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?

Wicked Wednesday - the marketing conumdrum

(Jay Sherman from The Critic. Geek points if you remember the show!)

Last week for the IWSG, I shared my insecurities about marketing. I already knew many writers have the same worries about promotion, but it amazed me just how many had no idea what was working and what wasn't. Everyone just keeps pushing onward, hoping something might click.

Once upon a time, it wasn't an author's job to market their work. The publisher did it. Nowadays, the responsibility rests solely upon the writer. It doesn't matter if you're self-published or traditionally published. We now have to be both the artist and marketer. Most of us just aren't built that way. We prefer to stay hidden away in our writing caves and not have to deal with it.

But we have to get our work out there in front of readers. Painful as it is, we have to promote.

You can read all the articles on marketing you want and take a dozen workshops, but sad to say it, it might not help. What works for one author might not work for another. In fact, there are so many different ways to promote your work that very few paths will be the same.

And in the end, it takes a big dose of good luck to succeed.

So why do all that work then? If it's all about luck, there's no point in stressing over marketing. Goodness knows I'd prefer to write stories and not stand out on a street corner shouting, "Buy my book! Buy my book!" Because that's how marketing my books feels to me.

Here's the thing: each reader you reach increases your chances of being lucky. All it takes is that one person to set off a chain reaction.

 

Do everything you can to attract readers. Try it all at least once. It's immensely stressful, but in the end, your hard work will pay off.

What #RealmsFaire Can Do For You!

Anxious and insecure about marketing?

Mary Pax wants to help you get your name and books out in front of an audience. It's free, easy, and fun.

Get the following:

1. You featured, including a nod to your books with links, on my blog prior to the 4th annual joust (November 9-13).
2. You get a cool badge like the one I made for myself below.
3. You will be featured for a whole week on this blog during the week of Nov. 9th.
4. During the week of Nov. 9th a brief story/excerpt and you will be highlighted on one day.
5. You'll be listed with a link to your site on the Realms Faire page on this website for one year.

If you win, you'll get the added benefits of:

1. A free ad in the slider at the top of my blog for one year. You can see the 2014 champion featured currently.
2. A championship badge and bragging rights.
3. A custom printed Tumbler advertising you and your win (SEE Tumbler)

So what does becoming a knight and jousting entail? It's quite simple:

1. Spots are limited reserve your slot today! Click HERE and check off 'joining 4th annual joust as a knight. Huzzah!' or email me / mpaxuathor@gmail.com
2. When you get an email from me, send me the name you'll joust under and 3-5 book covers. I'll send you the nifty badge and 3 magic words. The magic words are how you'll score points during the joust.
3. Send me 2 excerpts, or 2 stories of your knightly feats, or one excerpt and one story of your feats.
4. Send your friends and followers to this blog Nov. 9-13th and tell them to leave comments using your magic words. You're allowed to post exactly what they copy and paste. You're allowed to bribe. Prizes will be awarded to commenters daily on this site.
5. Have a load of fun while getting in some marketing. You'll be having such a blast, you won't notice you're working.

 

* * * * *

Beware the Vortex

Evil is afoot. Chronos has accidentally created a vortex while cleaning his hourglass, plunging a few unfortunate souls into Lucien’s Bar, gateway to the Underworld. Now they are trapped. Lucien wants to keep them but will give each hapless victim one chance to earn their freedom. His condition? Enter a contest of skills with an Immortal opponent of his/her choosing.

Do you think you can survive a swordfight with War? How about wend your way through a carnivorous garden to get to Gaia’s treehouse? Or weave a portion of the Great Tapestry of Life while avoiding Atropos’ giant pair of life-ending scissors? Perhaps you’re brave enough to challenge Death to a peanut-eating contest? Or whip up a batch of punch with Jezebel, the Master Poisoner? Do you have what it takes to win your way out of Lucien’s grasp?

Your mission: on the day you appear in the contest, you will post on your own blog, or gather together your Facebook and/or Twitter friends and provide a link to this blog, pleading (begging works too) with your loyal supporters to come to your aid at http://riverfairchild.blogspot.com/ , and cheer you on to victory. Their comments will decide your fate. River will provide you with a few magic words to bolster the power of your minions. Plead well, for you will need their strength to endure. Others might seek to cast their votes with the Immortals.

Rewards? Yes! Besides winning your freedom (hopefully), each volunteer (that would be you) who is locked in the struggle will receive an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. In addition, a few lucky commenters will be picked at random to receive a gift card at the end of the Faire. Four brave people have signed up so far. River needs one more to fill the week.

Interested? Sign up at . http://mpaxauthor.com/realmsfaire/ or email me RiverFairchildAuthor@gmail.com

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Diane Wolfe is hosting the Unicorn Hunt!

You are charged with tracking down the unicorns!

Every day, a new blogger will host a photo. You will have to find the unicorns in the image, much like the famous “Where’s Waldo?” Leave a comment stating how many unicorns you find in that image. The most correct guesses wins.

Grand prize:
Ebooks: Hot Pink in the City by Medeia Sharif, 30 Seconds by Chrys Fey, One Good Catch by Heather M. Gardner, A Lizard’s Tail by Bish Denham, and The Circle of Friends Series by L. Diane Wolfe
Plus: a $20.00 Amazon or ITunes gift card

Five images - many unicorns - only one winner!

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House Waibel is hosting the Stockade Brigade. Warrants of arrest have been issued for select authors accusing them of witchery and wizardry. The pillory has been erected and the trial dates set.

Good people of Realmsdom, I call upon you to bear witness to these trials and offer your testimony for or against the author's crimes.

Points will be awarded for wordsmithing a comment in your best Olde English afore 8 of the clock in the Eastern time on the following scale:

5-Ye speak as one from the days of Queen Bess.

4-Ye could pass muster as a Ren Faire cast member

3-Ye could pass as a Ren Faire attendee

2-Ye wouldn't be foolin' yer mother

1-Ye stand out like the sun in a cloudless sky

An e-book will be given every day to the witness who scores the most points. Fear not, your daily score will be accumulated and the person with the highest score shall receive a special prize at the end of the week. So, brush off your Olde English and prepare to testify.

* * * * *

Hero's beware! Here at the House of Hero's Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat? It is up to you.

And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero's Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!

 

 

Writers4Writers Group

Today is the official kickoff of the Writers4Writers Group. Yippee! I've teamed together with three marvelous authors, Mary Pax, C.M. Brown, and Stephen Tremp, to show our support for our fellow writers. We invite you to spare a minute of your time to do the same.

Our featured author this month is Nancy S. Thompson. Her new thriller, The Mistaken is now available on Amazon. Please stop by Nancy's blog and copy and paste her prewritten Tweets onto your Twitter page. Then stop by our W4WS Facebook page and share her link with your friends. That's it! Simple. Fast. Powerful.

The W4WS Group's Mission:

• Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people

• Help writers reach Amazon Top 100 in at least one category (i.e., suspense, free, whatever)

• Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over

• Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following

• Create verbal and viral buzz.

In A Nut Shell: the spotlighted author will choose a social media avenue such as Twitter or Facebook (or both). Each month we will spotlight one, two, or possibly three new authors.

 
Then, the good people of Blogdom will promote the author’s book to their Twitter followers or Facebook friends, and thus to incredibly large new audiences the author could not reach on their own.

Please show your support for your fellow writers and sign up on the linky list below!

Announcing the Writers4Writers Group

I'm so excited to announce the Writers4Writers Group (W4WS). I've teamed up with three absolutely amazing writers to host this monthly event: Stephen Tremp, C.M. Brown, and M. Pax.

Our Mission:
1) Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands new people.
2) Help writers reach Amazon's top 100 in at least one category (i.e. suspense, free, etc.)
3) Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over.
4) Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following.
5) Create verbal and viral buzz.

We'll choose one writer a month to promote to start off. As the group takes off, we can choose two or three. With enough people helping in this initiative, it will have an astounding effect. It will be fast and simple to do. Easy as a tweet.

Nancy Thompson, author of the recently released The Mistaken, will be our first recipient. We'll be starting on December 6th. Mark it on your calendars! We'll have more information later in the month. Please feel free to take the badge and display it on your site.

Sign up for W4WS on the linky list below.

Release Round-up

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make my release week a success. You guys are awesome!

Here's some things I learned while promoting FEARLESS.

1) Blogs are the most powerful tools for promoting. Arrange a blog tour. Even just a shout-out from a blogger friend makes a big difference. I got a lot of positive comments from my interviews and guest posts. Also, the blogfest was a huge success. I never imagined the response I received. It was simple and fun. Something everyone could participate in. It linked to a theme in my book: monsters! That's attention grabbing in itself.

Speaking of the power of blogs, I have 360 followers. Welcome to all my new friends! I follow back if you provide a link.

2) Twitter was my second most powerful social media tool. I tweeted about my book and the blogfest a lot, but not so much it became spam. Friends retweeted my tweets. Thousands of people might have seen my blurbs for FEARLESS. I have over 600 followers on Twitter now. I'll still continue to promote my book on there at least once a day.

3) People like free things. If your book isn't free, have a couple of giveaways. FEARLESS is free on Smashwords. Here's how many copies I've sold on each site:

Smashwords - 476

Kobo - 0

Amazon Kindle -10

B&N - 0

CreateSpace (print) -  4

The figures very clearly speak for themselves. I'd love to see it price-matched on Amazon and see what it does to sales on there. Please, if you've a minute, copy the Smashwords link and paste it into the price-matching tool on the FEARLESS Amazon page where you see the link under Product Details. I'd greatly appreciate it.

4) FEARLESS on Smashwords is doing wonderfully. I found the site easy to use, and if you don't want to load your book up to any of the other sites, Smashwords eventually does it for you unless you opt out. I don't know if I would have seen that number if I charged for the book, but it's a fantastic way of getting myself out there and hooking readers in.

What I've heard is that sales should rise if you continue to promote and get more reviews. Also, sales will rise if you have more books out there for people to buy. Right now, series are very popular. They do help sell your books.

5) I sent FEARLESS to a bunch of review sites. I haven't gotten a review yet. I know they're very busy, and so if they do happen to do a review, it might take a while. If you are brave enough to get your book reviewed, send a copy to sites like Bitten By Books or Smexy Books a good couple of months before your release. Some of them do not take self-published books. Make sure to read their submission requirements before you send anything.

I hope what I've learned can help you too. If you have any tips, please comment and share them with us.

Wicked Wednesday - unconventional marketing

I've been doing a lot of research on this subject. There's several articles out there that give you tips on how to market your book. I tried to find information specifically for paranormal romances, but they gave the same tips as everyone else.

Here's a quick general summary:
- create a marketing plan
- promote using all available social media
- hold giveaways and contests
- make connections and use them
- write something good
- write more books

Most important aspect: luck.

All great information, but I want to know how to hook readers who are interested in paranormal romance. They stand out from other genre fans. They're more passionate about the stories they love shown through the rise in conventions for paranormal romance authors and books. There are tons of online communities, fanfiction galore, and role-playing games.

Hey, wait. I'm a paranormal romance fan. What would hook me? Most of the time, I go by word of mouth or I search for authors similar to those I already like. That's the sort of thing that has to be built up, though.

I came up with a few unconventional ways to draw paranormal romance readers to your book:
1) Go to conventions. Not just writing conventions, but movie and gaming ones. If your book has a particular theme like pop culture or technology, drop off some business cards or postcards at those conventions too. Volunteer at conventions. Be on panels or just in a booth helping out. Leave your cards everywhere. Let people see you and know you have the same interests as they do.
2) A lot of writers have book trailers these days. Take it a step further. Make a mini series. It doesn't even have to be your story itself, but maybe something that happened in that world or a story about a secondary character in the book. Funny little instructional videos on how to slay an octopus demon or how to trick a leprechaun. Something to draw the fans into your world.
3) It's not just about marketing your book these days, it's about marketing yourself. Do something unusual. Hold a masquerade or organize a zombie walk. Attract some media attention. Be involved, be different, and then make sure to include it all on your blog!

Do you do anything unconventional to promote yourself? Do you have any other tips for marketing to a specific genre?