Showing posts with label promo tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promo tips. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Authors: How to find your book's URL on Amazon @KayelleAllen #MFRWauthor #Author


Want to know how to get readers to find your book on Amazon or another bookseller? Need to know how to make a "buy link" for your book? Here's how.

Your book's URL

When you go to a bookseller online like Amazon or Barnes and Noble to find your book, how did you get there? The first time, you might have gone to the home page of the store and typed in either your name or your book's title. When you found the book, you clicked on the link and navigated to its page.
If you copy and paste that URL into a document, clicking it will bring you right back. But how long is that URL and what does all that gobbledygook after the title mean? Is there a way to clean that up and make it look better?

Here's one of mine from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Kayelle-Allen/dp/1502962403/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Notice the part in bold? It doesn't come like that -- I made it bold so you could easily see it. When you see the letters REF in a URL, it means "referral". That material isn't part of your book's true URL. It's code telling the site how you got to the page. You can safely delete it and everything to the right.

Here is how the true URL will look:
https://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Kayelle-Allen/dp/1502962403/
All that other code at the end is a way for Amazon to know got there. It can get really long if you've bounced around a long time.
I went to Amazon and searched "romance for christmas" allen. Here's the URL I ended up with on the book page.
https://www.amazon.com/Romance-Christmas-Kayelle-Allen-ebook/dp/B00OSD716G/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1511405487&sr=1-3&keywords=%22romance+for+christmas%22+allen


All that bold text is just a way for Amazon to know how you got to the page. In reality, on Amazon, all you need is this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OSD716G/
B00OSD716G is the ASIN (Amazon Standard Information Number) Amazon needs to find the book. If you copy that number and paste it in the search bar on Amazon, the book will come up. Try it!
When you send a reader to your book's page, you don't need a long URL that is really how you personally got to the page. You want them to have the book itself. Otherwise, Amazon will get misleading info about who is clicking on your book and how they got there.

URL Tip

I keep a document with info for my book and the URLs for its various sites. Each one has the book title, blurb, tagline, page count, word count, date of publication, ASIN, ISBN, and buy links. Anytime I want to enter info for my book anywhere online, I can pop open that document and voila! Everything is right there.

Now you can make a clean URL for every book and send readers right to a page to buy it. Do you have a tip for getting readers to click a link? Please share it in the comments.

Kayelle Allen writes sweet Christmas romance, but also Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's a US Navy veteran who's been married so long she's tenured.
https://kayelleallen.com

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

#WWoW Building an Author Platform @GingerMonette #MFRWauthor #marketing

Your manuscript is in the hands of your editor, and you've got the big release day circled on your calendar...
What now? Should you start advertising? Tweeting?

It's little early to alert the media, but there are a host of pre-launch “foundations” new authors need to put into place before they release their baby to the world. Let's get right to the checklist.

-Create a new email address to use exclusively for your writing/marketing correspondence. It will keep your emails from bloggers and fans separate from your emails from Aunt Eleanor and Old Navy. With all of your author emails in a separate mailbox, you can see at a glance any unopened correspondence and remind you of emails needing immediate attention.

I suggest using a form of your name or something that identifies your brand. For example, my author email name is SperoBooks. Keep it short, professional, and preferably something that has nothing odd like an underscore. Don't make the mistake of using the title of your book as your email name. It will be passe' when you publish your second book.

-Create a signature line and maybe a ‘one-liner’ that describes in a nutshell what type of romance you write (“Romance with a touch of mystery,” “Broken hearts finding love,” “Romance for the modern girl,” etc). Begin using it on all your emails so your friends, business associates, and writing contacts will know you're an author.

-Research web hosts and build a website. If you're not sure you want to make a long-term financial commitment, choose a free hosting service that has the option to upgrade later. I chose Wix.com as their customer service is pretty good and their site building tools are mostly intuitive.

Before you start designing, look at other authors' websites and take advice from experts like Tim Grahl and Jane Friedman. Make a list of what you like, then make a plan.

-Research which social media platforms will best reach your target audience and start getting active there.

-Develop a bio—a short, middle length, and long one.


-Create an author page on Goodreads and post your bio and headshot there. (When your book goes live, add your bio to your Amazon author pages in ALL the countries where you will be selling.)

-Get a headshot. Add it to your website and to your Amazon and Goodreads author pages. Use it as part of the header of any newsletters as well. Readers are more likely to remember your name if they can attach a face to it.

-Decide if you want to make a video or audio trailer for your book. If so, start working on it. I have one here.

-Will you do a blog tour? If so, research blogs that could be a good fit. Don’t contact yet, just make a spreadsheet that includes blog address, contact email, number of followers, and a few sentences about why it made your list.

-Subscribe to book marketing experts like Nick Stephenson, Tim Grahl, and Chandler Bolt. Take notes from what you read/watch.

-Subscribe to Yahoo groups that focus on marketing for your genre. Two excellent Yahoo groups for romance authors are Marketing for Romance Writers and Indie Romance. (If you simply don't have the time to learn from the experts previously noted, the topics covered on these e-loops will give you an excellent education.)

-Make a list of potential people to be on your launch team who will be willing to leave a review of your book on launch day and share it on their social media. Friends and family are fine if that's all you have, but readers who love your genre are MUCH better.

-Start formulating a long-term (written) marketing plan: Who specifically is your audience? How will you reach them? Will you offer your book for pre-order? What pricing strategies/sales might work well? What book marketing services/promotors look like good fits? What’s your marketing budget? What are good places to advertise?

-Will you need a book cover? If so, what ideas do you have how it should look? Browse stock image sites to find appropriate images. If you are self-publishing, research designers, or choose a service like 99Designs, Upwork.com, Reedsy, or even Fiverr.com if your budget is bare-bones.

