Category: RWchat Co-Host Posts

ICYMI: Marketing Month Storify Links

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launch and release day graphic

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!

Got Promo?

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RWchat giveaway and promo graphicMay 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).

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Me: Super Lazy. Giveaways: Super Cool.

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As you may have heard, May is Marketing month here at #RWChat. We made it marketing month because none of us chat hosts are putting in the effort we ought to be with marketing, so it was time to group think this shit out and get motivated.

(There are a lot of chat topics that make the list because we personally need a push or some inspiration. #sorrynotsorry)

Of all of us, I have the most shame around my lack of book marketing. I have broken some serious records (and banked some serious dollars) in a previous career in e-commerce. I have been a social media consultant to some pretty big brands. And I currently work as the operations manager for an email marketing company.

My shame run so very, very deep.

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Okay, I need a newsletter. Now what?

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RWchat newsletter graphicMay is Marketing Month on #RWchat! Our latest post combines newsletter advice collected by guest contributor Sofia Tate and #RWchat co-host Alexis Daria. And be sure to check out Robin Lovett’s earlier post, “Do I have to have a newsletter?“

At the LSFW conference in March, I attended the “Buzzing Your Book & Building Your Brand” workshop led by Liz Berry and Jillian Stein from 1001 Dark Nights. They had a ton of great advice on newsletters, and the session dispelled a lot of the fear I felt about starting one. On top of that, RT is going on this week, and Sofia Tate (author of the Davison & Allegra series) was kind enough to share her notes from the newsletter session led by Sarah Wendell (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books) and Mel Jolly (Author’s Atlas). I’ve combined our notes below to give you a double helping of tips and tricks to make your newsletter shine. Continue reading →

Do I have to have a newsletter?

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It’s May Marketing Month on #RWChat. Check out the first installment by Alexis Daria: 5 Things to Include On Your Author Website If You’re Not Yet Published.

I’ve avoided starting a newsletter for over a year now. It’s become a spectre haunting me: Start the email list… it’s your number one marketing tool… everyone says do it… you won’t sell books without it… 

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And all that pressure makes it worse. Continue reading →

5 Things to Include on Your Author Website If You’re Not Yet Published

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When I started building websites in the 90s, it was hard. Now, we’re living in a golden age where anyone can turn a free theme into a functional author page. My intention when I started querying was to turn my online art portfolio into an author site—but a hacker wiped it! Rather than rebuild from scratch, I gave my rarely-used WordPress blog a fresh layout. But one question remained: If you aren’t published yet, what do you include on an author website? Below, I’ll give you some easy elements to add to your site, including the one that netted me several comments from agents. 

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Ruining the Moment

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Our upcoming chat is about writing humor! Check out Robin Lovett’s post on the struggle to be funny.

Alexis Daria

I think I’m pretty funny. I don’t know if others would agree or not, but I think I am. Or at the very least, I’m silly, which is close enough. When writing, I try to imbue a light-hearted sense of fun into my stories, to balance out the deeper feelings that come up for the characters. The ability to infuse your writing with humor is all well and good, but alas, this is where killing your darlings comes in.

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What’s so funny?

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I’m not a funny person, or at least I don’t intend to be. I take everything too seriously, and I fell for the “gullible’s not in the dictionary” joke three times when my husband and I started dating.

How the hell could I ever write humor in my novels?

Jokes happen at my expense, not because I’m making them. Every party I go to without fail, I say something I intend very seriously that instead makes everyone laugh. I’m left saying, “But it’s true!” and baffled as to why everyone is laughing.

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Humor has always been a mystery to me, until last year I heard this quote. Continue reading →

The Fear and Shame in Jealousy

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Below is Robin Lovett’s honest confession about how she deals with this week’s topic: jealousy. Also check out Alexis Daria’s post on it.

My CP got an agent! A contract! An award! A big advance! I’m thrilled and excited for them. We celebrate, go out for drinks, plan what comes next on their big journey.

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This has happened to a lot of my writing friends in the last two years, and even though I too have had my achievements, I always experience something awful in the midst of their celebration.

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Hey Jealousyyy

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This week’s #RWchat topic is all about jealousy. (And yes, this post title comes from a Gin Blossoms song.)

Envy is real. We look over at someone else getting the book deal, winning the award, hitting the bestseller list, and we think, “I want that.” But envy can be useful. It can guide us toward new goals, and allow us to study how other people got to where we want to go. Envy can push us to work harder and smarter. But if left unchecked, or allowed to run rampant in the mind, envy can quickly turn to jealousy, which is far more insidious.

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The dictionary defines jealousy as, “jealous resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another’s success or advantage itself.” The key word here is resentment. Resentment can fester and grow, sapping creativity and damaging personal and professional relationships.

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Last month, I attended the Liberty States Fiction Writers’ “Create Something Magical” conference with fellow RWchat co-host Robin Lovett. On a whim, we went to a session called “I Want What She’s Got: How to Cope with Professional Jealousy” led by Avery Flynn and Kimberly Kincaid. Normally I’m a compulsive note-taker, and I live-tweet workshops and panels, but this felt too personal to live-tweet.

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