The Aftermath



Okay, so you've written a novel.  Spent months, if not years, working on edits and polishing your baby till it's nice and sparkling clean.  Even gone the extra mile and learned all the different formatting required to publish your masterpiece and design a great cover.  It's out there and you're so excited.  But now what?

Marketing.  Getting that book out into the world where readers will notice and want to read it is a hard and time consuming task.  Even if you've gone the traditional publishing route, alot of the marketing will be left up to you.  Unless you are a best selling author, not much time and energy will be spent on your book.  So what do you do?

Here are a few tips I've come across.  All books are different.  Some will work, some won't.  You just have to dig your heals in and give it all you've got.  It won't happen over night, but if you spend some time everyday working on new avenues for getting noticed it will happen.

Press Release Sites

https://www.pr.com/
http://www.prlog.org/pub/account.html
http://www.pressking.com/user/new
http://www.free-press-release.com/
http://www.clickpress.com
http://www.1888pressrelease.com/
http://www.24-7pressreleases.com/
http://www.express-press-release.net/
http://www.free-press-release-center.info/
http://www.PressMethod.com
http://www.Newswiretoday.com

Sites for Book Reviews

A Romance Review
All About Romance
Angies Romance Reviews
Cataromance Reviews
Coffee Time Romance
Contemporary Romance Writers
Dear Author
EHarlequin
Joyfully Reviewed
Love Romances More
Marilyn's Romance Reviews
Pink Heart Society Reviews
Reader to Reader
Reviews - Once Upon a Romance
Romance by the Blog
Romance Junkies
Romance Reader at Heart
Romance Reviews
Romancing the Blog
Romantic Times
Sheikh Book Reviews
Simply Romance Reviews
Smart Bitches Trashy Books
The Literary Times
The Romance Reader
The Romance Reader Connection

Extras
 
* Postcards with Book Cover and description of book to pass out when you are out and about. Also a great way to give someone an autographed souvenir for purchasing your e-book.
* Book marks with same info - Hey, I still use them. LOL
* Pens, Business cards, Magnets, etc. (easy to accidentally leave behind ;)
 
Networking & Blogging
 
Set up a blog where you can have links to purchase your books and share bits about your life or writing.  It's free.  And it's a great way to connect with your readers.  Then branch out to other bloggers.  Now I'm not talking about visiting blogs for the sole purpose of plugging your book.  Not cool.  Search the web for things you really enjoy.  Follow the blogs.  Comment on the posts.  People really do make the extra effort to click and see who you are. :)

Set Up Author's Page

* Amazon.com - (Don't forget the UK!  You have to set it up on both)
* Amazon.co.uk  https://www.amazon.co.uk/
* Goodreads
* Shelfari

 
I'm still brain storming and although it hurts sometimes (LOL) it's paying off.
 
Best of luck!  And if you have any ideas you'd like to share, I would love to hear them!  I'll even send a FREE print copy of my book for the best new idea! :) 

Guest Blogger - Killer Fiction

I'm over visiting the ladies of Killer Fiction today.  Click on over and give me some pointers on how you conquer your fears. :)

Trust me, I need all the help I can get! LOL

Have a Beautiful Weekend!!

So You Want to Shoot a Gun

After wonderful week filled with excitement due to my New Release, "Faithful Deceptions", I was ready for a little rest.  But first....FIELD TRIP!!!

My wonderful RWA chapter took a field trip Friday night to a shooting range.  What terrific research.  I grew up around guns, can shoot them and I'm a pretty good shot.  LOL But that said, I respect guns.  Even after all the experience I've had handling them, I still never get too comfortable around them.  Learning everything I can about gun safety is a very high priority in my book.  We had an hour of great instructions and safety rules before we even thought about stepping into the firing range.



.460 Magnum Revolver on the end.

