Looking for a future publisher? Try mine!

Moonstone is in the queue over at Martin Sisters Publishing. We'll be prepping it for release very soon. Before the second book in the series is released, however, I must give a shout out to my awesome publisher.

Martin Sisters Publishing is a quickly growing small publisher that really cares about the books they publish.

I found this publisher through Writer's Market. If you don't have a current Writer's Market and you are planning on going with traditional publication, you really need to pick one up.

MSP is run by two sisters who do most of the work themselves. They are good at what they do and they are passionate about putting out great books from all sorts of genres. Also, like a true publisher, they take care of all costs associated with publishing and they walk you through the entire process.

You can learn more about them and all the awesome books they've published on their website www.martinsisterspublishing.com. You can also visit and follow their Martin Sisters Book blog which will soon be busy with posts from the authors who have worked with MSP.

Also, don't forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

Ways to get featured or tweeted!

Hello! I've come up with a new way to help promote you and your books!

There are actually two ways on my Get Featured page over on Paranormal Lounge.

The first is a feature on the Paranormal Lounge blog, and it is for paranormal books only. Just fill out the form and I'll be in touch.

The second is a tweet to my 2,000+ followers on twitter. The tweet can be about any book or writing related subject and you can send me a tweet once per week. The only thing I ask in return is that you follow me on twitter. I will follow you back too, which is a win/win situation.

Both of these services are FREE, but please respect the rules. Do not try to get your mystery featured on Paranormal Lounge and do not send me more than one tweet per week.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you on these forms and can't wait to help you expand your reach!

The Importance of Having a Blog

In the land of book marketing, blogging is an important part of expanding your reach and CONNECTING with readers. Here are some reasons you need to blog if you have a book out:

1. It helps you practice writing more. You may not be writing the next best seller, but blog posts are a great way to practice your writing and improve on the craft.
2. You can direct people to important blog posts easily on twitter and facebook. Posting a huge article on Facebook is not cool and posting a huge article on twitter is impossible. So, that's why you need a blog.
3. You can connect with your readers through the comments field. Also, if they like what they read, they'll come back for more!
4. CROSS PROMOTION!! Yeah. If you can host other authors on your blog, they will be mor elikely to host you in return. That expands your reach and your audience!
5. It's nice to get things off your chest every now and then. Don't go on a rant every time you post, but sometimes it's okay to let out a little steam.
6. You can tackle important industry issues and let people know where you stand.
7. It increases your discoverability. The more places you are, the more likely you are to be discovered.

Honestly, I come across authors every day who don't have their own blog, and I find it surprising every time. Up-keeping a blog shows you are serious about expanding your platform as an author. Also, with a blog, you can participate in the upcoming Blogger Book Fair.

If you are thinking about setting up a blog I would recommend Blogger for beginners. The interface is easy to navigate and everything is simplified.

If you STILL don't want to take the time to actually set up a blog, let me do it for you! Check out the details on my fiverr.com gig: HERE.

Blogger Book Fair!!!

Check in to the Blogger Book Fair,

and book your trip to far away places!

July 22-26, 2013

Authors and Book Bloggers,

Sign ups for the July 2013 Blogger Book Fair will close on June 15 at midnight central time, so get your registrations in to participate!

As of 5/31/2013, we have:

Authors: 89

Books: 233

Bloggers: 14

If you haven't yet registered, you can find all of the information on the Blogger Book Fair page.

           

Check out the Code of Conduct

           

Fill out either the Author Sign Up form or the Blogger Sign Up form (Deadline June 15)

           

Kayla will match everyone with hosts and send out this information to you after sign-ups close

           

Check out the events--all authors are eligible to participate in the events, and if you have an event you'd like to host, just fill out the simple Event Sign Up Form--all of this information can be found on the Events! page (Deadline July 8).

           

If you're interested in hosting a giveaway to drive traffic to your site, sign up via the Giveaway Sign Up form (Deadline July 15).

           

And if your book will be FREE or $0.99 for the duration of the Fair, you can sign up on the Free and $.99 Book Sign Up Forms (Deadline July 15).

Events:

as of 5/31/2013

Art Fiction Gala hosted by Lucie Smoker

Does your fiction promote the visual arts--through featuring an artist, painting, sculpture, performance art, etc? Then, consider entering Lucie's Art Fiction Gala.

The Art Fiction Gala is a virtual celebration of fiction that highlights the visual arts. Dress up in your finest, pick up some friends--a bottle of wine--and sample mind-blowing fiction that crosses the line between literary and visual art. Plus a gallery of art featuring reading.

More information & entry instructions

Three Wishes hosted by Kirstin Pulioff

Introduce your characters to the world.

Kirstin Pulioff invites you to ask your main character, "If you found a magic genie lamp, what would be your three choices?"

More information & entry instructions

Flash Fiction Challenge II hosted by Thomas Winship

Get ready to exercise your flash fiction muscles.

For the Flash Fiction Challenge II, Thomas Winship will provide an opening line.

From there, entrants will craft a flash fiction piece of approx 500 words. Entries will be displayed on Thomas' blog Vaempires during the BBF, spread out evenly across the five days, in order of receipt.

More information & entry instructions

Snapshot Synopsis Contest hosted by Fel at The Peasants Revolt

Challenge: chisel your synopsis down to 50 words or less.

Voting will be open throughout the fair for visitors to vote on their favorite Snapshot Synopsis.

More information & entry instructions

Reader's Choice Awards hosted by Sherri at Shut Up & Read

All books registered for the Blogger Book Fair are automatically entered into the running for the Reader's Choice Awards. Voting will be open from July 22 to July 25.

More information

Indie Soap Box Files hosted by Shah Wharton

Take a turn on the Soap Box.

Shah invites speculative fiction writers to write a guest post about being an indie (or hybrid) writer.

More information & entry instructions

Restrictions: Speculative fiction writers only

Monster Menagerie hosted by Noree at Trip the Eclipse

What's your favorite monster or supernatural creature?

Feature your creature in a flash fiction piece (500-800) words to be featured on Trip the Eclipse. Visitors will vote on their favorite piece.

More information & entry instructions

Ways to Help:

Donate to the Blogger Book Fair via the BBF Donation Fund. To help get the word out about BBF, we would like to place ads on Facebook, Goodreads and other places, but to do, so we need a little help. We'd also like to have some BBF sponsored giveaways, so money donated would also go toward prizes. NO MONEY WILL BE KEPT BY ANY ORGANIZER OR PARTICIPANT.

Spread the word! Share the Fair on your social media accounts and show off the Blogger Book Fair logo in your blog's sidebar.

Join us on:

           

Facebook

           

Twitter

           

Goodreads

           

Google +

Announcement and apology!

Hey guys! First of all, I want to apologize for not keeping up with this blog. My blogs have been on hold for now as I regroup and reorganize. Not to mention I have tons of projects I'm working on.

My announcement deals with my new account as a seller on fiverr.com. I have decided to take on some side jobs through this site. Here is a list of my gigs:

The first one is my Virtual Assistant gig. For a limited time I'm doing 30 minutes for $5. That's a great rate, and I will probably drop the time down to 20 minutes some time in the future. I'm trying to build up experience right now. If you'd like to take advantage of this, the gig is listed here: http://fiverr.com/kaylacurry/be-your-virtual-assistant-for-30-minutes

The next one I have listed is my Online Image Consultation gig. This is where you can send me links to all your social media profiles, websites, and blogs. I will then visit each one and compile a report on what you are doing right, what you could improve on and what you could add or subtract. This will help you present a consistent image and help you brand yourself. This gig is available here: http://fiverr.com/kaylacurry/analyze-your-online-image

If you need new marketing ideas, I have a gig for that too. For $5 I will come up with 5 to 10 new and fun ideas on how to market your service or product. Check out the gig here for more details: http://fiverr.com/kaylacurry/give-you-marketing-ideas-for-your-business-or-product

Another gig I offer is advice on how to manage a bad press crisis. Simply tell me what problem you are having and I will help you come up with ways to fix it. This is similar to my online image consultation. If you point me towards the problem, I will check it out and send you a report with advice on what to do and what not to do. See all the details here: http://fiverr.com/kaylacurry/help-you-manage-a-bad-press-crisis

I also have other gigs, not related to marketing. A birthday planner gig and a wedding decoration planner gig. Check out my fiverr page for these and other upcoming gigs. http://fiverr.com/kaylacurry

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!