Two marvelous free promo events looking for author signups!

I've got two awesome free promo events coming up in February to share with authors!

Paranormal Candy is hosting both. The first is an all month free book campaign on Book Funnel. Already we have nearly 50 authors signed up. Imagine the social media reach with this!

If you have fantasy and romance books (any sub-genre welcomed!), you can signup HERE. Click on the image above to see who is participating so far.

So many authors will be doing promos for Valentine's Day next month. We planned to do something different. February 26th is Tell A Fairy Tale Day. We love fairy tales so much, we want to celebrate them for a whole week!

If you have a fairy tale book or any type of re-telling, you can join this wonderful free promo event. Signup HERE.

My 2019 Writing Goals - Making It Work

This might be a little late for a start of the year post about my goals, but that's all right. I'm taking it easier on myself. Last year was rough, and for the sake of my health, I need to be kinder to myself in 2019.

I'm not going to pretend that I will find the perfect balance this year. What I will try to do is be okay with that. Easier said than done, I know!

I've been giving a lot of thought about what I want to do this year. My first instinct is: I WANT TO DO IT ALL! My first instinct is highly ambitious and unrealistic. Someone ought to give it a talk.

Nothing has lessened my drive to want to do all I can do, to make myself better, to release tons of stories into the world. So to satisfy that drive, I will make this the year of little steps. One little thing a day for my career. It might not be writing. It could be just tweeting or blogging or critiquing. They're all small things, but add up a whole year of them, that's huge!

Here are the goals I want to accomplish:

1. Finish writing and publish Of Death and Sorrow. This will be the only major project for my name. I already have 25,000 words down, and it's going to be a big book. I won't be setting a deadline. I will give the story as much time as it needs. I will give me as much time as I need.

2. Write two books for my pen name. Last year I published two. (I wrote 69,000 words in four weeks to be able to release one novel by Christmas!) Writing for my pen name is much easier than what I write for my own name. I'm following tropes, and the stories are light and fun. Two isn't unrealistic.

3. Blog twice a month. While I've been keeping up with posting, I haven't been very good at visiting blogs in the latter half of last year. I want that to change. If I only post twice a month, it will give me time to visit your blogs. That makes me happy.

I'm also happy to welcome writers to guest post on my blog. I already have two terrific guests lined up for February and March. If you'd like to take over my blog for a day, please email me ( christinerains.writer@gmail.com ).

4. Spend less time marketing. I got into the habit of using my entire mornings to work on social media, email, marketing research, etc. I put in a lot of effort and got little back. As proven through my experience with my pen name, I don't need to spend a lot of time marketing to get the same results. Less time spent doing that means more time for writing. Because as a writer, that should be my focus.

5. Get up and move more often. This old body isn't tolerating hours spent sitting in front of the computer anymore. Even if I just go fold some laundry or do the dishes, I'm away from the computer and shaking out the stiffness.

6. Read and review 100 books. I made my goal last year, and I'm excited to do so this year!

I will not say my WANT TO DO IT ALL instinct won't push me at times, but I hope to keep it more check.

Here's to a great 2019 for all of us!

Word Witch Wednesday - pen name vs. real name

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I've fallen behind with my writing schedule. Where has this year gone? I had hoped to have two books out for my pen name and two for me, but I've only gotten one out for each. So this comparison will be based just on this year.

I decided to write under a pen name with a specific audience in mind hoping it would be easier to market. And it was.

Pen name: reverse harem fantasy romance (RHFR)

Me: paranormal romance and urban fantasy (short stories of every genre)

It is easier to market a very specific genre if you know where to find your audience. I knew exactly where the RHFR audience was and what they liked.

It is so much more difficult to market yourself as an author if you write multiple genres.

Romance is one of the easiest genres to promote, because the readers aren't so discerning and eat up books fast. Urban fantasy and speculative fiction are difficult, because readers are very discerning and take their time with books.

Pen name: markets primarily on Facebook and with a newsletter

Me: Facebook, Twitter, a blog, and a newsletter

The RHFR audience is found mainly on Facebook. There are lots of groups with huge followings, and they spread their favorite reads by word of mouth like lightning. Promotion takes very little time each day. (Ten minutes usually.)

I spend way too long every weekday promoting myself. Usually it takes my entire morning. (Three hours.) I tell myself to cut back to an hour, but I feel guilty when I do. I also feel much of what I do does not make a difference, and I'm only nurturing the audience I already have. Which is important, but finding new readers is just as vital, and I don't seem to be having much luck in that area. I'm struggling with finding a way to do so.

Pen name: story is fun, light, full of tropes, and doesn't involve much thinking

Me: story is dark, snarky, twisting tropes, and full of thoughtful things

Readers love my pen name's debut novel. It has a strong heroine and involves a mix of myths. I purposely wrote it with popular romance tropes laid on thick. It was exactly what readers wanted.

My books, well, strong heroines and myths, but I try to twist around tropes. Is that why I have very little success?

Pen name: I had fun writing the book. It was easy and quick.

Me: I have fun writing my own books too. None are easy and only a few were quick.

While I did enjoy writing romance filled with tropes, it wasn't as fulfilling in the way writing my own books is. Writing my dark urban fantasy, every story challenges me. I believe with each book, I become a better writer because I push myself through these challenges.

I have considered just writing for my pen name as she has enjoyed more financial success, but I'm concerned that doing so would not help me grow as a writer. I have known some authors who started writing under pen names, and when they achieved success with them, they abandoned their own names. They also abandoned writing what they love. The quality of their stories has not gotten better, and in a few cases, it has gotten worse.

Lessons learned:

- writing and marketing toward a very specific audience is a good strategy.

- readers want the popular tropes. Don't be afraid to use them.

- some promotion is needed to the genre specific audience. (I have to cut back on the time I spend on it.)

- write what you love, even if it's not making you a best seller.

I will continue to write for my pen name. It's a nice change between the darker stuff I write for me. Yet it won't be my main focus. I still want to go the dark urban fantasy route. I know I've chosen the more difficult road. And I don't know where it will go, or if I will even get close to the dreams I have for myself, but the journey so far has been wonderful. I can't wait to see what else it has in store for me.

I'm curious about other writers' experiences with writing under two different names. Please share in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and family. I'll be back in December for the IWSG!

Word Witch Wednesday - catching up on things

Coming back from vacation, it's a scary thing to turn on the computer and see how much you have to catch up on. I've gotten to a point where I just make a new to-do list rather than let the previous one smother me. At least my July list is very small.

My family vacation was wonderful. I highly recommend to families to try a family camp at least once. This year, there were a ton of kids, and never did I see one not having fun. I got a lot of reading done and took a few naps. Lovely.

With how busy I've been this year, it was nice to sit back and relax. It gave me time to reflect on what I've been up to lately.

1) I haven't written anymore on Of Death and Sorrow (the third book in the Of Blood and Sorrow series). I have 25k words down, but I paused it at the end of the school year. The story has become very large in my head, and I don't think it will be done this year. I'm still trying to be okay with that.

2) Once school starts up, I'll revise, edit, and publish Of Gods and Sorrow (book #2). It's been sitting long enough for me to come to it with a clear mind. Plus, getting that novel out this year will help ease my stress about not having the final one done.

3) I've worked with editors on two short stories for a collection called Futuristic Canada. I'm excited because these stories are unlike anything else I've written. The anthology will be out very soon!

4) I've experimented with a pen name. I wrote a novel and published it. I've marketed it to a very specific audience and done very little promo. It's already done so much better than anything I've ever published. Later this year, after I release the second book for the pen name, I'll be sharing my experience with you. Apparently I have learned something about marketing. Except it works for my pen name and not for me, which is at once exciting and frustrating.

5) I'm building a new story in my head for a big project the authors of Untethered Realms are creating together. I've done a lot of fun research into mythologies I've never read about before. It's so much fun.

6) As many of you know, I'm a geek and I love to play Dungeons & Dragons. I play weekly with a great group of guys. We are in the middle of a long campaign; the first one of this length that I've played in. So, of course, my character is demanding I write a book about her. I can't help it! I'm a writer. These things happen. I may end up writing a series of short stories for her and putting together a collection or sending them out to fantasy venues.

What have you been up to lately? I want to know!

Word Witch Wednesday - more on marketing

Just when you think you know the general rules of marketing your work, something else comes along. If you're like me and don't have a lot of time to stay on top of every little thing, it helps to have other people give you a head's up. Here are a few new things that have come up this year that authors need to know.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Some of you might have heard about this. It may be a European law, but it affects all businesses including writers. These regulations will better protect people's information online. It will help it from being used for purposes other than what they have given permission for.

If you have a newsletter, you will need to have readers resubscribe to give you explicit permission to email them. Yes, this is only for Europeans at the moment, but it is good if you have all readers do so.

Update: If you wish only to have your European readers resubscribe, but you don't know which ones are in that region, Mailerlite will be releasing new tools later this month that will allow you to see what country your subscribers are from. I hope other email marketing sites will do the same thing.

Amazon reviews. Oh, Amazon. Always messing around with rules about reviews. The newest one is that a review will be deleted if it states that person received a free copy of the book in exchange for a review. I've recently posted a few reviews which included that, and my reviews have not been taken down. Yet.

More links for you:

18 exciting book marketing predictions for 2018.

Top Facebook marketing trends for 2018.

8 new graphic design trends for 2018.

12 book marketing mistakes.

Do you have any news on author marketing? Please share with us in the comments below.

Word Witch Wednesday - three marketing myths

It's one of our responsibilities as writers to research things. Not just stuff we'll need for our stories, but marketing, websites, covers, etc. There are a wide range of things we need to keep on top of to remain marketable. And it can be exhausting.

Many articles tell us the things we must do. But as I've cruised around the internet, I am reminded there is nothing we must do. There are things we should do, but every writer's journey is different. What works for one person might not work for others. We each must try out various strategies to see what works for ourselves. It's frustrating there's no magical formula, but if you're determined, you'll find a way.

Here are three marketing myths I've discovered in my research adventures:

1. "Create an author tagline." I've heard again and again this is essential in branding yourself. It does help in letting readers know your genre, but what if you write in more than one genre? It doesn't work for you. Many of the bestsellers' sites I've visited do not have author taglines. The majority of them have "New York Times Bestseller" to accompany their name on site banners. It says nothing about their genres. They use other aspects of their sites to let readers know what they write, and you can too.

2. "The newsletter is the new, big thing. Every writer must have one." Nope. Not essential if you have another way you're connecting with readers. Newsletters are bigger with some genres than others. Romance readers love them. Horror readers, not so much. Most bestsellers have newsletters, but they maybe send them out twice a year. I've signed up for ones that I have never received an email from.

3. "If the story is fantastic, it will sell your books." There are so many amazing stories that get buried under the millions of other books out there. What helps is to have a professional cover. It tells the reader what kind of genre it is at a glance and what to anticipate in the story. While I've seen authors that sell well with simple covers consisting only of text and maybe a symbol or an object, they usually already have an audience. A gorgeous cover can draw readers to you even if they don't know your name.

Don't exhaust yourself trying to figure out your marketing formula. Trust me. I know from experience how maddening it can be. Do what you're comfortable with. Do what you enjoy. Because if you lose your joy, you might lose you drive to write. Marketing has chased many aspiring writers away. Don't let it crush you.

What marketing myths have you discovered?

Word Witch Wednesday - reviewing 2017's goals and looking to 2018

It's that wonderful time of the year where we sit down with holiday treats and make plans for next year. I'm sharing my cookies, if you'd like one.

2017 Goals

1. Write and published the TOTEM books. Done! A nine novella series. Yikes! I had a lot of fun with it, but I don't think I'll take on a series as long as that again. Trilogies sound perfect in my mind right now.

2. Self-publish the nine books I had with my publisher. I did that at the beginning of the year. Will I be writing more in the erotic romance genre? I don't know. I might if I'm in the mood for something light and funny.

3. Write the first drafts of the second two books in the Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy. I didn't do this one. My feet have been dragging these past few months. I will finish one before the holidays. I'm right at the big climax, but I won't start on the final one until January.

4. Read and review 100 books. I'm right on track with 93. Only 7 more to go!

5. Write and submit six short stories. Done. I'm constantly learning and improving. I wrote a lot of speculative fiction this year.

6. Study and try various marketing techniques. Ugh. This was my big time suck this year. I lost a lot of writing time to trying to figure out how to market my work. The only lesson I learned that will work: write more books.

7. Improve my writing speed and focus. I started the year off well with word sprints, but it got lost under my worrying about marketing.

2018 Goals

1. Write and release the second two books in the Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy. I haven't set release dates yet for my own sanity.

2. Read and review 100 books. This is a good number for me. I will try to do it every year for the rest of my life.

3. Write and submit ten short stories. I'm upping the number for this coming year. I can do a flash piece in an afternoon. It will be a nice break from the dark world of my trilogy when I need it.

4. Write more, market less. This year, I only wrote in the afternoons... if I had any time left. Next year, I'm making time in the morning and afternoon. Marketing will be scheduled for very limited times. Hopefully that will decrease my anxiety over it.

5. Take up the word sprints again and increase my writing speed. I'm hoping I'll write more with less marketing anxiety to weigh me down.

6. Work on new project. I have several written down I want to write. I'm not going to name one right now, because I might come up with something new and want to work on it! I'll go with what I'm feeling passionate for in that moment.

Did you meet your goals this year? What are yours for next year?

I'll be back on Christmas Day with a special surprise!

Word Witch Wednesday - the ever evolving land of book marketing

One of the things that cause me the most stress is marketing. I just want to write! But it's part of an author's job to market their work too. So I do a lot of research. When I think I have a handle on things and make a plan, the world of book marketing changes. And it keeps changing.

1. Newsletters. At the beginning of the year, this was the new big thing. Build your email list! Now people are pulling back from them. There are just too many, and several of them are just vehicles for authors to promote other authors' books. I've unsubscribed from dozens of them, because as a reader, I'm interested in the writer I subscribed to, not ads for other people's books.

Is it still good to have a newsletter? Yes. Remember though, you are sending it out to readers. They want to know about you and your work. I've changed the way I set up my newsletter and send it out only once a month. They're shorter and more personal, like an email to a friend. I've gotten far less unsubscribes this way.

2. Blogs. You can find articles proclaiming blogging is going out of style or has been out for a long time. Yes, some people have left blogging and turned to other social media. Time is precious, and people don't want to spend it reading long articles.

Should you give up blogging? No. If you have the time to invest in it, it can be worthwhile. I use my blog to connect with writers and readers. I love the community of author bloggers I follow. The support and encouragement of fellow writers is invaluable. I've cut back to once a week, but I can't see myself ever closing down my blog.

3. Social Media. We've heard this before: it's like shouting into the void. No one's going to hear you. It doesn't sell books. Many articles counsel stepping back from spending time on social media and just writing instead. Which is good advice. We shouldn't be spending too much time on social media. Writing more stories is the number one priority for an author.

So no more social media? It can help as long as you remember that social media is for being social. It's for interaction, and if that's something you really enjoy, go find where your audience is. Mingle and make connections.

4. Paid Ads. So many seem to fail. Writers aren't rich folks. Spending money on an ad that won't even make you the money back you spent on it is useless. The once popular paid ad sites are no longer attracting readers. Only BookBub gets sales, and very few of us can afford them.

From my research, one thing almost everyone agrees on is that paid ads do work... IF you know where your audience is. It does take a lot of research to find out where best to promote your books. If you're doing a 99 cent sale or offering up a book for free for a limited time, this is when paying for an ad can help.

What have you noticed that has changed in the book marketing world recently?

#IWSG Guide To Writing For Profit Still Open For Submissions

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit 

 

This will be a non-fiction book like our Guide to Publishing and Beyond. 

 

What to write: Share experiences about making a profit as an author, what it takes to become a successful writer, the many skills a writer needs to learn other than writing, share the experience going from hobby writer to published author (without making it a self-promotion piece), the fallacies behind writing for profit, the little known facts learned along the way, what you wished you knew when you first started writing, or marketing tips based on experience of what has worked and what hasn't.

If you gave any questions, email us at admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com 

 

Word limit: 500-1000 words.

 

Submission eligibility: All members of the IWSG Blog Hop, IWSG Facebook group and/or members of our IWSG Goodreads Book Club. It's free to join any of these groups and a great benefit to be a part of these communities.

Deadline: July 31, 2017

Send your piece to admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com as an attached Word document and note which IWSG group you belong to. Please include your name, a one line bio, and one website link.

***The BEST 100 articles will be included in the book!***

 

And don't forget the Twitter Pitch Party on July 27th!

Click on the image below for more info.

 

Word Witch Wednesday - writing and marketing potpourri

I'm so close to finishing the final book of the Totem series. I still do not know exactly how the final twist will work, though. The thrills of being a pantser! Next time, I'll have an end in mind before I start a series. (I've said this to myself every single time I write a series!)

Pantser tip: Don't let not knowing what happens next slow you down. Let the story take you there. It has never failed me yet. Some plots just take longer than others!

 

I've written a few short stories recently. A couple of them were horrible. I reworked a third one and hopefully it reads better now. I sent it into my local critique group for this month's meeting.

 

Writer tip: Not everything you write is going to be awesome. Sometimes when we write, it's just for practice. Any writing, brilliant or not, is important for improving your craft.

I've been busy critiquing for my local group and my critique partners. Such awesome stories! I love getting a sneak peek at these tales before anyone else does.

Critiquing tip: Make sure to add comments in about how parts made you feel. Say you laughed at this part or got angry or sad. The author wants to know what kind of emotions they're evoking.

I offered Dark Dawning (Totem #1) for free for the last five days. This time around, I didn't do any promoting apart from my newsletter, blog, and other social media. I had half as many downloads as when I used paid ads.

Freebie marketing tip: Freebooksy is a fantastic place to advertise. It's not the cheapest, but it is where I always go as a reader to look for free reads. Asking other authors and readers, most look to Freebooksy first as well.

Word Witch Wednesday - a writer's ups and downs

All writers have them. Sometimes it's like we're manic. Extreme euphoria and then end of the world depression. There are a few authors who find a good balance.

But for me, it's been an Indiana Jones mine cart ride. Especially this year.

I'm back after being a week away from my writer's life. Tons of emails and stuff on social media to catch up on. It's so overwhelming, I feel like I'm going to drown. It's hard to concentrate.

I'm gone a week, and my muse is refreshed, eager to get going.

The end of the Totem series is near. A nine book series. What was I thinking? It's exciting to see the end of the long tunnel, to share the whole story with the world. Even more exciting to know I'll be able to start on something new once I'm done.

I'm writing the last book of the series, and I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea how the heroes will defeat the villain. None. I'm so stressed out about it. Sometimes being a pantser sucks.

Being a pantser is wonderful. I love the surprise twists and how my stories evolve all on their own.

I have so many ideas for stories. What do I go with? Should I concentrate on what I love or what's marketable? How do I know if both of them converge? Trying to figure out this whole publishing thing is painful. It makes me feel like a failure.

Yes, marketing is hard, but I'm doing what I love. How many people get to say that?

Up, down, up, down, around, loop, up, down, corkscrew, and repeat.

And you know, no matter how rotten the downs can be, the journey is worth it in itself.

Heads Up, #PNR and #Urbanfantasy Authors!

Attention to all paranormal romance and urban fantasy writers! This is a great promo offer, and it's free. It's a fantastic way to get your book in front of new readers and boost your sales.

This May promotion from Fantasy Book Giveaways is taking sign-ups right now. Click to read all the guidelines and get in before we fill up. It's a 99c and free promotion through newsletters and on Facebook. Plus, if you donate to the giveaway, all books are bundled into one huge prize. Readers just eat that up!

Have a wonderful weekend!

#IWSG for April 2017

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Chris @ Madness of a Modern Writer, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey!

The IWSG question of the month: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?

I haven't, but I should. The A to Z Challenge is spectacular. It's a challenge to yourself as a blogger, great for meeting new friends and getting to know old ones better, and it's tons of fun.

April is a super busy month for me with my husband's and son's birthdays and family visiting for a week. So I have declined to participate the last few years.

I've done the challenge as part of a group and on my own. Being part of a group really helps when you're limited for time. Plus, it's so much fun seeing what other members come up for the theme you've chosen.

The first year I participated in the challenge, I wrote a little story called "Fearless." It was so popular, I self-published it. It's still available for free and has had over 100,000 downloads over the past four and a half years. Readers pick up this freebie and then they buy my other books. It has drawn so many readers to me.

The A to Z Challenge and "Fearless" helped start me on the road to being an indie author.

Good luck to everyone participating in the challenge this year!

Word Witch Wednesday - 2017 writing goals

It's a brand new shiny year. Time to start things off with a cheer. This begins by reviewing last year's goals.

2016 GOALS

1. Write the rest of the Totem books and start to publish them. Well, I wrote six of them and started on the seventh. Two things got in the way of this goal: my health and marketing. I'm telling myself to be satisfied that four are out and two are coming, and I haven't set a deadline to stress myself with for the last three.

2. Revise and submit the Sasquatch Susies series to my publisher. Done. They were published. My publisher closed. So I have no idea how the books did.

3. Read and review 100 books. Done! I did include books I read with my son. I believe children's books need love on Goodreads too.

4. Write and submit six short stories. Done. I was short-listed three times for pro markets, but I didn't make it.

5. Blogging. Finding a balance between writing and blogging. I still haven't found it.

2017 GOALS

1. Write the final three Totem novellas and publish them.

2. Write the second two books in the Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy. I'd like to say I'll publish them by the end of the year, but they will be two full sized novels, and I will not publish one until the other is done.

3. Self-publish the books I had with my publisher. I'm allowed to keep the covers at least!

4. Read and review 100 books. I hope to keep this up for the rest of my life!

5. Write and submit six short stories. I can't say I have time to write one every month, but sometimes a great idea for a flash piece hits me, and I have to scribble it down. I'm still aiming at the pro markets.

6. Continue to study and try out different marketing techniques. Slowly but surely, I'm learning. I'm trying to figure out what works for me. And I will definitely share with you what I've learned.

7. Improve my writing speed and focus. Last month, I used writing sprints, and they've been working for me. It silences my inner editor and the words flow. I don't know if I could ever get to 5000 words an hour, but that much a day would be amazing.

What are your goals for the year?

A reminder from your friendly neighborhood polar bear:

#IWSG for December 2016

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!

The December IWSG question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

I already write full-time, even though there never seems like enough time to do everything! I'd love to see myself making at least a regular paycheck equal to my husband's. I'm not aiming to be a millionaire, but to double our household income would be awesome.

I'm working hard on putting more books out there and learning about marketing. I'm doing good with the first one, but not so great with the second. My fear is that I will never be able to figure out how to properly market my books, and that luck will never be on my side when it comes to sales.

Has this fear stopped me? Nope. I'll keep on pushing forward and trying new things.

Word Witch Wednesday - the final ad's results

I'm throwing them right out there, so I can scream cry discuss my promoting experiment.

This final ad was with Bargain Booksy. It was my most expensive one at $70. I sold 7 books that day.

Here's what I learned from using book ads:

- They are unlikely to have a great affect on sales unless you're offering your book for free. There is so much free content out there right now, and good free content, readers won't even consider dropping 99c for an author new to them.

- They may have a decent affect on sales if you're offering a novel for over 75% off its normal price. This won't attract any attention if it's a short work. Novels do sell better.

- Ads work best for books that are part of a series. If readers pick up something and they like it, they will want more.

From my experience, I can conclude:
a) Readers who might enjoy my books don't read ads, or don't subscribe to those venues I had ads with.
b) The indie publishing world is going through a major slump.
c) My cover and/or blurb aren't strong enough to draw readers in.
OR
d) I suck.

Some days, I just want to quit. I'm not a marketing-minded person. I'm a writer. That's all I want to do! But authors have several hats they must wear these days, and it's depressing at times.

Don't worry. I won't give up. I'll keep on trying new things, and maybe one day, I'll find out what works for me. (What I think would really work is if Joss Whedon made my books into a TV series!)

Have you tried anything new with promotions recently?

Word Witch Wednesday - the second ad's results

As you know, I've been trying a few new things with marketing my books. Two weeks ago, I ran an ad for a sale on my urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I did learn from it. (Still no new reviews for the book.)

Yesterday, an ad for my newest release, Dark Dawning (Totem #1) ran in The Fussy Librarian. This was a nicely economical choice. I put the book in both the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres for $22. The Fussy Librarian was quick in responding, efficient in setting it up, and sent an email making sure the info was correct two days beforehand.

But I didn't make my money back. In fact, this ad fell far short of expectations. The book is only available on Amazon. I had 2 sales yesterday.

This book is part of a series, so that wasn't the problem. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that ads probably only work if you're putting your book free for a limited time or you're already famous.

My final ad will be in Bargain Booksy on Monday. This is the most expensive one, and it is also the release date of the second book in the Totem series. Fingers crossed!

Another new marketing venture I've been trying is newsletter swaps. What this means is that I promote an author's book in my newsletter and they promote mine in theirs. I haven't noticed any effect on sales or newsletter subscribers from previous swaps until the one I did on Monday for the MegaSale. I got a couple of sales from it, but I got over 100 new subscribers to my newsletter.

Did it help that the sale was accompanied by a giveaway with a prize of a $100 Amazon gift card? I can guarantee you it did.

When someone subscribes to my newsletter, I offer up a free ebook (The 13th Floor Complete Collection) as a thank you. I would say only 10% actually responded and took the book. They were excited to get a new read, and every one of them were polite about it. I'm hoping that if readers like The 13th Floor series, they're going to love Totem.

Do you sign up for newsletters just to get an entry in giveaways? Do you take free ebooks when they're offered to you?

Word Witch Wednesday - the first ad's results

I ventured into the world of book ads recently. My first one came out last week for my Of Blood and Sorrow sale. The novel is usually $2.99, and I put it on sale for 99c. It's highly rated. It has a professionally done cover. And it has vampires.

The sale was five days (12th-16th). I bought an ad with Ereader News Today (ENT) which went out on the 13th. Here's the link to that day's books. It was in the Paranormal section on the site. It cost $35.

I shouted out about the sale on all my social media, and some wonderful friends shared it too. It was easy to keep track of the sales because I've had zero sales with the book in the past two months. I did not make enough to pay the cost of the ad. Perhaps if I get some reviews, it will make it worthwhile.

Here are the numbers:
Amazon - 57
B&N - 4
Smashwords - 2
Kobo - 1

The great majority of the sales came the night of the 13th after the ad went out. Very few came after that.

Would I use ENT again? Perhaps if I had a book that was part of a series and it was free.

And yes, I do think if Of Blood and Sorrow were part of a series, it would have gotten more sales.

Next year (or the year after!) when the next two books in the trilogy come out, I will put the novel on sale again. Oh, yes! There are two more books in the works. Don't worry, Abdiel fans. He will be back!

Next week, I have an ad on the 25th with The Fussy Librarian for Dark Dawning. And a second one with Bargain Booksy on the 31st. This book is part of a series. So we'll see if that makes a difference.

Have you ever used book ads? If yes, what has your experience been like?

Word Witch Wednesday - marketing firsts

Twenty-six days until the release of the first book in my Totem series. Writing the books have been amazingly fun, but marketing them, well, I have some new white hairs.

I've been doing a lot of research on book promotion. My first reaction was: AAAH! I've been doing it wrong all along. *falls down and cries* Okay. Maybe that's a little overdramatic, but that's how I felt. In the past, I did cover reveals, blog tours, blitzes, and giveaways, but it was not helping me reach a larger audience.

I had not been taking advantage of two key marketing tools: ads and newsletters. All my research states these two things should be what authors are focusing on.

ADS:

- You need money to buy ads. So what if you're not selling enough? Look for venues that will shout-out about your book for cheap or free. Or ask for ad money for your birthday like I did.

- Research the ad sites. Some have strict submission requirements. Make sure they will accept your book.

- Plan way ahead. Some venues are booked two months in advance.

I decided to go with The Fussy Librarian. The prices are very affordable, and the site is easy to navigate. Nothing to be intimidated about there. I have an ad scheduled for October 25th for Dark Dawning (Totem #1). And yes, I'll let you know how it goes.

I also have a sale next month for Of Blood and Sorrow. It will be the first time I've put it on sale, and I hope to lure readers to the Totem series with the novel. I submitted it to Ereader News Today. It's more expensive than The Fussy Librarian, but it has a bigger audience. Plus, they only take novels. I could not advertise my Totem books on there. The ad will coincide with the first day of the sale on October 12th.

NEWSLETTERS:

- According to several authors, this is the key tool for connecting with readers, and you can create one for free. Well, it's free up to a certain point, and then you'll have to pay. But if you make it to that point, you'll be making enough sales to afford the small cost.

- Newsletters are easy to create once you're familiar with the template.

- Building your newsletter list is difficult. Offering freebies and holding giveaways helps, but in the long run, you're building your list one subscriber at a time. (I offer a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection to new subscribers.)

- You can grow your list with newsletter swaps. What's this, you ask? I only recently started to take advantage of this myself. You trade book info with another author and each of you feature the other in their newsletter. This works very well for those of us who have a small following when paired with authors who have huge lists.

Last Friday, I asked for authors who have books with shifters in them to do swaps. I'd love to feature them alongside my Totem books over the next few months. Please leave a comment below or email me if you're interested.

Have you tried ads to sell your books? Do you have a newsletter, and if so, how do you go about building your list?

Taking on a Newsletter - guest post by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Taking on a Newsletter 

This month, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group launches its very first newsletter. It’s been a long time coming, but all of the elements had to fall into place first.

For those who don’t know, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group began September 2011 as a monthly blog hop. A comment by a fellow writer prompted my reply that he needed such a support group, and the idea for one stuck. So, I created a sign-up list, outlined the purpose and rules, and opened it up to others. We’ve been blogging the first Wednesday of the month ever since with 250-300+ blogs participating each time.

It was incredibly successful and rewarding, and I started thinking of how I could help other writers beyond the monthly blog posts. That’s when the idea of establishing a website hit me. I knew I couldn’t do it alone and enlisted six amazing writers as admins. They not only helped put together the website but established the Facebook groups as well. We built up the database of writing information and started inviting guest authors to join us in the weekly posts.

A newsletter was at the back of my mind, but since I’d never started or run one, I had no idea what to do. When the IWSG’s three-year anniversary date rolled around, we celebrated by inviting our members to submit to a writing book that would be free to all. It was a lot of fun to put together and gave us another way to help writers. (Links to download it HERE.)

I was still considering that newsletter last year. And still lost as how to do it. So instead, we held our first IWSG Anthology Contest. From the entries, ten stories were selected by a panel of agents and authors and Parallels: Felix Was Here will be released this May from Freedom Fox Press.

So now we had a monthly blog hop, a website, two Facebook groups, a free writing book, and a yearly anthology contest. Even our own t-shirt – but no newsletter! So after the New Year, I got serious. We had to start a newsletter, one that would benefit to writers and not be something just thrown together. It would require dedication and effort. All of the IWSG admins had their duties already, myself included. (Plus I didn’t know how to run a newsletter.) How could we make it happen?

Then it hit me – bring on another admin!

With the support of the other admins, I reached out to author Chrys Fey, and she agreed to run the newsletter. I got the MailChimp account set up and the newsletter header, and then Chrys and I planned the content. There will be an article from an industry leader, one from an IWSG admin, and one from an IWSG member. Plus, we’ll have helpful links, a member spotlight, news, and the upcoming IWSG blogging information. Our first issue goes out February 24 and you can sign up HERE.

So, after years of wanting a newsletter, we finally have one! Big thanks to Chrys for taking on such an important project. Now the idea of a newsletter no longer haunts me.

Still like to make the Writers’ Digest List of 101 Best Sites for Writers. Next year!

About Alex J. Cavanaugh: He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, and Dragon of the Stars. The author lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Find Alex: Blog * IWSG * What are the kargrandes? * Twitter