-Will you offer some sort of freebie to entice people to sign up for your newsletter or pre-order your book? If so, create it now. For my novel written in an unfamiliar era (WW1), I offer access to an online scrapbook to those who subscribe to my newsletter. (If you have a look, give it a minute or two to load.) Other authors commonly offer a short story, additional chapters, or some other exclusive bonus.

-Will you offer some sort of give-away in conjunction with your book launch? If so, research items that are a good fit (i.e. a tin of Scottish shortbread if you write Scottish Romance)

-Search for images that you could use to create graphic teasers for your book. These sites have free public domain images: Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash, and Wiki Commons. (Not all Wiki Commons images are licensed for commercial use, but they have oddball stuff you may not find anywhere else.)

-Compile a media kit to have all the necessary advertising elements in one place: Blurb, bio, excerpt, book info, images, etc. Mine is here.

-Choose quotes and excerpts from your book that would make good teasers. Maybe even play around with Canva.com to learn how to make the teasers, Twitter banners, FB headers, etc. (All the graphics in my media kit were created at Canva.com.)

Feeling overwhelmed?
It is a LOT of work, and most of these tasks take an ENORMOUS amount of time. If you have deep pockets, you can hire experts to do many of these tasks for you, but they will still require your input. So start early and give yourself plenty of time. I spent nearly three months just educating myself on current trends in book marketing. (Yeah, I believe in being thorough.) But when I launched my book with a 23-day blog tour, I was able to do it with confidence as I had my marketing foundation firmly in place.

How long did these tasks take you? Did I leave anything out?
I’d love to hear your comments.

THIS POST SUBMITTED BY Ginger Monette
Winner of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's 2015 “Picture This” grand prize, Ginger currently writes romances set in the era of Downton Abbey and WW1. She lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she enjoys dancing on the treadmill, watching period dramas, public speaking, and reading—a full-length novel every Sunday afternoon.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Should Authors Blog? Why? @kayelleallen #writingtips #MFRWorg

Button for Kayelle Allen's blog 
Recently on the Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW) Yahoo Group, someone asked "What am I missing?" The topic was about blogging. She wanted to know what was in it for her as a writer. Wasn't it a better use of her time to be writing books? If blogging didn't do any good, why should she spend time doing it? It's a fair question, and one many authors have had.

As a writer who's been published for eleven years (with fifteen books including two anthologies and one boxed set), I've had a bit of experience in the area. I'm also the founder of MFRW. People share their stories with me. Here's my take on blogging.

A blog is a way of having fresh content on your website every day. How often can you release a new book? Probably not often enough to get people to come back to your website on a regular basis. Blogging brings people, and can generate followers for your blog, and for your social media.

Ask yourself -- so what? 

Why does that matter? Because those people who come back are people who have heard of you. When people buy books, they buy books that interest them, and they buy books by authors they know. They've learned that the author will give them a good read. Name recognition in this business is a major key to success.

When readers see your name, if they've been to your blog and/or followed you on social media, there is name recognition. That's crucial, epecially when thousands of books are released every day. If you have a choice between buying a book by someone you've never heard of, and someone you know, which will you pick?

As much as we'd all like to say that we write for the joy of writing and because it's in us and we just have to write, the truth is, we'd like to make some money doing it. We'd like to have a best seller.

Blogging is part of the overall marketing strategy a writer needs. Do you have to write in-depth articles every day? Certainly not. You can have guests, post videos about cats, have a puzzle spot, do a post with pictures of your vacation, anything you want. It doesn't have to be every day. But you need fresh content to keep readers coming back. Experiment with it. Is it three times a week? Once a week? Twice a month? Be consistent, and talk about things you love. Do what works for you.

The other -- and to me, this is the number one reason for blogging -- is to get people to sign up for your newsletter. If you don't have one, start it now. I use Mailchimp. There are other programs. Find what works for you, and use it at least once a month. Why? I'm glad you asked.

If you are consistently sending readers to Amazon, or Barnes and Noble, or ARe, or any book seller, that's great. It's nice when they buy. But wouldn't it be great if you knew who those people were? Wouldn't it be awesome if when your next book comes out you could send them a direct email and let them know personally? They already bought your other book. Why wouldn't they want your next one? Of course they would. But if you only send readers to the book sellers, you will never know who those readers are. So create a sign up sheet via MailChimp (or another site) and invite people to give you their email address. You won't get a ton of sign ups, but you will get some. It takes time, but build up your list. Have a contest now and then. You don't have to spend a ton of money on this. But get started now.
Create a simple graphic 

Create a Graphic

An easy way to get people to sign up is to write a short story based on characters in a current book, and offer that as a giveaway for signing up. They sign up, and MailChimp sends the confirmation, with a link to your book's download site. Easy peasy. Create a graphic that invites people to sign up for your newsletter, and place it on your blog and website. Link it to your sign up page. Want to see one in action? Try mine.

All you need to get people to come to your site on a regular basis is a reason for them to be there. That is where blogging comes in.

Remember, the number one reason to have a website is to sell books. You do that by having fresh content, a way for people to sign up for your newsletter, and information on the site about those books. It's simply another way to connect with readers.

Yes, it takes time and organization to set up. Once you get over the fact that you will have to work at being an author, just like any other job, you'll do well. It wasn't easy to write the book. It wasn't easy to publish it. Blogging is just one more step in the process of making people aware of you, your talent, and your stories.

But hey, you got this far, didn't you? You got this.
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Kayelle Allen is a best selling author, and the Founder, Marketing for Romance Writers.
Website http://kayelleallen.com/ Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen

Sunday, May 3, 2015

How Authors Use Twitter @kayelleallen #MFRWauthor #UsingTwitter

My Twitter "Cover" Banner  
Twitter is an excellent place to get news about the writing and publishing industries. The program is easy -- like most things -- once you understand what you're doing. Let's walk through the basics of how to use the site.
This tutorial assumes you have already created an account. If you haven't done that yet, stop and create one now.
Here's a principle to follow on every social media: use your author name. You should always be findable by the name on your book covers.

Tips for Names

You cannot use a space on Twitter. Put your first and last name together. If your name has been taken already, consider adding an underscore (first_lastname) or add one to the beginning or end (_firstlastname OR firstlastname_). You could also add author to the end (firstlastnameauthor OR firstlastname_author) depending on the length of your name. There is a limit to the number of characters.
Do not use the word author first (authorfirstlastname). Why not? Because when someone tries to mention you on Twitter, they will write your name with the @ symbol in front of it (which triggers Twitter to find and link your account). If your name is @authorfirstlastname and they type @firstlastname -- you will not come up in the search. What comes up if they write @author and then begin to look for your name is a list of all people (in alphabetical order) who used author as the first part of their handle. If your name begins with AA or numbers, you might be viewable easily. If not, good luck! It might be pages before they see your name, assuming they stick around that long. Remember: always be findable by your author name.

Log in and Try This

If you already have an account, log in, then click Notifications. You'll see anyone who mentioned you.
Within the rows or boxes that hold tweets, you'll see a star icon. Click that to favorite (like) the tweet. It shows the person who shared your post that you saw it. It's like a thank you.
To send it out to your own followers, click the two arrows (similar to a recycle symbol). A box pops up. There's a place to comment (you can say "Thanks for sharing" or whatever you might like). Then click the Retweet button.
To reply (if you don't want to retweet) click the single arrow. Write your message, and then click Tweet.
To follow, click the person's name. A box pops up about them. Click the Follow button.
To send a tweet to a person, or to mention them, type a short note, and then type the @ symbol. Begin typing their name immediately after the symbol (mine is @kayelleallen). If you are already following them, their name will show up as a possibility, and you can choose it to have it enter for you. When you reply or retweet, it will go to them without having to add their name. Try a few and see how you do. :)
If you like to read about a specific thing, use a hashtag (#) to search for it. For example, if you love Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit -- use #LOTR or #Hobbit. In Twitter, go to the search bar (upper right) and type one of those. Hit return, or click the magnifying glass in the search bar. Tweets from anyone who used the term you searched for will show up. Try it with almost any word (no spaces) and you will see the possibilities. The popular searches for writers are many. Try these:
·                     #amwriting
·                     #amediting
·                     #writing
·                     #romance
·                     #suspense

There are whole books on Twitter, but this gives you the basics. Give Twitter a try. It's a lot of fun and you will have a new way to reach your readers and friends. Besides... it's also a great way to keep up with favorite TV shows, movies, music, sports, and anything else that interests you.

===
Kayelle Allen (who follows the #Thranduil and #Loki hashtags)
Author of the Tarthian Empire Companion, a World-Building Bible and Guide to Writing a Science Fiction Series
Amazon http://bit.ly/companion-az Smashwords http://bit.ly/companion-sm
Website http://kayelleallen.mobi Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen Facebook http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Google+ https://plus.google.com/+KayelleAllen/

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

How NOT to Promote #MFRWAuthor

I remember, from back when I watched television, a cable show named "What Not To Wear." The British version featured two snarkily delightful women. The American version gave us Clinton and Stacy, who had their own version of snarky, with a softer tone. The idea was the hosts would completely revamp the victim's  guest's wardrobe, to give said guest a more fashionably correct look. I sometimes felt they were attempting to reduce individuality in their guests but that's a matter for another time. Like watching a train wreck I found myself clicking on that show no matter when it aired.
Along the same lines I've observed author self promotions for several years and more than once I've wanted to force encourage those authors to take a clear look at how they were presenting themselves

BUY  MY BOOK
LOOK WHAT I DID

Over and over and over. If they belonged to multiple Facebook groups I saw their not so clever promotional announcement numerous times in the same day. And after a while I ceased actually seeing it, I simply deleted as soon as it showed up.
Slightly more subtle authors would insert links to their own books in replies to another writer's blog,whether relevant or not.
All of this adds up to the same feeling I got from the kid who sat behind me in the school auditorium and insisted on kicking the back of my chair. Distracting me from his actual message, which was probably somewhere along the lines of "Hi, I'd like to get to know you better." Another potential romance lost in the dust of miscommunication.

To avoid this, what do we NOT want to do?
Don't shove your book into every conversation.
Don't put your notices on automatic share across the virtual universe.
Don't self promote where it's not allowed.
Don't put your links into someone else's blogs or discussions unless asked.

What SHOULD we do?
Funny you should ask.
If you're not already an MFRW member, join and take advantage of the many offers to help you promote your book.
Become a part of Triberr so you can help promote others while they help promote you.
Invite other authors onto your blog (you do have an active blog, right?) so you can promote their books.
Have an active blog. Write from your heart and your convictions, whatever those might be.
Respond to other blogs that interest you with comments relevant to that blog. If it's a blog hop, all the better then you can get name recognition multiple times.
Join blog hops, write clever blogs relevant to the hop theme. Here you can mention your book, without  making it the entire blog.
Write a good book. Then write another good book. Keep that promise to your readers that they will find happiness in your words. 

Notice, none of these suggestions have you pushing your book? Instead you are gaining name recognition for yourself. You are NOT one book, you are an author of many wonderful books.
Seek, Teach, Share, Learn, SUCCEED


thoughts shared from  Mona Karel
Blog Hop Coordinator
In addition to occasional curmudgeonly outbursts, Mona writes Romance both normal and paranormal as a way to share her daydreams with the rest of the world. When not writing she wraps her world around her Salukis, her home in the New Mexico high desert, and photographing the quirky, the unusual, and the just plain gorgeous. 

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Promoting Your New Book #MFRWauthor @kayelleallen

Learning vs doing
is what we teach at Marketing for Romance Writers 
It's sad but true that many publishers do nothing for promotion. The tide is changing on that, and more are starting to see if they help there are more sales. (That's not rocket science, is it?) But honestly, most small presses have no concept of promotion other than giving the author free copies to give away. So, what's an author to do?
Here are the basics. I create the following for every book, and teach members of Marketing for Romance Writers to do the same.

  • Review sheet containing the title, author, genre, rating (PG-R), tagline, blurb, buy links (US authors: find your Amazon links for US, UK, DE, AU - your readers will love you). Include your social media links. If you use Twitter, this is not the place to write it as @yourname. Write out the link so someone can click it! You get more users that way. This review sheet will hold all details about the book. Add premade tweets you can copy and share. You'll have every aspect about your book handy for interviews, questions, blog posts, and so on.
  • Covers in sizes 200x300, 500x750 for website, blog, and other guest spots.
  • Excerpt sheet (three different scenes) Try for lengths of 100-150 words, 200 words, 500 words. If you write hot romance, have different heat ratings available.
  • Signature displaying info about the book (used anytime you email), and your social media. Make it easy for people to follow you.
  • Amazon author page. You should have this already set up. If not, build it now. If you're self-pubbed, Amazon adds this to the back of your book, so have it ready. https://authorcentral.amazon.com/

Nice to have:

  • Banner for the book (468x60 - web standard, 600x400 for blog tours, Twitter promo, etc.)
  • Timeline covers for Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Google+
  • Pinterest board for the book and/or characters, or the era you write about

Other Options

Blog spots are great if you can get them. To me, Twitter is essential. People are going to be talking about your book on Twitter whether you are there or not. What hashtags would support your book? A Goodreads author page helps you track reviews there.

Social media isn't something you can do without. What you have and what you do with it is up to you, but it needs to be in your marketing plan. And without making it sound like a footnote, a marketing plan that you follow for all your books will help you avoid a last minute panic. It's great to have it all done, and then be able to just ask for a few blog spots or help with tweets. Having a plan is part of being a professional writer. Are these things easy? No. But neither was writing the book, and your story was worth the work, wasn't it? Don't abandon your book and characters now.

You can do this.

About the Book

Human Perfect 
In the android business, the best of the best are Human Perfect.

About the Author

Kayelle Allen is a best-selling, multi-published, award-winning author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

3 Cool Giveaway Ideas for New Books @kayelleallen #MFRWauthor #amwriting

I recommend giving away something other than a book. If you give away what you're trying to sell, who's going to buy? NY publishers spend thousands of dollars giving away books on shows like Today, Good Morning America, Ellen, and so on. If you don't have that kind of budget, what can you do?
Some authors hold Rafflecopter contests, but not every reader will sign up for them (I don't like them and won't sign up for one) and some authors don't like them. Even if you do use it, what are you going to give away?

Deleted Scenes Mini Book

Did you cut some beloved scenes from your book? Put them together, write a brief explanation for the reason you cut it, and create a mini book. Even a few pages are fine. Format it well. Include: an image of your cover, the blurb for the book, buy links, links for your social media and newsletter.
Remember when including social media this way -- if you're on Twitter, this is not the place to use @kayelleallen -- clicking that does nothing. Use the full URL so it becomes an active link. http://twitter.com/kayelleallen Save the document as an rtf if you plan to share it online, or better yet, as a pdf.

Puzzle Booklets

The Last Vhalgenn
I've had success with giveaway puzzle books. I like Word Search puzzles myself, and discovered a site that lets me make and download them. http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp After creating it (choose the text option), copy and paste it into your word processing program. Be sure to copy the solution page as well. I have a free app that lets me turn that into a pdf, and I can use the puzzle as a giveaway. I created a set of puzzles for each book, and combined them to make one big puzzle book. I also have pdf puzzles for each individual book.

Create an Inside Peek Booklet

Another thing I did for my book The Last Vhalgenn was create a booklet about the book itself. I included trivia about the story, the cover, pictures (make sure they are licensed and/or royalty free), an excerpt, and buy links. I also added my social media links. Click here to see the finished product. http://is.gd/vhalgenn_peek


I hope this has sparked a few ideas. I'd love to hear your creative solutions. Please post them in the comments.
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Kayelle Allen is the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers. She is a multi-published, award-winning author, and the owner of The Author's Secret, an author support company. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary characters, futuristic immortals, covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
The Author's Secret https://theauthorssecret.com

Friday, July 11, 2014

Authors Making a Difference on Twitter #MFRWauthor @MFRW_ORG @AuthorNicMorgan

MFRW on Twitter 
On the first of July this year, author Nicole Morgan became the Twitter Coordinator for Marketing for Romance Writers. Please join us in thanking Nicole for her service to MFRW and to its members.

What does a Twitter Coordinator do? Here's the job description from the group files.

Twitter Coordinator

Like all staff positions in MFRW, the Twitter Coordinator and assistant are an unpaid positions. Either looks great, however, on a writing resume. The Coordinator needs a solid understanding of how Twitter works, and should be an experienced user. This position is a highly visible aspect of Marketing for Romance Writers.

Main duties (same for both positions):
Sign in as the owner of the MFRW Twitter account.
Share tweets requested on the MFRW street team.
Follow MFRW members.
Send tweets for the MFRW blogs.
Assist Pinterest Coordinator with sending tweets if needed.
Use lists on Twitter to make it easier for members to find and follow each other.
Launch and run a program to get MFRW members to follow the MFRW Twitter account.
Communicate with staff via email in the separate MFRW Staff Yahoo group.
Other duties:
Attend staff meetings with other members of the MFRW staff (approx every four weeks) using Google Hangouts or other software as decided by the staff.
Time involved: one hour per week, slightly more for attending staff meetings. Total time invested is up to the individual.

Ownership:
The MFRW Twitter account is registered under the MFRW Admin Email.
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As you can see, there's plenty to do, and Nicole needs help. We're looking for an assistant who can do pretty much the same thing. Having help means Nicole gets to take time off, attend conferences, meeting writing and editing deadlines, and so on. If you're interested, please apply by emailing mfrwstaff-ownerATyahoogroupsDOTcom.
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We've seen an increase in followers, and we are busy sending out messages for our members. The MFRW Pinterest account also shares tweets. When our members' books are posted on our Pinterest boards, we tweet about it. You can learn more about MFRW and its benefits here.
We urge you to follow our Twitter account, and also the account of our coordinator. You can find us here:
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Other MFRW Social Media
Marketing for Romance Writers http://marketingforromancewriters.org/

Thursday, March 13, 2014

What Authors Should Know About Promo @jeffmp3 #MFRWorg #amwriting

Marketing for Romance Writers welcomes JP Adkins, founder of the new social media site MyAwesomeFans, for a look at authors and promoting well.
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MyAwesomeFans.com 
Share about who are you vs. what you're doing.
We all know creative artists for whom the only reason they go onto social media is because they need to promote their book, blog, or whatever. Authors and other creatives typically have many different accounts for each pen name, but rarely share insights as to who they are as a person. The secret of social media is that if you are not giving people the "why" of what you are doing, they will not care about the "what" you are doing. Social media is a powerful platform to grow your "knowability" and "likeability", two of the most important factors for why people choose your products and services.
Remember when you created for fun?
When you were not worrying about deadlines or bottom lines? I have found that when you rely on your creativity for your food supply, it becomes a mad dash to reach more people, figure out how to get more sales, figure out how to climb the Amazon Rankings, how to get another review, etc. Sound familiar?
The issue we find is that in order to reach the most people, we have to be on many different media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook (Wall, Groups, and Page), G+, Pinterest, Instagram and the list goes on and on and on. We simply don't have time to  be human on all of these platforms and still have time to create. I have a couple of tips that can help authors create engaging content while allowing yourself to stay focused on creating awesome products that please you. In the end, if it doesn't please you, it'll never please anyone else.
If you can't add value to a community, drop it.
What are you doing to help the community along? Are you there just to promote yourself? Is everyone in this group just promoting themselves or are they genuinely trying to help each other? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself. Facebook Groups for example. I know authors who are in forty-five+ groups and more than half of them are full of other authors cutting and pasting their promo-of-the-day. The only advantage to staying in that group is search engine hits, but most of the groups are secret and won't even be crawled by the search engines.

So, how do I do it all and stay sane?

I say do what makes you feel good and automate the rest. I personally use Facebook as my main social media platform. I have a Twitter account, a G+ account and a Tumblr account I use for various reasons. My Twitter life was changed when Kayelle Allen talked to me about Paper.Li! It creates digests of content from sources you select. I have two. One is full of inspirational speakers such as Dr. Wayne Dwyer, Deepak Chopra, and others, while the second is full of author friends. They both get tweeted out daily and I get a digest so that I can keep up with everything without spending much time on Twitter. If I see something that inspires me, I generally retweet it or I may share a quote. Twitter is my inspiration station. I want to get on there, get an inspirational bit, then go do whatever it is that I was doing.
My Tumblr account is my naughty side. I use it to inspire some of the erotic artists I know. Most of this is through reblogging, although I have shared links and snippets too naughty for Facebook.
I use my G+ account more for the Hangouts feature than anything else. I enjoy sharing meditations on Monday where my friends can tune in. The rest is promo, but I will say most of my circle follows me on Facebook and really doesn't use G+ for anything but promo either. The reason I even do that is because Google said it will no longer search through Facebook or Twitter statuses.
This brings me back to Facebook. I have a page for MyAwesomeFans, my wall, and belong to more secret groups people keep adding me to than promotional groups. I only have one account my family follows, so I try to keep things generally clean. What that does is let people know who I really am. They know why I am doing whatever it is I am working on from a very personal place. I am human. I am not just a robot on the other side of a screen just trying to sell people something. I do promote, but it isn't the only reason I exist. I also share things that make me feel something, engage in conversation, and try to help others achieve their dreams.
It's about connections.
In the end, it is about connecting with people. When we can remind people that there is another person on the other side of the screen, one who is very much the same as they are, it creates rabid fans and maybe a friend or two.

About JP Adkins

JP Adkins is an artist, writer, designer, Zen master, and marketing guru. He likes to see himself as someone who works hard at making life better for the people he comes in contact with both professionally and personally. He created the new social media platform http://MyAwesomeFans.com to help creative artists to better reward their fans while saving creators time and to help them make a little more money while they do it. You can set up your Fanclub free for one month using the coupon code: MFRW

Author Social Media

Monday, March 3, 2014

Author Promo Basics: Using Twitter #authortips #MFRWorg

An Avatar Can Establish Brand  
This post is part of a series of basic promotional tip sheets for authors. Today's topic is using Twitter. Why join Twitter? The site can increase awareness of your author brand, and help you sell books. It's also a great way to meet new readers and have fun at the same time.

CREATING AN ACCOUNT

If you don't have a Twitter account, here's how to make one. If you have one, skip to the next section. Begin by going to Twitter.com
  • Use your author name as your user name. You are branding yourself as an author -- this is not the time to use cutesy nicknames. If your author name is taken, add underscores if needed. (kayelleallen / kayelle_allen / _kayelleallen / kayelleallen_ would all work)
  • Location doesn't have to be where you really are. Everywhere I have a profile, mine says "At the keyboard."
  • Upload a good photo for your avatar. Size must be at least 48x48 pixels (px). You can use the same one from your other social media sites.
  • Write a short bio. This is your chance to practice succinct writing. You have 160 characters. Include who you are and what you write about. Humor is a good thing. Here's what I wrote.
    Founded MarketingforRomanceWriters.org Owns TheAuthorsSecret.com Author SciFi Romance, Gay Romance, Contemporary Romance, Non-Fiction. Blog Empress.
  • You can include links in the bio (see mine above)
  • Put a link to your website or blog in the website section. People who look at your profile are already interested. Let them find you. You are on Twitter to increase branding awareness and sell books, so make sure everything you do enables that.
  • Do not choose "Protect My Updates" as this will block readers from finding out what you're sharing. You can't tell anyone about your books if no one can see what you post.
  • Likewise, do not sign up for "verification services" either. Do not make your readers jump through hoops to follow you. You need a lot of followers if you're going to be successful, so don't do anything that prevents people from following you.
  • Don't say "I don't auto follow" or "I follow back." Tell us WHY we should follow you, not how you use the program.

WHO TO FOLLOW

  • Follower -- someone who follows you
  • Following - what you do when you follow others
How many followers do you need? Since you don't have to read or answer every tweet, don't worry about having too many followers. There is no such thing.
You can view the followers of other authors. If you are new and don't know whom to follow, find authors who write within your genre and see who follows them. See whom they follow. Follow these people yourself. You can also follow their lists of people. You'll see lists if you look at who another person is following.

To follow: click the person's name. A small dialog box will pop up that shows you more about them. Click the "Follow" button. That's all there is to it.

This is a good place to mention "follow ratio." This is how many you follow vs. how many follow you. When you begin, you will be following more people than follow you. As you gain followers, the ratio will even out. It's good to have a balance of followers to following. A celebrity or business on Twitter will generally have far more followers than they are following. That's to be expected. But if you look at a person's following and see they have only a handful of followers while they are following a large number, look out. This can be the sign of a spammer. Sadly, they are everywhere, even on Twitter.

Follow other authors. All of them have readers. Some have more than others. If you share their tweets and they share yours, both your readers are going to see the messages. Mutual promotion is a way to get your posts out there where people can see them.
Bonus Tip
Click the gear symbol next to a person's name, and then click "Add to or remove from lists." A larger box will pop up. This is where you can create a list that helps you organize followers. Why would you do that? Other programs outside of Twitter can use those lists to help you curate your information (i.e., Paper.li, RebelMouse), and your followers can also follow your lists. You can become a source of good information. In today's info-centric society, this is a good thing. It's easier to do it now when you're starting than to go back and do it later. In our lesson on Paper.li you'll learn how to use these lists. Trust me -- it takes seconds and it's worth doing.

TWITTER TERMS

Mention - this is using a person's Twitter handle (their name, i.e., @kayelleallen) When added to a tweet, this mention triggers an alert the other person can find. This is a great way to share news with someone. Tip: don't start a tweet with a mention if you want it to be seen by the public. If it's at the front, the tweet can only be seen by the mentioned person and your mutual friends. How to get around that? Put a period directly in front of the name (.@kayelleallen) or put it in another part of the text.
Tweep - what your fellow Twitter friends are called. Yes, it's goofy. Learn to deal with this. It's not likely to go away. It's part of the fun of Twitter.
Hashtag - this is taken from the # symbol (pound / number). On Twitter, using this symbol creates a search term that can be used to show other items labeled the same way. (#MFRWorg) If you see this on Twitter, clicking it will bring up all posts with that hashtag. How do you find good hashtags? See what your friends and other authors are using. You can also look them up on Twubs. http://twubs.com/p/hashtag-directory
Try these:
#MFRWorg
#amwriting
#authortips
#amediting
#authors
#writing

HAVING FUN

#SciFi  #SciFiChat
Use a hashtag to search for what you love to do. Do you #crossstitch, #quilt, or like to #workoncars? Do you love #Loki or #Thor from the Marvel Avengers universe? Maybe it's the boys from #TheVampireDiaries (also #TVD). Whatever your fandom, you can find it on Twitter. Begin following a few hashtags you enjoy. To take part, post a tweet with the same hashtag. Others will see it. To search on a hashtag in a tweet, click on it. There are hashtag chats on Twitter. To learn more about those, follow https://twitter.com/ChatSalad and you'll find a schedule. I attend #ScifiChat every Friday from 2-4pm Eastern. This week, I'm being interviewed. I've never done an interview where my answers had to be this short. Should be a fun challenge.

PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE

As an author, you are a public figure. You are in view of everyone. Remember that and keep all your communications professional at all times. Social media is never the place to have a meltdown. It will go viral in a heartbeat and it's hard to recover. It's never wrong to be kind.

MORE QUESTIONS?

This post isn't meant to be a treatise on the subject of Twitter. It's an introduction. If you have a specific question, post it in the comments and I'll do my best to answer it for you.

Twitter is a great way to have fun as an author, gain readers, and tell people about your books. Don't be afraid to give it a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kayelle Allen is a multi-published, award-winning Science Fiction Romance author of unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion. She is the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers.
The Author's Secret https://theauthorssecret.com

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Authors CAN DO Book Promotion #MFRWorg

Okay so now you’ve sold the book – what do you do? The days of the publisher promoting your book is long gone. From the brand new to the seasoned author, self published to large press you have to do most, if not all the leg work.

Trying to figure out where to start is the hard part. We all want the cover of Romantic Times, but my budget laughed so hard tears came to its’ eyes. I need to find a cheaper way. Much cheaper. Like free.

So I started small. How do you get your name out there anyway? Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, hit all the social medias you know about and create a presence. Now I’ll admit I haven’t tried all of them. I don’t have the time. Some days I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get it all done, but I keep my ear to the ground and listen when someone else is working with an new one. If is sounds like something I should get into I do.

Create a blog. I fought this one because I didn’t feel I had time to write, but I realized I have a lot of knowledge about writing so put one together, I try to post once a week. You can check it out at www.barbaradonlonbradley.blogspot.com

Do guest spots on someone else’s blog. I find this fun to do, although sometimes I have to rack my brain to come up with a subject I haven’t done before. Most ask for a writing related post, but some have interview questions, or just let you send a blurb, excerpt and cover image.

Chat’s are good. I’ve done a few of them. Of course when I do them you can hear the crickets chirping in the back row but I always do them armed and ready. I create my own questions so there is constantly something coming across. I don’t just promo my books – and with 13 titles I can fill several hours of nothing but promo. I try to give a little insight to me and my writing process.

Join groups. I stick to Yahoo, but I have become part of some really great ones. MFRW is one. There is so much knowledge out there and many of the authors are more than happy to share.

Do you have access to print copies of your book? Then do book signings. Go to your local book sellers and set up a signing. Try to have more than one author to sign with you if you can. The more authors the more it will help bring the readers in.

Over the next few blogs I will go into more detail about what I have learned to promote myself on a shoestring. I’ll go into what worked for me and what didn’t work For now, I hope this will help you get started.

See you next month!
Barb:)
Writing for Barbara Donlon Bradley started innocently enough, like most she kept diaries, journals, and wrote an occasional letter but she also had a vivid imagination and wrote scenes and short stories adding characters to her favorite shows and comic books. As time went on she found the passion for writing to be a strong drive for her. Humor is also very strong in her life. No matter how hard she tries to write something deep and dark, it will never happen. That humor bleeds into her writing. Since she can’t beat it she has learned to use it to her advantage. Now she lives in Tidewater Virginia with two cats, one mother in law, her husband and teenage son.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Goodreads: Participate, Navigate & Generate

PARTICIPATE. NAVIGATE. GENERATE.
Authors have different takes on Goodreads. Some dislike it, don't understand it and just aren't willing to use it. Some have discovered its hidden secrets and use it as another source of social networking.

I admit that it took me awhile to navigate the site, find all the different ways to use it and make it a useful tool. But, now that I have, it's become part of my media toolkit. I don't spend a lot of time there but I do visit it a few times weekly.

Even before I was an author, I used Goodreads as a reader. I interacted with some authors I enjoyed reading, especially when I wanted to know more about when another book was being released in their series. I also used it to track books I wanted to read and those I'd read. Putting a rating on Goodreads whenever I read a book was second-nature as I kept my growing "Read" shelf up-to-date. I don't think I was alone in this. Many voracious readers gravitate towards Goodreads. So, shouldn't authors too?

Here are the top 12 ways to utilize goodreads as an author.

1. Participate in the site as a reader, not just as an author.
Authors are readers too. List the books you’ve read and want to read. Write short reviews on your favorite books. Be genuine. Notice I said "favorite books". I urge you to think carefully about whether you’ll post reviews that aren’t positive. I make it a policy to only post the books I've read and enjoyed. It's a way to promote those authors while sharing books with others that I liked - a great way to make connections.

2. Friend lots of readers.
Become friends with as many others as possible in the genres of your interest. But don't use them to spam - there's a book recommendation feature on Goodreads that I recommend you NOT use for your own books. Make friends to see what others are reading and share interests. Reading their reviews and posts will give you information on current readers' interests.

3. Join Groups and be active.
Join groups in the categories you read/ write. The groups are similar to Yahoo groups or Google+ hangouts. There is ongoing discussion between members - often a lot of interaction, particularly in the larger groups. There are hundreds of groups on Goodreads, for all different interests. Don't just join author groups - be sure to join groups with readers. Then remember #1 - participate as a reader, not just as an author!

4. Connect Goodreads to facebook.
You can connect to facebook and find your facebook friends who also use Goodreads. You can also allow Goodreads to post your activity to your facebook profile. It's another nice connection to show what books you enjoy as a reader to those who follow you on facebook.

5. List all your books on Goodreads.
They might already be there but they might not. There are a variety of ways books get put on Goodreads - there's even a group of people "the Librarians" who have extra permissions to edit, etc. Excited readers may add a book by ISBN if they can't find it but to be sure that your books are listed as you want, be sure to list them yourself. Include all pertinent information. The more information you include, the easier it is for a reader.

6. Join the Goodreads Author Program.
Through the Author Program, you can create an author profile and then utilize all the other promotional tools they offer. You can host/ advertise events (launch parties, blog tours, book signings, etc) from your profile as well as be able to upload book trailers, excerpts, and create polls or quizzes for your readers.

* Since the site is for readers, here's a place they are likely to look for you. Having a presence here is important. It’s the perfect place to connect with readers who enjoy the genre of books you write. *

7. Link your blog to Goodreads.
You can host a blog directly on Goodreads, or for those who already have a blog, you can connect it to Goodreads so that your posts show up on your profile (see #6). It sometimes takes a day for them to go live but having that connection will draw more interaction to your blog.

8. Create a Goodreads widget for your website or blog.
Goodreads makes it easy to embed a variety of widgets on your site to attract readers to your Goodreads profile. You will be able to choose to promote a shelf (for instance, your "want to read" shelf) or your profile. The directions are simple to follow and its just a matter of cut and paste.

9. Check your Goodreads inbox.
Sometimes readers will try to connect with you through Goodreads because they give you an inbox. I make it a habit to check it weekly so I don't miss an opportunity to "talk" with a reader.


10. Do giveaways.
This is only available if you have print books. Goodreads “First Reads” giveaway program is widely used and is a effective way of getting your book exposure on Goodreads. Once you set the criteria, Goodreads runs the giveaway and you are only required to supply the book once a winner is selected. Having a giveaway will increase those who place your book on their "want to read" shelves and will also lead to more reviews. This is great because the more reviews a book has, the more visibility it gets.

11. Advertise on Goodreads.
I’ve heard positive stories about the outcome of the Goodreads advertising program though it is a big investment. Advertising starts around $500 a month. Authors who've used it do say that it delivered on sales. NOTE: Since I haven't done it personally though, I can't speak from experience. I mention only as a suggestion to look into.

12. Check the Stats.
I love statistics because it gives real data on success. Goodreads gives us this tool. Since our goal is to get our books in reader's hands (aka, on their shelves), we need to know if what we're doing works. As an author member, Goodreads gives updated stats on how many people have added your books to their shelves, how many have reviewed them, your average ratings, etc. Track that data to determine how well your promotional activities on Goodreads are doing. Then make adjustments.

The key to using Goodreads as an author is to learn to navigate the site, participate in a social format and use those interactions to generate sales.

Are you on Goodreads?

Why? Why Not? Share Your Experience.

Paloma
Paloma Beck is a Romance Author living a life of contradiction... she's a happily married carpooling mom writing erotic romance. It's almost naughty! Paloma writes full-time and has three series in the works with others on the fringes. Her books span both the contemporary and paranormal romance genres. 

CONNECT WITH PALOMA ON GOODREADS.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Writer's Blah by Shashauna P. Thomas


Shashauna P Thomas. 
You've finished all the other crap you had to do and finally it's that time of day you've set aside for writing. Your mind has been a buzz all day with story ideas, plot lines that make your heart race just thinking about them, and memorable characters practically screaming at you to write their tale. There is so much to do you can't wait to get started. You sit down at your computer, open word, put your fingers on the keyboard, and…and nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. You write one sentence and immediately delete it. Then you re-write that sentence only to once again delete it. You repeat this cycle over and over again. You find that you're easily distracted; much more than usual. It takes an hour to finally write something that normally would only take you a few minutes and you aren't even sure if what you managed to write is any good. Despite knowing what you want to write and exactly where you as the author want your work in process to go there is still something preventing you from writing? Yourself. And I'm sorry to tell you this, but I believe you're suffering from a case of Writer's Blah.
As a new writer I thought there was something wrong with me whenever this happened. I'd sit down to work on my writing and all of a sudden feel zapped of energy. Like I needed to take a break or a nap despite the fact I'd just sat down to work. I couldn't concentrate the way I usually do. I found myself needing to check my e-mail numerous times. Or I'd begin singing along to the music I play as background noise as if it were my favorite song of all time. Right in the middle of working on my manuscript. And worst of all the words that usually come so naturally to my brain, almost as if the characters were standing right beside me and telling me what to write, didn't seem to flow. I tried forcing myself to write and just work through it, but that didn't work. I either was completely unproductive or whatever I did manage to write needed a lot of work or if I were being completely honest with myself needed to be trashed completely.
I feared I might be on the verge of burning myself out so I'd take a day or two off from writing, but that too didn't work. When I wasn't writing it seemed as if my mind was on creative overload. I'd be in the middle of something else and all of a sudden a new idea would pop into my head. Like watching a TV commercial would inspire me to write a brand new story. I'd see it as clear as day then, but get me back in front of the computer and I'm once again having trouble transferring my ideas to paper. Almost as if adding insult to injury I'd feel completely guilty every time I took time off from writing. With so many story ideas yet to be written I felt as if I couldn't afford the time wasted not writing. I was in a funk and I didn't know why or how I got there or most importantly how to get out of it.
When I tried explaining the problem to friends they automatically thought I was suffering from Writer's Block or I was somehow overworking myself and was beginning to burn out. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it wasn't either of those. It wasn't 'til recently when a fellow author in one of my writer's group, Rose B. Thorny, brought up the topic of Writer's Blah for discussion did I finally realize what was going on with me. Listening to her description of Writer's Blah, a wonderful term she coined, and the responses of other writers in the group I quickly realized two very important things. One, she was describing what I'd been going through to a tee. And two, that it wasn't just me. There were other authors out there going through the same thing. That knowledge alone helped relieve some of the anxiety and stress I was having. And one of the main points I learned from the group's discussion was that for many of us stress was the main trigger for Writer's Blah.
Deck the Halls
All types of stress can affect your writing. Stress at home; stress at work; stress with family, friends, or loved ones; financial stress; writing stress; and of course my personal favorite future stress. When you worry and stress out about something that hasn't even happened yet. I learned a long time ago that stress kills creativity, but everyone has stress. They just learn to block it out or work around it. And that is what I thought I did, but apparently I wasn't as successful as I thought. I asked myself, 'if the stress that I have are the same ones people deal with every day then what was my problem?' and that's when it clicked. They dealt with their stress. They didn't block it out or work around it; they worked through it. And once they began working through it they realized something very important, that a lot of it is out of their control.
Once they realize what isn't in their control they can begin to focus on what is. We can't control how our family and friends act, but we can control how we react to them. If the company we work for is downsizing we can't control who they decided to keep and who they decided to let go, but we can continue to work hard and make sure the company sees us as invaluable. We can't control if our manuscripts are accepted or rejected, but we can make sure what we submit is great. And we can remind ourselves that we can resubmit our rejected manuscripts somewhere else. Often times we don't have control on how quickly money comes in each month, but we can make sure we do what we can with the money that does come in; especially in this fickle economy. No one knows what the future may hold, but we do what we can to make sure we're prepared for whatever may come.
Making sure to keep a clear perspective on my stress helped me to deal with Writer's Blah when I had it. Realizing I'm not the only author who has had Writer's Blah and talking about it with other authors helps me to know how to deal with it in the future and it helps me to become a better author. And As Rose B. Thorny did to our writer's group I pose this question to you all. Have you ever experienced Writer's Blah? And if so how did you snap yourself out of it? What triggered it for you? Are you suffering from Writer's Blah now? If you are, don't worry you're not alone.
Christmas Do Over
Info about the Author:
            Shashauna P. Thomas graduated from Cornell University and SUNY Stony Brook with two BAs' before returning to the Bronx where she was born and raised. It wasn't until after college that she first began writing erotic romances for open call submissions. That is when she discovered that writing was her true passion and she's been crafting the vivid tales she sees in her head ever since. With the love and support of family, friends, and her sorority sisters the D.I.V.A.S. of Lambda Fe Usöñ Sorority Inc. she has had a number of her erotic stories published. One of her greatest hopes is that her stories inspire her readers to be open-minded and to not be afraid to try new things. And most importantly to follow their hearts no matter where it leads them.
Buy Links:
Deck the Halls:
Christmas Do-Over:
Bondage by the Bay – Tales of BDSM in San Francisco: