Monday Marketing. #3QuickTips

Monday marketing. 3 quick tips.

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Hello everyone. I run a book group on Facebook, Lizzie’s Book Group, which is full of authors and writers. We chat about what books we like, how our writing targets are going and how to reach more readers. We come across some pretty eclectic chat topics and I have decided to share a few recent ones at the bottom of this post. Feel free to join the book group if you love books and writing. We have almost 500 members now and it’s a lot of fun.

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I am currently in third edits for my new book and am trying to reach writing targets for another manuscript. I sometimes find it hard not to procrastinate too much, but I read a recent article where it said that procrastination is not about being too busy, it is about feeling emotional. If we are feeling that way, we tend to put off what we should be doing. It’s made me sit and think about clearing my work desk, so it’s a pleasurable place to work, getting the everyday jobs done early so that they are out of the way and then doing my favourite thing, which is sitting down to write… with a desk timer so I get those words onto paper!

Have a great week everyone. My first prize draw for my subscribers will be at the start of next month. Exciting times!

Here are 3 quick articles that we have shared in my book group: 

The ultimate author resource list.

19 book marketing strategies.

BookSweeps tips to grow your email audience.

BookBub marketing.

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Hello everyone. It was such a weird weekend for me. My daughter was at a festival for the weekend and the hotel had a mix up with the booking so they couldn’t get in, which meant a mad dash across country for me and another one of the mums to be with our children. We managed to get most of them a room for the night, but I ended up sleeping in my car! It was freezing, and not my best idea ever, but everywhere else was sold out due to the huge festival. I finally got in at 2 am this morning, after leaving at midnight the evening before, but it ended up being a hilarious road trip. It gave me ideas for another book! This was us, sleep deprived, but still smiling.

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I haven’t posted a Monday Marketing post for a while as I’ve been busy with some writing projects. I came across this article recently and thought it might be helpful for anyone who is trying to gain more followers on BookBub. BookBub is a wonderful place to promote books and to find a wider audience. If you are an author and haven’t made profile there, it’s worth taking the time to do. I also did a Booksweeps promotion with lots of lovely romantic comedy writers recently and I now have many more newsletter subscribers, which is fabulous! I have sent the winners their books (pictured above this post) and can’t wait to hear what they think of the story.

On a side note (I’m so excited!), after my BookBub feature, my book, If you love me, Im yours, has risen to the number #1 paid bestseller spot in one of it’s categories and is ranked 89 paid overall in Australia, 136 overall in Canada and 882 in the U.K! A big thank you to everyone who downloaded a copy for just 99p/99c. You can still grab a copy today here.

Check out the BookBub article here:

14 Ideas For Getting More BookBub Followers

Monday Marketing.

/ lizziechantree / 8 Comments
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Happy new week everyone. I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Today’s marketing tips are from the author of The Curse of Time, Marjorie Mallon.

1.  I’d recommend joining professional writing groups such as SCBWI: https://www.scbwi.org/.The Society of Children’s Writers and Book Illustrators is a fabulous group of authors and illustrators. There are many activities and opportunities to get involved with: from socials, to writing seminars, agents parties, critique groups, the scrawl crawl (for illustrators and arty writers!) as well as book club discussion SCBWI has introduced me to a wider community of self-published and traditionally published authors. This has culminated in a very special book/marketing event which is to be held at the Cambridge Central Library on 9th February.

2. Network and spend some money! It is vitally important to build a tribe of friends who will support and encourage you. Writing can be a lonely business! These connections bring opportunities to share your work via author interviews, blog posts, and don’t forgetto reciprocatein whatever way you can by reviewing, offering author interviews and spotlights. These blog tours can encourage ‘new readers,’ who might read and review your book. I’d recommend spending a little money to widen your reach by trying a reputable blog tour company. I would highly recommend bloggers such as Jenny Marston who organised my blog tour with the added bonus of reviews too.

3. Entering competitions. This can be a fantastic way to build your confidence and to encourage readers to pick up your book. If you have some success howeversmall, shout out about it. It’s not bragging- it’s just a writer’s way of saying I love writing, I’ve achieved a little success and that makes me happy.

My recent successes include: winning first prize at the Bloggers Bash Blog Competition with my cheeky flash- The Queen’s Dress Down Day https://mjmallon.com/2018/05/24/winners-of-the-2018-bloggers-bash-blog-post-competition/

And first prize with a murderous piece of flash for Charli Mills Flash Fiction with another humorous one entitled Mr Blamey. https://carrotranch.com/2017/12/19/winner-of-flash-fiction-contest-7

Even if you don’t win you might receive a surprise email like I did recently from Wasifiri: https://www.wasafiri.org/offering a free critique of writing from the literary consultancy Cornerstones:https://cornerstones.co.uk/

I was very excited about this and I think it’s a great scheme. But, I was unable to accept this wonderful opportunity for women writers as the small print called for me to belong to one of the following unrepresented groups: low income, a BAME writer, memberof the LGBQT community, disabled, a student, or over 60.

 

Contact Marjorie Mallon:
My links – author blog: https://mjmallon.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club #ABRSC on Facebook:



Monday Marketing.

/ lizziechantree / 3 Comments

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Hello everyone. I’ve been busily writing a new novel and am now over halfway there. I’ve changed my routine and have been going to the gym more… not to work out, as I have an injury, but to sit and write. Originally I took my work there as a way to keep myself in the habit of going to the gym, but now I find I can easily write 1-2,000 words in a couple of hours. I think it is because I know I will only be there for a a short while and I set myself a 1,000 word target, which I’m disappointed if I don’t reach. Do you find a change of scenery helps with your flow of words?

For todays marketing tips, I was thinking of the fact that I’ve been contacted by some bookshops recently and asked to do some author visits and book signings. These were wonderful and I’m looking forward to them. They saw my interaction with readers online and contacted me about visiting their shops. So here are my 3 quick tips for being asked to book signings.

  1. Be social on social media and show your personality. Why would you be a good fit for a bookstore looking to fill their calendar with new authors?
  2. Have a website that is easy to find, fits your brand and has a way for bookshops to contact you. Be professional.
  3. Make it as easy as possible for the bookshop owner. Have press releases ready for them to send out. Have book links etc available for them and have author photos and book covers sent over for them to use in marketing material.



Monday Marketing with guest Lizzie Lamb.

/ lizziechantree / 26 Comments

Today it’s my great pleasure to invite author Lizzie Lamb onto my blog to share with you her top three marketing tips. I’m Currently writing my seventh romance novel, so I can relate to the ‘sit down and finish the novel’ tip!

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Lizzie’s author bio with links –

After teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing. She joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted(2012), quickly followed by Boot Camp Bride. She went on to publish Scotch on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts. Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and has co-hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones, Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels. Lizzie latest romance Take Me, I’m Yoursis set in Wisconsin, a part of the USA which she adores. This novel also achieved BEST SELLER status >travel>USA. She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and spends most of the summer touring the Scottish Highlands researching men in kilts. What’s not to like? As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone to waste. She is building a reputation as a go-to speaker on indie publishing, and how to plan, write, and publish a debut novel. She is currently working on #6 – a road trip ‘movie’ where two warring guardians are forced to join forces and set off in hot pursuit after a runaway niece and son.  Lizzie lives in Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David.

She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . .

Lizzie’s Links

https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb

www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter

lizzielambwriter@gmail.com

website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk

https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb

Newsletter – http://tinyurl.com/ELNL-2016

Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/

Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/

 

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Take Me, I’m Yours

India Buchanan plans to set up an English-Style bed and breakfast establishment in her great-aunt’s home, MacFarlane’s Landing, Wisconsin. But she’s reckoned without opposition from Logan MacFarlane whose family once owned her aunt’s house and now want it back. MacFarlane is in no mood to be denied. His grandfather’s living on borrowed time and Logan has vowed to ensure the old man sees out his days in their former home. India’s great-aunt has other ideas and has threatened to burn the house to the ground before she lets a MacFarlane set foot in it. There’s a story here. One the family elders aren’t prepared to share. When India finds herself in Logan’s debt, her feelings towards him change. However, the past casts a long shadow and events conspire to deny them the love and happiness they both deserve. Can India and Logan’s love overcome all odds? Or is history about to repeat itself?

 

Monday Marketing.

/ lizziechantree / 6 Comments

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Happy new week everyone. I’ve been working hard on my latest manuscript and it’s coming along nicely. I’m about to write about my main male character in the story, but suddenly another minor male character has stepped up and appeared far sooner that I’d originally imagined. He obviously wants to be a bigger part in the story! I love it when this happens and it makes writing the new book so much fun.

I often support other authors on my blog, but it’s now booked up until the middle of the year, so I thought I’d open up some marketing posts to top tips from authors who can share their experience with you and possibly give you some insight into their own writing journey. The first tips are from Awen Thornber, who is a mystery and romance author.

Awen’s top marketing tips:

1. If your book is much more than just a romance, don’t have ‘A Romance’ under the title on the cover. It gives the impression that it’s just a romance. Sometimes the publisher might add this – but being a novice you might find it difficult to object. Try and raise objections early if you are unhappy with something and be willing to listen to your publishers reasoning.

2. Give the back blurb a lot of thought. Don’t rush this stage. Don’t have something on the back that isn’t relevant to your readers or the story as this might cause confusion, even if you think it will put your book in better categories. Research what will work for your genre and see what other authors are doing to be more visible with keywords. My book has the words ‘let’s dance’ on the back as this fits with the story, but on reflection, this may deter readers who aren’t interested in dance and narrows my marketplace.

3. The ‘Foxtrot’ in my book’s title is a nod towards the police/crime/intrigue part of the novel but I think it was too subtle taking the top two points into consideration. So my top tip would be to seriously think and look at the cover and title and how it appears to would be readers. Get several opinions before settling for the final wording. You only have a matter of seconds to attract a reader to your book out of a page of similar books for sale on Amazon. The cover is the all important sales and marketing tool. It’s the make or break for your book being chosen out of a larger selection.

Some reviewers have commented that despite not liking dance they were surprised to find they enjoyed the book because it was much more than dance. Other reviewers who don’t usually read romance enjoyed the suspense with the crime aspect. Your title, cover and blurb needs to reel in a wider and diverse readership. The wrong choice of words narrows it right down to a few. I realised very quickly when it was too late that my cover obviously targeted a reader who solely liked dance and romance.

This has made it harder to market.

I hope this helps you all! From Awen. 

Foxtrot in FreshbyThreads of Awen

Book buy links for Awen’s books:

Foxtrot in Freshby

Threads of Awen

 

 

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Monday Marketing.

/ lizziechantree / 6 Comments

Lizzie Chantree Monday Marketing2

Happy new week everyone. Today’s post is about how you can help yourself with your marketing approach. When I published my first book, I didn’t know where to go to for help with marketing and I felt quite isolated. I then joined a book group called RRBC and also some Facebook groups and found that there is a lot of help out there. Here are my three top tips for marketing that have worked for me.

  1. Shout out about other people’s work on social media, but always remember to tag them in on it by adding their Facebook page name or Twitter bio name with the @ symbol in front. This disappears on Facebook once you type the name, but it tags the person you are talking about. More often than not, people will see that you are trying to help promote their work and do the same for you if they can. This is all about helping each other. It doesn’t mean spend all day tweeting or posting about other people’s work, but a few choice posts will make others see that you are willing to help them. They might check out your work, tweet about it, or share it on their Facebook timeline.
  2. Join groups on Facebook. You will often find people who have similar interests to you here, and if you are a writer, most groups about books will be full of other authors and readers of different genres. Just type something like romance readers book group etc in the search bar and ask to join. I have a book group and FB have just dropped 60 of my members without my knowledge, because they weren’t active, even though they may have enjoyed reading the posts. This seems to be a new thing, so if you want to stay in a group, be sure to post in it every now and them or join the group discussions. My book group is full of marketing tips for writers and book suggestions for readers. Lizzie’s Book Group. Feel free to join if you want to.
  3. Have bookmarks or business cards made up – not just with your business details, but make them interesting! You can put quotes, photos and anything that will make other people pick them up. Leave them in coffee shops, on notice boards and in shop windows. These are often free or cost as little as 50p per week to post.

Monday Marketing.

/ lizziechantree / 9 Comments

Lizzie Chantree Monday Marketing2

 

Happy 2019 everyone. Here are my marketing tips for today. This post is about setting new goals for yourself. Promotion and marketing can seem so daunting, but putting pressure on yourself to write and find new readers can cause extra stress, so these tips might prevent that from happening.

  1. Set yourself small and achievable goals to help make marketing seem less of an uphill struggle. Give yourself tasks like: Add 50 Twitter followers in a week. Build and promote your Facebook fanbase by getting 20 more likes in a week. Obviously scale this to how active your accounts already are. You might think adding 1,000 followers is achievable, so give yourself realistic targets.
  2. Set up tweets about your book/writing twice a day. Make them different and interesting.
  3. Submit your book to at least three blogs, magazines, review sites per week.

Challenging ourselves with small goals helps us to stay focussed and when we meet those targets, we feel good about it and want to try harder. If we have too many things to do on our lists, we can feel overwhelmed and then nothing gets done at all. Stick with what works and discard anything that doesn’t’t bring the results you are aiming for. Just add a different topic to the top of the list. Have a great week. From Lizzie.

For tips about repetition in marketing click here.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

/ lizziechantree / 5 Comments

Happy New Year’s Eve  everyone.

I was lucky enough to receive six marketing books that I’d wished for, for Christmas this year. I’ve begun reading them and will share any insights on my regular Marketing blogs in 2019. I can’t wait to get back to working on my latest romance book, as I have written about 20,000 words  and would like to complete it in the near future.

I hope that you all have exciting plans for the New Year and that 2019 brings lots of happiness and success to you all. I can’t wait to discover some new reads and to share them here too. I’ve tried lots of different genres in 2018, but am still drawn to the ones I write in, which are romance and humour.

Wishing you all an amazing and fulfilling New Year.

The saying goes, If you love what you have, you have everything you need.

Happy 2019!

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It’s almost Christmas!

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Hello everyone. It’s almost Christmas and I’m sure you’ve all been thinking about, or have already done some festive marketing. I have been asked to design a lot of Twitter adverts recently and have also made some for the people who have appeared on my Introducing page on my blog. They are a great way to liven up Tweets and statistics say that people get more retweets on Twitter if the tweet has an image. So my top tip is to include a photo or graphic image to your tweets. There are lots of programmes where you can design them for yourself, or download free images if you don’t have your own.

If you are unable to design your own, I charge £10 per design for  jpeg twitter ad. You can contact me from the contact page on this blog and all you need to supply is your book cover and a review quote or the text you’d like included, including your Twitter @ name and your website or blog address.

Don’t forget to join in with my #CreativeBizHour Christmas party on Twitter with me, @Lizzie_Chantree tonight, 8-9pm GMT. Just add the # to tweets and replies to chat to join in and tell us all about yourself and your work. It’s a wonderful place to share creative ideas and the hashtag trends regularly, so your work might be seen by different people and one varied timelines.

Here are some examples of Twitter ads I’ve designed: