on Facebook? Here’s how to get seen by more people there. 

There are ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile to get more sales.

How to get valuable Twitter followers, that is, not bots. (They use Etsy as an example of a well-optimized Twitter profile.) 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS)

Amazon is making advertising an even bigger slice of its income. 

Digital ad spending is continuing to increase in most areas.

Facebook is expanding its search ads to more businesses; it’s not really clear how it all works, though. The ads must also run as news feed ads. Here are some basic tips on how to get the most out of Facebook’s ad algorithm. 

With Etsy possibly ending the free Google Shopping ads it currently buys for us (see the Etsy Ads announcement above), this might be a good time to look into buying Google Shopping ads for your website; here is your complete guide to setting them up. 

More changes to regular Google ads mean less control for the business buying ads, meaning that exact match phrases are no longer even close. “Google says 15% of its daily searches are new — and advertisers will miss out on these new queries if matching is too tightly controlled. Its machine learning systems, the company says, can infer intent and spare advertisers from creating exhaustive keyword lists in order to get their ads to trigger on relevant queries.”

If you are thinking about paying for ads on Pinterest, you will want to read this starter guide. 

Twitter video ads now have an option to not pay for a click unless people view at least 6 seconds of the video. 

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING

How to use Instagram Analytics to boost your business. (That is written for companies that are larger than most Etsy shops, but there is plenty of good material there.)

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS

eBay beat earnings expectations in the second quarter. 

Amazon had higher than expected sales but lower than expected earnings in the second quarter. They keep thriving despite low profits margins because they have a massive cash flow. 

Alibaba reported higher than expected revenue and profit for its first quarter ending June 30th. 

Amazon sales on Prime Day (July 15-16, actually 2 days) were greater than last year’s Black Friday & Cyber Monday combined, and also signed up more new Prime members on each than ever before. Other websites also saw a big boost, especially for electronics. 

Amazon forced to amend its seller policies worldwide following German legal action. As of August 16, they will give 30 days notice for standard account cancellations. 

And they have expanded their robot deliveries (still followed by humans, though!)

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

While buyers do love free shipping, nearly half of US consumers surveyed will choose to pay for shipping in certain circumstances, most commonly when they really want the product. Only 11% said they never buy unless shipping is free. 

When you are trying to sell something, and especially if you want a repeat buyer, make sure you are pitching it to the right target market. For example, people who don’t want to spend a lot of money won’t buy things they can get for free elsewhere. Provide value for the right people. (A lot of this article is pitched at entrepreneurs selling classes and events, not tangible products, but I think there is a lot of value in the explanations.)

MISCELLANEOUS

WordPress is one of the most popular ways to set up your own website; here’s a beginner’s guide to getting started. 

Google beat earnings expectations in the second quarter. Ad revenue was up a lot. Microsoft also had a better-than-expected quarter, but the growth of their search ads and of LinkedIn (which they own) has slowed. 

How to choose colours that will work together well. 

There is a lot of research on productivity; here are 10 things you can do to get more done. 

If you use Chrome, you could really use these Chrome keyboard shortcuts. 

[lambroseforlife]

Sir Rob Information Master Post

This is a post long overdue that many of you wanted from my link compilation post a while back so here it is! A master post that compiles information from the interviews/informative pages that Sir Rob has done in the past about himself and his works. It took me much longer to make than I expected because I stumbled upon more links that revealed more information about him and I wanted to include those to be as thorough as possible. Plus, this was a lot of information to sift through, type up and organize.

Disclaimer: A few of these interviews are from as early as 4-7 years ago so some of the information may be outdated and not completely accurate. Regardless, hopefully our rather elusive and seemingly mysterious author seems LESS elusive and more familiar to you all after reading this post.

NOTE: This post will be updated everytime more information is revealed. If you find any interviews that are not included on here, PM them to me and I will add the information here.

NOTE: (#) = correlates to the number of the source listed on the Link Compilation post

Quick Facts:

Name: Robert Thier (Thier is pronounced as ‘tear’, like the one that runs down your face when you cry) (20)

Birthdate: August 13, 1988 (Age: 29 -when this post was made) (21)

Height: 6′2 (1.88m) (4)

Hair color: Blond (4, 15)

Location: Waldstetten (in between the Drei Kaiserberge), Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany (20, 27)

Education: Gmünder Parler-Gymnasium, Open University in Milton Keynes, Northern England for History (BA) and English Literature (PhD) (14, 28, 30)

Hobbies: Writing, listening to music (especially classical) or audiobooks, taking long walks in the country, painting, composing music, doing historical research, playing videogames, etc (1, 7, 8, 11, 12)

Skills: Writing cliffhangers (and writing in general), having a wicked sense of humor, fast typing, artist, composer, computer programming, etc (7, 14, 15, 28, 30)

Favorite…

food: German dishes such as Maultaschen and Spätzle (12)

book: Jingo by Terry Pratchett (1)

authors: Terry Pratchett, Roald Dahl, Meg Cabot (2)

genre: humor, fantasy, historical fiction (4)

Least Favorite…

food: cucumber salad or cucumbers (he described it as the most disgusting thing he’s ever eaten) (13, 16)

genre: horror (for both writing and reading since he said it doesn’t manage to make him scared) (4)

Sir Rob on himself:

A picture of Sir Rob above, back in 2011, displaying one of his German novels, Dämonenturm (English translation: Demon Tower). (30)

Sir Rob said that he has a short beard that he forgets to shave when he’s busy writing and that he wears a helmet to protect his skull since he was born with a bone missing from his head. He described himself as a cheerful person personality-wise but when he is writing, he warns people to not approach him “with a ten foot pole” (basically, stay away!) He said he loves classical music from composers like Beethoven and more obscure ones such as Alkan and Scharwenka. When going for long walks in the countryside, he mentioned that he gets stared at by other people because of his helmet and because he wildly gestures while imagining scenes to write for his stories. He stated that his greatest strength is his brain that is crazily stuffed with much information and that his greatest weakness is his memory for everyday events which apparently “has more holes than a Swiss cheese.” (4)

Sir Rob on growing up:

Favorite books growing up: He said there’s too many to name and the names would probably not say much since they’re all in German. (8)

Books that have influenced him the most: His schoolbooks in elementary school since he learned how to read from them. (8)

Dream job when he was a kid: He changed his mind once a week. (8)

When he first became interested in history: “History lessons in school, actually. I must have been the only kid in school who wasn’t snoring during the lesson :-)”  Also, he would listen to audio documentaries as a kid and became fascinated by how people made history come alive as a story. (13, 14)

Educational experience: Sir Rob said that for his primary education, he attended the Parler-Gymnasium in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd until he was in middle school. However, due to various health problems (including the reason he has to wear a helmet), he was not allowed to attend school for secondary education. Thus, he chose to study history and literature at the Open University in Milton Keynes, Northern England, a public distance university that does not require a high school diploma. (30)

Sir Rob on how he got his nickname:

When he was writing one of his novels The Robber Knight, one of his readers mistook the title as ‘The Robert Knight’ and started addressing him as “Sir Rob.” The nickname grew in popularity and ever since then, Sir Rob graciously accepted the title that his fans are quite familiar with from reading his works. (20)

Sir Rob on writing:

The when: Sir Rob started writing when he was really young, around 10 or 11 years old, after reading a poorly written story and decided that he could do it better. He explained that he tried and the attempt didn’t go so well, but ever since then he has kept practicing and says that he’s now “a bit better at writing.” (4, 11, 12)

The why: He decided to start writing after he kept getting pelted with ideas in his head which wouldn’t go away until he put them down on paper. (3, 8)

The how: In preparation for writing, he has mountains of disorganized notes that he uses. Sir Rob said that he writes using both logic and intuition, using intuition first then checking for logic in his work. When writing every chapter, he goes with the flow but overall for the story, he usually has a general outline of the plot. However if he gets sudden inspiration, he’s also open to making changes. (3, 8, 13)

The what (inspires him to write): He said he doesn’t really need an inspiration since he’s always had a need to express himself be it through drawing, composing music or writing. Nowadays, he focuses mostly on writing but his drive has never gone away. (7)

The where: His ideas for his stories come to him out of nowhere and he has no idea why they keep popping up in his brain. (1)

Favorite place to write: In his writing dungeon aka the cellar, a cool place for him so his brain won’t overheat. (12)

What he loves the most about writing and what made him fall in love with it: Being able to play around with crazy ideas. (11)

Authors that have influenced Sir Rob’s writing style: He listed the top four as Terry Pratchett, Meg Cabot, Roald Dahl and Jane Austen. Even though it’s a varied collection of works, the one thing that they all have in common is humor, something he has tried to incorporate into his own writing. (24)

Easiest part of writing a book: Getting an idea for the story. (8)

Hardest part of writing a book: Having the stamina needed to finish it since he gets new ideas trying to distract him. (8)

Hardest part to write in a book: Lengthy descriptions since it is difficult for him to keep them from getting boring. (9)

The first story he’s ever written: He couldn’t remember the name since it was many years ago but did remember that it was inspired by Ralf Isau’s Neschan-Trilogy. (11)

What he learned from writing books: How to type faster. He said he taught himself how to type with 10 fingers in order to write his stories quicker. (8)

How much he feels he has improved on his writing: Immensely, especially after starting out on Wattpad due to the feedback he has received on his works. (11)

When asked what caused him to switch from writing books in German to English and whether he intends to ever write in German again: He said he switched languages since Wattpad was primarily an English-speaking platform back then. He always had a liking for English so he thought to himself “Why not try to write a book in English?” It worked out very well for him and currently, he has no plans to switch back to writing in German. (7)

How being a historian affects the way Sir Rob writes his stories: He said that it has made him a stickler for accuracy and that he does a lot of research for his stories even if they are contemporary ones. He wants to make sure that his characters behave realistically and he added that the research makes writing even more interesting because of learning new things. (24)

Whether it’s easier for him to write from a historical POV or a different time period: He said he finds it the easiest to write fantasy, science fiction or dystopian stories where he can make up everything and that he doesn’t feel a difference between historical and contemporary stories since they’re both from the real world, just set at different times. (13)

Writing from a female character’s POV: At first it was hard for him but after reading many stories from a female’s perspective, he said it became much easier for him. (3)

Why he tends to write from female characters POVs: “I like to write about underdog characters who have to prove themselves and struggle against difficult circumstances, and during most of history, with sexism rife everywhere, women were definitely in such a position. That’s why they hold such an attraction for me as main characters. Plus, playing with the differences between the male and female psyche is great fun! :)” (14)

Strong female character role models: Granny Weatherwax from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld book series, Keladry of Mindelan from Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small book series. (3)

On creating romance interests: He said he finds it easy to make them interesting but difficult to make them different from each other. (4)

When asked if he’s ever been afflicted with “Mary Sue Syndrome” (creating an idealized and seemingly perfect fictional character): He stated that he doesn’t think he’s ever had that problem. (4)

How he incorporates humor smoothly into his more serious works without disrupting the stories’ flow: He said he doesn’t do it consciously and that it most likely developed naturally from his reading habits since he’s only been able to stand books that have a pinch of humor in them and from that, it influenced his writing style. (7)

How he chooses names for his characters: Depends on the genre. When writing historical or contemporary stories where the names have to be real, he shared that he picks them out of name databases. For fantasy or science fiction stories, he lets his imagination run very, very, very wild. (11)

Whether he considers the meaning of the name when naming characters:He stated that he considers the way the name sounds more than the meaning. He says the name aloud while imagining the name of the character in his head and if it fits, he takes the name. (8)

When asked if he hides any secrets in his books that only a few people will find: “Not yet. But I plan to put some in the not-too-distant future. Happy searching! :)” (NOTE: This is from an interview that took place sometime during Silence is Golden was being written) (10)

When asked if he tries to be more original or deliver to readers what they want: He explained that he tries to start out with something people want in order to catch their attention then develops it into something new and unexpected. In his opinion, that’s the best of both worlds. (10)

If he could be the original author of any book, what it would be and why: Maybe the author of one or two of the worst books so he could write parodies about them without being sued. As to what those books are, he said he would keep their titles a secret. (10)

Most fun book to write so far: (NOTE: His answer changed over time) While writing Storm and Silence: Whatever book he is writing at the moment. While writing Silence is Golden: Warning! Fairy Tales since every chapter has had brand new ideas. (2, 9)

Funniest scenes that he considers himself to have written: The robbery scene in The Robber Knight, the bathroom scene from Storm and Silence and the torture scene in Chapter 21 of Silence is Golden. (7, 11)

Whether the funny scenes in his stories are made up or come from personal experience: “I make it up. I make it all up, absolutely. My life is not that funny ;)” (7)

Funniest character ever written: A lot to choose from for him, but ultimately it’s a tie between Fye, a little girl from The Robber Knight series and Coal Black, from WARNING! Fairy Tales. (7)

Favorite book genre and how it was developed: Comical fantasy closely followed by historical fiction. In the recent years, he’s concentrated on writing historical fiction and put the most effort into trying to make the genre more accessible to the general audience of readers. He said that since most people think of historical fiction as “stuffy, old-fashioned stories”, he wanted to make the genre more open to younger readers by making it more fun. He added that history gives an unlimited supply of interesting, crazy and funny ideas. (9, 25)

Favorite book he has written: He stated he has the disposition that whichever book he is currently writing is his favorite. (9)

Favorite character from his books: (NOTE: His answer changed over time in different interviews) While writing Storm and Silence: Lilly Linton from Storm and Silence –he said he has a thing for “underdogs with a bite”. While writing Silence is Golden: A tie between Fye from The Robber Knight and Coal Black from WARNING! Fairy Tales since he says he thinks bloodthirsty little girls are cool. (10, 11)

Which character he’s written resembles him the most (NOTE: okay, this one was a bit confusing for me to figure out): In one interview he said none of them since most of his main characters are females and he doesn’t imagine himself as a girl (contrary to what people may think). He also added that most of his characters are influenced by his sense of humor but other than that, they dont resemble him. However, on multiple occasions from other interviews, he said that he resembles his villains  (NOTE: I’m guessing that this is a half-joking, half-serious answer?) (4, 8, 25)

On any rough patches experienced while writing: Said he can’t remember any rough patches. He added he has never suffered from writer’s block either and he hopes that it stays that way. (7, 8)

Who makes Sir Rob’s book covers and what programs are used: He makes them himself and says he uses all kinds of programs such as Bryce, paint.net, Gimp, Photoshop. (8)

Whether Sir Rob has an editor: Yes. (6)

Whether publishing his first book changed his process of writing: He said not really. (10)

Opinion on self-publishing: Has the advantage of more freedom but the disadvantages of less exposure and more work. (3)

eBooks vs printed books: Both have valid places for readers.  (3)

Best accomplishment: His latest book, every time he finishes writing one. (3)

Most shocking achievement: Being able to turn his writing professional. Sir Rob didn’t think it was possible for him to do so before discovering Wattpad. (7)

Whether he has ideas for other books: “Ideas? Oh yes, I have those! In fact, I have way too many. I’ve got so many book ideas stored away in notebooks and folders spread in a creative chaos all over my desk that I could probably write for ten years non-stop without having to come up with a single new idea.” (13)

Advice to new writers: To start writing and to write about something that they love so that they wont give up. Also, write about what they love in a way that so people will find it interesting. He said that’s what he tried with history and it worked for him. (2, 7, 8)

Advice to writers that want to write storylines as interesting as the ones that Sir Rob writes: “Create characters that make you laugh, cry or faint just at the idea of locking them into a fictional room together. If you manage to do that, odds are you have a good recipe for a story.” (23)

Desired impact on readers: Sir Rob aims to write stories that will make people laugh and reread many times. He said he loves when people tell him that his stories have helped them through tough times as his favorite books have done the same for him. He also wants to encourage his readers to think for themselves and be strong through his stories. (3, 4)

Whether he reads his books reviews and how he deals with the good/bad ones: He said he does and that for the bad ones, if they make valid points he tries to implement the constructive criticism in future books and if they don’t, then he ignores them. (10)

