Peggy Jaeger's Blog - Posts Tagged "goodreads"
On #Goodreads, #giveaways, and growing your brand…
to see images click on this link:
https://peggyjaeger.com/2016/12/16/on...
Okay, I’ll admit it. Until last year I didn’t even know what “growing your brand” meant. And if I’m really being honest, I didn’t know a person could be a brand.
Kim Kardashian changed that concept forever.
The reason I’m waxing prolific today about this branding topic is because I just finished a Goodreads giveaway for my newest release, A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I’ve done a Goodreads giveaway for all of my books after they’ve been published, but this time I had more hits and requests than ever before, so that got me asking questions, evaluating, and thinking (always a dangerous occurrence!)
Two avenues of thought rushed through me when I saw the final number of requests for the book (613):
Romance Readers love Holiday stories and they saw this one listed, so they figured they’d take a chance on a relatively unknown author because–hey! — it was a Christmas tale, or,
People saw the giveaway listed who knew me from my previous work and wanted to really read the book and –hey!– there was a giveaway for it.
Do you see the difference in those 2 lines of thought? One is based on the genre of the giveaway, the other on name – or in this case – brand recognition.
When I was told I needed to come up with a brand by which readers would instantly be able to recognize a Peggy Jaeger book ( and I still get goosebumps when I say those 3 words together – Peggy, Jaeger, and book!) by the publishing powers that be, I thought and thought for days about what my books try to give the reader. A solid romance, for sure, with a happily ever after ending, but then aren’t all romances supposed to give the reader that? No, it needed to be different. Recognizable. Something that, when my name was read or said, would evoke the brand, like Timex – takes a licking and keeps on ticking – does. Do they even make Timex watches anymore, or am I really dating myself??”
Anyway.
After weeks of sleepless nights trying to figure this out, my daughter finally helped me narrow it down. What I write about are strong women, families, and men (hence, the romance). So, the Peggy Jaeger brand, when you hear the name associated with a book, tells you I write about Strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.
Simple. Genius, but simple. And remember-able ( is that a word? it should be.) And see how smart I am? I put the brand tagline in bold so when you read it, you’ll remember it. Who says you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? Or in my case, a middle-aged storyteller a new concept?
But back to the Goodreads giveaway.
My winners were chosen by Goodreads and I dutifully mailed off the paperback copies of the books, along with the special boxes I made for them ( see pix) and a nice thank you card for entering the contest. I’ve done that for each of the books I’ve given away and my hope is that the winners see how much I truly appreciate their entering. If they like the book they won, the hope is always they’ll want to read the other books listed.
So, a win/win all around. 3 readers won a book for the holidays and I (hopefully!) got 3 new reader-fans for the effort. Giveaways…to echo Martha Stewart (the Grand Dame of branding)…they’re a good thing!
When I’m not giving things away you can usually find me here: Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
https://peggyjaeger.com/2016/12/16/on...
Okay, I’ll admit it. Until last year I didn’t even know what “growing your brand” meant. And if I’m really being honest, I didn’t know a person could be a brand.
Kim Kardashian changed that concept forever.
The reason I’m waxing prolific today about this branding topic is because I just finished a Goodreads giveaway for my newest release, A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I’ve done a Goodreads giveaway for all of my books after they’ve been published, but this time I had more hits and requests than ever before, so that got me asking questions, evaluating, and thinking (always a dangerous occurrence!)
Two avenues of thought rushed through me when I saw the final number of requests for the book (613):
Romance Readers love Holiday stories and they saw this one listed, so they figured they’d take a chance on a relatively unknown author because–hey! — it was a Christmas tale, or,
People saw the giveaway listed who knew me from my previous work and wanted to really read the book and –hey!– there was a giveaway for it.
Do you see the difference in those 2 lines of thought? One is based on the genre of the giveaway, the other on name – or in this case – brand recognition.
When I was told I needed to come up with a brand by which readers would instantly be able to recognize a Peggy Jaeger book ( and I still get goosebumps when I say those 3 words together – Peggy, Jaeger, and book!) by the publishing powers that be, I thought and thought for days about what my books try to give the reader. A solid romance, for sure, with a happily ever after ending, but then aren’t all romances supposed to give the reader that? No, it needed to be different. Recognizable. Something that, when my name was read or said, would evoke the brand, like Timex – takes a licking and keeps on ticking – does. Do they even make Timex watches anymore, or am I really dating myself??”