 We were able to shoot a variety of calibers and brands.  My friend allowed her husband to bring his Smith & Wesson’s .460 Magnum Revolver and yes, I shot that baby too! LOL  Talk about adrenaline rush!!  And intimidation!  Wow!  Biggest hand gun I've ever seen.  Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. :)

Bulls Eye! No, really! LOL

Can't wait for the next one and the chance to get my license!  Like I said, Awesome Research!!  The fun was an added bonus! :)

Only Time Will Tell

It's been one hectic journey since the day I decided to take the next step in my writing career.  Talk about ups and downs.  I now understand why we go to school when we're young.  This tired brain of mine just refuses to learn like it used to.  Who was it that said, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'?  I'm beginning to think they were right on target with that!  This was one giant learning curve.  I know just enough about html codes to get myself in major trouble.  Let me put it this way.  Until my dear younger brother, who is the computer genius, told me otherwise, I thought html was an abbreviation for hotmail.  Go ahead.  Laugh.  He still does. :)

All this excited gibber to say:  If I've done everything right, (crossing everything I got) you should be able to find your copy of "Faithful Deceptions" both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as an ebook.  The print copy is still in the works, but I should have that worked out by the middle of March. Again with the fingers crossed.

Wow!  I can barely stand the excitement of knowing someone can actually pick up my book and read it.  What a wonderful feeling and totally scary thought all wrapped up into one.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be.

Thanks for all the support and encourement!  I could never have taken my dream this far without all the great writers and friends I've made along the way.  You guys ROCK!

Links to make it easy:

AMAZON - For Kindle

BARNES & NOBLE - For Nook

Off to do some more happy dancing! LOL

Adventures in Formatting

It's colder than blue blazes down here in my part of Texas.  We rarely have temperatures in the 20's.  And snow in the forecast?  I don't think so.  Well, it didn't snow this year, but our highs hung around 35 all week.  Kids got a snow day off from school and everything.  But Mother Nature has taken a vacation or something.  Someone please wake her up so things can get back to normal around here.

Okay, enough whining.  So I've decided to self-publish.  Got my cover done.  Had to learn a few things on a new program, but all in all it wasn't too bad.  Next up, the formatting.

Yes, I'm a bit Frazzled!!

This is where it gets tricky.  No one told me that every e-reader out there works off a different kind of format.  We've got HTML, E-pub, Doc, PDF, ODT, use page breaks, don't use page breaks, line indents--did I mention I'm a bit ADD. LOL  Focus, dang it.  I need to pick one site, Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and work on getting it set up correctly before I move on to the next one.  But no, that control issue thing I have is pushing me to have them all ready at the same time so anyone who wants a copy can get a copy.  Ugh. 

It's okay.  I'm still wearing a smile.  Well sorta. :)  I've got links galore to help me.  All it will take is sitting down and concentrating till I work it out.  That's right kids, hubby, dog, cat, phone, mailman and whoever else just has to have my immediate attention.  I'm working here and distractions are not acceptable.

Great blogs I use to brighten my day after frustration sets in:

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=3167

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

Goal for the week:  Have book up and ready to download on Kindle to see how successful my formatting job is.

Wish me luck!  I'm gonna need it!

New Beginnings

January.  It is still January, right? 

2011 is off to a zipping start.  We've already taken a short vacation with the kids, had a colorguard tournament, tennis tournament and high school finals for the first semester.  Ugh.  I'm exhausted. LOL

I'm also busy working out all the kinks on a new exciting venture.  I've been reading alot of books on how to deal with failure and the need to take risks in order to succeed.  No more sitting back and wondering what would happen "if".  I'm actually going to take that next step and see.  Yikes! I'm excited and terrified all at the same time.  Struggling through the blasted learning curve at the moment, but once the initial shock wears off I'll be good to go.

Hoping to have the big reveal ready by April.  There, I put it out there.  A deadline.  Yep.  Now it's set in stone. :)

Best of luck to everyone in 2011!  Here's to looking back at the end of the year and saying, "I'm so glad I took that risk."

