The HEA Cafe

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

This past weekend, I visited a bookstore and asked the bookseller about their romance section and whether the store would be implementing the face-out program that another bookstore is allegedly planning on rolling out.

The bookseller responded in a cordial, pleasant manner, which is something I find all the time at most bookstores although I’ve heard horror stories from other authors. I’m not sure why my experiences are always positive, but they have been. However, I do admit that some experiences are more positive than others. But I digress. Once the bookseller and I had finished discussing the pros and cons of facing books out, I asked her if she read romance. An expression of “oh boy, here it comes” swept over the seller’s face as she semi-rolled her eyes at me and responded that she used to read romance more than ten years, but that she didn’t any longer.

So I grinned and said, “You know, romance has changed a lot since you read it last. The heroines aren’t wimps who let the hero do all the work. Women are portrayed as strong people and in a lot of cases they’re kick-ass heroines.”

I could tell she still wasn’t convinced because she sort of shrugged and indicated she preferred fantasy and sci-fi. I immediately remembered the line from one of my favorite movies, “Give me a word, and I can show you how the root of that word comes from the Greek language.” (My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one of my fav romantic comedies on DVD). It’s like that with romance writers. We cover EVERY genre, and there has to be someone she’ll enjoy reading. So I said, “oh you must love Linnea Sinclair since you like sci-fi.”

From that point forward, the bookseller was like candy in a child’s hand because she looked at me with a “Who?” expression. So I immediately flooded her with the names of authors I knew who wrote fantasy and sci-fi, and in between breaths I mentioned eBooks. She didn’t want anything to do with that, and I knew to hedge my bets. I just had to convert her to the wonders of sci-fi and fantasy romance and once we had her hooked, we could reel her in with the format type later. Seduction is a gradual process, not a wham bam, thank you ma’am act.

I proceeded to write down the names of sci-fi and fantasy romance writers I knew of and gave them to her. I also took down her email and promised to send her some information on a local sci-fi /fantasy conference coming to Richmond soon. When I left, the bookseller knew my name and even though she might not read my subgenre of romance, I’m betting she’ll remember me because I showed her that readers can find romance in whatever their favorite genre is.

IMHO, the key to breaking down barriers is to apply romance to something the other person likes or believes in. Will it always work? Nope, but it’s worth a shot because a) you might actually convert someone to the romance cause and b) at the very least you’ve made a positive impression on the bookseller and hopefully that will roll over to your benefit when your next book hits the shelves.

Monica

Monica Burns - http://www.monicaburns.com
Dangerous — Behind the mask lies love, a dangerous, deadly emotion
Come Enjoy a Paranormal with that Ahh…Sensation

In the last year, the RWR (Romance Writers Report) has published letters to the editor with complaints of romance books having too much sex and foul language. Critics have said they don’t want to see beyond the bedroom door, and they consider authors who use foul language as being challenged individuals when it comes to finding words that better convey emotions.

For those individuals who prefer a more sedate book, please note that the market drives the demand for certain types of books. To make a living one MUST make accommodations based on what’s driving sales. Instead of sniping at fellow authors, sit thee down and write the good book as my friend Claire says. The same to protesters of foul language.

Writing romance isn’t something we can do in a vacuum. We need to either incorporate our reality into a book, or at least present an accurate picture of the past. We need to write what readers believe is realistic, and there are many romance readers who believe that sex, foul language and/or both is a vital component of a romance. With all that in mind, I do think some of the protesters have a valid point. There can be too much sex and too much foul language. Now before you tackle me on that, please note that I write erotic romance. I write carnal sex scenes in my romance works. I also use “foul” language. But here’s what some writers and readers don’t understand. Too much of something is a bad thing.

When writing sex, the writer needs to understand that it’s the sexual tension the reader wants. They want build up or at the very least a really good reason for the culmination of sex. Readers on the other hand need to understand that what they see as “too much sex in romance” is really a sign of poorly developed sexual tension and/or characterization. So instead of ranting about there’s too much sex in romance, start ranting about the lack of characterization or sexual tension. There is a big difference. In this humble writer’s opinion, it’s not that there’s too much sex in romance, it’s that the sex in a lot of romance is simply underdeveloped sexual tension and/or character development.

I applaud sex and foul language in romance when used appropriately and not repeatedly. And I believe that’s the biggest part of the problem. I think it’s the repetitiveness in so many romances that irritates readers. They just don’t realize it. The issue of foul language can be viewed the same way. For a character or scene the use of “foul” language can be quite appropriate, but too much makes for repetition and the words lose their impact. There’s nothing more powerful than the F-word used at a point in the story where that’s the only word that will do. But using it every other line reduces the word’s impact. The same goes for using words like clit, clitoris, penis, etc. These throw me out of the read. (I’m continuously asking myself if the majority of women really use those words when they’re making love to their significant others? Maybe some do, but I’m willing to bet a lot of women don’t. In fact, they’re more apt to be a little more base. *grin*) For me those words don’t ring true. They don’t sound realistic in the context they’re placed..

And that’s what this post is really about. Realism. Is the sex realistic, appropriate and written into the story at the right point in time for the characters drawn on the page? Is the language used appropriate for the specific moment in the story? Has the writer avoided the issue of repetitiveness with both the sex and the foul words. Sex and foul language are integral to many good books. But when it’s overdone, it’s like overcooked beef — it’s dry and far from tasty.

Monica Burns is a multi-published erotic romance author. Her current release, Mirage, is receiving rave reviews, including a Top Pick from Romantic Times BOOKreviews and a “scorching” review from Sylvia Day.

Monica’s next release is Dangerous, a paranormal from Samhain Publishing. Visit her website for more information. http://www.monicaburns.com/BookshelfDangerous.htm

It’s the 31^st and my time to blog again. I like the fact that this isn’t a monthly job for me since there aren’t always 31 days in every month. Most of the 31^st days I blog aren’t all that notable with the exception of they’re having the honor of being the last day of a month. However, today’s 31^st is different. (How’s that for an opening that makes totally no sense and yet does seem to ring true. It’s a new strategy)

Today is about sweeping out the old and ushering in the new. It’s about cleaning the slate and starting fresh. So why is that? I mean what’s up with resolutions? So many people do them and then fail to follow through on them. Talk about setting one’s self up for failure! But the odd thing is, as much as I know it’s a setup, I have this need, this compulsion to do resolutions. For me, resolutions are goal settings. And goal settings have deadlines. So if I set reasonable resolutions/goals, I’m more likely to achieve them. (Yep, that makes TONS of sense. But the older you get, the distance between reasonable and achievable GROWS)

I’m learning that reasonable means accepting. In other words, accepting my limitations and basing my goals and resolutions on those limitations. I’ve an addictive personality. I can get so wrapped up in something that I fall victim (of my own making) to losing focus. I lost focus of my writing last year. I focused more on marketing than I did on writing, and I think it cost me.

So I’ve come up with only ONE new resolution this year. A change in strategy. Yep, that’s right. My sole resolution is to change my strategy.

• I’m going to write more by removing programs off my TIVO list.
• I’m going to write more by not answering email at night (I can do it when I’m at work on my breaks).
• I’m going to complete two books (I’ll shoot for three, but no need to set myself up for failure).
• What else, oh, right, I’m limiting my conference dollars and putting them into my book advertising. I’m finding having fun and socializing doesn’t equate to books sold.

But WAIT you cry. This sounds like a whole bunch of resolutions.

Well, I suppose you could think of it that way, but it’s not. I really only have one resolution this year. It a change in strategy to write more. I’m just pointing out the things I’ve got to do to accomplish that strategy. So there, Obama, Hilary, Mitt, etc.– how’s that for doublespeak. I should have been a politician. *sigh*

Happy New Year and Happy Writing

Monica

Monica Burns - http://www.monicaburns.com
Mirage, TOP PICK - Romantic Times BOOKreviews
Come Enjoy the Ahh…Sensation

Banned Book Week runs from September 29th through October 6^th. Over the next couple of days on my personal blog (http://monicaburns.blogspot.com/), I’ll be posting brief blurbs about books I’ve read over the years that have been banned or burned in places throughout the world. On Thursday, I’ll talk about actual book burnings. And stay tuned through out the week as there will be a surprise coming on Friday.
1984
by George Orwell

This book about Big Brother and its political themes was banned in the USSR and challenged in Florida based on what challengers considered pro-communist and sexual themes throughout the book.

For the book synopsis and purchase information, click here.

Monica

Monica Burns - http://www.monicaburns.com | http://www.myspace.com/monicaburns
Mirage, Samhain, 10/07 | Dangerous, Samhain 03/08
Come Enjoy the Ahh…Sensation