The HEA Cafe

Archive for May, 2008

Contests are a catch-22 a lot of times, there are a number of reasons for doing them and a number of reasons for not doing them. If you’re a new author just starting out, a contest might be a way for you to develop an email list of readers for future marketing efforts. If you’re an established author it might be your way of simply thanking the targeted readership who you can be reasonably certain are your fan base.

I’ve learned to moderate my contests in the sense of WHO I market them too. I target my audience. I run about four contests a year. They’re generally under $50 and sometimes less than that. I always do a contest when I have a new book coming out. Entry generally opens a month or two prior to the release. The type of release determines the level of the prize. If it’s an eBook going into print later, then I’m more likely to start out with a medium prize; then for the print book, I do a larger one. I always do the drawing a month or two AFTER the release. This allows me to stretch out the contest, while maintaining interest in the book AND saving me some money.

My larger more expensive prizes are saved for special events like a large romance-oriented book signing, events like RT, RWA, auctions, Brenda Novak’s Auction (Six hours to go on my item) and other sponsored contests. When I do give a prize away I make them as memorable as possible. Since I buy things in bulk, I get really nice things for less money. The one thing I’ve learned in marketing is that you must spend money to make money. If finances are tight, limit your contests and spend the bulk of your budget on print advertising and a constant presence on romance review sites. You’ll get more bang for your buck.

Eye On The Target

I’m at the point in my career where I don’t advertise my contests except by loading up a new contest on my website or announcing it in my newsletter. I’ve a solid readership on my newsletter loop, so the word gets out. I also want people who win my prize to be readers who actually take the time to visit my website off ads that I place. Readers who are actually interested in my work. Readers who might actually buy my books.

However, if you’re a new author and you decide to do a contest, you’ll need to announce your contest. The question is WHERE? Well, you should think about your target audience. Who do you want to reach? Sure you want to reach readers, but think about the subgenre your book is in. Those are the readers you need to target, so you have to figure out where they are and then go announce your contest.

Suppose you’ve written a historical, there are a number of websites that have a strong historical romance reader base, places like AAR, Historical Romance Community hosted by Romance Design, Yahoo historical romance reader groups. It’s one practical way to drive traffic to your website and hopefully the readers will stop to smell the roses. It’s also a way to build an email marketing list because in order to enter they have to give you their email address.

I know a lot of authors promote their contests in author loops. That’s not a bad thing, but I know how busy I am writing my books, and I have to limit my reading time. So, my thinking is there are a lot of other authors in the same boat, and the ROI (return on investment) isn’t enough for me to promote that way as it is when I narrowly define my target audience.

Rule of Seven

There’s an old rule I learned in marketing class called the Rule of Seven. P.T. Barnum came up with it. He was the original developer of what branding really is all about. Barnum said it takes at least SEVEN (7) times for a consumer to see a name/product before they buy. The name/product doesn’t even register with the consumer at the first impression, the 2nd time they see the ad, but don’t bother to read it, 3rd time they’ll read, 4th they’ll look at the product a little more seriously, the 5th time the consumer might talk to someone about it, the 6th time they’re maybe thinking seriously about a purchase. The 7th time they’ll buy if they’ve gotten this far down the road, and not everyone gets this far because some things just don’t appeal to people. Example, I write erotic historicals primarily, most readers who read paranormal are not going to even think twice about reading my work. They just don’t have a taste for anything other than paranormal. The same holds true for most subgenres. It’s not a bad thing; it is what is — readers and personal preference.

I market my prizes to go alone with my brand. I write erotic romance, so I offer prizes that promote romantic moments between the reader and her spouse or significant other. I generally get emails (only three people in the past two years have failed to email their thanks) from my winners saying their anniversary, birthday, special occasion is coming up and the prize will make that even memorable. Some times they even email AFTER they’ve used the prize telling me what a wonderful, romantic evening they had (thankfully I don’t get details!).

The most important thing to remember about giving prizes away is WHY are you giving the prize away? What do you hope to gain? Are you doing it because everyone else is? Think about who your target audience is. Consider what you want to achieve with the contest. Then test one or two options until you hit upon the combination that works for you, because what I do won’t necessarily work for someone else. It’s a trial and error issue when it comes to ANY type of marketing.

Monica

Monica Burns – http://www.monicaburns.com
Dangerous — A pretty good read — Mrs. Giggles> | 4.5 Stars RT BOOKreviews
Come Enjoy a Paranormal with that Ahh…Sensation

Writing short stories have several benefits to both the writer and the reader.
Short stories are a great way of honing your writing craft. I think this is particularly true, if you primarily write single title.

These days, people are generally trained to receive information in short bites. This goes some way to explaining why long and detailed descriptions or long passages of narrative are generally not acceptable in novels. Action and dialogue have to show the story, rather than the writer telling us.

In a short story, there is little opportunity for long exposition, a few words is all you have to provide a thumbnail sketch of your protagonists and the setting, which means evocative word choice is key. Backstory has to be minimal. And if you cut and cut, you can do it! A twenty page romance.
If you usually write full length novels, short stories are also a way to keep your readers involved between publications, if you have only one or two books come out a year.  There are anthologies, or Amazon shorts, or on -ine publishers who love novellas.  And they are fun to write. Not easy, mind.

It also gives the writer a chance to write for more than one house, to test out other publishers and even other genres.

For readers with busy lives, a short story with a happy ending, can be just what they are looking for on the ride home on the subway, or just before bed.

So if your muse needs a break from that novel you have been working on for months, why not try something short. And if your life is too busy for a 300 or 400 page book, pick up a novella. It may be just what you need for relaxation.

This week I am doing something I’ve never done before.  I’m joining a book club.  I was asked to do this by our local librarian.  She wanted to start a book club for readers of romance novels, and wanted me (a real live local romance author) to join it.  I thought about it, and finally agreed.  The library is only about a ten minute drive from my house, so it won’t take much time.  I read tons of romance novels anyways, so no matter what books they select, I’m sure I’ll be happy to read them.  And it might be a way to connect with readers, meet others in the community who enjoy romance novels as much as I do.

 The only problem is that I have never been a member of a book club before, and really have no idea what they are like.  I mean, obviously, we will sit around and discuss a book each time we meet, right?  But I’m wondering how they are generally organized. 

In the movie The Jane Austen Book Club, everyone was assigned a different book.  I’m assuming that if that’s the case, we will be expected to make some sort of presentation on our assigned day.  That worries me a bit.  Hopefully, this won’t be a flashback to my college literature courses where I had to write ten to twenty page papers about the books.  I’m hoping for something fun, something I don’t have to prepare for — more on the level of just showing up to talk.

So I thought I’d ask you.  Have any of you ever belonged to a book club?  If so, what was it like?  Any tips?  Anything to watch out for?  I’d appreciate any help you can give!

When I was trying to get published, I prepared myself for a lot of things. I knew that family time would suffer, deadlines would need to be met, rejections faced … but there was one thing that never entered my radar.

My friends gave me every encouragement along the path to publication. They supported me, encouraged me to keep going when things got tough, they celebrated with me and cried with me – they still do. Most of them. Yet a couple have reacted very strangely. One was shocked at the cover of one of my books, declaring “I didn’t realise you wrote THOSE sort of books”. Another was visibly surprised when she found out I wrote sex scenes, as if I didn’t have enough experience to write sex (hmm … surely I must have learned something in 33 years of marriage).

That’s all okay, and I can deal, but when one told me that using bad language, in dialogue I might add, was a sign of sloppy writing, well, that I couldn’t handle. It’s not as if she’s a purist – she has no compunction peppering her sentences with the odd swear word.

At first I was so taken aback I considered changing the dialogue, but then I realised that first and foremost I am a writer. I spend time creating a character and it gives me great pleasure when that character starts speaking and acting in his/her own unique way. So, the dialogue stays. If it loses me a few friends, then so be it. The true ones are still there … supporting, encouraging and ready to offer an expletive in my defence when required.

Tricia

www.tricia-jones.com

I generally avoid Amazon. It’s infested with trolls and has brought new lows to the meaning of “customer service.” For starters. Be that as it may, though, when a fan points me to a thread in the romance community there, I feel obliged to at least look so I can comment on it.

What I found more interesting than the positive comment on my books was the trend taken by posters to that community that authors need to have thick skins. Now, two days ago I could have navigated you to the exact comment/thread. But two days ago my Dell desktop imploded, and two-hundred dollars and two days later, it’s in recovery mode via the Carbonite online backup service, with 38,128 files yet to go. So you’ll have to trust me that there is a thread that states that. It was in response, if memory serves me, to Amazon’s removal of certain negative reviews.

The consensus seemed to be that negative reviews are part and parcel of an author’s lot and authors needed to grow thicker skins.

I’m going to disagree and I’ll tell you why.

1 - A percentage of what’s posted on Amazon as “reviews” aren’t. They’re at best comments and at worst, the useless spewings by people with far too much time on their hands. I am not talking about those comments that are obviously reviews, posted by people associated with review sites. I’m not talking about customer comments that are mature and well thought out, even if they dislike a book. I’m talking about senseless emotional spewings and some very nonsensical postings.

2 – The fact that Amazon is infested by trolls–people whose sole interest is stirring up controversy–has been documented by bloggers and in the media. Like the “Yale-ees” who used to concoct crazy letters to try to stump Ann Landers, there are internet users out there who want to see how far they can push the envelope, and how big a brouhaha they can spawn. Amazon is only one of many places they surface.

3 – Why does being an author make you fodder for personal attack? I know books have long been reviewed publically. Again, I’m not talking about reviews. I’m talking about spewings. So why does being an author mean it’s okay for someone to spew on you? Because your work is visible?

A lot of people’s works are visible.

Let’s try this scenario. You’re a sales clerk in the jewelry department in Macy’s. You’re certainly visible to anyone who walks through the store. What if people in the store followed you around with signs that read: “This clerk is slow and stupid”? Or “This clerk doesn’t smile enough” or “This clerk smiles too much”? 

Hey, you’re in public. I’m a customer (maybe or maybe not–Amazon doesn’t require that you’ve bought the book you’re “reviewing”). I have a right to tell people what I think of your service.

Oh, let’s add another sign: “This clerk smiles too much and the jewelry she sells is ugly.”

By the end of the day, just how would you, the sales clerk, feel? Frustrated, annoyed, confused? Let’s say you ask the sign-carrier to leave. You get the store security to tell the person to leave. Next thing you know, the sign-carrier is back with ten cohorts. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts eight of the ten never bought a piece of jewelry in their lives, let alone from you, the Macy’s clerk. But now you have eleven sign-carriers: This clerk is stupid! If you buy something from this clerk you’re an idiot! Whoever taught this clerk to sell should be shot!

And so on and so forth.

Are you beginning to get my point?

Please note, I’m not saying books shouldn’t be reviewed. I’m saying authors shouldn’t be expected to like being spewed on. There is a huge difference.

A series of one-star ratings on Amazon–and gee, isn’t it something that they all show up within a day or so of each other–saying little more than “this book sucks” are yes, spewing and yes, useless. I’m also very suspicious of “reviews” where the plot is misrepresented, characters’ names are wrong and the “reviewer” can neither spell nor form a coherent sentence. I don red this book last nite and it sux is not a review.

Vendettas are also not reviews. People who think books with vampire protagonists are the work of the devil. People who think a romance plot line is disgusting. People who think author X is better than author Y, and so go to author Y’s page and load on the one-star reviews. People who dislike a reviewer and so go to every book page where that reviewer posts and start a flame war.

So how thick is your skin? Mine’s sufficiently thick but I’m not going to tolerate being a doormat for rude behavior, and I don’t think my being an author means I have to. I have no problem with constructive criticism. I do have a serious problem with people who equate internet access with the right to spew.

~Linnea
www.linneasinclair.com