A Week of Tips and Tricks to Writing - #4 Promo ONE Thing Every Day

We all have them, so make good use of them. When you have one of those "blank" moments during your writing, go do a little promotion. Just ONE thing. It can be large or small. For example, you could drop a Tweet, comment on your Facebook page, add a blog post, or send something on one of the email loops. It can be something less obtrusive such as updating your website, or updating any one of your other sites (like RomanceWiki, Manic Readers, etc.).

Sometimes we just need that quick break to get refocused. Plus, One Thing Daily adds up!

Many Deep-Felt Thanks!

I am surprised and deeply humbled by the number of books readers downloaded of The Battle Lord's Lady when it was offered as a free read at All Romance eBooks during their Earth Day promotion.

Even more amazing is that, as of this posting, the book has garnered ten five-star reviews, including this comment: "An exiting [sic] read about a future earth that is plunged back into the dark ages where being different is a death sentence and life is about survival in harsh circumstances. The plot was full of forbidden romance, adventure and intrigue. The main couple were wonderful and their romance passionate. Very enjoyable read that I recommend to lovers of fantasy and futuristic genres of romance."

Thank you to everyone who tried it, and special hugs to those of you who were willing to try books 2 and 3.

And for those of you who wrote to ask me when the next book will be available, One Battle Lord' Fate is slated for a late summer/early fall release.

Pen Fail

 I love Pens.com, but sometimes I have to wonder if someone isn't proofreading what's being sent out.

If you order from this company, from time to time you get a sample pen from a new line they're carrying. Usually the pen is already stamped with your name, website, and tagline if you've used it on previous orders.

Yesterday I got this in the mail, and I nearly choked with laughter.  As you can see from the first photo, the pen is inscribed with SERVICE WITH A SMILE, and has a happy little cartoon teddy bear opening its arms to you.

Skip to the second picture where I've rolled the pen over, and there's my tagline - "Sensuous Romance with a Sci-Fi or Fantasy Flair".

That's right people! I'll "service you with a smile!"

Come Leave a Comment to Win!

I'm over at Whipped Cream Reviews Goddess Fish Party Pavilion all day dropping news and excerpts about my new and upcoming releases.  Stop by, leave a comment, and you'll be eligible to win!

A Mooney Marketing Tip - Free Excerpts

It costs pennies per disk. All you need is time.

Buy CDs by the bulk, and use those white paper envelopes to put them in.

Hand them out at all book signings, in each book order you mail out, or send them to friends and fellow authors who are seeking freebies for giveaways!

Here's what you do:

Prepare an ad for each book.

Include a picture of the cover,

a direct BUY link (from your publisher's website, Fictionwise, ARe, wherever!),

ISBN number,

genre,

link to your website, MySpace, and YouTube (if you have a book trailer video),

BLURB,

EXCERPT (be sure to give a rating for the excerpt!).

Save as a MS Word file, or better yet, convert into a PDF file (you can find free PDF converting software on the internet.)

If you save every ad in one folder (mine is labeled PROMO DISK), then all you have to do is "drag and drop" the folder to burn on each disk.

I also found out that you can even drag and drop those .mpv files on the disk, too!

Business Card vs Pen - Getting the Most Bang For Your Buck

I belong to a neat little marketing email loop. Every so often the question comes up "Should I invest in business cards? Or would I get more bang for my buck distributing pens?"

Okay. I've been used both, and here's what I've found out (by accident, and by asking around.)

* Business cards get lost or thrown away.
* One reader said that if she saw a book she wanted to get, she'd write the title on the back of the author's card.
* One reader confessed she collected authors' business cards like her mother collects Hummel figurines.

* Pens work great if they don't clog or leak.
* Pens get USED. A used pen is another chance to advertise.
* All-in-one pens are best, as opposed to pens with removeable caps.
* Get black ink. Most businesses prefer important documents filled out in black ink.
* If a pen gets left behind, someone else will pick it up and use it.
* Pens that write on that slick cashier paper are worth their weight in gold.
* One can never have too many pens.
* If you get pens in different colors, people tend to fight over a particular color (i.e. "I want the blue one!")
* GREAT marketing tip: At book signings, have the reader pick out a pen you then sign the book with, and hand them the pen as a keepsake.

Please drop your opinion whether you use one or both to promote your books. :)