Shameless Self Promotion

So, now that I've crossed the bridge into the world of the published, everything is different. Instead of just worrying about writing and submitting, I have to worry about writing and submitting and promoting and branding and building a readership. Sigh. It's a lot to think about.

Since I have several big events next spring coinciding with my book release, I've been giving thought lately to promotion. I've got all the social media type stuff down, so really, my focus has turned to imprinted promotional goods. Tchotchkes. I want to do something different. Unfortunately that usually equals expensive. There's a delicate balance between novel/keepable and price. If its cheap and cute, likely someone else has done it. PC, for example has done rulers, emery boards and collaborated on tote bags with Lynn Raye Harris. All great ideas. And I may borrow an idea or two, but I'd rather not if I can come up with something else. Over the years I have been to many conferences and luncheons and collected my share of stuff. I have my opinions on the subject, but I'm curious about what others think.

First - paper. I'm sorry, but I don't want your bookmarks or your postcards. You can try to sweeten the deal with candy, but I'm just going to pull it off, eat it, and throw the paper away. Its cheap and you can make a million and send them all over the place, but I don't know if it makes a fig. I may make some bookmarks, but the point will be to advertise the next book by slipping it into the current one as I sign it. And I won't have 10000 of them.

Trading cards might be my exception. Yeah, lots of people might throw them away, but I think they have a novelty and collect-ability about them. I like the idea. I'll probably do them, even just so I can have my own and slip them into plastic sleeves alongside my 1991 Marvel Comics Silver Surfer hologram card.

Pens - it seems like everyone does pens, yet at the same time, everyone grabs pens. Do they keep them? I don't know. But I know I have a purple glitter TOR pen that I really like. I've had it for years. It has purple ink. I don't use it very much, but I remember it and its probably in my drawer as we speak. Other times, the pens die almost immediately and I hold the author responsible in the back of my mind for buying crappy pens. And they get tossed, so no help there. They might as well have saved their money.

I've asked around at what people like and I've heard a couple things. Some like magnets with bookcovers. That's cool. Might do it once I have a cover. Some like the nail files. The Playground has done pens, chalk, crayons and big paperclips over the years. I've seen several people do the tote bags, which I think is brilliant to distribute at book signings where people have a lot of books, but possibly, no bag. They'll be grateful for the bag and advertise for you as they walk around. But again, Kim & Lynn did that already. Maybe when they run out...

Another complication is relating it to me. My tagline is "Seductive Romance with a Twist" so I've been considering something to play on the 'twist' idea. Travel corkscrews are my number one favorite, but they can get a little pricey unless I buy a larger quantity, which saves money, but costs more in the end. Its a big, painful chunk up front when I won't see any royalties for a long while. DB mentioned little bags of pretzels, which are cute, but consumable. Eat them and its done, just like candies. Any other ideas for twist? I'd rather do that than something applicable to just one book. The little travel sewing kits would be perfect for the first book, but make no sense for the second one, so I'd have to be sure to get rid of all of them fast.

What are some of your favorite promotional items? Any you saw that you really loved? Any ideas for me?

SP

PS. And I am VERY delinquent, but SUMMER is the winner of Free Book Friday! Email me at smartypants @ writingplayground.com to claim your prize!!

Bad Manners (but Good News!)

Since I’m Southern and I was raised to believe it’s very bad manners to brag on yourself and blow your own horn, I should be ashamed of this post. (Look Away, Mom! Look Away!)

But I can’t help it. I’m just giddy and busting at the seams with news. I’ll try to get it out of my system in one post today.

My sailboat book, Magnate’s Mistress…Accidentally Pregnant! is out in the UK this month! I (heart) this book in so many ways… in no small reason because it was one of those books that just seemed to write itself as fast as I could make my fingers move across the keyboard. I’m totally in love with the hero (and we’ll all tell the Darling Geek that Chris is totally modeled on him), and I adore Ally. I got to mix sailboats and Greek mythology and Caribbean islands and steamy sex and I had a blast doing it. I even love the cover!

(Magnate’s Mistress…Accidentally Pregnant! will be out in the US in February.)

Of course, I’m counting down to the US release The Millionaire’s Misbehaving Mistress (which, if you’re just on the edge of your seat and can’t wait for it to hit the bookstore, is available on the eHarlequin site now). I love the alliteration of the title, and when you find out the heroine is an etiquette expert nicknamed "Miss Behavior," the title becomes that much better! And this cover captures Will and Gwen perfectly, I think.

If you look in the sidebar, you’ll see we’re planning a party in October to celebrate its arrival in the bookstores. If all goes well, I’ll have a special announcement to make that day too!

And if that's not enough...

The Secret Mistress Arrangement just keeps on going! I love the fact I get three English-language releases – US, UK, and Aus/NZ – on all the books, but there’s a whole different excitement in having a book translated and released to a different country.

First it was France:

Loosely translated, that’s The Perfume of Temptation. (And yes, I’m out with Day Leclaire!)

Now it’s in Italy in a 2-in-1 with Robyn Grady (who is just fab):

The title of the duet is Seductive Agreement, and TSMA is rechristened Seven Days of Desire.

See why I’m giddy?

Be giddy with me. Share some good news. We’ll all squee together!

PC

**Oh, and I'm guest blogging over at Lynn Raye Harris' blog today and tomorrow about writing for Modern Heat.

Great close up, Mr. DeMille

Not bad, eh?

Story by Ronda Miskelley, Huntsville Times Food Editor
Photo by Robin Conn, Huntsville Times

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up

Last week I got a phone call from one of the editors at the local newspaper. Seems they were doing a review of a book I was in and they wanted to interview me and send a photographer to my house for a photo shoot. "Would that be okay?" she asked.

*snicker* Well, duh.

The first thing that came to mind was "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up."

My interview was on Sunday afternoon by telephone. And the photographer showed up at my house on Monday morning (after calling to push things back an hour because apparently I took second fiddle to the dead body that had been found earlier that morning).

The photographer told me what kind of shots he wanted and said that the editor had requested I wear a certain item. I set up a place for the photo shoot, put on the item and then smiled for the camera.

Unlike poor Norma Desmond, who was lost in a fantasy world where she dreamed of making a comeback in the talkies, I knew exactly what was going on and now I'll tell you too.

My name is Marilyn and I'm a member of the Red Hat Society. Some time back I submitted a recipe for a cookbook the RHS was planning. Because we Red Hatters embrace the philosophy that life is short and we should eat dessert first, the cookbook was aptly named "Eat Dessert First."

Two months ago I learned that out of over 1500 recipes submitted, my little recipe for Crispy Oatmeal Cookies had been selected to be one of the 200 recipes in the book. And the publisher sent me a copy of the cookbook as a thank-you gift.

That cookie recipe was the first thing I ever baked. My third grade teacher promised a cookbook to every student who brought in a sample of something they'd cooked at home. I don't know where that cookbook is, but I still have the original recipe my mother copied onto a piece of notebook paper for me.

The call from the newspaper was from the Food Editor. She's reviewing the cookbook and when she found out there was a local contributor, she wanted to follow up on that angle.

Instead of the deranged Ms. Desmond, my photo will probably look more like this:



Some of us will do anything to get our name in print. ;-)










"Eat Dessert First" can be purchased at most major booksellers and online as well. It's quite a nice cookbook and I'm not saying that just cause I'm in it. But if you buy it, I'll be happy to autograph my little spot in the book. ;-)

When the article goes live on the newspaper's website I'll post a link. And when I get my copy of the photo, I'll post that too.

In the meantime just remember that life IS short and sometimes it's downright fun to eat dessert first.

Update: You can read the article here. Guess I'll schlepp outside in the cold and get the paper to see which photo they used.

It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp

I know that's the last subject line you EVER expected to see from me. I'm not into rap and hip-hop and had to Google for that song title. I think my search terms were "Academy Award Song Winner Pimp" or something like that. I just remember the shock when that song won -- much like the shock y'all had seeing me blog about pimps.

But it's all the Playfriends' fault, I tell ya! They're to blame. And why, you ask?

Over the course of our association, the Playfriends have gifted me with a number of lovely items. One year for my birthday they gave me a nice gift card to help decorate my new house. The next year they presented me with a very snuggly (and monogrammed) fleece throw to decorate my office and a few months ago they surprised me with a pen holder/paperweight for my desk to commemorate my 15th short story sale.

But last weekend they outdid themselves with this.

The photo doesn't really show off my new chapeau to it's fullest. It's large -- 19 inches in diameter. It'd make one hell of a sun hat. It's also bright purple, so I can wear it next April to my Red Hat Society meeting (that's my birthday month and during that month you switch the colors and wear red with a purple hat). It's sorta velvety. Kinda. Sorta.

I've been told I must take it to San Francisco next summer if our workshop proposal on promotion is accepted.

My nickname, other than Playground Monitor, is "The Promo Ho" because the Playfriends seem to think I know everyone. They refer to them as my "peeps." I suppose I do know a few authors. I developed a lot of friendships in my pre-Playground days when I reviewed books. And I've built on that every year at the annual RWA conference.

Anyone can have "peeps" if you'll just smile and introduce yourself. That's all I've ever done, and I didn't need the purple-and-zebra-stripe hat to do it, though I'm sure I'd get a lot of attention with it. ;-)

I joke about it, but I take my "promo ho" duties seriously. And I'll share my #1 promo ho secret with you (aside from the eye-catching hat): It's easy to promote something if you believe strongly in it.

I challenged the Playfriends in Dallas to each contact five new people and ask if they'd be open to being a guest blogger, doing an interview or writing an article. And since I wouldn't ask them to do something I wasn't willing to do too, I had to make my five new contacts as well. One of them is guest blogging on Halloween.

I know it wasn't easy for them. It pushed them way outside their comfort zone, but they did it and I'm proud as punch of them. I'm sure they were able to do it because they believe in the Writing Playground and they believe in the romance genre, and I sure hope they believe in themselves. That belief will shine through any self-doubt and give you the boost you need to promote yourself and your cause.

When have you stepped outside your comfort zone and drawn on your belief to do something?

P.S. Ask them about how I stalk people in book stores. ;-)