When asked if it amazes him how dedicated and engaged his readers are with his words and if there’s anything he would like to say to them (Note: this is a list of quotes): “Yes, definitely. I regularly read the comments of my readers to get feedback on my stories, and it is spiffing how I get new information on improved translations, local history, and many other subjects that help me improve my books. Also, some of the comments are nearly more funny than my own writing. So thank you all for your wonderful support! :)” (7) “You’re awesome! Your feedback and support have helped me to improve enormously as a writer. Thank you! :)” (8) “Thank you so much for your unerring support! You’re awesome! :)” (11)

Sir Rob on Wattpad:

Why Wattpad: Sir Rob chose Wattpad as his writing platform after trying other ways to get his work out: self publishing and sending manuscripts to publishers only to be turned down. Then he found Wattpad after a Google search and chose it as his main writing platform to publish his stories. (2)

Favorite authors on Wattpad: ironkite, Maya_2011 (4, 9)

A name for readers/fans: He usually addresses them as “my dear Lords, Ladies and Gentleman.” (4)

What it’s like being on Wattpad, where the majority of readers are teenagers or kids: An interesting experience for him, especially trying to get people’s attention. (4)

When asked what he would like to say to give a speech for his fans and all of the Wattpad community: “ ‘That I’m really, really, really not good at giving speeches. So I’ll just continue writing and hope you enjoy it.’ **bows, and hurries off the podium blushing**” (4)

When asked about his plans after winning the Wattys: Continuing to write more books since it’s his favorite hobby and dream job. (5)

Proudest moment on Wattpad: Winning the People’s Choice Award and Story of the Year award for Storm and Silence all thanks to his fans. (2)

On his success on Wattpad: Definitely unexpected on his part and he still is dumbfounded sometimes as to how many people like his stories. Every time he sees how many readers and fans he has, he thinks “Oh my God, did that really happen?” He found it hard to get recognition as a writer outside of Wattpad but because of the platform, it made it possible for him.  (7, 12)

On whether he considers himself a Wattpad celebrity: “No I wouldn’t really describe myself as a celebrity. After all, no one has really tried stalking me yet ;-)” (8)

The best things about Wattpad: His awesome fans, the support of his awesome fans, the awesome community that helps out when he needs it, the fact that Wattpad is free and anyone can read and write on there as much as they want to and “…well, just damn everything! :-)” (4)

The worst things about Wattpad: Spam from sites trying to sell medical equipment and the occasions when Wattpad goes offline. (4)

Any bumps on Wattpad: None really except for the one time when he went on Wattpad and saw he had suddenly lost all of his followers which caused him to panic. However, it turned out to be a small bug in the system and was fixed the next day. (7)

Advice to aspiring fans that are writing their own books on Wattpad and wish to be as successful in the future: “Don’t give up! Patience is definitely a virtue on Wattpad. It took me nearly two years to get a breakthrough, so keep hanging in there and don’t give up on your dreams!” (7)

Sir Rob on his works:

Storm and Silence Saga:

Inspiration for Storm and Silence: Sir Rob said it was hard for him to pinpoint exactly when he got the idea but believes it began sometime during his university studies of Imperialism and Suffragism. During one of his courses, he had to read about Victorian era adventure novels as well as the Suffragist and Chartist movement in the 19th century. The Chartists were a movement during the Victorian Era that fought for better conditions for factory workers and voting rights. During one of their demonstrations, over 300 people were killed by the police. Sir Rob thought, “God, if this is what happened to men who were fighting for their right to vote, how much worse must it have been for women?” During that time, there were no feminist organizations fighting for women’s rights and it was up to brave individuals. It was this type of scenario where a lone underdog fights for her freedom that inspired him to write Storm and Silence. He then added as an afterthought, “Thus I was convinced that school is good for something after all ;-)” (7, 13, 23)

Inspiration for Lillian Linton: In one of the interviews, he stated, “I don’t really know where she came from. She just- Wham!- appeared out of nothing and threatened to hit me with her parasol if I didn’t write a book about her.” In another interview, he elaborated that she developed as a mix of his favorite female fictional characters and a few historical leading feminists and suffragists. (13, 24)

Inspiration for Rikkard Ambrose: He was partly inspired by fictional characters such as Mr Darcy, Ebenezer Scrooge (from Charles Dickens) and Uncle Scrooge (from Carl Barks/ Don Rosa), partly by different historical figures such as Victorian entrepreneurs and adventurers from the British Empire, and partly by Sir Rob’s imagination. (10, 13, 23)

If both main characters were inspired from anyone Sir Rob knows personally: No, he said he has never taken inspiration or characters from people that he knows. Most of the people that he does know in real life are much more harmless and he added that he also doesn’t personally know anyone to be as rich and arrogant as Mr Ambrose is. (13, 19, 23)

Why he chose to write Lilly as a Victorian feminist and Mr Ambrose as someone that opposes it entirely: During the Victorian age, feminism wasn’t as widespread but it was when the suffragist movement began. The era was known to be a time of both social upheaval and social rigidity simultaneously. Sir Rob said he likes underdog characters, so writing about a girl rebelling during those restrictive circumstances appealed to him and thus, Lilly was created. As for Mr Ambrose, he’s supposed to represent the prevalent position during the 19th century. Sir Rob explained that he found many historical novels depict their characters with more modernized attitudes than the time period that they are in, so he wanted to avoid that in order to make a more believable story. In addition, having the two main characters have opposing attitudes allows more opportunities for sparks between them, something Sir Rob said that he enjoys to no end. A “hero” that’s a ruthless, chauvinistic, stingy Victorian industrialist-financier contrasted well enough to his strong, determined and quirky heroine. (17, 23, 24)

What drew Sir Rob to write about the period of the suffragist movement:It was the first historically accurate time period that a female feminist character could be depicted as fighting for her rights. Yes, there were singular female figures earlier such as Joan of Arc, but many famous women tended to be distinguished in fields associated with the stereotypical gender role. Sir Rob said that what fascinated him about the Victorian Era was that it was an era of great change, as women began to speak out against their injustices in bigger numbers for the first time. (24)

The amount of research done for Storm and Silence: A lot. An example includes the numbers and letters on the files that Lilly had to fetch at work refer to real historical events and technological inventions that took place during the Victorian era. (13)

How he was able to create an atmospheric and detailed London setting: Mostly through much long and boring research in older books and archives with occasionally checking the internet. (17)

Where Sir Rob learned Victorian English: From reading lots of Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling. (14)

Some of the challenges faced while writing Storm and Silence: Getting the two stubborn main leads to comply and grow closer to each other. He also said that doing a subject on English history while being Germany made it tough to give historically accurate descriptions of some of the areas in 19thcentury London, but ultimately, it was worth it. (24)

A reason for the first person narrative from Lilly in the Storm and Silence series: One of the most intriguing things about the story and Mr Ambrose is his stubborn silence. (23)

How the plot for Storm and Silence transpired mentally and why post it on Wattpad: The same way it transpired on paper and he chose Wattpad since he already posted other books there prior to Storm and Silence. (7)

If the storm was planned from the start in Storm and Silence? “Yes, indeed. That was part of the reason I chose the title.” (9)

When asked about his reaction and thoughts to Storm and Silencewinning Story of the Year back in 2015: “Yess! Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!”, so definitely unexpected on his part. (7)

What Lilly did with the wedding ring from In the Eye of the Storm: Sir Rob said that he didn’t think about it too much at the time and then added that Mr Ambrose, being Mr Ambrose, probably demanded it back and pawned it. (19)

What was the process of development of the main characters for Silence is Golden: There wasn’t really one as he explained that he just gets an idea and starts writing. “You can call it randomness or literary genius, depending on how generous you feel ;)” (10)

What is Mr Ambrose’s age: Early to mid 20s. (14)

Whether Mr Ambrose would prefer savoury or sweet food to eat: Neither, he would rather have something cheap, nourishing and hard to chew. (14)

Whether Mr Ambrose’s personality was always the way that it currently is or if something caused him to turn out like that: “I don’t think anyone could be like this from birth – or his parents would probably strangle him before his second birthday. ;) No, there are very good reasons why Mr. Ambrose grew up to be the man he is…” (19)

When asked if Sir Rob himself would rather work for Mr Ambrose for a week or be shouted at by Patsy for two weeks: The latter since he could stuff his fingers in his ears. (13)

If Wattpad will receive more of Mr Ambrose’s POV chapters in the near future: Sir Rob said that he doesn’t plan to publish any more of his POVS on there at the moment. (10)

How many chapters are planned for the entire series: In regards to the complete number of chapters of all books in the series, he doesn’t know. (10)

The Robber Knight Saga:

A reason for the narrative in third person and switches between the two main characters, Reuben and Ayla, in The Robber Knight series: Unlike the main male protagonist from Storm and Silence, the most interesting aspect about Reuben is “the mischievous, evil ideas sprouting in his head.” (23)

Advice from fans: Sir Rob explained that he used fan feedback when writing some of the scenes in the story. An equine expert told him what horse hoof trails could tell and for one of the battle scenes, a Canadian reader advised him that the characters should dip the arrows in pork fat as it would make them burn better as fire arrows, something that the reader herself had experimented. (29)

Inspiration for The Robber Knight’s Love: Too many to count. They range from Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe to historical non-fiction books to Goethe’s German play Götz von Berlichingen. (6)

Whether Sir Rob made the book cover for The Robber Knight’s Love:Yes. (6)

If he could be any character in The Robber Knight’s Love , who would he choose to be: One of the villains since he feels like “they always get to do the fun stuff. ;)” (6)

Why he chose to create a Historical Fiction book: Sir Rob said that he has always been interested in history. To him, it’s the ideal material for stories since he sees history as the combination of funny, interesting and crazy things that humans have done. (6)

If there was anything he could have changed about the The Robber Knight’s Love, what would it have been and why: He said he doesn’t want to change anything and if he did, he already would have changed it. (6)

Black Diaries:

What kind of book is Black Diaries: A mystery-romance-action-satire that deals with both martial and marital arts, assassinations, dark humor and steamy scenes. (18)

The inspiration behind it: Sir Rob wasn’t too sure of it himself. He said the original inspiration was Jane Austen’s “A Letter from a Young Lady” but in addition lists classical British comedy, hot romance novels and dark mysteries as other sources. (18)

Sir Rob on Miscellaneous Topics:

A picture above of Sir Rob posing with his frequently mentioned helmet. (29)

Whether he has to wear his helmet for the rest of his life: Yes, unless he has an operation. (14)

Any musical instruments he plays: The piano a bit and the guitar. (14)

If he ever plans to share his music or paintings: “I’m keeping them back for an occasion. Who knows, maybe I’ll one day provide the music to my own movie ;-)” (14)

If Sir Rob could have a movie deal for his works, who he would want in his cast: “Ghosts, mostly. I’m a huge fan of old movies, and most of my favorite actors are long dead ;) But if I had to choose a few living ones, I’d say Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese and David Suchet.” (25)

If he has seen his fans in real life: Not yet. (12)

When asked if he will ever do a signing event and if he ever plans to travel to see them: He said he hopes to but says his health problems prevent him from traveling far which makes it difficult to see fans who live far away from Germany. (10)

Where he would want to travel: Anywhere that has many medieval and antique ruins. (14)

When asked if he would prefer to live during the Medieval Times: No, he would feel lost since there were no typewriters or computers back then. (3)

When asked by multiple people if he was single and if they would marry him: He said he was and “as to the marriage proposal- I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’m already hopelessly in love with various of my fictional characters ;)” (10, 19)    

Sir Rob’s opinion on Feminism and the male perspective on it: “If by Feminism you mean women’s fight for gender equality, I’m 100% for it. Everyone should have the same chances, regardless of sex, ethnicity, or, as in my own particular case, disability. And I also think all men should be 100% behind gender equality: just imagine that you’re on a sinking ship—if there’s no gender equality, the women can get off first, and all the silly, gentlemanly males will drown ;-)” (23)

When asked if he believes in witchcraft and other supernatural creatures: He said definitely not. While he believes that they make for interesting stories, he identifies as a naturalist from a philosphical perspective. (NOTE: Naturalism is the belief that only natural forces/laws exist in the world and that supernatural and spiritual forces do not.) He said that he believes in only what can be proven and that everyone should think for themselves. He recommended looking at the writings of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens for arguments against supernatural sources. (4)

The most pressing issue of his generation: The decreased influence of naturalism. (4)

Favorite under-appreciated novel: The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris which retells the Arthurian Saga in a humorous manner. (10)

The most complicated character he has seen: Lu-Tze from Terry Pratchett’s Thief of Time. (4)

If given the power to create a new species, how would they be like: A lot nicer than human beings, a lot more logical and without an appendix. (4)

If he could time travel: He would travel back in time to some primitive time period so he could conquer the world. (4)

If he could switch bodies with someone: “Then I would probably look a lot more handsome. ;-)” (4)

If he could eat or destroy anything: He would eat Beethoven’s 9th symphony since he’s always wondered what music would taste like. (4)

What he likes the most about his homeland, Germany: The food. (9)

Five characters he would switch bodies with: Marvin the Paranoid Android (from The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Sir Gawain (from the Arthurian legends), the Borg (from Star Trek), Batman and Lex Luthor (both from DC Comics). (4)

Yes/no to Hawaiian pizza/pineapple on pizza: Yes but only with tuna fish. (13)

If he could be anyone in the world for one day (past or present), who he would be: A billionaire on his deathbed so he could leave the money to his real self that he would revert back to the next day. (13)

If he would rather have the power to turn everything into pizza or have every song he listens to be the Macarena: The former as long as he could choose the type of pizza. (13)

If the world was ending and he could only save one animal species (excluding humans) which one he would save: Worms, since he has heard that they are very important for agriculture from informed sources. (13)

Video Interview Transcript (where Sir Rob answers questions from Twitter) (16):

Daniel E Dalgliesh: Am I going to die?

Sir Rob: “Well, you do not need to fear for your life quite yet, Your Lordship. As the main villain, you are a central figure to the story. And if you should perish in the end, it will be [waves hands] in a gloriously dramatic manner which will immortalize you forever in the annals of literature.”

Fan: Have you ever been in love?

Sir Rob: [grins] “You mean besides with my own writing? No seriously, there may have been a crush or two back in school but the last few years of my life, I’ve more or less spent in a hermit cell working to improve my literary skills. There hasn’t been really anybody to fall in love with.”

Fan: Have you ever gotten recognized in public by a fan? If so, what was it like?

Sir Rob: “Not yet I’m afraid. It’s not really surprising considering that most of my fans are native English speakers and I live in Germany, where native English speakers are rather scarce.”

Uncle Bufford: Will Edmund ever grow a pair and ask me for Ella’s hand in marriage rather than continue with their illicit meetings in the garden?

Sir Rob: [nods and clicks tongue] “Yes, I think one day he will, unless of course Lilly beats him to it. She can be quite forthright as we all know.”

Fan: What’s the craziest DM you’ve ever received from a fan?

Sir Rob: [sighs] “Hmm, I think the award for craziest fan message- or messages really, will have to go to the three dozen or so messages I received, not counting comments and notes on my message board which ask whether I was really a girl and my name was Roberta despite the beard [rubs beard and smiles] I wear on most of my profile pictures. Apparently, [gestures with hands] male writers are so rare these days that we have become a sort of supernatural species that we just don’t really believe in.”

Any message for your fans?

Sir Rob: “Thanks so much to everyone for tweeting their questions. I’ve really enjoyed this opportunity of getting in touch with you. You are the best fandom any writer could want. [waves] Bye!”

Sources:

ALL of the information in this post comes from the Compilation Links post I made a few months back. The direct link for that is provided at the bottom of this post, below this paragraph at the “Source: lambroseforlife” (right above the tags), just click/tap on it to open that post. I made this post with the purpose of it serving as a cohesive picture of how Sir Rob is like as a person since the information from these interviews was disorganized and scattered all over the place. Most of the content in this post is paraphrased for efficiency and there is a bunch of extra information from the links not included on here. Therefore, I HIGHLY recommend you check the Compilation Links post out and read the sources provided yourself.  Plus, I personally believe it’s better to directly read what Sir Rob has said. Kudos to you if you made it all the way here to the end, I hope you enjoyed reading this post!