Addendum to Signature Quandary or Let Me Tell You What I Think!

Author J. Michael Orenduff reminded me of another point about signatures!

Sometimes the links we are tempted to add have nothing to do with our writing.

If I list the link to a popular agent's blog, is the reader going to remember me or the agent? I'm not signed with the agent, so it really doesn't have anything to do with me, personally. In fact, it might turn off other agents I email.

"If she likes him so much, why doesn't she query HIM?!"

Am I being "with it" or pretentious? Will people assume I'm dull if I don't have a link??

I had a friend who put "Living in the Now" at the bottom of her email signatures. This was before "The Power of Now" had become popular. (OK. So maybe it was popular before I had heard of it. I'm a little slow with trends.)

My reaction was, "What the heck does THAT mean. Am I being insulted? Because, really, if she thought I was a happening gal ALSO living in the now, why would she feel the need to comment on it?" Paranoia runs strong when information is taken out of context.

Every person who reads your email will take your clever signature comment personally.

I used to include quotes that I liked at the bottom of my signature. Some of them could have been construed as political. Then I remembered the minute I stopped watching Julia Robert's movies.

She made one of those snarky comments that only friends can appreciate, but she made it publicly. I thought, "That woman has just insulted half of her viewing audience! Not smart."

Nobody but your family cares about your views on hot topics, and, if you watch closely, you may notice that they reach for the television volume control when you start to lecture. (Hint. They aren't intending to turn it down.)

I have no idea what JA Konrath's political affiliations are. I couldn't care less what religion Charlaine Harris follows. I like it that way. It doesn't distract me from their characters.

My mother said it best when a tell-all book came out about Elvis Presley. "I don't want to hear about the real Elvis. I like Elvis. I want to remember my version of him."

So skip the links to your Top Ten Favorite Books. Post it on your Facebook site instead. The same goes for your Obama/Bush comments, your Tea Party/Al Frankin links, and your favorite religious/agnostic quote.

Let people discover your writing and fall in love with your characters. Don't get in the way!