Roberta Trahan's Blog, page 12

Marketing Monday – Ask the Author! Marketing Tips from Valerie Bowman

So we authors all know we need to market ourselves and our work, but so many of us don’t know where to start. I recommend that writers build a marketing plan – a list of select tasks within a limited (and/or regular) time frame – for each book. Sounds easy enough, but before you can build a marketing plan you have to identify your audience, and then find marketing opportunities that will reach that audience. Sounds a lot easier than it is.

Well, today I’m going to help you out with that, at least a little. My internet author friend Valerie Bowman recently published a great how-to guide that has a lot of helpful tips. While Valerie’s experience is largely with the Romance genre, most of her advice is genre non-specific.

Valerie’s guide to “Painless Marketing for Busy Authors” is well worth the small investment and is a great place to start planning your marketing efforts. Valerie’s book includes the same savvy suggestions you’ve read on this blog (and others) like build a website, brand yourself (not your books), don’t bite off more than you can chew, and set a realistic budget and goals. All of this is sound advice and bears repeating.

Valerie also offers some resources and cost-saving ideas like:

Author-Author.net – where you can buy copies of your books at cost. If you buy them here, you can resell them and keep 100% of the revenue. I’ll add that some publishers (like the Amazon Publishing imprints) often offer special pricing   to their authors for purchasing their own books.


Worldcat.com – tells you which libraries ordered your book


FreeBookFriday.com – a great website to get Twitter followers and Author Page likes for a minimal cost


Novelrank.com – you have to sign up for this on release day but it tracks your sales


Ninth Moon – great promotional products for authors


AuthorCentral.com – Amazon sales tracking site. You can see your rank and sales but only for print books (unless you self-publish) as reported by Nielsen BookScan. Updated Friday mornings.


Tweetchat.com/hashtag – site where you can see all tweets related to a certain hashtag.


Hootsuite – an application that can analyze when your Twitter followers are online the most. You can then schedule your promo tweets accordingly. You want to tweet about promotion sparingly.


Mailchimp.com – manages email subscriptions for newsletters. Free up to first 2,000 subscribers.

And that’s not all. If you’re looking for a basic how-to guide to help you get your marketing plan off the ground, you might give Valerie Bowman’s “Painless Marketing for Busy Authors” a try. Blurb and links to buy below.

Got questions? ASK VALERIE! Just include your question in your comment to this post. Valerie has graciously offered to stop by and respond!

***

“Painless Marketing for Busy Authors”

by Valerie Bowman

The A-Zs of book marketing covering the good, the bad, and the surprising!


Why promotion really is your problem even if you have a publisher
What is the goal of all marketing and promotion?
Why negative reviews don’t matter and why you should welcome them!
How to find your readers
What is branding and why should you do it?
Specific things you can do to promote your books…and more!

***

About the Author

Valerie Bowman is an award-winning author who writes Regency-set historical romance novels aka Racy Regency Romps!

Valerie’s debut novel, SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT, is the first in the Secret Brides series. Book two, SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE, was released March 26, 2013 and SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE will be released Oct 1, 2013. A SECRET PROPOSAL, a related novella, was released 1/1/13.

Valerie has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in history from Smith College. By day, she is a technical editor at a computer software company. By night, she combines her love of writing, history, and romance to craft stories about people falling in love.

Want to buy the book? Find links to Amazon, B&N, and Kobo at http://www.valeriegbowman.com/for-writers/

Want to learn more about Valerie? Visit her website for more info and links to her Twitter and FB accounts: www.valeriebowmanbooks.com

***

Is the Future of Fantasy Fifty Shades of Gray?

This past week I came across several articles and blog posts on the topic of trending themes in Fantasy fiction – in particular, the shift from Black & White Fantasy toward Gray Fantasy. Naturally these articles draw obvious comparisons between classic works like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and GRRM’s Song of Ice and Fire. These and other analyses of this apparent new wave in readers’ taste intrigue me and challenge my choices as a writer.

There is an inherent struggle for every author when it comes to story – we are taught to write the story that wants to be told, although we cannot help but worry if the story that wants to be told is the one that readers want to read. Do we write to the dictates of popular demand or do we answer the call of our creative instincts? Because the characters and story concepts that speak to me as an author happen to echo the more classic memes of good versus evil, I must wonder – is Black & White Fantasy dead?

It can’t be, can it? Without Black and White there is no Gray.  All of the moral gradations derive from our innate understanding of the absolute extremes.  Black & White (i.e. definitive evil and absolute good) are the polar opposites between which the nature of all things is explored – and this is true no matter what world or universe you are in. The defining boundaries of ethical high ground on one side and moral lowland on the other provide the context for story and character development to play out. All stories must come to an end. All conflict must resolve. Even the most morally ambiguous character must ultimately make a choice. This is the way of fiction.

What is really at issue is the state of the collective consciousness. There does seem to be a societal zeitgeist driving the masses toward the murkier depths of human nature. I confess that I don’t really understand that appeal, and frankly, it makes me a little sad. While I can appreciate (and even admire) the complex character-driven plots which examine the moral conflicts and the dark motivations that plague us all, in the end I need to believe that the best in us will rise. Is that an archaic idea? It may be, but I don’t care. I choose to embrace it.

While I might be brought to feel compassion for the most debauched self-serving and sadistic anti-hero ever written, I will do so only while rooting for his ultimate redemption or alternatively, a grisly death exacted by righteousness. Because none of us really wants to exist in a place where there are no moral or ethical pinnacles toward which to strive. The hope that the greater good will prevail is what empowers us all. Today’s heroes may struggle through the shadow and often get lost along the way, but they must always seek the light – because the rest of us are scared to death of the dark. And we should be.

So is classic archetypal fantasy dead? I don’t think so. It may be muddled fifty different shades of gray, but I think that deep down we all need to know that if we look closely enough, we can still plainly see the difference between one side and the other . No matter how blurred the lines become between black and white, wrong and right, dark and light- we will always need for good to triumph over evil, or at least believe that it can.

Other interesting articles on this topic:

http://mythicscribes.com/miscellaneous/is-black-and-white-fantasy-dead/

http://speculativesalon.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-trend-toward-gray-fantasy-fiction.html

http://grayfantasyfiction.com/manifesto.htm

http://www.stefonmears.com/2013/05/all-stories-must-die-all-stories-must-serve/

Marketing Monday – It’s All About Me!

It’s true – book marketing requires shameless self-promotion on the part of the author. What that means, really, is that a person who spends the majority of any given day alone in the confines of her own mind must shout out her name at the top of her lungs while holding up a sign that says “LOOK AT ME!”.

Anyone who knows me in the real world will tell you that I am neither shy nor introverted – I enjoy talking to people and I love working a room. However, I am totally out of my comfort zone when it comes to stepping up onto a platform and drawing attention to myself – except when it comes to my book!!

So here it is, my Marketing Monday tip for this week: BUY MY BOOK – and do it today while you can get the Ebook for .99 – because THE WELL OF TEARS is the SciFi/Fantasy Kindle Daily Deal on Amazon!!

Marketing Monday – Tara Bennett and her EPIC new release!

I met the fearless and talented Tara Bennett years ago when I was working as a publicist and she had just established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment media. One of the most generous professionals I have ever met, Tara is not only a respected and valued colleague, she is one of my favorite peeps.

This has been a big year for my gal pal Tara, and it is so well-deserved. Success is not a random happening. Building a career in our business takes talent, persistence, and a helluva lot of hard work.

Many of you may already be familiar with her books and features. In addition to her work as a regular and prolific contributor to a bunch of major online and print publications, she is also the author or co-author of several movie and TV companion titles including The Lost Encyclopedia, The Art of 300, The Art of Terminator Salvation and 24: The Official Companion Guide: Seasons 1 through 6.

Today I’m having a little celebration in honor of her latest accomplishments. Great gift ideas for friends and family -

Just Released: THE ART OF “EPIC” (the motion picture)

From 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, the creators of Ice Age and Rio, Epic tells the story of an ongoing battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world — and ours.

The Art of Epic shines a light on the previously hidden world of Epic, with over 300 pieces of concept art, character sketches, storyboards and digital paintings, along with interviews with the key animation talent.

Available at

—

Just Released: FRINGE – September’s Notebook (series companion)

Delve into television’s most otherworldly phenomenon! Fringe: September’s Notebook is a uniquely in-world collection that explores the intricate destinies of Walter Bishop, Peter Bishop, and Olivia Dunham. Gathered by the Observer known only as “September,” these pages reveal new truths about the Fringe Division and Massive Dynamic. The book also closely examines the Amber timeline and the alternate universe “Over There.”

Packed with concept art, exclusive photos, and intriguing ephemera, September’s Notebook will satisfy every serious fan’s hunger for details about the Observers, quirks and little-known facts about each character, insight into Fringe Science, and much more. “Easter eggs” throughout build on the many symbols and codes woven into the show’s fabric, uncovering truths never before revealed.

With its layered storytelling, well-rendered characters, and complex overarching narrative, Fringe is the ideal show around which to publish, and Fringe: September’s Notebook provides a totally immersive reading experience.

Available at

—

Tara Bennett has written literally hundreds of interviews and features for SpecFic genre and other entertainment publications as well as authored or co-authored more than a half-dozen film and television series companion books.

Before starting her journalism career, Tara worked for almost a decade as a television producer on the east coast for outlets such as CN8 and Comcast. She then used her expertise to transition into writing full-time about the industry with a focus on scripted dramas and genre-related films.

Tara is also an adjunct professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, teaching Film and Television studies. As part of her curriculum, Bennett utilizes programs such as LOST and 24 to teach her students how to write for television.

Want to know more about Tara? Then clickety-click right here.

Marketing Monday: Spreading The World Love

Today the only idea I care to promote is universal goodwill – my heart breaks for Boston.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

The Folklore of Cornwall: Piskies & Spriggans & Browneys, Oh My!

The week my novel THE WELL OF TEARS (Book One of the Dream Stewards) was released, a new and growing E-zine called The Fairy Room featured the book and an excerpt from my blog post “For the Love of Lore: Why I Write Fantasy” on their site. It was an unexpected and delightful surprise – the support for the book, but also the discovery of this incredible web space devoted to magic and mysticism and faeries and folklore.

Today, the lovely people at The Fairy Room are featuring an original article on Cornish faerie folk that I wrote just for them! Come on over and take a peek:

The Faerie Folk of Cornwall 

Marketing Monday – Celebrating the Release of BURIED by Kendra Elliot

Congratulations to Spencerhill Sister and fellow Amazon Publishing author Kendra Elliot! The third book in her Bone Secrets (Montlake Romance) series is out!! A must-read series for fans of of romantic suspense:

BURIED

Reporter Michael Brody is used to getting answers. The one that’s eluded him, though, for twenty long years is learning what happened to his brother Daniel the day his school bus disappeared. When the remains of the other children are discovered—and Daniel’s aren’t among them—a desperate Michael calls upon the sole survivor of the tragedy, Chris Jacobs, hoping he will finally break his silence.

Constant fear of being found by his kidnapper has driven Chris into hiding. The only lead Michael has is Chris’s sister, Jamie. Strong and impenetrable, she’s capable of burrowing deep into Michael’s heart. As they race to find Chris, Michael and Jamie somehow find each other among the decades of wreckage. But locating Chris may not be so easy. Now grown, his scars go far deeper than skin.

Now Available at:

Kendra Elliot grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her family. She’s always been fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a strong Mai Tai on the beach on Kauai. Kendra is the best-selling author of the BONE SECRETS romantic suspense series, now available from Montlake Romance. Connect with Kendra online:

Facebook|Twitter|Blog

Marketing Monday – More on Mutual Marketing & Still Spreading the Author Love: NYT / USA Today Bestselling Author Laura Kaye – COVER REVEAL!

Beginning with last week’s post on group marketing efforts, I will be dedicating some ink every Marketing Monday to my fellow authors. This is my way of contributing to the spirit of mutual marketing.

This week I salute NYT & USA Today Bestselling author LAURA KAYE – one of my “Spencerhill Sisters” – another of the fabulous and talented writers represented by the amazing Jennifer Schober at Spencerhill Associates.

Today we are celebrating the cover reveal for Laura’s forthcoming contemporary romance novel HARD AS IT GETS !!

Are you ready?

Careful ~ it’s Hot Hot HOT!!

~~~

Tall, dark, and lethal…

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome-pure catnip to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

~~~

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW!

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal.

She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

 

Marketing Monday – It Takes A Village and Other Thoughts on Mutual Marketing Efforts

Right off, let me first acknowledge that this installment of Marketing Monday is two weeks and a day late. My apologies, especially to those of you who are following this blog. Occasionally other demands on my time get in the way of keeping on schedule, but please know that I do make every effort to post here every week.

I’ve been thinking a lot about creative community lately, and why I believe a commitment to it should be a core value for all artists, especially writers. We all need the support and encouragement of others who think and feel the way we do- for creative support, for business information, but also to experience a sense of  belonging.

Another benefit to seeking out and participating with groups of like-minded people are the opportunities this kind of networking creates for marketing. I’m thrilled to see grassroots projects popping up all over the place – from group blogs to indie-author information sharing sites, topical message boards, crowd-sourcing, and more. 

In my opinion co-op marketing is just plain smart and practical. It makes sense, it feels good, and when done right, it is powerful. The combined efforts of the group exponentially broaden each participating author’s reach while simultaneously lightening the burden on the individual. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as they say.

I first noticed this happening in the world of romance writers and historical fiction authors, and now see it trending everywhere. Authors helping other authors and thereby helping themselves. And let us not overlook the charity drives, public awareness campaigns, fundraising, and the general spreading of good will. Love it. LOVE it.

I’m going to spend the rest of this post giving a shout out to a few of the SFF authors I support, cuz, like, you know, these are my peeps. But these particular folks are also committed to community building and shared marketing, and doing it particularly well.

But first, one recommendation for co-op marketing that you might not have heard about. If you aren’t familiar with or using Triberr, take a look. Awesome tool. Really.

Group Hugs

This week one of my favorite fantasy authors Teresa Frohock is touting the launch of a genre / publisher specific collective author site designed to promote and support its members and their books. The kick-off includes an innovative giveaway. SFF fans should check out Booksworn (click here) for some of the most interesting new voices in fantasy fiction from Nightshade Books. Also, if you haven’t read Teresa’s debut dark fantasy MISERERE, I highly suggest that you check that out too! Click on the book cover art to be taken to the Amazon book page.

Last week I had the privilege and the pleasure of attending a local signing by one of my literary heroes – Terry Brooks. Terry was sharing the spotlight with the well-known fantasy artist Todd Lockwood, and his web druid turned author / publisher Shawn Speakman. Shawn, who has been managing Terry’s website and other marketing for years, is a cancer survivor facing mountains of treatment related debt. In an effort to dig out from under, his imprint Grim Oak Press is releasing a fabulous short story anthology featuring the work of some of the best voices in fantasy fiction – including Terry Brooks, Patrick Rothfuss, Jacqueline Carey, R.A. Salvatore, Naomi Novik and many more. To pre-order UNFETTERED, click here.

NEW WAVE AUTHORS is a cooperative e-zine created and hosted by my fellow 47North author Rob Kroese. Rob publishes this site as both a promotional vehicle in support of all Amazon Publishing authors, and as an educational hub for  writers. Amazon Publishing authors contribute  content on a broad range of publishing related topics. Rob has also created a cross-roads at which many Amazon Publishing authors meet and go on to build friendly networks of mutual support across all the social media channels.

And last, a special shout out to colleague and friend, entertainment writer Tara Bennett, who is an A-lister when it comes to networking and mutual marketing. Her latest endeavor, FRINGE: September’s Notebook (the authorized companion guide to the TV series) was released last week. If you are a Fringe fan, you can get the book here .

Marketing Monday – It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint (or Why Slow & Steady Wins The Race)

The last couple of weeks I have focused on the downside of some social media tools, because it’s just as important to to understand the risks of your marketing efforts as it is the benefits. But the truth is that none of it works unless you are prepared to explore all your options and then commit time, and patience.

One of the biggest frustrations most folks have with marketing is their need to be able to connect their efforts to identifiable and measurable results (i.e. book sales). This seems to be especially true of authors who are self-publishing. Because these folks have often invested significant amounts of money in the publication of their book, they have tied their definition of success to sales. This makes perfect sense in a balance-sheet logic sort of way. The problem is that folks often misunderstand the subtle distinction between author marketing / book promotion and advertising – which then tends to create a set of expectations that are never quite satisfied. Success, as an author, is just as much about you as it is about your book.

I used to teach day-long workshops on this concept – but here’s the short version. Marketing is a very generic umbrella term that covers a multitude of concepts and tasks – including Promotion, and Advertising. Generally speaking, Authors promote and Publishers advertise. In the best case scenario everyone does a little bit of everything. If you are self-published, it’s all on you. all of the time. Which is tough, no doubt. But the important point to take away is this – no matter how you are published or who does what, you need both author promotion and book advertising.

If you are traditionally published, like me, you have little or no control over pricing and have very little to leverage in the way of the kind of offer that stimulates sales through advertising. Your efforts and time are best spent (building up to, and then after the release date) on author promotion. Author promotion (aka author marketing, aka author branding) consists of defined, sustained tasks which are designed to build and maintain awareness and visibility in The Long Run. These sustained tasks include blogging, tweeting, pinning, guest posting, newsletters and more – implemented and maintained consistently over time.

It is a marathon, not a sprint, and if you are a career author, there is no finish line. Even more, you may never be able to match your efforts to real dollar numbers. But, you should be able to measure your success in the short term by blog hits, FB fans, or Twitter / Pinterest followers. All of this contributes to sales, sooner or later. Truly.

Of course none of us can do it all, but we can all do some. It takes time, and persistence, and a willingness to give everything a try. Be creative and have fun, but most of all, be consistent. It’s important to maintain a presence of some kind everywhere you can, but I recommend targeting the bulk of your efforts on a few (say, three) favorite places. Here are some of mine:

Pinterest – This is just plain fun for everyone. I love Pinterest because it is so visual. It also gives me a way to creatively express my author identity and promote my book. By linking images I post on Pinterest back to my blog or website, I can create a larger community for myself and build interest in who I am and what I do without pimping my book all the time.

Shelfari  - This is a reader community powered by Amazon that is similar to (but better than,  in my opinion) GoodReads. It is definitely a more controlled place to play, and has lots of fun features for interacting with readers. It is worth checking out, if you haven’t already been there. I also recommend Library Thing as an alternative to GR, and finding at least one genre-specific site where you can interact with readers.

My Blog –  Next to my website, this blog is the only static presence I can realistically maintain. The keys to building a blog following are regularity and consistency, and providing meaningful content. This takes planning time in addition to writing time, but it really does pay off over time. Using post tags liberally but wisely also helps.