Anyway.
After weeks of sleepless nights trying to figure this out, my daughter finally helped me narrow it down. What I write about are strong women, families, and men (hence, the romance). So, the Peggy Jaeger brand, when you hear the name associated with a book, tells you I write about Strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.
Simple. Genius, but simple. And remember-able ( is that a word? it should be.) And see how smart I am? I put the brand tagline in bold so when you read it, you’ll remember it. Who says you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? Or in my case, a middle-aged storyteller a new concept?
But back to the Goodreads giveaway.
My winners were chosen by Goodreads and I dutifully mailed off the paperback copies of the books, along with the special boxes I made for them ( see pix) and a nice thank you card for entering the contest. I’ve done that for each of the books I’ve given away and my hope is that the winners see how much I truly appreciate their entering. If they like the book they won, the hope is always they’ll want to read the other books listed.
So, a win/win all around. 3 readers won a book for the holidays and I (hopefully!) got 3 new reader-fans for the effort. Giveaways…to echo Martha Stewart (the Grand Dame of branding)…they’re a good thing!
When I’m not giving things away you can usually find me here: Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
#ReadingChallenges and why they are important…
for images, click this link:
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/01/03/re...
Last year I officially read 150 books in the Goodreads reading challenge. I say officially because I actually read more like 250, but the extra numbers weren’t on my Kindle and I forgot to enter them into the challenge stats whenever I was finished.
My bad.
This year, I’ve signed up again and my goal -again – is 150 books. It will probably be more, but that’s okay. I’ll try to remember to add the paperback and hardcovers after I finish them.
I tell you all this because I feel a reading challenge is an important undertaking no matter what age you are.
We all remember having reading lists over summer vacation while is school. Some of us found it torture to get through the required books, while others of us ( like moi) asked for extra books because I’d finish the required ones in the first few weeks.
Those summer reading challenges were meant to keep kids on the reading track and not get lazy and have all those drilled in vocabulary and spelling words forgotten over the 8 weeks of summer recess.
I read a horrifying statistic the other day that said 33% of college grads NEVER read another book once they graduate. Like in, NEVER! Holy Cow. How can that be??? If I don’t have a book in my purse, or my kindle with me whenever I go out of the house I feel…naked. Emotionally and intellectually and literally ( hahaha- pun meant!)
How can a person never open another book? Never want to be entertained using their mind, imagination, and emotions? Never want to lose themselves for a few hours in the plights, adventures, and romances of characters who jump off the page and into their lives? Never want to educate themselves on new topics, inventions, or learn from the biographies and autobiographies of leaders, movers, and shakers int his world??
I think reading challenges should be mandatory for everyone. I know. Read that sentence again. The word that sticks out is MANDATORY: required by law or rules; compulsory. I know this would never fly legally. You can’t make someone read if they don’t want to. But how about a hard sell of encouragement? Listen, we got two generations of kids off drugs with THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS campaign.
I bet we could do the same with people who don’t read. Show something rotting – like five week old fruit and say THIS IS YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU DON”T READ REGULARLY. I’m not an ad executive and don’t work in publicity for a reason, peeps, but you get my drift.
I am challenging everyone who reads this today to a 2017 reading challenge. The prizes are vast and include: you’ll be smarter, happier, more entertained. You’ll have things(Books) to talk about at parties, opinions about situations you never thought you’d have, and a general feeling of being smarter than you’ve ever experienced before. You’ll come across as erudite, well informed, and well-read.
Try it. Set a reading goal – write it down ( or send it to me!) and put it someplace you’ll see it every day. And then follow it.
Reading, to quote Martha Stewart – an avid reader – is a good thing.
When I’m not reading you can find me here: :Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
About these ads
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/01/03/re...
Last year I officially read 150 books in the Goodreads reading challenge. I say officially because I actually read more like 250, but the extra numbers weren’t on my Kindle and I forgot to enter them into the challenge stats whenever I was finished.
My bad.
This year, I’ve signed up again and my goal -again – is 150 books. It will probably be more, but that’s okay. I’ll try to remember to add the paperback and hardcovers after I finish them.
I tell you all this because I feel a reading challenge is an important undertaking no matter what age you are.
We all remember having reading lists over summer vacation while is school. Some of us found it torture to get through the required books, while others of us ( like moi) asked for extra books because I’d finish the required ones in the first few weeks.
