Marketing a novel isn't cheap. However, not marketing doesn't work either. In November, December and January, my novel was on different virtual tours. Each tour was one week long. Each month, I saw sales. In February, I took a break - no online promotions - What I learned? Promotion matters - a lot. Because when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, I'm an unknown quantity. I've published one novel - and its not on the best seller list - not yet, anyway. Like it or not, those tours helped - but they cost money.
Having learned my lesson, I have already made my promotional investments for March and May. Which brings me to April. April's budget went the way of the dodo bird... But I still need to promote. So, I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a way to get a little more exposure without appearing to be one of those "Look at Me!" peeps who flood social media with tons of self promotion.
The Objective:
On April 17th, my novel will be on sale. In order for my promotion to work, I need exposure.
The Question:
Are you looking for a way to promote your novel without breaking the bank?
The Plan:
Create a community Blitz.
Example: If 5 authors participated, then each participating author would chose the day they wanted their blitz. On that day, each of the other authors would share the designated author's post. This would give each participating author one day of multi-blog promotion. Each host would not only share the designated author's post on their blog but also in Facebook & G+ communities as well as Twitter. An added benefit is we get a little break from having to come up with content ideas for our blogs because we'll have guest posts! And finally, it won't cost anything but our time.
It is important that any authors who participate follow through with their commitment to promote the other participants. If you are interested, please let me know - I'll be happy to coordinate the effort.
**I write Young Adult novels - as such, I may have visitors to my blog who are under the age of 18. For this reason, I won't be able to host any Erotica. Sorry!
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Linda Kage - Book Cover Designer and Author
We've all heard it - Don't judge a book by its cover. But it's the cover that catches our attention. Literary gold may very well be hiding behind the cover, just waiting to be discovered but if the cover isn't appealing, chances are no one will give it a second look. Like it or not, great covers are essential to marketing our novels.
With that in mind, I'd like to welcome Linda Kage to Novel Notions. She is a published author as well as a cover designer. And she's kindly agreed to talk about covers with us.
Novel Notions: You have several premade covers available for purchase. What inspired those covers?
Novel Notions: It seems to me that a lot of covers are genre specific. Very frequently, young adult novels have a
picture of the heroine on the cover while romance novels feature a couple. What is your thoughts on this? Should authors choose covers that mimic other
novels in the genre or should they choose something that causes their novel to
stand out from the crowd?
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Novel Notions: Congratulations! That's too cool! Can you share a little about your novel?
Linda: Here's the blurb for To Professor with Love:
With that in mind, I'd like to welcome Linda Kage to Novel Notions. She is a published author as well as a cover designer. And she's kindly agreed to talk about covers with us.
Novel Notions: As a cover designer, you have a really important job. You provide the "eye candy" that
entices a reader to pick up the book.
What do you think are the 3 most important elements to consider when
designing a cover?
Linda: -Something pretty
-Nice Fonts and
-Something that evokes a certain emotion from me.
Linda: Probably two of the answers I gave above!! I browsed through the stock image place until
I saw something pretty and made me connect with it in some way. Then I played
and tweaked with it until I got a look I was satisfied with. Or, sometimes I still play with covers even
after I post them because they don’t feel quite right.
Novel Notions: When someone contacts you about designing a cover, what's
your process? Do you read the story or
do you talk to the author and get a feel for it?
Linda: So far, each person I’ve worked with has gone about it in a
different way. So I guess I’m pretty open about the process. For one of my
friends, I read the story first. For another, she gave me an idea of what she
wanted, another told me enough about her story and showed me some pictures to
give me an idea of what feel and tone she wanted. People usually know basically
what they want, I just keep asking questions and sending them samples until we
come up with something they’re satisfied with.
Linda: I can see pros and cons for mimicking genre specific
covers. The pros would be that readers
who like that certain genre will be able to find your stories easier. The con
would be that it takes out some of the originality that’s specific to your
novel. I don’t really have an opinion
either way, really. Whatever an author wants to do is fine by me!
Novel Notions: Not only are you a cover designer, you're also a published
author. Do you feel that being a writer helps or hinders your design process?
Linda: I would hope it helps me, but who really knows! I understand what it’s like from their point of view. This is THEIR creation that they spent months (maybe years) perfecting and the first thing people will see of it is some cover a complete stranger made. That’s almost unfair. It’s made me a little more patient and I realize slouching off in the cover-designing part is not a good idea!
Novel Notions: Have you designed any of the covers for your own novels? If so, what cover was your favorite?
Linda: All the covers I’ve designed for my own book have not been
published yet because I just got started in this designing stuff! But I did design the cover for To
Professor, with Love which is coming out in May! The cover reveal for it will be March
7th. So I’m all excited about that one!
Junior in college. Star athlete. Constant attention from the opposite sex.
On this campus, I’m worshiped. While seven hundred miles away, back in my hometown, I’m still trailer park trash, child of the town tramp, and older sibling to three kids who are counting on me to keep my shit together so I can take them away from the same crappy life I grew up in.
These two opposing sides of myself never mix until one person gets a glimpse of the true me. I never expected to connect with anyone like this or want more beyond one night. This may be the real deal.
Problem is, Dr. Kavanagh’s my literature professor.
If I start anything with a teacher and we’re caught together, I might as well kiss my entire future goodbye, as well as my family’s, and especially Dr. Kavanagh’s. Except sometimes love is worth risking everything. Or at least, it damn well better be because I can only resist so much.
-Noel Gamble-
On this campus, I’m worshiped. While seven hundred miles away, back in my hometown, I’m still trailer park trash, child of the town tramp, and older sibling to three kids who are counting on me to keep my shit together so I can take them away from the same crappy life I grew up in.
These two opposing sides of myself never mix until one person gets a glimpse of the true me. I never expected to connect with anyone like this or want more beyond one night. This may be the real deal.
Problem is, Dr. Kavanagh’s my literature professor.
If I start anything with a teacher and we’re caught together, I might as well kiss my entire future goodbye, as well as my family’s, and especially Dr. Kavanagh’s. Except sometimes love is worth risking everything. Or at least, it damn well better be because I can only resist so much.
-Noel Gamble-
Novel Notions: Thanks for stopping by, Linda.
*All the covers featured were designed by Linda.*
To view more or to contact Linda, click on the links below:
Website - http://www.lindakage.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Self Published Sunday Welcomes Carol Ann Ross
I want to welcome Carol Ann Ross to Self Published Sunday. Carol is a native of the Carolina coast and remembers a time when life there was very different than today. She disapproves strongly of the "progress" that has been made on so many of the barrier islands along the eastern seaboard, leaving them cookie cutter replicas - each trying to out "modern" the other. "Where in the hell did quaint and simple go," She asks.
“Why don’t you want to dance with me, Ellie?” Paul asked as the two watched from one of the nearby picnic tables.
Carol has written for a couple of newspapers and has penned six books, fiction and non fiction.She has experienced at least thirty different modes of employment - from first mate on a fishing boat to college instructor. She enjoys small town life and trusts dogs over most people.
Excerpt:
Ellie shook her head no, “you’re my cousin…”
“When did that ever stop ya? We’ve been dancing together since we were kids.”
“I’m a grown lady now.”
Paul guffawed, “Seems like since the Army came to town, you’re too good to dance with your cousin.”
“I like upbeat music. This is too slow and all the parents are out there – even mine.” Scrunching her nose in disgust, she fidgeted about, swishing her skirt, “I wish Mr. Pike would call a square dance, then I’d probably dance with you.”
Paul glanced again toward Pearl and Jay, “I hope she’s happy.”
“No you don’t. You’re hoping right now that there’s a war and that Jay gets sent overseas and never comes back.”
“Good God, Ellie.” Paul rolled his eyes as he moved a few steps, distancing himself from her. “I don’t want us to go to war!”
“But you wish that was you there, holding her, kissing her – and you know what else.”
“Stop it. All girls aren’t like you.”
“Well, you do wish it.” A slight grin crept upon her lips as she turned her glance away from Paul.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do wish that it was me dancing with her and getting ready to marry her. But that doesn’t make me wish anything bad for her.”
“Bad for her?”
“Bad for her,” Paul retorted. “If and when we have a war and Jay has to go off and fight in it, just how do you think she’s going to feel?”
Tossing her hair to the side, Ellie fumbled with the ribbon in it. “She’ll get over it. And besides, while the cat’s away the mice will play.”
“Not Pearl, she’ll be faithful to Jay for as long as it takes him to come back.”
“Humph.”
“That’s the kind of girl she is.” Paul’s eyes looked sternly at Ellie. “And I hope he comes back, because I want Pearl to be happy.”
“Liar. And if he doesn’t come back, you’ll be there for her to pick up the pieces.”
Paul turned away from Ellie and strode to the grill to pick a strand of pork from the nearly bare bones. He glared at Ellie who was still watching him as he chewed on the succulent meat. Swishing her skirt about, she motioned for him to come back as the fiddle player announced that a square dance would be coming up next. Paul ran his fingers though his hair, then reached for the jug hidden behind a wooden beam, walked off into the night, flipping his palm out quickly, as if to say, get lost.
Connect with the author:
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Book Review - Confessions of a Paris Party Girl
Amazon's Book Description:
Wine, romance, and French bureaucracy - the ups and downs of an American's life in Paris. This laugh-out-loud memoir is almost too funny to be true!
Drinking too much bubbly. Meeting sappy Frenchmen who have girlfriends or are creeps or both. Encountering problème after problème with French bureaucracy. When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to taste wine, stuff her face with croissants, and maybe fall in love.
In her first book, this long-time blogger and semi-professional drinker recounts the ups and downs of her life in Paris. Full of sass, shamefully honest admissions, and situations that seem too absurd to be true, Vicki makes you feel as if you're stumbling along the cobblestones with her.
Will she find love? Will she learn to consume reasonable amounts of alcohol? Will the French administration ever cut her a break?
What I thought:
Paris. Wine. Croissants. If this sounds like your dream getaway, then get comfy because Vicki Lesage is about to take you on a trip. Confessions of a Paris Party Girl is a humorous memoir detailing the author's life in Paris. The memoir is witty and on occasion a tad bit snarky - but that made me enjoy it all the more. The author shares her adventures - not only introducing us to a variety of people (I loved old creepy foot fetish dude) but letting us tag along to her favorite places. We get lessons on French bureaucracy and witness the struggles of apartment hunting.
There's a lot of drinking as the title suggests and the author is honest in her recounting of events - even when she's not at her best. (At one point - I felt sorry for her liver!) But there's more to this story than the author's drinking. We get to watch as she grows and matures - as friendships/relationships develop and she embraces all that Paris has to offer.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. She describes her life and Paris without subjecting the reader to tedious details - yet, I felt as though I had ventured into the bakeries and bars along with her.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Self Published Sunday Welcomes Sallie Lundy-Frommer!
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I'll let Sally tell you a bit about herself:
I was born
on a farm in the rural South to a family of migrant farm workers. In fact, my
family is huge. Some might call it a
clan…:-) I’m the youngest of 10
children. Yup, I have six brothers and
three sisters. And yes, holidays are a
zoo….
Anyway, at
an early age, my family moved to the urban Northeast. No more running in the
cotton fields for me….:-)
I now live
in the suburban Northeast with my husband and a large assortment of plants. I
don’t have any children but as you can well imagine, I have tons of nieces and
nephews.
As for my
education, I was the first in my family to go to college. I hold bachelors and masters degrees in Human
Resource Management. But I have nieces
and nephews working on PhDs. Way to go
kinfolks!!!!
I guess
that’s enough for now. I hope you’ve
enjoyed a peek into my world.
Yesterday’s Daughter is full of suspense and
surprises as the plot develops. It holds a mirror to contemporary society so we
can consider our feelings about people who seem different from us, the
assumptions we may make about other groups, and the consequences of those
assumptions. Yesterday’s Daughter is an emotionally laden paranormal vampire
romance novel woven with layers of betrayal, love and loss. Grace Stone, who
later learns her true identity is Sapphira, is a loner who survives abuse in
the foster care system after being abandoned as a child. A brilliant student,
she escapes from her brutal foster parents as a teenager and creates a life for
herself. But, her life is little more than existence; plagued with questions
about what she really is, a family that she has never known and the
never-ending need to keep her differences hidden. She is alone and lonely,
believing it will always remain so until Malachi appears in her life. Malachi,
a Guardian of the vampire communities, has searched for his life mate,
Sapphira, for decades. He refuses to cease searching for Sapphira even though
she is believed dead by all. Conflict arises over the decades between Malachi
and his family because of his refusals to accept another mate. But his very
soul drives him on to continue his search, knowing that he could not exist if
Sapphira were not in the world, somewhere.
Excerpt
from Yesterday’s Daughter:
Malachi had gone very still as cold panic ran through his
veins like a locomotive. Trigon started
to speak when he noticed that Malachi had paled and was holding his
breath. “Malachi, what is it?” he asked. The Guardians stared at him and then he let
out a howl, in so much anguish that it burst all the glass in the room,
exploding the windows as he fell to his knees.
The Guardians spun around believing they were under some new kind of
attack but saw nothing to explain Malachi’s condition. Stunned silence then filled the room, no one
breathed unsure of what was happening or what to do.
The nerves of the Guardians were drawn tight like bows about
to be launched. Their eyes were glowing,
sweeping the room, searching the shadows, listening with focused intensity,
searching for threats. Maybe the Harvesters
had a new weapon.
Trigon carefully stepped closer to Malachi and tentatively
placed one hand on his shoulder. He
whispered the question quietly; afraid of what he might hear to bring such a
reaction from Malachi. “What is it,
friend?”
Malachi looked up and Trigon recoiled at the grief and
horror in his eyes. He said one word,
“Sapphira.” They all looked at each
other, their unease growing. They all
knew his life mate had been killed in the maturing chambers long ago. Why was he calling her name now? Why this murderous rage? Had he lost his mind?
“What about Sapphira?”
Trigon asked unsure of what Malachi was trying to say. Malachi’s breathing had returned but he
sounded like a wounded animal, his breath ragged and uneven. Unable to find the words, he thrust his mind
out to share information with Trigon. Trigon stilled and the Guardians knew
that Malachi was giving him information directly. Trigon’s face tightened in concentration from
the onslaught of information. As the
seconds passed, the Guardians grew tenser.
Buy Links:
Itunes:
Kobo:
Createspace.
Amazon
paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Daughter-Sallie-Lundy-Frommer/dp/1460925238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363005995&sr=8-1&keywords=Yesterday%27s+Daughter
Kindle
Junglee (Kindle - India)
http://www.junglee.com/Yesterdays-Daughter-Sallie-Lundy-Frommer/dp/1460925238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348081413&sr=8-1
Barnes
and Noble link:
Smashwords
link:
BooksaMillion
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Yesterdays-Daughter/Sallie-Lundy-Frommer/9781460925232?id=5473235705339
Contact Links:
Sallie’s Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/yesterdaysdaughter/
Sallie’s
facebook fanpage:
Sallie’s Personal facebook page:
Google+
link:
Twitter:
Pinterest:
GoodReads:
Shelfari:
Youtube Video:
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