What are Yahoo Groups (Loops)? / IWSG

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I'm over at Denise Covey's blog with Tips to Defeat the Insecurity Monster. 


Last month I mentioned that I used Yahoo Loops (more commonly known as Groups) for my release day promo efforts, and I was shocked to hear that nearly everyone had never heard of them before.
Yahoo Groups (or Loops) – Gathering places for people to connect. They are much like Google Hangouts, but the people are more supportive and willing to share your good news. 
In these groups you’ll find many conversations that you can reply to that members posted, which get sent to your inbox in a digest after you join. Or you can send out your own conversation. For writers, these conversations can be introductions, release announcements, giveaways, sales, writing/editing/marketing/publishing questions, etc. Many of these groups have rules though, so make sure you read them. Some only allow promos on certain days. I’ve gotten to know many writers this way.
NOTE: You do need a Yahoo account to access them.
Here are a few I use:Coffee Time Romance & More ChattersRomance JunkiesExquisite Quills Marketing for Romance WritersNovel Spotters Authors Helping Authors 


Promo Efforts:
I'm sharing this to show what worked for me, hoping it'll help others. :)
Goodreads Event: I like to do these when I have a new release as an announcement. This time I also mentioned the sale and giveaway. Not many people replied to it, but I don't need a reply. I just need them to see it.
Blog Tour: I see new people saying they got my book, which is awesome. I still think blog tours are great, but I do fear that people are growing tired of them. I may try something different for my next release...
Giveaway: This is my first giveaway during a blog tour and the results are nice. *I chose not to offer my book, though, because I want people to buy it.
Sale: Hurricane Crimes will be on sale during my blog tour. It's a marketing strategy...I want people to get it during the tour...and the sales are decent.

That's the rundown as of now.

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