If you weren’t able to catch last Sunday’s chat on damaging creative myths, RWchat co-host C.L. Polk created a Storify highlight reel. During the chat, we talked about creative myths like the “starving artist,” the “rich writer” (we’re looking at you Richard Castle and Carrie Bradshaw), and “selling out.”
Join us for the next chat on July 9th, where we’ll talk about summer goals!
If you weren’t able to catch last Sunday’s chat on main characters, RWchat co-host C.L. Polk created a Storify highlight reel. During the chat, we talked about our favorite character archetypes, developing backstory, and choosing names for our characters.
Make sure you also check out LaQuette’s guest post on selecting names that speak to the heart of your characters.
We appreciate when reviewers and librarians chime in during #RWchat to share their insights, so we’re thrilled to share this post from Maria Rose on how to build a good relationship with book reviewers. Also make sure to check out Frannie’s post on Making the Library Your *Fan(girl).
Hello everyone! My thanks to Alexis Daria for inviting me to write a guest post for RWChat on the topic of book reviews. Hopefully it will give you some insight into the reviewer perspective of what should be a positive and mutually beneficial reviewer/author relationship.
A little bit about me: I’m a long time reader of romance and in 2014 I started writing reviews for Goodreads (a book review site owned by Amazon) and book sale sites. I now write for 3 main review sites as well as guest review for others. There may be other reviewers with different perspectives than mine, but these are some of the issues I’ve seen come up with authors and fellow reviewers that I think are worth discussing. Note that my thoughts relate to non-professional book review sites/blogs, not RT, Library Journal, Kirkus etc.
Whether you are a new or established author, self-published or traditionally published, everyone can benefit from having their book reviewed. As part of a marketing plan, reviews can help bring visibility to your story, your name and your brand. Here are some tips to make your book stand out in the crowd.
This week on #RWchat, we’re talking about heroes and heroines, and today’s guest post comes to us from LaQuette. We asked her to talk about the thoughtful and meaningful names in her Queens of Kings series. Take it away, LaQuette!
Hello, I’m LaQuette, your friendly erotic romance author, embracing my crazy…one character at a time. Speaking of crazy and characters, I’m here to talk to you about my process of name selection for the crazy folks running around in my head.
I was attending a reader/writer event last year when a reader by the name of Shona asked me a thoughtful question about my characters. She’d read my romantic suspense series, The Queens of Kings, and asked, “You named the Amare family members, Hunter, Law, Free, Justice, True, and Heart. How did you come up with such unusual names, and what if any significance did the selection of those names have?” If I didn’t mention that I have smart and perceptive readers, let me tell you now, my readers are the business.
This week on #RWchat, we’re discussing the non-romance plots in our romance novels. In other words, what do the characters do other than kiss? Yesterday we heard from C.L. Polk about Witchmark. Today, Alexis Daria talks about the external plot in her upcoming debut, Take the Lead.
I’m a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars, and I was originally inspired by some of the stories they tell through their dances. I made a list of routines like the one in the video below, with the intention of using them as writing prompts.
If you weren’t able to catch last Sunday’s chat on Author Responsibility, RWchat co-host C.L. Polk created a Storify highlight reel. During the chat, we addressed how much responsibility romance authors have in areas like HEA/HFN, safe sex, and representation, and shared gifs depicting our hopes for the evolution of the genre.
If you weren’t able to catch last Sunday’s chat on Romance Stereotypes, RWchat co-host C.L. Polk created a Storify highlight reel.
Which romance stereotypes would you pay money to have people stop saying to you?
In case you missed the live chats during Marketing Month, C.L. Polk (Witchmark, Tor 2018) made Storify links.
Our first chat was about newsletters and author websites. We talked about building your email list, creating newsletter content, and what info to include on an author site.
Check out the Storify recap on Newsletters and Author Websites.
Our third chat discussed ARCs and reviews. We were lucky to have a number of bloggers, reviewers, and librarians in attendance! The conversation covered building genuine relationships with bloggers, utilizing FB reader groups, and the role of publishers in handling ARCs — and how that differs if you’re indie.
Check out the Storify recap on ARCs and Reviews.
Our final chat covered book launch and release day. We asked participants to wear both their reader and author hats while answering. The chat addressed everything from cover reveals to release day buzz, from pre-orders to backlist, and everything in-between.
Check out the Storify recap on Book Launch and Release Day.
Did you make any changes to your marketing after these chats?
If you’re looking for more information, check out our other Marketing Month posts, including a guest post from Kristan Higgins!
#RWchat this month is all about book marketing. This week’s guest post comes to us from RWA-NYC president Kate McMurray, author of “There Has to Be a Reason.”
One of the particular challenges of publishing in These Modern Times is that everything changes so fast. We as writers have to be on our toes, because what worked well even just six months ago may not work now.
May is Marketing Month on RWchat, and this week we’re talking about giveaways and promo. Check out Kimberly Bell’s take on giveaways, and read on for promo tips compiled by Alexis Daria.
I’m kind of a conference junkie. It’s fun to hang out with other authors, readers, and industry professionals, swapping book recs and writing advice. But as much as I love the social aspect, that’s not the only reason why I’m there. I’m there to learn. My favorite thing about writing conferences is the opportunity to attend workshops and classes led by people who have built up a wealth of knowledge about all aspects of the life and business of being a writer, either through formal education or trial and error. Yes, a lot of this info can be found online, but there’s something special about being in the same room with an author whose career you admire, hearing them speak about their own experiences, and then getting to ask questions.
Before I attend a conference, I set a goal for what I want to learn. In March, I attended the Liberty States Fiction Writers’ “Create Something Magical” Conference with the goal of learning about marketing and promotion. The workshops did not disappoint. Last week, I posted what I learned about newsletters. This week, I’ve compiled some tips on promo from two workshops: “Buzzing Your Book & Building Your Brand,” led by Jillian Stein and Liz Berry (1001 Dark Nights), and “The Six Goals of Online Book Promotions (& the Tools to Achieve Them)” led by Laura Kaye (Raven Riders series).
Romance Writers Chat 