Those summer reading challenges were meant to keep kids on the reading track and not get lazy and have all those drilled in vocabulary and spelling words forgotten over the 8 weeks of summer recess.
I read a horrifying statistic the other day that said 33% of college grads NEVER read another book once they graduate. Like in, NEVER! Holy Cow. How can that be??? If I don’t have a book in my purse, or my kindle with me whenever I go out of the house I feel…naked. Emotionally and intellectually and literally ( hahaha- pun meant!)
How can a person never open another book? Never want to be entertained using their mind, imagination, and emotions? Never want to lose themselves for a few hours in the plights, adventures, and romances of characters who jump off the page and into their lives? Never want to educate themselves on new topics, inventions, or learn from the biographies and autobiographies of leaders, movers, and shakers int his world??
I think reading challenges should be mandatory for everyone. I know. Read that sentence again. The word that sticks out is MANDATORY: required by law or rules; compulsory. I know this would never fly legally. You can’t make someone read if they don’t want to. But how about a hard sell of encouragement? Listen, we got two generations of kids off drugs with THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS campaign.
I bet we could do the same with people who don’t read. Show something rotting – like five week old fruit and say THIS IS YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU DON”T READ REGULARLY. I’m not an ad executive and don’t work in publicity for a reason, peeps, but you get my drift.
I am challenging everyone who reads this today to a 2017 reading challenge. The prizes are vast and include: you’ll be smarter, happier, more entertained. You’ll have things(Books) to talk about at parties, opinions about situations you never thought you’d have, and a general feeling of being smarter than you’ve ever experienced before. You’ll come across as erudite, well informed, and well-read.
Try it. Set a reading goal – write it down ( or send it to me!) and put it someplace you’ll see it every day. And then follow it.
Reading, to quote Martha Stewart – an avid reader – is a good thing.
When I’m not reading you can find me here: :Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
About these ads
A #Goodreads #Giveaway…
I’m just tickled pink to share this with you: Kensington/Lyrical is having a GOODREADS giveaway of my soon-to-be-released novel COOKING WITH KANDY, book 1 in the Will Cook For Love Series. The giveaway starts on January 30, so you know I’ll be mentioning it frequently to remind everyone to enter!.
Here’s the link to enter the giveaway: GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
And here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to whet your appetite for the book:
Sugar and spice and everything sexy make the perfect recipe for romance in this brand-new series by Peggy Jaeger. Look for exclusive recipes in each book!
Kandy Laine built her wildly popular food empire the old-fashioned way—starting with the basic ingredients of her grandmother’s recipes and flavoring it all with her particular brand of sweet spice. From her cookbooks to her hit TV show, Kandy is a kitchen queen—and suddenly someone is determined to poison her cup. With odd accidents and threatening messages piling up, strong-willed Kandy can’t protest when her team hires someone to keep her safe—but she can’t deny that the man for the job looks delicious…
Josh Keane is a private investigator, not a bodyguard. But with one eyeful of Kandy’s ebony curls and dimpled smile, he’s signing on to uncover who’s cooking up trouble for the gorgeous chef. As the attraction between them starts to simmer, it’s not easy to keep his mind on the job, but when the strange distractions turn to true danger, he’ll stop at nothing to keep Kandy safe—and show her that a future together is on the menu…
Excerpt:
“Editing is the tedious part of the job,” Kandy told him in the elevator. “Prepare to be bored.”
Josh nodded. “Boredom is a state of mind.”
“Brawn and brains,” she said, eyebrows lifting, eyes widening in a mocking motion.
When his lips twisted into a full grin, Kandy’s heart started to tap dance against her chest.
Since meeting him in Stacy’s office, Josh Keane had made her pulse trip more than it had in some time.
If ever.
Seated across from her cousin, his long legs splayed out in front of him, Kandy knew even before he stood he would tower over her. No easy feat for most of the male population she came in contact with. When he’d stood, she found herself staring up into the greenest pair of eyes she’d ever seen. The color of moist grass, deep and verdant, they possessed a forceful intensity she assumed perceived much more than the average man.
Kandy suspected this was a guy who set pulses on race mode to every female he encountered. Shoulders that went on for yards tapered into a narrow waist and slim hips, set in what she recognized as expensive trousers. The black crew neck shirt he wore matched the color of his hair.
All in all, a man a girl could lose her head over.
Opens for entries on January 30, 2017
Giveaway dates:Jan 30 – Feb 17, 2017
Countries available:US and CA
Format: Print Book
When I’m not promoting giveaways, you can usually find me here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
Here’s the link to enter the giveaway: GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
And here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to whet your appetite for the book:
Sugar and spice and everything sexy make the perfect recipe for romance in this brand-new series by Peggy Jaeger. Look for exclusive recipes in each book!
Kandy Laine built her wildly popular food empire the old-fashioned way—starting with the basic ingredients of her grandmother’s recipes and flavoring it all with her particular brand of sweet spice. From her cookbooks to her hit TV show, Kandy is a kitchen queen—and suddenly someone is determined to poison her cup. With odd accidents and threatening messages piling up, strong-willed Kandy can’t protest when her team hires someone to keep her safe—but she can’t deny that the man for the job looks delicious…
Josh Keane is a private investigator, not a bodyguard. But with one eyeful of Kandy’s ebony curls and dimpled smile, he’s signing on to uncover who’s cooking up trouble for the gorgeous chef. As the attraction between them starts to simmer, it’s not easy to keep his mind on the job, but when the strange distractions turn to true danger, he’ll stop at nothing to keep Kandy safe—and show her that a future together is on the menu…
Excerpt:
“Editing is the tedious part of the job,” Kandy told him in the elevator. “Prepare to be bored.”
Josh nodded. “Boredom is a state of mind.”
“Brawn and brains,” she said, eyebrows lifting, eyes widening in a mocking motion.
When his lips twisted into a full grin, Kandy’s heart started to tap dance against her chest.
Since meeting him in Stacy’s office, Josh Keane had made her pulse trip more than it had in some time.
If ever.
Seated across from her cousin, his long legs splayed out in front of him, Kandy knew even before he stood he would tower over her. No easy feat for most of the male population she came in contact with. When he’d stood, she found herself staring up into the greenest pair of eyes she’d ever seen. The color of moist grass, deep and verdant, they possessed a forceful intensity she assumed perceived much more than the average man.
Kandy suspected this was a guy who set pulses on race mode to every female he encountered. Shoulders that went on for yards tapered into a narrow waist and slim hips, set in what she recognized as expensive trousers. The black crew neck shirt he wore matched the color of his hair.
All in all, a man a girl could lose her head over.
Opens for entries on January 30, 2017
Giveaway dates:Jan 30 – Feb 17, 2017
Countries available:US and CA
Format: Print Book
When I’m not promoting giveaways, you can usually find me here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
Where I hangout when I want to be #social; #MFRWauthors
Until I became a professional writer ( and by that I mean, one who writes full time and actually gets paid! Yippie!) the biggest social media presence I had was on Facebook, and then it was only because my daughter was away at college and on it, and I wanted to ensure she was okay. And of course by okay I mean that I stalked her posts! She knows this so I’m not worried she’ll be mad at me.
But when my first book was contracted, the publisher suggested – heavily and often! – that all their authors needed to have a very visible social media presence to garner sales and book promo, since they did relatively little in the way of book promotion. It was all on my back. If I wanted my books to sell, I had to get the word out there, so I became a social media junkie.
I joined Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, Google+, LInkedIn, and of course I made my own Facebook author page in addition to my personal page I use for friends and family. In addition to Instagram and Snapchat. Oh, and how could I forget? My own website that I use for announcements and blogging 4-5 times per week.
And with the arrival of Tribber, well, I’m there, too.
Keeping these sites updated takes a lot of time… a lot of time. Let’s read that again so you get it: A LOT OF TIME.
Time I could spending, well, writing!
One of these days I’m going to be rich and successful enough to hire a publicist and let her take care of all the updating. Ahhh….. to dream.
Here’s where you can find me most of the time when I should be writing books and not updating you on my life:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triberr
and since this is week 15 of the #MFRWauthors 52 week blog challenge, click on some of the names below and see how they’re faring with all this social media stuff.
1.
My Social Media Meeting Places
2.
Out and About – Cailin Briste
3.
Hanging Out On Social Media–Sara Walter Ellwood
4.
Robin Michaela: Social Media
5.
Maureen Bonatch – Why I Love Facebook & Other Cyberspace Hangouts
6.
Ellie Mack – My Social Media Hangouts
7.
Words and Pictures (Shari Elder)
8.
Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont
9.
Cathy Brockman – A Mix-up
10.
Alina K Field – My Hangouts
11.
Peggy Jaeger – Where I hang out when I want to be social
12.
Meka James – Come Find Me
13.
Kenzie Michaels – Kenzie’s Place
14.
Sherry Lewis – Where I hang out online
15.
Helen Henderson – Where Do You Hangout?
But when my first book was contracted, the publisher suggested – heavily and often! – that all their authors needed to have a very visible social media presence to garner sales and book promo, since they did relatively little in the way of book promotion. It was all on my back. If I wanted my books to sell, I had to get the word out there, so I became a social media junkie.
I joined Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, Google+, LInkedIn, and of course I made my own Facebook author page in addition to my personal page I use for friends and family. In addition to Instagram and Snapchat. Oh, and how could I forget? My own website that I use for announcements and blogging 4-5 times per week.
And with the arrival of Tribber, well, I’m there, too.
Keeping these sites updated takes a lot of time… a lot of time. Let’s read that again so you get it: A LOT OF TIME.
Time I could spending, well, writing!
One of these days I’m going to be rich and successful enough to hire a publicist and let her take care of all the updating. Ahhh….. to dream.
Here’s where you can find me most of the time when I should be writing books and not updating you on my life:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triberr
and since this is week 15 of the #MFRWauthors 52 week blog challenge, click on some of the names below and see how they’re faring with all this social media stuff.
1.
My Social Media Meeting Places
2.
Out and About – Cailin Briste
3.
Hanging Out On Social Media–Sara Walter Ellwood
4.
Robin Michaela: Social Media
5.
Maureen Bonatch – Why I Love Facebook & Other Cyberspace Hangouts
6.
Ellie Mack – My Social Media Hangouts
7.
Words and Pictures (Shari Elder)
8.
Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont
9.
Cathy Brockman – A Mix-up
10.
Alina K Field – My Hangouts
11.
Peggy Jaeger – Where I hang out when I want to be social
12.
Meka James – Come Find Me
13.
Kenzie Michaels – Kenzie’s Place
14.
Sherry Lewis – Where I hang out online
15.
Helen Henderson – Where Do You Hangout?
Back to normal ( I hope!)
I’ve been radio – or in this case, computer – silent for a few days as I try to get my life back to normal after my week away. Seven whole days to be gone from home is a long, long-ass time. In addition to all the day-to-day stuff I had to catch up on (grocery shopping so we wouldn’t starve, doing piles of laundry so we’ll be clothed and not naked in society, paying bills so our electricity and internet won’t go out) I also had to get my writing back on track.
Deadlines to honor. Editors to appease. Words to put on the page.
I wrote a little in my WIP while in Atlanta, but I mostly just penned my daily blog and did some LIVE videos on facebook in between workshops and networking and traveling. Check out the videos portion of my Facebook page to see what you missed.
But now it’s back to work. Literally. I need to get two books finished by the end of July when I head off to Orlando for RWA 2017 and hopefully have both ready to be presented to my editor. Plus I’m writing a new wedding series and trying to eek a little room in for that on most days. And it wouldn’t kill me to get back on track with getting Planet Fitness every day again. My butt is starting to get chair-spread again. Oh, and I knowknowknow I’ll be getting two books back any day from two editors for final and galley edits.
And please, I don’t want to think about all the books I’ve got to review for Netgalley and Goodreads.
Does this sound like I’m complaining? I hope not. I really love my life. Lovelovelove it!!
I just wish, sometimes, there were 30 hours in every day instead of 24.
Looking for me? Here I am:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triberr
Deadlines to honor. Editors to appease. Words to put on the page.
I wrote a little in my WIP while in Atlanta, but I mostly just penned my daily blog and did some LIVE videos on facebook in between workshops and networking and traveling. Check out the videos portion of my Facebook page to see what you missed.
But now it’s back to work. Literally. I need to get two books finished by the end of July when I head off to Orlando for RWA 2017 and hopefully have both ready to be presented to my editor. Plus I’m writing a new wedding series and trying to eek a little room in for that on most days. And it wouldn’t kill me to get back on track with getting Planet Fitness every day again. My butt is starting to get chair-spread again. Oh, and I knowknowknow I’ll be getting two books back any day from two editors for final and galley edits.
And please, I don’t want to think about all the books I’ve got to review for Netgalley and Goodreads.
Does this sound like I’m complaining? I hope not. I really love my life. Lovelovelove it!!
I just wish, sometimes, there were 30 hours in every day instead of 24.
Looking for me? Here I am:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triberr