Avoid the Slush at All Costs

In my efforts to procrastinate this week, I came across a book I started reading last year by Jack Bickham. “The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)”. Chapter one is title “Don’t Make Excuses.” Gulp. This hits home with me on so many levels. “Writers write; everyone else makes excuses.” Well, that means if I’m a writer I must write. I’ve been doing pretty good with this ever since NaNoWriMo and have almost finished editing a book I plan to send out to a publisher the middle of January. The following are a few tips I’ve come across from several different sources along the way that I feel have made my work stronger.



1. Lead with a powerful scene, a witty exchange or a dazzling description.

2. Make sure the right person is telling the story.

3. Create the right amount of internal monologue.

4. Don't have too many characters.

5. Make sure the characters you do have don’t walk, talk and act the same.

6. Add texture to your story with echoes, allusions and metaphors.

7. Check to make sure every scene is necessary to move the story forward.

8. Be sure there is a sense of time and place in your story.

9. Make your dialogue lively. Listen to those around you, then use what you hear.

10. Up the ante where you can.



(Raising my glass of sparkling cider)  Here’s to avoiding the slush pile and reaching our publishing dreams!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Resistance – Bah Humbug!

For the past several days, my writing has become almost non-existent as I hurry to get all the holiday errands taken care of before the kids are home for Christmas break. But I have found time to read a little here and a little there. What better to read than craft books, right? Mostly as I sit in the car and wait for the kids to get out of school so we can then start the homework, supper and all around chaos again.

“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield is a book I highly recommend reading at least once a year. Every time I pick it up, I find something new. And it’s not just for writers, but anyone wanting to pursue their dream. Whatever those dreams may be, we creative types all have one thing in common?

Resistance.

Anything that keeps us from doing what we love or what we want to do falls under this constant struggle we call resistance. Boy is there a lot of that floating around my house on any given day. But this time of year? Wow, if I had a penny for every time I made an excuse not to sit down and write I’d be a wealthy woman right about now. LOL You name it and I’ll find myself doing it before planting my bootie in my  favorite chair to work on my favorite WIP. Cleaning the bathroom instead of writing? What’s wrong with me?

Blurb from the back of the book:

In this powerful, straight-from-the-hip examination of the internal obstacles to success, best-selling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity. The War of Art is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants guaranteed to galvanize every would-be artist, visionary or entrepreneur.

Now a well-aimed kick in the pants is just what the doctor ordered for this procrastinator extraordinaire. Maybe I should read this book about every three months or so. Keep it all fresh in my mind.

From here on out, or until I read the book again, I plan to resist the urge to resist or eat bugs. LOL Okay, I sure hope you don’t hold me to that last part.   :)

The Secret Behind Commitment



What is the one simple factor in individual success?

Commitment.

Think about it. Commitment ignites action. It helps us focus on eliminating those doubts and confront what is and what is not working. Commitment provides motivation for improvement. After thinking on this I have to admit, once I make up my mind to do something, it gets done. And afterward I’m left wondering why the heck it took so long.

Let me try and explain my take on this. There is a huge difference between being interested or enjoying something and being committed to succeed. If you are merely interested, time plays an important role. You’re sort of sitting on the sidelines only proceeding when time permits. But if you are committed, you look at things a bit differently. Time becomes your ally. It’s been there all along strategically hidden between the many tasks and responsibilities of life and mommyhood. But commitment helps us find that precious time no matter what. It makes us concentrate and brings out all our resources to help us fight for the finish line. There are fewer excuses, because well, you’ve made up your mind that nothing is going to get in your way and stop you. Results are the only thing to follow.

“Persistence with a Purpose” Now that makes a lot of sense. I know what I want. I know what I have to do to get it. Now all I have to do is commit and make it happen. Sounds easy enough. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

So no more excuses for not writing or editing. I can do a little every day. I can reach my goals. I might need to tweak them a bit as I go along, but it’s all good.

Sorry email, Facebook, twitter, procrastination, doubt. I just don’t have time for you anymore. I have a lot of writing to do!



“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny”

-unknown

All or Nothing!

I can't believe how quickly this month went!  As if time doesn't fly fast enough, how about throwing in a goal of writing 50,000 words in thirty days.  I must be crazy.  It's been one wild and furious ride full of ups and downs and lots of times I thought I'd never get it done.  But after pushing myself to the outer limits of my sanity and staying up late, late, late, I did it!  And I even have a few hours to spare. LOL.  NaNoWriMo Rocks!

Although, I will forever wonder why the month of November was picked for this challenge, it won't stop be from trying again next year.  I guess that's exactly what it is.  A challenge or test of sorts.  If I can stick to sitting down every day to write and actually come up with a story that is workable during this hectic month, then there is no reason I can't do it any other time.  All it takes is a little extra dedication on my part, quite a bit of understanding from my wonderful family and lots and lots of caffeine.

The next few days will be a time of winding down, relaxing and recuperating after all that hard but satisfying work.  Oh, who the heck am I kidding?  I'll be doing all the laundry and ironing I've been putting off for the last thirty days.  And here I thought my kids might get tired of having to dig through the baskets to find their favorite shirts, pants or matching socks and actually fold the darn clothes.  Not.  LOL   But before catching up on all my mommy duties, I do intend to celebrate my success.  I think I'll treat myself by heading to the nearest bookstore to buy a great book from one of my favorite authors.  Reading for fun sounds awesome right about now.  :)

The Home Stretch

As you can tell by my colorful NaNo calendar, some days are better than others. LOL And I bet you're wondering why I'm making blog posts when I have so many words to write to reach that 50,000 word goal.

It's all good. Breaks actually help me get back on track and boost the imagination when it seems to get stuck while working on one project for too long. I've got so many different projects started it's not even funny. But usually one will catch my attention and I can't shake it. This is what clues me in to what I need to be working on at that moment.

NaNo is great in that it keeps me working on the same project for longer than a few weeks. But boy is it hard. And boy do those words seem to disappear close to the end. I'm having a hard time getting the old fingers to move in the right sequence, which leads to many misspelled words. I'll laugh when I go back through the manuscript later. And at some points I know I'll have a hard time trying to figure out just exactly what I was trying to say.

So it's back to work for me now. I'm so close and yet so far. But I'm having fun and that's just the icing on the cake!

Come on my fellow NaNo'ers! You can do it!!!

Why NaNoWriMo Works

That is, the reason it works for me. Two weeks down and a little more than two weeks to go. I’m trudging along, hoping to burn up the keys with my brilliance. But in truth most days are slow and grueling as I try to crank out those 1667 words.

* But during NaNo there are no excuses.

* I sit down everyday and write.

* Rules? What rules?

* Editing is a big No No.

* I have lots of buddies struggling right along with me.

* Being creative and thinking outside the box comes easier for me since I can ignore my internal editor or critic.

To sum it all up. The entire process is fun again. I have that magical feeling I experienced the very first time I sat down and started writing my first manuscript. The time before I learned about all the rules and how difficult the publishing part of the journey would be.

Now to hang on to this after Nano is finished. If I can get those words on the page during this month and still keep up with the rest of what life throws at me, there is no reason to believe I can’t.

Here's to the finish line, 50,000 words and a new writing routine!

One Week Down!

Whew! And what a week it's been. NaNo kicked off November 1 and everything else in my life is protesting big time. But never fear. Determination is here. LOL I will sit in my chair every day. I will write. I will reach the finish line. I've reached a little over 9,500 so far, but I'm still running a tad bit behind. I hate that little read box on the calendar above that indicates a day I missed. The yellow is bad enough. What a great motivator. No way do I want anymore of those showing up. LOL

50,000 words here I come!! :)

No Plot? No Problem!

