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.

Word Witch Wednesday - want vs. need

I still haven't gotten my writing groove back. I've been good with not sitting in front of the computer so much. I get up, move around, and do other things around the house. While my back has appreciated it, my muse is pouting.

I think she's spoiled.

So I'm trying to think of getting her what she needs in other ways.

I've been painting the interior of the house since the beginning of the summer. I finished the kitchen walls and the cupboards. I've started on the hall and did one of the walls in the living room. Scraping off old wallpaper is rough on the back, so I've just been taking it easy when it comes to that.

While I enjoy painting, it isn't totally fulfilling for my muse. She needs words.

Recently, I've taken up the mantle of Dungeon Master with my gaming group. We've started The Rise of Tiamat. This is proving to be the creative outlet I need in many ways. I've made puppets for the first council session since I had to play ten characters for it, and I've created personal quests with each of the player characters' backgrounds. I beefed up the very basic story in the book and created loot cards for randomly picking treasure when it's found. My muse is squealing with delight!

I don't do any of this sitting at the computer. That has helped a lot. But it has made my productivity with novel writing slow down greatly. This frustrates me as a writer even if my muse is happy just to lose herself in the D&D world.

Being a writer is my job. I must find the balance between my other creative outlets, my health, and doing work. I want to push myself to be the author I dream of being.

I've read a ton of articles. Every one of them repeats: set boundaries, create a schedule, turn off social media, etc. I'm sure many of you have heard the same things. None of that helps me when my body makes every day different.

I ran across one quote that struck a cord. 

I've said it before, I am my own worst boss. I push myself hard. I've gotten a little better, a little kinder. But my inner boss demands more than is reasonable. I want to be a highly productive writer, but I need to loosen the fierce grip I have on that dream. I need to take care of myself and my family, and while that includes nurturing my dream, I need to be kinder yet. That doesn't mean to give up. It just means finding other ways as I did with my creative outlets.

I'm working on it. It's no easy thing for me. Perhaps one day, what I want and what I need will merge together as one.

How do you balance what you want and what you need?

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.

Signup for Free Romance Promo

Attention Romance Authors!

Don't miss out on your chance to get involved with this awesome free promo opportunity. Fantasy Book Giveaways is hosting a bit sale and giveaway. When a big group of writers get together to promote an event, we have a huge social reach. All you have to do is shout out about it and make certain your romances are free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Find a new book boyfriend and have a spring fling!

You can sign up HERE.

Signup For the Book Holly-Days!

Attention authors with books on Kindle Unlimited!

Book Holly-Days is an awesome free promo event hosted by Fantasy Book Giveaways. We're celebrating everyone spending their Amazon gift cards after filling their bellies with yummy stuff and enjoying time with family. Then it's time for a break and snuggling up with a good book.

Signup HERE.

The hosts are holding a giveaway with a gift card prize. All you have to do is make sure your books are on Kindle Unlimited and promote the event by sharing on social media.

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.

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!

Word Witch Wednesday - The Quest to Perfect the Newsletter

I've been trying different strategies when it comes to my newsletter (NL), and I'm forever researching them. I've even signed up for dozens of them. Probably more than 100. Yeah, you can imagine how my inbox looks!

But it is very helpful in seeing how authors set up their NLs, what works and what doesn't, and what motivates subscribers to keep reading.

Here's the info I gathered:

- authors who send out their NLs daily offer little more than "buy my or my friends' books"

- authors who send out their NLs weekly have more exclusive content, but still are mainly just advertising books

- authors who send out their NLs monthly (or less) feature the most personal content and news

- almost all authors offer something free to new subscribers

- a few authors offer something for free in every NL while more hold giveaways

- giveaways for gift cards get more responses than giveaways for books

- most authors only offer excerpts or first chapters when a new release comes out

- less than half talk about what they're writing now

- less than half have a NL and a blog

- less than 10% of authors talk about what's going on their lives

My preferences as a reader:

- I don't like the daily NLs, and I especially don't like the NLs where the author is advertising another author's books and says nothing at all about what they personally are doing

- I will enter giveaways, but only for books if I like the author's work

- I read NLs most often when they offer something special or personal like their experience at a recent signing, a family trip, or a regular feature that isn't focused on books

What I have tried as an author:

- I offered up a free ebook to new subscribers. It's not much of a motivator, and I would prefer to sell the book instead. After my poll on Monday, I have decided to write a short story that will be exclusive to new subscribers.

- I've tried drip campaigns (a series of NLs sent every week). Subscribers do not respond better or worse to them. I get the same amount of opens and clicks for the campaigns as I do normally.

- I sent out one NL recently that offered no giveaways or freebies. I had the most amount of unsubscribes I've ever gotten and my first spam complaint.

- I've tried numerous NL swaps. They did not bring me more subscribers or sales.

What I am going to try this year:

- I will pull back on how frequently I send out my NL. My next one comes out on March 17th, and then I won't send out another until mid-April. Monthly (except on special occasions) seems like the best way to go for me.

- I will try to always have a giveaway or freebie involved, whether it be one I'm participating in or a link to an author's I like.

- I want to add in personal news and/or a feature, but I still want to keep the NL separate from my blog. They are not the same thing, and I won't treat them as such.

Do you have a newsletter? Do you subscribe to any? What do you like and don't like about them?

Word Witch Wednesday - whipping up the news

Good news or bad news first?

The good news: I don't know if this is the bigger news, but here we go! The release of the first three of the Totem books is going good in that the readers who has read the books love them. Yay! Yes, the whole book ad thing didn't work out, but I've learned from it.

 

I'm on schedule for getting the next three Totem books out starting in January. The covers are done, and I'll reveal them next month.

I'm behind in writing the final three books. I wanted at least book #7 to be done by now, but I haven't set any release dates for them yet, so I'm safe in that aspect.

The bad news: my publisher, Ellora's Cave, is closing. I've regained all my rights for the nine books I had with them, and I'll publish them myself next year. I won't discuss all the details, but if you want to read about it, check out this article here. You can email me about it if you're really curious.

This is the second time I've had a bad experience with a publisher. I am thankful for the ability to publish my work myself. It's tough out there right now, especially for romance authors. Issues with Samhain Publishing and Harlequin also add to the mess writers have been dealing with this past year. Is it a wonder so many people are going indie? If Tor or Penguin want to sign me, then I'll be excited about working with a publisher again, but at this point in time, I have no desire to do so.

I'm not blocking off that path in my journey, but I'm putting my focus on being an indie author now. It's a little sad, and more than a bit scary since it will all be on me, but I'm one of those folks who find their determination strengthened by such things.

Never give up your dreams. You just may have to forge another path to get there.

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 - pen names

Do you write under your real name or a pseudonym? Or do you publish under both? I'm curious as to why you chose to do so, because I debated whether to use a pen name or not with my newest stories.

There are many good reasons to use a pen name: boring or hard to pronounce real name, real name already the same as a famous person, the desire for personal privacy, identity protection, writing in a different genre than you're known for, and giving yourself a second chance.

Many famous authors have used pseudonyms. It's not an unusual thing in this business. In fact, it could be a good marketing decision.

Some hide the fact they use a pen name while others let their readers know they've something published under a different name. Again, neither is out of the ordinary. We're in a world where it is acceptable for authors to use various identities. Use it to your advantage.

I've become known for writing The 13th Floor, a paranormal romance series. I'm now approaching a time in my career where I'm publishing something that is not in that genre. It is still contemporary and adult romance, but not supernatural. Who is Christine Rains without the otherworldly stuff?

I publish all my short stories under my name. They encompass a wide variety of genres. But that isn't the same as the world of novellas and novels.

I had to decide if Christine Rains was only a paranormal romance author or something more? Did I want a different name attached to my books in another genre? I waffled back and forth. I even tried to think of a great pen name. I was unsuccessful, but it didn't deter me from considering still using one.

In the end, I decided not to use a pseudonym. The new books may be a different genre and they may be completely different in style than the 13th Floor series, but they're still adult romances. I believe the majority of my readers will like the new books. I would also like to attract readers who pick up the new books first to read my paranormal romances next.

Tara Tyler tagged me!

In case you haven't heard, there's a fantastic new book out called POP TRAVEL. And the wonderful author of that book, Tara Tyler has tagged me. So I must answer four questions. Thank you, Tara!

1. How does your writing process work? 
I have a writing process?! I'm a pantser. I start with the idea of a situation and/or a character. Maybe I'll have a few other aspects of the story in mind, but then I just write. I've tried to plot, but my first draft will take me where it wants to take me. Usually that pure creative stream makes sense, and then it's on to revising and editing.

2. What is the hardest part about writing?

Finding the time to write. It's frustrating on the days I only get a few minutes to myself. But then I remind myself that a few minutes is better than none. Every word you write counts. And if you count the business side as part of writing, marketing is definitely the hardest for me.

3. What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I would love to try to write a mystery that stumps everyone and has a brilliant ending. I've written mystery subplots, but it's never been my focus, and I don't think they've been incredibly difficult to figure out. 

4. Who are the authors you most admire?

Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Karen Marie Moning, J.K. Rowling, and Richelle Mead. These authors created worlds I still return to in my mind and characters that I continue to carry with me. They are master storytellers. 

Now it's my turn to tag four awesome writers:
T.F. Walsh
Ellie M. Garratt
Julie Flanders
Clare Dugmore

Flashes of Foxwick

Please join Cherie Reich during the A to Z Challenge for her

Flashes of Foxwick.

Twenty-six great pieces of flash fiction from her Kingdom of Foxwick's fantasy world.

Cherie will be publishing her flash pieces in a collection,

and they will be available mid-April.

It will include a bonus story entitled "Lady Death."

You can mark it to read on Goodreads.

If gifting us with her great fantasy stories isn't enough,

Cherie is also featuring authors participating in the Challenge from A to Z this month.

You can check out the writers at Surrounded by Books.

Thank you, Cherie, for all you do for the writing community.