A to Z Challenge - Day 26: Z is for Zeal!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Z is for Zeal!

When it comes to marketing, one of the most important things is your attitude. Enthusiasm is everything. here is how to keep being zealous:

Work on posting only positive things to Facebook Twitter and other platforms. If you post a lot of negative statuses, your friends might not know what to do with you. They want to be supportive, but negativity is discouraging. It's like going to work. You can treat your customers badly just because you are having a bad day and you certainly can't unload all your personal issues on them either. I know it feels good to let it out, and you can do that occasionally, but keep it to a minimum.

Watch funny videos and post them on your social media if you want. This will help you stay positive. Other things that help me are taking a break and watching a show or movie. I find that the media gets me down some days. I like to stay up on the news, but reading so much negativity can really take a toll on you.

Remain positive even when it seems like everything is working against you. If you haven't sold a book in a long time, or if you still haven't heard from that publisher, don't worry. Everyone has their ups and downs. The key is attitude. Stay enthusiastic about marketing and maybe think about changing things up a bit.

Zeal helps you connect. It also helps you work through your tough times and brings an even better attitude during the good times. Thanks for coming with me on this A to Z marketing adventure. Still undecided if I'll do it again next year, but it has been fun and I loved getting comments from all you readers. Have a great day!!

A to Z Challenge - Day 25: X and Y

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

I was sick on Friday night and didn't get my X post done for Saturday, so I combined them in today's post. Enjoy!

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. X is for eXplosive! Y is for Yearn!

Sometimes all you need in marketing is an explosive idea. One that will draw attention to you and make a big splash. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this.

The wrong way would be negative publicity. Some celebs are famous because they are always in the news for doing something bad. The only problem with that is their fans and their anti-fans are about even in numbers. You don't want anti-fans.

The right way would be something positive. You want to make people know you for something that can only be viewed as good. That will get you the most fans. It may not make as big a splash ad the negative way, but you'll still gain followers and fans.

What can you do? Well, that has to be up to you. Charity is a big thing, creating something new, throwing an event. You have to figure that part out for yourself, and when you do, be sure to plan very carefully and coordinate so that you can get the most publicity possible.

Getting fans to yearn for your book is very difficult. An explosion could help with that. Yearning for a book is usually what happens when someone reads the first book in a series and craves the next. Since yearning is more of a series thing, it is much easier to do if you write a series.

However, if someone is just hooked on your writing, that can also create yearning. When is the next book by so-and-so coming out? You want people to be asking that question about you.

In order to achieve the book or author yearning, the product must be at it's best. That is all there is to it. Put out a quality product, and you will start seeing people yearn for your next book!

Want to be a beta reader?

I have two projects that I need to have other people read. If you are interested, please contact me on twitter @KaylaCurry1 or facebook www.facebook.com/kayla.curry1

Beta readers needed for Moonstone: Mystic Stones Series #2 (This story follows another set of characters. If you have not read Obsidian, you can still read this one without spoilers from the first book) (67,000 words) I need 2 or 3 readers for this one.


At a hotel in Richmond, Virginia a chance meeting occurs between Aila Myles and Dorin Dimir. Aila sees Dorin as a hansom foreigner with charming ways. Dorin sees Aila as his next meal.

The only problem? Aila wears a protective ring that keeps her safe from monsters she didn’t even know existed—monsters like Dorin. Unfortunately, the curse he shares with his brother makes it even more difficult to take blood from unsuspecting prey, but as Dorin pursues Aila, he finds that he’s having strange feelings for the first time in over one hundred years.

Dorin and Aila’s affair isn’t as private as they thought. It’s also the concern of his brother and the powerful Vampire Emperor. Can Dorin have his cake and eat it too? Or will Aila prove to be more than a menu item?


Beta readers also needed for a short story. The first in my new Vibe series: Vibe: Grey Apathy. (Sci-fi, mystery/crime, dystopian) (Just under 8,000 words) I need 3 or 4 readers for this one.

Welcome to a world where emotions have become weapons, currency and livelihood. Welcome to Vibe.

Greys feed on apathy. The only problem with that is they sometimes soak up so much apathy, they experience the emotion so strongly that they can't make themselves do anything. Even feeding becomes a chore that may or may not get done. Everyone knows you can't feed on your own emotion. So if you're isolated enough, you could end up drained.

Prism is a detective with problems of her own. She's been off the job for a while, but now she's back and working with a transfer named Atramen on the case of the drained grey. Being a color wheel has its advantages and disadvantages. The power to make anyone feel any emotion you want them to is a pro, but being bombarded 24/7 with the emotions of others is most definitely a con. Can Prism and Atramen find the killer and overcome the obstacles associated with a new partnership?

A to Z Challenge: Not feeling well.

Hey guys. I'm not feeling well tonight, (4/26) which is usually when I do my posts. I just hopped on to let you know that my X post will go up Sunday or along with Y on Monday.

A to Z Challenge - Day 23: W is for Well-known!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. W is for Well-known!

Marketing is all about trying to get people to know your name and the title of your books. The goal is to become well-known. Here are some ways to help with that:

Interact with people whenever possible.
Use your name on all your accounts.
Display the title of your work on all your platforms.
Use the same profile picture and don't change it every month. (Keep it for at least three, but I recommend longer. Professional photos are best.)
Display your book covers on all your platforms.
Host a blog event.
Get your name in the news.
Be active in your community.
Try to get your name or book title on lists.
Cross promote on your blog. (Exchange posts with another author)

Part of getting your name recognized might be using a pen name. Here are the only times I recommend using a pen name:

If your name is hard to pronounce or hard to spell.
If your name is particularly long.
If you are writing for a genre that you wish to keep separate from your personal life such as erotica.
If you are writing for a gender biased genre and your gender is the opposite of what people expect (Horror writers are generally men and readers are more likely to read horror by men, Romance writers are generally woman and readers are more likely to read romance by women. In this case think about using initials or a gender neutral name.)
If you want to write fiction with one name and non-fiction with another name.

Names are very important. For titles I would try to keep them short and avoid long or hard to spell words. Keep "The" and "A" out if possible. Make it memorable! Becoming well-known isn't easy, but it is important to try!

A to Z Challenge - Day 22: V is for Variation!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. V is for Variation!

In marketing, you need to have a variety of tricks up your sleeve. If you keep pitching the same lines and the same content, people will think you're a broken record. You gotta switch it up a little.

Just put yourself in the shoes of the consumer. It's easy. Just think of that commercial you see between every TV show. It gets old, right? That's why companies only run the same commercial for a limited time. They put up a new one and you've forgotten all about the old one.

As you will also notice, some companies still keep a certain element or trademark from the old commercials. That helps with branding and you can do the same with your promo material and ads. The key is variation with a little bit of consistency.

You also need to have a variety of platforms to put up new promo material. That will help you reach more people and therefore increase your chances of a sale. Always be on the look out for a new platform that can show your work to a large amount of people.

You also need to vary the type of promo material you're putting out there. Images might reach one reader while excerpts reach another. Rotate the type of promo you do. Images one day, an excerpt the next, giveaway another day, and then a book trailer after that.

So, find a way to mix variation with consistency and you'll have multiple promotional tools along with a developing brand.

A to Z Challenge - Day 21: U is for Unauthorized.

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. U is for Unauthorized.

Today I'm talking about one of my biggest pet peeves: Using copyrighted content with out permission. It drives me crazy. It may be the fact that I create my own promotional images and the fact that I sometimes do that as a side-job that makes me so crazy about this.

Okay, lets imagine you are a celebrity. You've had your picture taken millions of times and they are everywhere. Now let's imagine someone taking one of those pictures and using it to promote their product. They are basically saying that you, (as the celebrity) endorses their product. You've never even heard of this product before, yet your face is plastered all over it and you never signed anything saying it was okay.

Now, before you get offended, let's talk about the difference between using unauthorized content and having casting contests or dream cast posts.

Using unauthorized content like photos or images to help promote your book is wrong. Putting your book in an image with a celebrity or image of another book that is similar is wrong. You need permission to do that. It's also against the law. The likelihood that you'll be prosecuted is slim, but that doesn't mean you can do it.

