As a new author, I have spent hundreds on contests and tours to promote my book. In the beginning, I made theme basket that were adorable, but costly to ship. Sometimes, it cost me twice as much to ship an item than it cost.  The idea of a contest is to help you get your name out there.  When does it not work for you?

Jayne Ann Krentz when addressing the subject of contests at 2010 RWA conference spoke about knowing your audience. These are the people most likely to buy your books. What do they want? Her answer was chocolate. In the Pacific Northwest, this might be a good possibility. Where I live there are months we can’t ship chocolate.  What she was really saying is watch that your prize doesn’t attract folks who have no interest in your books.

For instance, many people give away Kindles hoping the winner will download their books. Not so, people who do not care for your genre will participate in the contest sometimes hoping to win an item to gift or resale it. Krentz’s point was not to spend too much money on something you may get no return on. What’s even worse is getting a negative return.

The lack of follow through kills the contest, the company and your name. A few months ago, I won an involved scavenger hunt for romance books. It took me two hours to complete it. The prize was a huge bundle of gifts including books. The author asked for my address. After about a month, I sent a note to see why my prize hadn’t come. Nothing. I checked my email to make sure it went. It did. It’s been three months and no gift. I realize I am not getting anything. Someone dropped the ball. I remember the author well because we have similar names. I remember the sponsoring organization too because I do not want to waste my time on any future contests on that site. As a reader, I felt unimportant.

If you run a contest, you are responsible for delivering the prize. Do not depend on a tour company to do it. I have won probably a half dozen books on tours that I never received. Sometimes the author will ask if I received them. When I tell her I didn’t, I still get nothing. I rather be told I didn’t win. At least, I wouldn’t expect anything. The author didn’t value me and it showed.

On the other hand, I’ve had authors follow up who were perplexed why I never received my prize and handled it on their own. Those writers saw a future reader and reviewer.

As a controlling personality, I send out all my own prizes. Sometimes, they do not end up where they should. This happens more with e-gift cards. I keep checking back to see if they are picked up. One woman had a very difficult time picking up her card. I resent it six times. This is my job. I can’t leave it to someone else to do. Not having follow through hurts credibility. A person might be inclined to read your book, but she didn’t get the prize she was so excited about winning and her inclination changes.

My first boss told me no one talks about you when you do a job right. If you do it wrong, then that’s all they talk about. Same with contests, get your prizes out as soon as you can. Announce the winners if they are okay with it. Thank people for entering. Do not allow yourself to become a victim of contest backlash.

Self Pub Highlights from 2013 RWA Conference

One of the biggest differences about this conference was not only all the successful self-pub authors, but also the information about self-publishing. Here are some of the highlights.

·         Self-pub authors needs to invest in distinctive covers as opposed to buying stock art or designing it themselves.

·         All covers look good big. Check your cover out as a small size, which is how people will see it when scrolling for books.

·         Ask a variety of people to comment on your proposed cover. Often what you think is great doesn’t appeal to other people.

·         Unknown or new author books are selected by the cover and blurb only. Make yours count.

·         Formatting is a relatively easy thing to do. Have a professional do it the first time, it should not cost more than a $100 and is often as low as $50. Anyone who charges you more is making money at your expense.

·         No one can edit his or her own work. A copy editor for a 55,000 word-count book should run between $225-$400 dollars. There are horror stories of sub-par editing by vanity companies that often charge over a $1000. Vanity publishers do not have to employ good publishers. Your best bet is freelance publishers whose reputation is on the line with every book they edit. Get references or recommendations.

·         People still love print books. You can make yours with Amazon Create a Space. The merit of this is not only are you talked through it. For a small $25 licensing fee, you can advertise your print book anywhere. You bypass paying for formatting and ISBN numbers. Create a Space also offers stock covers. I would advise against this since it will make your book look like hundreds of other books.

·         Your name is your brand. Keep your name in the same size font in the same place on your books for easy identification.

·         Self-publishing your own book on Create a Space allows you to buy as many books as you want for promotion purposes at rock bottom prices…usually three dollars.

·         Most online booksellers work on a 30-day cycle. With this in mind, every thirty days you have to put out something new are you’re history. This is hard to do. You might wait until you’ve written enough books together to stagger releases.  Novellas, short stories, and box sets can be releases to keep your name out there.

·         Keywords are very important. Amazon allows you seven. Use them all. Find different categories for your book. Your romantic suspense about horseracing might never make it into the top one hundred for suspense, but might make it for horseracing. Then, in turn, you can advertise it as an Amazon top seller.

·         Use sub categories and sub names. Your book's name is The Horse Racing Fiasco. Your subtitle might be An Equestrian Romance. People browsing for romances will be more likely to find your book out of thousands.

·         One of the first steps to promoting your book is keeping an active author page on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, etc. Be aware you will have to have a page for each country your book is available. Your page that shows us in the US will not be viewable in the UK.

·         Lillian Hart, self-pub author, started her career by releasing five books at once. This made it easy to hook new fans because once they finished one book they started on the next.

·         Self-pub authors are in control of their career with this in mind they do all their own promotion. You can seek out reviewers or bloggers of books similar to yours. Make a spreadsheet because you will want to use these people again.

·         Develop your own street team. Have them leave promo cards everywhere they go from doctor offices to hair salons.

When I first came down on Monday, I wondered if I was making an expensive trip for nothing. I realize the Marriott measures success by how much money they take in. I can’t begin to estimate the thousands, even the millions they made off the conference attendees with the six-dollar bottle of waters and other overpriced items. Success to a writer or an aspiring writer is a little more difficult to measure.

The obtainment of needed information is always good. There were great speakers and workshop leaders.  Members shared information in the goody room or bar, even while waiting to pitch. The general mood was upbeat with few naysayers in the group. Most writers might measure their success on how much fulls were requested, how much swag they distributed or positive networking opportunities.

It is amazing that people who have never met you are willing to share the highs and lows of their publishing career if only to help you miss a few stumbles on your writing path. The majority of information wasn’t in keynote speeches or workshops, but in other members. I found most members were willing to encourage one another, even to suggesting editors, agents and publishers.

 At the end of every RWA Conference is a survey asking what went well and areas they could improve.

This is my lists of things that went well.

*The food was excellent. I will admit to be a foodie.

*Workshops were plentiful and informative.

* The main speakers were nothing short of amazing.

*Chapter parties and meetings went well.

*Easy access to the mall and inexpensive food court help to save on daily dining options.

*The Marta was a cheap alternative to get to the airport.

*The elevators worked!

This is my list of things that need tweaking.

*The wait staff at the luncheons often appeared confused and did not communicate with one another. Participants who had pre-ordered vegetarian meals received their entrée after everyone else started dessert. Requests for ice tea and water glasses that needed refilling went unfilled.

*I noticed this year that more people brought husbands and families, but there was not much to entertain them. After visiting the Coca Cola museum & the aquarium, they could hang out at the small pool and the miniscule non-working hot tub.

*Goody Room supervision was non-existent, which resulted in tumbled masses of books marks and cards that serves neither reader nor writer well.

*As a travel writer, I often get information on trips as soon as I sign onto the Internet. I was surprised to see the room I stayed in at the Marquis went for $105 and at the most $145. Trust me; I ended up paying much more. It makes me wonder why the trumped up charge?

*I did talk to other people who were staying in surrounding hotels who received free breakfast and free Internet. This brings me to the Internet, which was nonexistent. You could pay to have it in your room. The promised ability to use Internet in the lobby or conference center proved to be more in theory as opposed to actual use. Instead, I paid .40 a minute to use Kinko’s computers. This should be a no brainer that writers need a good Internet service.