NaNoWriMo is Here!

Second day of Nano and still going strong. LOL The first few days are easy to get those 1667 words. Then every day after that gets harder and harder. Is it excitement that gets the ball rolling, the thrill of starting something new and fresh maybe? What ever it is, I sure wish I could sustain it through the entire process. It's such a great rush!

Best of luck to all those trudging along with me!
Keep up the Great work and I'll see ya at the finish line!! :)

Deadline Approaching

Ack! Ever have one of those weeks when everything goes wrong and you can't find a single minute to spare? Well, why does it always happen when you have something really important to do? I'm working on getting my submissions out to the agents who requested them a few weeks back and I can't believe how many distractions have jumped up and screamed me first, me first!

For instance. Getting sick really stops you in your tracks. Not much you can do but take your medicine and pray it passes quickly. (okay, feeling much better now. thank goodness.)

Homework and projects must be done. No way around that. But this past week I even thought about calling the teachers and begging them on my hands and knees to give my kids a few extra days. LOL (it's Friday. No homework for the weekend. Yippee!)

And until my oldest turns 16 next year, I'm pretty much the only means of transportation for my three who are determined to going in as many different directions as they can find. (no way around this one.)

Throw in the dang dog, who decided the bag of candy looked like a great treat and is now not feeling very well, and I'm at my wits end.

Almost. I've taken several deep breaths and come to grips with it. If I don't make my self imposed deadline it won't be the end of the world. I am allowed to give myself a few more days. Besides, I still have 3 whole days to work through the last eight chapters of my manuscript and get it sent off. Reminds me of that Smokey and the Bandit song. I gotta a "long way to go and a short time to get there" (youtube link thanks to my good friend Will Simon!) It's doable. Yeah, I can do it. And then I'll be ready to start something new for NANO. Oh, I get exciting just thinking about sitting down to write without having to worry about editing a single page. Creating is my favorite part.

That's right. November 1 is coming fast. Hope your ready to join the masses this year and have a blast doing what you love!

NANO - It's a Writer's Dream

Thirty Days and Nights of Literary Abandon! Sound good? Well join me this year as I once again set out to write 50,000 words in thirty days. Alot of you have heard of NANOWRIMO by now, but for those of you who haven't here is a link to answer all your questions: National Novel Writing Month

It's become one of the biggest ways for me to beat procrastination and boost my creativity. There are no excuses for not getting those words on the page. Trust me, the laundry can wait and hubby really can take care of most of those pesky little mishaps. When I first attempted this back in 2007, I thought for sure my family would have a major melt down. To my surprise they were supportive and cheered me on to the finish line. The second year all three of my kids signed up to participate in the Young Writer's Program. I was so proud. :)

So get your life in order, frozen meals prepared and creativity sparked up. 6 more days till the fun and chaos begins! I can't wait!

Come on take a chance. See what you're really made of. Will you join me? :)

What's Your Brand?

The buzz I’ve been hearing lately makes me tingle inside. This is a wonderful time to be an aspiring author. Really? Do tell. Our options are endless compared to years ago when the only way to get your book read was to land a contract with a traditional publisher or spend tons of your own money and go the self-publishing route and pray.

With the internet and now the ease and availability of marketing your own e-books, the cost of publishing your own baby and getting it out to the public has opened up a flood gate of opportunities. For published authors it means having a bit more control, or say so, if you will about their book. Published authors can no say no to what the big publishers want and going it on their own via e-books. And it’s paying off. Take J.A. Konrath for example. Great blog post here. http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-ebooks-outsell-print.html . Let me tell you, it’s got me wondering why I’m chasing that contract from a big publisher. Now I don’t have a readership like he does, so it would take a lot of work on my part. That’s why a brand is so important.

A BRAND is not something you come up with only after you sell. It’s also not something you do differently for every book. It’s your identity. The one you want readers to recognize and associate with you and your books. You need to make your Brand original and keep it the same so when they see your name, they immediately know who you are and what you write. With a name like mine, I don’t think readers will get me confused with someone else. But just in case they don’t know what they are in for when they open the pages of my books, my tagline says it all. “Where Love and Danger Collide.” Lots of running, mystery, danger, suspense and it all comes crashing down on my hero and heroine leaving them no choice but to fall in love and survive.

Now if you write in several different genres, (raising hand) a different brand for each one might be what you need. Writing for children or Young Adult might not mesh so good with your Hot and Steamy Romance novels. For example, I write suspense. So even though I’ve written middle grade, young adult, and Romantic suspense novels the theme remains the same. Someone is in trouble and needs to be rescued. My Brand should probably mesh in some sort of way over all these genres. Still thinking on how to pull this off. LOL

So, stop and think over where you want your career to be in the coming years. What do you want readers to remember about you, about your books? Write down a list of words that come to you off the top of your head when you think about your books. Is there a common factor? Will it last? How can you market it?
From what I”ve heard, your name is the best bet for a brand. It’s yours. Lots of people already know you. Use it and use it wisely.  This will be your platform to build on and generate those mega sales.

Pitching Success

Well, let's hope letting this manuscript sit pays off. The conference was amazing. So many wonderful people and the agents were awesome. A huge thank you to the NWHRWA board members who made it all possible. :)

I used to be petrified about pitching to an editor or agent. I'm an introvert, but not by choice. To be able to enter a room and strike up conversations with people I don't know has become one of my biggest hurdles as well as goals. And although it is getting easier all the time, I still have to work at it. But the three ladies who joined us and took pitches at the Lone Star Conference made it seem so easy.

I've had an agent in the past tell me "Don't use your notes. I'll take them away." Right off the bat, I knew this agent was not right for me. Had me wondering just how much say I'd have over my own books and career if I was working with them.

But all three agents I sat across from this weekend had no problem listening to my pitch as I nervously read it to them. Now for me, this is the kind of people I want in my corner. Yes, I know my book. Frontward, backward, upside down even. But having to tell it to someone on the spot like that just isn't going to work for me. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever. I would be proud and thrilled to have any one of these ladies represent me and my work. So a big thank you to Christine Witthohn, my dream agent who request a full of both my middle grade and suspense, Naomi Hackenberg and Amy Boggs. You ladies Rock!

Four requests in all! Now the hard part starts. The waiting....

Let it Sit & Rest

A few posts back, I mentioned I was letting my current WIP sit and rest for a while. I've been polishing and editing it for months and felt like I was getting nowhere. Nothing sounded good, my words were lame, and boy were the doubts building about me really having what it takes to pull this writing off.

Well, I highly reccomend this "sit and rest" technique. With our local conference coming this weekend where I will be pitching this story to Christine Witthohn, I needed to check back in with my characters and make sure they were doing alright without me. To my surprise, the words I'd written didn't sound half bad anymore. Heck, they sounded pretty darn good and at times I had to stop and ask myself, "Did I write that?" Yippee! The wind is back in my sails! I'm back to editing and feeling a whole lot better about the process and my story. I guess you really can work yourself into a corner when dealing with this editing stuff.

I'm so exciting to hear what Randy Ingermanson has to say at the Lone Star Writer's Conference. Advanced Fiction Writing and Marketing Tecniques...just what the doctor ordered! LOL

Check out his website: Advanced Fiction Writing
You won't be sorry you did! :)

Socialnomics - It's Not Just a Fad

I just had to share this video. The internet is alot more powerful than I've ever given it credit. It really is all about the networking no matter what you've decided "Living the American Dream" means to you. As an aspiring author, this is a bit overwhelming and exciting at the same time. It's how we choose to use this wonderful resource that will make all the difference.

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng