Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with a quick announcement. I am going to be participating in a Twitter chat this Thursday at 9 PM EST. We’ll be using the hashtag #Leafypages.
We’ll be discussing trends in the YA genre and anything else that comes to mind. I’d love to see you all there, so if you’re another author, or reader, or just love twitter chats, come join the fun! You’ll be glad you did!
Can’t wait to see you there!
Lisa
Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m talking about how writing isn’t for sissies. Why do I say this? Because not only after slaving over our masterpiece for hours and days on end (sometimes years), we have to face that notorious foe, rejection. If we’re lucky enough to get published, we then have to market our books and network with other authors. I know we’re introverts. We like to be in our writing caves tapping away at that keyboard, creating our next masterpiece. Networking and hawking our wares takes a lot out of us. We cringe.
Photo credit: Shiny Things via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC
But here’s the thing. Marketing your book once it’s published is in our hands. We have to get out there and let the world know it exists. I was doing just that this weekend. I participated as a vendor in an Expo that my town does every year, and this year they had an author’s corner. I was the only YA author there, and when there were lulls in the traffic, I chatted with the authors beside me. We started talking about marketing our books, and I received a great idea from another author who wrote his book on leadership. His target market was companies, while mine was young readers.
Not only did I get a great idea from him, (I can’t tell you what it is yet, because I want to see if it works) but I developed a relationship with him. So, if anyone asks him if he knows a great YA series for their child, he’s going to remember me and recommend my books. This is how that infamous word of mouth everyone talks about gets started.
Now the downside of doing expos, craft shows, and book fairs is that we don’t know what kind of traffic we’re going to get, and we don’t know if our target market is going to be there. So pick these with care. I sold quite a few books at this expo and I’m doing another one in June that’s geared toward kids.
These expos can be a lot of work, but once you get the routine down, it’s fairly easy to set up your booth and take it down. I always bring my computer, too. So if it is slow, I can work on my current WIP. That way I don’t feel like I wasted my day.
I believe we must do these physical appearances as well as have a presence online. So pick a social media forum that works for you. Preferably one that your target market also uses and try and build relationships with your followers.
Photo credit: Anne Helmond via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-ND
It’s important to build relationships with book bloggers as well, or blog tour hosts who have relationships with bloggers. In my opinion, blog tours are essential to getting the word out about your books. They not only provide reviews which every author needs, but they provide exposure as well. This means you’ll have to do some research to find out which blog tour will work best for you. Now, I’ve organized my own tours, done free tours, and paid for tours. The one that has worked best for me is “The Magic of Books Promotions.”
Not only did I get awesome exposure, but I sold the most books I’ve ever sold during a blog tour. This gal works hard for her authors and she’s worth every penny I paid. I strongly recommend her. Here’s the link if you want to check out her prices.
http://magicofbookspromo.blogspot.com/
Finding a good tour company can save an author a lot of time. Precious time we could be spending in our writing cave. That’s where we really want to be, isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post, if you have any ideas you’d like to share with other authors please leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m here today to talk about promotion. I know all my author friends are cringing right now. It’s one of the toughest parts of the job especially for newbie authors.
There is no tried and true method for marketing, I’m sad to say. What works for one author may not work for another. There are many tools out there for authors to use, Social Media, Blog Tours, Bargain Book Sites, and Online Radio Interviews.
What I’ve found is Social Media is a great way to communicate with your friends and followers. I’ve sold books this way, but if you talk about your books, too much it can be a turn off. When I think of Facebook and Twitter, I think of sharing of information. I have many author friends that I chat with and we share marketing tips and other helpful information.
***This photo is courtesy of Flickr and https://mkhmarketing.wordpress.com/
I’ve also participated in Blog Tours. They’re a great way to get out in front of your audience, but they don’t usually net many sales. So why do them at all? Well, first, they offer exposure of your books and they offer reviews. I don’t know about you, but I find reviews are hard to come by and blog tours are an excellent way to get reviews from someone other than your mom. 🙂
Here are a couple of blog tours I’ve used:
YA Bound: http://yabound.blogspot.com/
Goddess Fish Promotions: http://www.goddessfish.com/
There are also Bargain Book Sites. The purpose of these sites is to sell a large quantity of books to their followers. Therefore, you’ll want a site that has a history of success. Not all of them do, so this is where communication with other authors comes in handy. Check with your author friends to see what kind of success they’ve had. Some new sites will offer their service free. Take them up on it. They may be trying to build a following, so you might not have a lot of success, but you might. It doesn’t cost you anything so it’s worth a try. The one site I’ve had great success with is http://ereadernewstoday.com/
The last but certainly not least way to get exposure for your work is by Online Radio Shows. This is a way to reach a larger audience fast. Again, I’m looking for exposure and getting my name out there. I’m working with The Author Show and my interview will be available for everyone to hear tomorrow.
I’m excited about this because they have a large following. I was a little nervous at first, because I hadn’t been interviewed in a long time. I worked with Linda and she eased my anxiety, she was so open and friendly. They do the interview and air it for one day free. They have social media sites they post on and they allow you to share the interview on all your social media sites. So you’re getting in front of a larger audience. Did I tell you they edit the interview too? So all those Umms…and Ahhhs… are deleted. Again, they do this free. Here’s the link if you’re interested in listening to my interview, or if you’d like to contact them and set up an interview for yourself. Check it out! http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow.html
We’re talking about the third book in the Starlight Chronicles Series. It’s titled “Starlight” and the cover and blurb are below.
Seventeen-year-old Lark Singer and her band Starlight have entered a competition that could launch their musical career if they win. However, Lark soon discovers that her nemesis, Duane McIntyre has also entered making her desire to win stronger than ever. How far will Lark go to win and what will it cost her in the end?
Thanks for stopping by and if you have any marketing tips you’d like to share, please do! We’d love to read them!
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’ve joined a group of Awesome Authors and we’re getting together and putting our books up for sale for $.99! So help us spread the word And check out our books! They’re awesome! Just click on the titles and it will take you directly to the books on Amazon. 🙂
Check out the awesome covers!
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” by Lisa Orchard
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” by Lisa Orchard
“The Quill Pen” by Michelle Isenhoff
“Song of the Mountain” by Michelle Isenhoff
“Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul” by Michelle Isenhoff
“The Color of Freedom” by Michelle Isenhoff
“Michaela’s Gift” by Cordelia Dinsmore
“The Mother Earth Series Omnibus” by Alan Tucker
“The Circle of Law” by Lia London
“Trapped a tale of Friendship Bog” by Gloria Repp
“A Difference of Purpose: A novel of the American Civil War” by Terry Soileau
“The Sapphire Flute” by Karen E. Hoover
“Two Souls are Better than One” by Karen E. Hoover
“The Armor of Light” by Karen E. Hoover
“And the Mountain Burns” by Karen E. Hoover
“Six Degrees of Lost” by Linda Benson
“The Girl Who Remembered Horses by Linda Benson
“The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure” by Monique Bucheger
“Trouble Blows West: A Ginnie West Adventure” by Monique Bucheger
“The Dream Keeper” by Mikey Brooks
“Through the Mirror and into Snow” by Anne T. Bugg
“The Hidden Sun: The Bariwon Chronicles” by J. Lloyd Morgan
“Blast of the Dragon’s Fury Book One” by Andy Smithson
“Ravenspell Book One: Of Mice and Magic” by David Farland
“Of Wind and Winter Tales of the Snow Queen” by Danyelle Leafty
“A Pony for the Fair: The Gypsy Pony” by Inge Moore
“Night Children Dark Threats” by Scott Bryan
Thanks for stopping by my blog and if you’ve got a tween who you’d like to turn on to reading check out the awesome books above! 🙂
Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m so excited that I’m going to be on Nicole O’Dell’s radio show this Friday, February 1st at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time!
Here’s her website http://nicoleodell.com/
I’ll be talking about my books and how they can encourage parent/teen interaction!
I’d love it if you’d tune in and chat with us!
Here are the book covers and blurbs that we’ll be discussing! 🙂
This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission. The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…
This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll tune in and chat with us!