Now, I see casting contests on Facebook all the time and that is perfectly fine as long as the images of the celebs are not combined with the product. If you want to know who your fans would want to play one of your characters in a movie, go for it! But, don't photoshop those images of the celebs with your book. Personally, I don't run those contests. It's a little too close to copyright law and putting words in he mouth of celebs for me. I do have a Pinterest album with my dream cast, but I don't really advertise it. It's more for me than my readers.

I'm sorry to have such a negative post today, but I just feel that I see this way too often. Put yourself in someone else's shoes. If you created content, or took a picture and someone used it without your permission, how would you feel? There are plenty of other places to get images for free or paid. My favorite FREE site is Pixabay.com check it out and make your own ORIGINAL content, or ask for help from your favorite cover designer. There are inexpensive ways to get professional looking content without stealing copyrighted images.

So, if you are an author trying to make it, please be fair and buy your promotional images or get images from the free site I listed. Don't use unauthorized images, please and thank you!

A to Z Challenge - Day 20: T is for Tagline!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. T is for Tagline!

Okay, if you're going to sell your book with one look at a poster or piece of marketing material, then you need a good tagline . . . or five.

Taglines are those short sentences that make you curious. One of mine for Obsidian is: Paradise never looked so dangerous. Short, sweet and to the point. now you try. Come up with five taglines you can use to promote your novel. What do you do with them? Here, let me tell you:

Tweets
Facebook statuses
Google+ posts
Bookmarks
Posters
The cover or the back of your book
Your book business card if you decide to get one
Your website
Your marketing images
Any giveaway prizes
To go above your signature at signings
And anything else you can think of!

Here's an example of what I did with one of mine:

As you can see, the tagline paired with the image gets people interested in your work. Movie have taglines, your book should too!! They are just so handy.

A to Z Challenge - Day 19: S is for Source!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. S is for Source.

A source is a person or place where you can obtain information. Here are a few of my favorite sources:

Writer's Market books
These books come out once a year and have a huge list of publishers, what they are looking for, and how to submit work to them. The books also have tips and info about the industry. This is a great source of info if you plan to go the traditional route for publishing.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia is probably visited on my computer at least three times a day. It's a pretty reliable source and I use it for research, curiosities and more.

Other writers
I often exchange advice with other authors. It's quick and easy to send an email to someone you trust. We all look out for each other and when they have a question, I return the favor.

Free books
You'd be surprised at how many books that are available for free every now and then will help you out. I recommend subscribing to the daily email provided by Author Marketing Club. While you are at it, sign up for an author account with them. More below.

Author Marketing Club
This program is a great source. There are webinar videos, free guides and more. You can obtain all sorts of information through them.

What are some of your favorite sources?

A to Z Challenge - Day 18: R is for Range!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. R is for Range.

In marketing, range is how far your posts can reach. Here is how to determine what your reach is and how to gain a larger reach/range.

You range is different on each of your social media outlets.

Facebook:
How many friends do you have on Facebook? How many like does your page have?
To increase your number of friends, simply request friendships. Just be careful because Facebook is cracking down on friend requesting people you don't know. Most people have caught on and make sure to answer the "Do you know this person outside of Facebook?" question with "Yes" in order to keep them from being "jailed."
To increase the number of likes on your page, join or throw a Facebook like event on Facebook. You should also share everything you post on your pages to your personal account since those will link back to your page.

Twitter:
How many followers do you have? Are you a member of Triberr? If you said yes to the second question, what is your reach on there?
To increase your followers on Twitter, simply tweet interesting stuff and retweet important posts by others. They'll see that you are helping them out and soon the good karma will pay off.

Google+
How many have you in their circles? How many in your groups? how many in your communities?
Google+ has a nice feature. When you add someone, they automatically suggest others for you to add who are similar. Keep doing that. Most will add you back.

Pinterest
How many followers do you have?
I've yet to find the secret to getting more followers on Pinterest, (Mainly because I try to stay away from it as I could spend a whole afternoon on there and not get anything done.) so if you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments field!

Your blog:
How many followers do you have?
Join in on blog events like blog hops and other fun things that will get traffic flowing. Join Triberr and add your blog. Host your own blog event. Host other authors on your blog. Cross promotion is great for both parties. They send you some of their followers and in return they get some exposure with yours.

Okay. Well, there are tons of other ways to extend your reach and expand your range. Goodreads is another area, but I'm sure that with the advice given above, you can figure it out. I'm sure since Amazon bought them it's all about to change anyway. Hope this helps you reach more people!

A to Z Challenge - Day 17: Q is for Quality!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Q is for Quality.

When marketing, you need to make sure you have a quality product. Start with getting a good editor and then a good formatter. Then get a quality cover.

From there you also need to create quality marketing materials. Promotional images for Facebook, Pinterest and other places and content for blog posts are essential. These need to be just as high quality as your book itself. Promotional material reflects the product.

Your websites also need to look professional and have a theme to them. Make sure that it looks clean and organized. Don't add too many gadgets. That will only make your site slower, crowd it and frustrate visitors as they try to pick through all the things in the side panels in an attempt to follow you.

As a writer, people will hold you to a higher standard, so not only do you need to watch your spelling and grammar in your books, you need to watch it in your blog posts, Facebook posts and other places too. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does need to reflect at least a basic grasp on the concept of spelling and grammar. Quality tweets make for quality followers.

So, when you're wondering why the things you're trying aren't working, you need to ask yourself about the quality of your work. Better yet, ask some one you trust to evaluate it for you.

A to Z Challenge - Day 16: P is for Patrol!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. P is for Patrol!

When preparing to market your book, you need to first gather information and patrol sites that might help you out.

When you're on patrol, you're on the lookout. You need to watch for trends, lists, things that might hurt your business and things that might help your business. Build a report of sorts to help you identify different websites or marketing tools.

You also need to watch out for scams. If someone wants you to pay for a review of your book. Don't do it. Just think about if a potential reader found out that you are paying for reviews. How will that look on you?

Before signing up for a paid service you need to ask yourself this question: Will this service pay for itself by selling enough books to cover it AND make a profit for me? If the answer is no, then don't do it. I've gotten away without using a paid service so far. That's with the exception of a few paid ads.

If there is a paid service you are thinking about, ask yourself this other question: Is this something I can do myself? If so, ask yourself this: Do I have the time to do this myself? I thin you know where I'm going here.

As for scams, there are plenty out there. There are website who claim to be able to get reviews on a book, yet when I look up one of their clients on Amazon they have no more reviews than I do. Don't pay for a service like that when there are huge lists of reviewers and contact info to be found easily on the internet. I believe there is even a book on kindle that is just a huge list of reviewers and it's only $.99. Can't think of the name though.

So, stay on the lookout for anything beneficial or suspicious and if you are unsure which category a service falls into, ask a friend, or ask me. I'm pretty good at sorting through all the . . . you know.

A to Z Challenge - Day 15: O is for Order!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. O is for Order.

In the military, an order must be followed to ensure safety and to ward against chaos. In marketing, you don't have someone to give you orders. That is why you need to order yourself to do things. Being your own boss means exactly that. You need to boss yourself around.

Working for yourself won't get you anywhere if you are acting like a lazy employee when the boss leaves for the day. You need to take charge of your business. Here is a few tips on how I am the boss and the employee in my business:

I have a list of daily tasks I need to do. That is the first thing I do each day. I check my email accounts, check my social media accounts, and approve triberr posts. There are a few other tasks I do each day, but you need to personalize your checklist.

Next, I have a list of weekly tasks. These include scheduling posts on hootsuite, checking for new reviews, approving friendships and following back, and more. Again, personalize.

Then I have a monthly task list. These are things I do once a month. Schedule ad campaigns, update certain information, and more. Write your own list. You know what you need to do.

Now you just need to make sure you keep on top of it. Motivate yourself if you have to. No coffee until the daily tasks are done! No facebook until the daily tasks are done! Whatever you need to do, do it. Order yourself around. Be your own boss! You can even add a certain amount of time for writing to your list.

A to Z Challenge - Day 14: N is for Neutral!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. N is for Neutral.

We've already touched on this subject, but it needs more attention. In marketing, you must remain neutral on certain subjects.

If there is a major controversy, you should remain neutral on the issues by not talking about it at all. The ONLY exception to this rule is if your book happens to be about that particular subject.

Religion and politics are major issues to avoid. I realize that as writers, we often have strong opinions, but you must remember that others may not buy your book simply because of the political party you associate with or because of the religion you choose or don't choose.

I know, I know. Religion is a big part of your life. That's okay, but don't broadcast it on your pages. Personal account . . . sometimes. Just not every day. People don't want to feel like you are trying to convert them when they track you down for your books.

Another controversial thing to avoid is online fights. I've said it before, but I've got to say it again. Two authors you know are battling it out on twitter/facebook/goodreads? STAY OUT OF IT. Don't go there. No one wins in an online fight. Some may take your side, but others won't and they will turn their friends against you too.

Why? Because even though it may SEEM private since you are posting directly to their personal wall or tweeting to their personal account, it is NOT private. It's like having a screaming match in the middle of a crowded room. If you would yell at someone in a crowded room, then don't fight with them online. Another thing about online fights is they stick around forever. Just because it's over, and possibly, comments have been deleted, doesn't mean someone didn't screen shot it.

So. The key to staying neutral is to not involve yourself in controversy. Keep it on the pages and not on your social media site. Okay? Glad we had this talk. Carry on!

A to Z Challenge - Day 13: M is for Maintenance!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. M is for Maintenance.

Today, we are talking about maintenance. In marketing, that means maintaining your image and your audience. In order to do that, you need to stay in touch with your followers on all your social media platforms.

Engaging with your followers helps you get a larger following and works towards building a positive image. It's easy to do. Simply pick a few questions each day and post them to your social media profiles. Then, talk to whoever responds. Take an hour or so out of your day to do this. You can even multitask if you turn on the notification sounds on Facebook and Hootsuite. (Or by checking them every few minute while you complete other tasks.)

Another way to maintain your image is to keep your profile updated with the right info. That includes infor about your books and other professional ventures. You don't need to worry about the personal stuff unless you want to. Just be careful what you share.

As for maintaining your audience, be sure to retweet them, respond to every comment, and FOLLOW BACK! Worried that those new followers are only following til you do, then unfollowing? Use Manage Flitter. You can easily see who isn't following and unfollow them. Following--especially on twitter--shows that you are supporting them and they are supporting you. It's a sign of respect and gratitude, so until you sell millions and get too many followers to ever possibly follow back, just do it.

Personally, I hate seeing people on twitter who have let's say 5,000 followers and are only following a few hundred. It makes me feel like they think they are too good to follow back. A big ego does not get you more followers. And for the love of God, don't do one of those "Get 10,000 followers now!" things.

Did you know that it was recently discovered that about HALF of Justin Beibers' followers were fake. Yeah. Dummy accounts and inactive accounts all over. I have a feeling he used a follow service. Do you know how ridiculous that makes him look? Especially since he was supposed to have the most followers?

So, maintaining a healthy image and maintaining your audience go hand in hand. Don't forget that it's called SOCIAL media for a reason. Stay social, my friends!

A to Z Challenge - Day 12: L is for Launch!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. L is for Launch!

So you have your book and it's all ready to show the world. You need to plan a launch! If you are going to launch your book, you gotta do it right!

The best thing to do first is to get it up on the buying sites a week or two before and ask your ARC readers to post their reviews in that time. This way, when you officially launch and direct new customers to your book on Amazon, there will already be reviews there for them to check out!

Next you should write up a blog post that can be posted to your friends' blogs too. Ask your friends if they would like to help you with a release day blitz and let them know that all they have to do is copy and paste the HTML code you give them from the post you wrote up on your blog. Be sure to include cover, blurb, buy links, links to your social media and optionally, an excerpt.

You can also do a giveaway if you want, but I'd recommend a swag only giveaway. You're trying to sell books, not give them away.

Write up some tweets and facebook/google+ posts and ask your friends if they would like to send some out for you. Be sure to return the favor if they ever ask you to do something like that in the future.

Have a facebook event and a goodreads event. The facebook event is awesome since you can actually interact with people at the event. The Goodreads event is nice because you can update it on the release day with the link to your book and select the notification option so that the people going to your event know that you've added the link.

You can also throw a launch party on twitter or facebook. Or both if you are really ambitious. Just make sure that whatever you do is BIG! Be careful not to overdo it though. People usually understand release day stuff, but tweets every 10 minutes is a little overboard.

A to Z Challenge - Day 11: K is for Key Terrain!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. K is for Key Terrain.

In the military, key terrain is an area of land which gives you the advantage. In marketing key terrain is something that will enable you to be discovered.

We touched on the subject lightly yesterday, but I want to go a little more in depth today about the importance of lists. Lists are very important to be on.

The more lists you are on, the more likely your book will be discovered. There are lists on Goodreads. Amazon has Listmania. Heck, if you can get on a best seller list, that rocks! Any list helps really.

Some bloggers like to publish their own lists either each month or each year or for a certain occasion. You must always be on the look out for ways to get on a list. Start your own lists too. If people see their books on your lists, they will be more likely to add yours to theirs.

Why are lists so important? Because people LOVE lists. They just love them. It's an easy way to scroll through books that already have a seal of approval from some one else. It saves time by putting a large quantity of titles in one place so the reader doesn't have to search amazon themselves.

Another way to gain key terrain, is to start your own blog event. Many bloggers who participate in blog events will put in a thank you to the host at the beginning or the end of the post. It's a good way to get your name out there and become an active member of your author community.

The next way to gain key terrain is to show off your own work. By putting your cover with a link to amazon on the side panels of your blog and website, you are making it easily accessible to anyone who visits. Key terrain is all about making sure you can easily be discovered by readers.

How would you gain key terrain?

A to Z Challenge - Day 10: J is for Join Up!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. J is for Join Up!

In marketing there are a lot of platforms. If you haven't already joined these essential sites, please check them out and see if they would be right for you.

Twitter-Great for connecting and getting people to your blog or book using links.

Facebook-Great for connecting and showing your personality with posts. Also good for posting about book stuff, just don't go over board. (Same goes for twitter)

Google+-Again, great for connecting. Communities are wonderful for finding others like you. Building an audience is a good idea. If you use blogger to blog, you can automatically post a link when publishing a post.

Goodreads-Great for keeping track of books, showing off your own books, connecting with readers and authors and getting your books on lists to increase your discoverability.

Okay, now that the essentials are out of the way, here are some other ones you might want to check out

Library Thing
Shelfari
Instagram
Pinterest (Careful, this one is addictive!)
Author Marketing Club

And for the crazy ones . . . NaNoWriMo.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Any suggestions?

A to Z Challenge - Day 9: I is for Information!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is I, and I is for Information.

In order to see what kind of results you are getting with your marketing ventures, you need information. How many people saw your blog post? How many people clicked on the link in your tweet? How many people saw/liked/shared your post on facebook?

So, the first one is easy. Most blogs will tell you have many views your post got. How will this help you? Well, take a look at the posts with the most views. What is special about it? Are there images in it? Does the title have any key words that would grab the attention of your readers? Is it on a certain topic? Is it a special post like a cover reveal, book review or new release? Use that to your advantage.

If you use Triberr, you can also see how many people shared your blog posts and how many people clicked on the links to your posts.

As for the number of people clicking on your tweet links, I like to use Hootsuite for that. You can set up a free report through Hootsuite. This will help you see what links are popular, what times of the day are best to tweet (although Hootsuite also has a nifty scheduling tool that automatically schedules tweets for the busiest time of day).

As for Facebook, well, it's nice to know how far your reach is and what kind of posts from your pages get the most attention. When you are on your Facebook page, you'll be able to see at the bottom of each post how many people saw it. If you hover over it or click on it, you can see how many views were organic and how many were viral. That means if someone shares your post, it goes viral and people you don't know can see it because of the person who shared it. (That's a good thing since the post will lead back to your page)

There are so many other places to gather statistics and information. Keep you eye out, because any information you can gather could help you in some way. Statistics are important, so don't pass up an opportunity to read up on the data you have access to.

A to Z Challenge - Day 8: H is for Hazard!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is H, and H is for Hazard.

In the military, a hazard is a situation where someone can get hurt or vital supplies can be lost. This is much the same for marketing hazards. There are many marketing hazards out there and you need to be careful to avoid them.

Hazard #1: Over marketing. Don't tweet marketing tweets 24/7. You need to connect with your audience.

Hazard #2: Getting involved in online fights. Just. Don't. There is no reason to fight with people online. It always ends badly and you'll earn a bad reputation.

Hazard #3: Politics and religion. If your book isn't specifically about these subjects, then it's best not to talk about them.

Hazard #4: Linking facebook and twitter so that whatever you post on one automatically posts on the other. I can't tell you how many times I come across a facebook status asking a fun question. I answer it. Then the person who posted it never replies. If you're going to link them, be present on both social platforms and give BOTH audiences your attention, otherwise don't do it. You look like an idiot when you have an awesome status that fans reply to, but you never interact with them in return. Another reason I don't recommend this is because facebook users tend to get annoyed with hash tags in statuses.

Hazard #5: Replying to reviews. I shouldn't really have to tell you this one, yet I see it happening all the time. Goodreads and Amazon are the two biggest review forums. Do not reply to a review, good or bad. You can "like" the review, but don't reply. Most reviewers find it creepy if you reply to a good one and if you reply to a bad one, you are setting yourself up for some major grief.

There are more hazards out there, but if you're careful and use common sense, you'll be able to avoid them easily. Hope these hazards help!

A to Z Challenge - Day 7: G is for Group!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is G which stand for Group.

In military terms a group is a unit composed of two or more battalions or squadrons. A group in the marketing world is  the people you surround yourself with, whether they be online or in person.

You need support and help. Marketing is no easy task. That's why it helps to have a group of authors who share your ambition. As a group you should share new marketing ideas and tactics and even participate in marketing ventures together.

Throwing a blog event with your group is a great way to get everyone involved and get everyone more exposure.

In my group we often send out an email when we need help getting the word out about something. Who ever is available gladly jumps to help out the others and knows that the favor will be returned when they are in need.

It's also fun to share with each other what tactics have or have not worked for you. If you find that a certain thing is not working, share it with your group and they can either take your advice or help you improve your methods.

A to Z Challenge - Day 6: F is for Firepower!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is "F" which will stand for firepower.


In the marketing world, your firepower is your product. Your product is your book. If you don't have a quality product, your marketing plan is going to blow up in your face. Here is how to boost your firepower:

Get an editor. Simple and said quite often, but true. You need an editor. I realize it takes money, but it will be worth it in the end. You can also try to trade services with an editor. Put your other talents to use!

Get some beta readers you trust. They will look for plot holes, and other mistakes and will often leave a review once you publish if you ask nicely.

Get a nice cover. The cover is usually the first thing people see. Let me be honest. I get a daily email with a list of free books. Since there are so many, I confess, I only look at the covers. I don't read a blurb unless the cover catches my eye. I know. Horrible. Right? But it's the brutal truth and you need to hear it. If I'm doing it, you can bet countless others are too.

Get it formatted well. Don't just throw it on Amazon in a very raw form. Get it formatted. You can find some great tutorials on how to do it yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. Either way, it needs to be done.

Lastly, SHOW OFF that good quality! Excerpts, review highlights, anything that will tell readers you put time into making sure that you gave them the best product to your ability.

A to Z Challenge - Day 5: E is for Evaluation!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is "E" which will stand for evaluation.

Evaluating yourself is essential in marketing. You need to know what your audience thinks of you. So, here is my advice: Find someone you trust and ask them to evaluate you.

What should you ask them to evaluate? Everything!

Ask them to take a look at your social media platforms, your websites, and your blogs. Send them links to everything and ask for their honest opinion. This is a great way to see how you see yourself and compare it to how others see you.

For example, let's say that you want to be viewed as a considerate and easy going person. Ask the person you trust to check into your status updates and tell you what vibe they get from them. That will tell you were you are as opposed to where you want to be.

You can also ask them to evaluate how easy your site is to navigate and anything else you may want to know. It's possible that you've missed somethings that are easily fixed. Getting an outsider's opinion can be very helpful, but be prepared for some good and bad. If you want, you can offer to exchange this evaluation with the person you trust if they want to do it too.

You can also ask them to follow up a month or two later and do the same for them. We all want to have a certain image in the minds of our readers and fans and this is one way to make sure that we are putting out the right messages to get that image. The digital world is a crazy place and some of the things you type can be taken out of context. That is why it's important to get evaluated.

A to Z Challenge - Day 4: D is for Dog Tags!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is: Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today is the letter "D" and I'm talking about Dog Tags.

Dog tags are used to identify those who can't do it themselves or to carry information. Now, we are able to identify ourselves, but not everyone is doing it right, so essentially, this post is telling you HOW to identify yourself, or BRAND yourself. I'm also telling you how to identify your book. I believe in branding BOTH the author and the book!

In the marketing world, your Dog Tag is your brand. Part of that means having a business card, using the same name and profile picture on all your accounts and drawing other consistencies into your brand.

Your business card should have your name, website, email address and what you write primarily (Like "Paranormal Writer"). I also recommend getting a business card for all your books. You may say that's what bookmarks are for, but your book business card is a little different.

Book business cards are like dog tags for books. They can't identify themselves, so you need to do it for them. Get your book into the minds of the people.

The book business card should have only the cover on one side and on the other, the primary website, a tag line and where your book is available. Include a QR code when possible. Bookmarks are for giveaways and signings. These people already have your book. Business cards are for people on the street, slipping into library books and other settings. They are to give to people who don't have your book. The people who would be interested in possibly obtaining a digital copy int the near future, the people who ask you about your book, and the people who like to stay in the know. You can also give these to members of the media along with your personal business card.

To brand yourself, my advice is to be consistent. Put the same info on all your profiles, use the same color schemes and images on your website and blog, and make sure that people know they are on your site when they visit. Connect all your social media profiles so people can find you and link all your sites. The idea is not to have everything in one place or to spread everything out. It's to have everything in every place!

A to Z Challenge - Day 3: C is for Can-Do!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is : Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today's letter is C! C stands for Can-Do!

You need to have a Can-Do attitude in this business. That is all there is to it. If you want to give up, the odds are that you will, but I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't.

I know that selling books is hard. It's especially hard in the time of the indie revolution because there is SO MUCH on the market and most of it is really cheap! You can't give up, just because you haven't sold a book in over a month. You just need to keep trying and change what you're doing. Most of all, you need to keep your attitude positive. If you've been connecting with people--not just flinging links to your book out, then people will start to remember your name and eventually look for you and your book.

Keep a positive attitude and it will make your life so much better. Remember to look at the glass as half FULL!

A to Z Challenge - Day 2: B is for Blog!

I'm participating the this crazy challenge on 2 of my blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

My theme for this challenge is : Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate. Today is B Day and I'm writing about one of your marketing weapons: your BLOG.

Blogging is a way to amp up your online presence. Sure you've got a Facebook profile and a Twitter profile, and maybe even a Google+ profile, but you need a BASE OF OPERATIONS. That will be your BLOG.

Your blog can be used to promote yourself, promote others, show people what you're like and to practice writing. Blogging is a win, win, win situation. You can gain followers and the more they love the stuff you post, the more they will want to buy your books.

Not only is blogging an essential part of having an online presence, it is also a great way to connect with people. When someone comments on your blog, be sure to reply! You need to be personal and likeable. So get to blogging! It's FREE!

A to Z Challenge - Day 1: A is for Attack!

Well, it's the first day of this crazy challenge that I'm participating in on 2 blogs. This one and Paranormal Lounge. The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event that takes place every April. The challenge is to write a post for each letter of the alphabet and post nearly every day during April, omitting Sundays.

So, for A Day, I'm writing about how in marketing you have to plan your marketing like attacks. My theme for this challenge is : Marketing is like war. I'm going to try to stick to that theme as much as possible, but I may have to deviate.

A is for Attack!

When marketing an important event or book release, you must attack on all fronts. The fronts are: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and your blog. There may be some other fronts you need to consider. Just find all your social media platforms and you'll find your battle areas.

Attack by posting the same content to all your platforms.
Attack by hosting the same event on Facebook and Goodreads and maybe even Google+.
Attack by tweeting at the right times.
Attack by asking your friends to help you out. (That's also called recruiting, and make sure you return the favor!)

So, if you've got a big release, or an amazing event coming up, be sure to Attack on all fronts and ATTENTION!