Welcome, Kayden McLeod

Dear Readers:

In my infantile journey into the world of e-publishing I’ve learned so much, mainly because of two of the best sources I’ve ever come into contact with since I decided to become an author. They are also the best promotional tools I have. First is my Publisher Eternal Press, along with the incredible helpful authors and staff that answer my endless and growing list of questions. Second is my Publicist Dee Owens of Personalized Marketing, who guides me in any direction I take. Together, they have made this new and sometimes scary world manageable and clear-cut.

For those of you who were interested, I definitely recommend researching representation. With the right person(s), it’s worth every penny.

In our world of online fiction yahoo groups are our bread and social networks are our butter. However having said that, there is a fine line to walk between informing readers, and just annoying them. When one deals with yahoo groups, being aware of exactly what the moderators want is very important and often overlooked, i.e. the group rules. Spam promoting these groups are also very aggravating, and I’ve found I dislike rereading the exact same promo over and over in every group I belong to, as much as the reader’s I’ve spoken with. This draws negative attention to one-self and it’s quite self-defeating in the long run. For this reason, I try to change it up as much as possible.

Even though my first release isn’t until December 2009, it’s never too early to start getting your name out there. With the knowledgeable guidance of my Publicist, I’m creating short stories to post both for my website (currently under construction) and giveaways. I wholeheartedly believe this is a great way to promote when you’re new, because it’s gives reader’s a shot to see if you’re worthy of their money and time. Both are something of a commodity in this era, and it may prove to be one of the clinchers that makes or breaks a sale.

And the only way a reader will know if they would like my novels, is to read what I’ve written. That’s my logic, so that’s what I’m doing. I guess in a way, I’ve created a way to take that one step further, to entice my possible readers with my latest short story and vice-versa. Suspicious Circumstances has taken inspiration from both of my up and coming releases with Eternal Press, Deadly Fetishes and Jezebel’s Article. All three are Erotic Paranormal. This one is chocked full of insights and teasers into both new books, and the project was far too much fun to end, so I made it into a series. This will be the first of the free installments of Sara’s Story.

Please, feel free to drop on in and leave a comment on my blog, or you can join me on Twitter or Facebook as well. Links to both are on my link list:

Kayden's Blog

Thanks for reading my ramblings…

Kayden McLeod

Here's to Promotion

Hello Folks, I'm Raven Starr...

Like most authors promotion isn't the first thing I wanna do after writing a book, but it goes hand in hand. You can't expect to have good book sales if you don't get out there and sell your book.

You have to Pimp Your Book!

Yep I said. Pimp Your Book. In my experience I like to start posting blurbs and excerpts as soon as the final edits are done. It could be weeks or months before the book even hits the shelves. Drumming up interest is always a good form of promotion. Leave your readers wanting more with your excerpts.

Join as many yahoo writer groups as you can manage to keep up with. These sites are a great way to reach readers as well.

Everyday I am learning of new ways to promote myself and my work.
1 Interviews
2 Set up chats
3 Blog ur butt off.
4 Invest in a website

No matter what you do to promote urself keep in mind that you have to be unique. Sometimes depending on what story I'm writing one of my characters might stop by to run my Facebook and take questions. Or try free reads, free is me, so I know folks like the freebies. LOL

Speaking of free sign up for the free for now sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, these are easy ways to reach masses of folks.

In the last few months I've been working with a Publicist. When I need her she's there and she has great ideas on how to Pimp My Book! LOL.

So in the nature of promo here are my newest creations coming soon from Red Rose Publishing.
Tainted Blood by Raven Starr



I had a ball writing this story. My first werewolf book. Make sure you check it out.. (gotta throw in a little promo) :)
The next is The Perfect Match by Raven Starr



This story has a twist.

Okay now last but not least, ask questions. Ask what other authors do to promote themselves, bounce ideas off your friends.
Have a great day today. Stay blessed and I hope you've had a good time learning about promo. Leave me a comment and I'll hit ya back.

Blessings,
Raven Starr

The Weird Turn Pro - Angel Martinez

It’s a Hunter S. Thompson saying, one of his best: When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

I think about that a lot these days in the bizarre land of promo. There are people who go to college, study hard and spend their entire lives trying to figure out just what exactly will catch the consumer’s interest. Here I am trying to figure it out on instinct and…weirdness. There’s a point to this, never fear.

One thing I’ve found doing promo for my books is that the author who does self-promo has to find some way to stand out, some unique approach, item, look, feel or offering. (No, not virgin offerings, please, let’s not step over the line here.) For instance, I have two not-so-run-of-the-mill blogs: Erotic Spice and Writer’s Habitat. The first is a free series of erotic stories, a soap opera with my novella Aftermath as the springboard. The characters reappear, develop, grow, more characters are added, and so on. Fun, steamy, and free - people like free. The second is for young and just-starting-out writers who need some help with the basics, a how-to blog on topics ranging from dialogue punctuation to synopsis writing.

Do all the usual things people insist on – the social network sites, the forums and loops, the website, the contests, but make sure you stand out and always be on the lookout for that little bit extra. Such as:

• Prowl around for free advertising. Some review sites give reviewers the option to trade reviews for ad space. Some sites will hold contests of their own for various reasons. Some have ad space available for peanuts (OK, no, don’t try and buy an ad with legumes, use a credit card, but you know what I mean.)
• Find something unique to offer your readers. Something fun or educational, something they’ll remember you for.
• When you send out your excerpts, promos, contests, don’t be afraid to be a little flashy and shout a bit. It’s promo. It’s OK.
• Grab up those opportunities others might chicken out on. Go on an online radio show. Do a library reading. Do some guerilla promo (leaving business cards in various places, e.g.)

Most of all, be you, your quirky, unique author self. We write, therefore our brains are a little warped. Use it to your advantage.

If you’re interested in my writing, I live over at Red Rose Publishing these days. Finn, just released in July, is on sale now. Finn’s Christmas is due in December; Lioness on the Knife and the much anticipated re-release of Aftermath should be next year as well as my SF series, “Anchorage” written under Sandra C. Stixrude.

Come visit my website! Happy Promo! ~Angel

Joan Maze's Take on Promotion

PROMOTION

Joan K. Maze

I never thought I’d be doing promotion, which to me is selling, and I hate sales, nor am I good at it.

Then why am I enjoying it? I suppose it’s because I love books and I do believe in my own, along with lots of others, which I can attest to by the size of my home library.

My first attempt consisted of confronting a lady in a grocery store (after she’d helped me reach something), giving her my business card and telling her about the book. She acted interested and actually put the card in her purse. At least she didn’t throw me out of the store.

Next, I joined a long list of groups suggested by my publisher, all through Yahoo. I post once or twice a week, probably should increase that, and have noticed more hits on my website afterwards.

My next venture was to join Myspace, Spacebook and Twitter, none of which I completely understand. I do post, though not frequently, and plan on learning more about them. When on Twitter, I feel like I’ve wandered into a foreign country without learning the language first.

When reading a writer’s magazine, I came across a site named Authornation.com. It looks quite promising and I did join it, but it is rather complicated. I also will join AuthorIsland, about which I’ve heard good things.

Someone also suggested that I form a group of my own. I assume that would be through Yahoo. I will try to come up with a them, probably something humorous, and will then work on learning how to do that. Maybe if I get lucky the tech fairy will knock on my door.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Joan K. Maze
Jkm1024@comcast.net
www.joanmaze.com

Available now at Red Rose Publishing. Framed in Fear, coming soon.

Lisabet Sarai's in the house!

Contests as Market Research

by Lisabet Sarai

I can't begin to represent myself as an expert on promotion. Like most authors, I struggle, trying to figure out how to best allocate my scarce time in order to increase name recognition and ultimately sales. One promotional trick I've tried which has ancillary benefits is running contests that also provide me with information about my readers.

Every month I publish a “newsletter” which includes information on latest releases, acceptances, reviews and so on. A regular feature is my contest of the month. The newsletter is actually a page on my website, so it is easily accessible throughout the month. I've experimented with various types of contests: trivia contests, scavenger hunts, review posting, prizes for joining my email list and so on. One thing I've discovered is that anything that requires much work will not generate a good response! My most successful contests (in terms of response) have involved asking readers to send me an email with their opinion about some question.

I've asked my readers to tell me what Yahoo groups and review websites they like the best or visit most often; whether they like M/M romance and why; whether they enjoy F/F romance and why; what kind of paranormal themes they like best; and so on. I gather entries throughout the month (I have a special email address just for contests), then I randomly select one participant to receive the prize (usually a free book).

I have no idea whether these contests improve my sales. However, they offer other benefits. For one thing, I get some feedback on what readers are looking for in the books they read. I've received some thoughtful and detailed replies to my questions. I won't necessarily tailor what I write to match readers' preferences (for one thing, they don't all agree!), but a commonly held opinion will definitely influence my choices to some extent. Another positive aspect of this contest format is that it gives me the opportunity to engage my readers in email conversations. (I try to reply personally to every entry.) Finally, the responses give me fodder for blog posts and other articles. For example, I wrote about M/M romance on the Total-E-Bound blog last April and quoted from some of my readers' comments (with their permission).

I'm running a contest this month asking readers to describe their pet peeves in reading romance. The prize is the winner's choice of my two most recent releases, Getaway Girl, M/F light bondage romance , or Monsoon Fever, a historical multicultural M/M/F menage romance. I'd love to see some reader of Ginger's blog become my winner! Details are available at http://www.lisabetsarai.com/news.html