*Most people did have smart phones they could use for simple messages and browsing, but even these were victims of the dampening blockers placed in the rooms to prevent people from having Internet.

*Parking ran between $32-$40 dollars a day. New York City parking was cheaper. I am willing to bet the Motel 6 I could see from my window charged nothing for parking.

*Finally, I would have enjoyed a mildew-free bathroom. The tile in my bathroom had mildew decorating the tub enclosure. We stayed for a week, as did the mildew.

In summary, I would have to say the areas that needed tweaking were mainly the hotel’s responsibility as opposed to RWA.

I am hard-pressed to tell you what previous RWA conferences main theme were. This conference from keynote speaker Cathy Maxwell boisterous challenge to cast aside all self-doubt to appeals in various workshops to take control was about the writer being in the driver's seat. Writers and would be writers are notorious for giving up control to editors, publishers and even agents. The face of publishing is changing and along with it the atmosphere at the annual RWA conference.

In the pro-retreat, both Dorien Kelley and Courtney Milan, both former lawyers, warn authors to look out for publishers and agents who would happily leading trusting writers into decisions not to their advantage.  Some agents even engage in the habit of negging the clients similar to the behavior pick up artists used to get girls in bars. Never understood how it worked on women, but perhaps understand it less on writers. An agent so devalues a client that she’s grateful for whatever sucky contract he manages to wrangle.

At my table for the luncheon, the necessity of agents came up. Some felt agents outlived their usefulness about the time brick and mortar bookstores began closing their doors. This sentiment reappeared at a chapter party I attended later. Have agents lost their appeal?  Many self-pub authors are going it on their own. Still, there are other stories about agents getting authors better contracts, international rights and audio deals. A good agent is always much cheaper than a literary lawyer.

The prevailing battle cry that echoed through the halls of the cavernous Marriot Marquis is the writer is in charge of their tale. Critique partners, editors, even agents might ask you to change your story. A few will attempt to rewrite it in their voice. Remember that it is always your story.

In a different workshop, a police veteran explained about working narcotics. One of her statement translated well to wring too. You should never work a deal that might damage you or your family life. We give birth to our stories, which, makes them our children. As good parents, do we send our child with someone we don’t trust?

Of course, not, as writers, we can say no. Writers often fear that their careers end with each rejection. Self-pub makes publishing a more accessible industry. Some of the seven sisters are stumbling in their traces, wondering why those willing authors are no longer knocking at their door. This has conference attendees wondering what should be their ultimate goal. I will have to attend a few more workshops before deciding.

The Swag of RWA 2013 Atlanta

Today is the first day of the Goody Room where authors placed swag in hopes that someone will pick it up. I don’t pick up all the swag because some items hold no interest for me. This is the mysterious secret behind finding the right swag; to get the potential reader or networker to pick it up. I would like to highlight ten memorable swags.

1.       My personal favorites are magnets, pens, and emery boards. These useful items stay in the potential reader’s hand for a long time.

2.       Stress balls - These are fun items often stamped with a tag line.

3.       Michelle Willingham’s lunch bag (the insulated kind) was an unusual addition to the swag table this year.

4.       Key chains - Adrienne Giordano included a used bullet casing for her Private Protectors series. (Very clever!)

5.       A full-length book on CD - Callie Hutton’s book Run for Love was a welcome change. It wasn’t a sample and it was on a thin CD, which is so much easier to pack. (Two thumbs up Callie!)

6.       Bag clip - courtesy of Nancy Berland. Nancy is a Public Relations person, which every writer can use. If a writer wants to contact Nancy, all she has to do is look for the bag clip.

7.       Bath Tea - a lovely treat for RWA attendees. This welcome swag is courtesy of Sherry Thomas.

8.       Chewing gum, with a promo cover highlighting Coreene Callahan’s book, was another great find.

9.       The tiny hot sauce bottle with recipe card from Hattie Mae made it on my list.

10.   If all else fails, why not use money? Well, make that British money. That’s what Tracey Devlyn did.

This brings me to my all-time favorite swag from Carolyn Brown who used jalapeno bags to promote The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. Each pepper-decorated bag contained a colorful pepper necklace, business card, jalapeno gummies, a pen and bookmark. (Thanks Carolyn!)

Honorary Mention: Jennifer Bernard’s door hanger with an image of a bare-chested fireman that reads: Do not disturb… I’m reading something hot.

The real test is if any of these will influence me in any way to buy a book. After mentioning all this great swag, I am focusing on two books: The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee and Legacy of the Clockwork Key. As for the last book, a simple postcard pointed out the novel. It sounded like the type of book I might enjoy reading. That is all anyone is trying to do: getting book titles in front of people who might like to read them.

Many aspiring and published writers are trying to figure out what’s the latest trend in books and to copy it.  Vampire novels occurred in dribbles until the success of Twilight. Suddenly, everything was vampire, from television shows to books. Everyone and his cousin had either attempted a vampire novel or included a blood sucking character to try to turn their current novel paranormal. It became so bad that agents and editors are demanding no more vampire novels.

The current trend is emulating the success of Fifty Shades’ success with witless heroines and sadistic, uncaring bad boys. There are a multitude of these books out right now and probably a few thousand in the works. I imagine they’ll sell too.  What is wrong with following trends?

A writer might be slaving away on a fabulous vampire novel. It might be the best ever written, but it comes out after the trend is over. It is hard to interest publishers, agents, or readers in a saturated market. It has as much appeal as last year’s shoes.

It is hard to know when a trend will end. What usually happens is an author rushes through a book without employing professional editing or formatting to get it published fast and cheap. In turn, he or she is associated with an inferior product. That’s another danger of trending. The recent vampire trend has lasted for quite a while, but not as long as Star Trek for example. A trend follower does not know his or her subject.

I will not confess to being a great Star Trek fan, but I do have a memory. This is why I am disappointed in Star Trek novels, where events and aliens are out of chronological order. It isn’t hard to research this, but if you have no interest in doing so, then you won’t. Never mind the timeline, the lackluster writing hurts more.

Write what you love. I know some people will tell you there is no market for it. You don’t need everyone to buy your tale, just about 10,000 consistent fans, according to author Bob Mayer. If you love a genre, you know more about it. It isn’t so much work, but more of an extension of you. It will be your best work. Your best work will sell. Anne Rice sold her vampire and demon tales all the years the creatures of the night weren’t trending.

Trends are like hemlines. Let’s face it. not everyone looks good in a micro-mini skirt and not everyone is destined to write a popular vampire series. Everyone does something well. Focus on that as opposed to what you think you ought to be doing. Your novel might end up as  the next big thing.

 

I heard a show on NPR about the development shows in the 70’s. My first thought was of the inane shows featured lame jokes and plenty of jiggle. The sub-plot made its bow in the 70’s dramas. Now we do not even think about it too much. Watch NCIS, and you see cocky Tony trying to solve the latest murder, while his charming absentee father decides to visit. The father’s visit is the sub-plot and it works well explaining things about the character that were previously unknown.

Suspense writers, good ones, are artisans with the subplots often tying them all together in the end. Trilogies and series depend on the sub-plot to keep a certain premise alive throughout the series. Romances often introduce a minor romance as a subplot to intrigue the reader. Buy the next book to find out more. More often than not, sub-plots wither on the printed page like an earthworm left on the hot pavement. Sometimes they irritate the reader and distract from the main plot.

Not every book needs a sub-plot. Accept it, especially in books less than 50,000 words. Often a sub-plot feels like filler. Case in point, a crime novel by a seasoned author detailed a gifted FBI team chasing down a dangerous cult. In the beginning of the book, a bank is robbed a by sixteen-year-old bank robber who vows revenge against the FBI agent. The girl is hurt and mentally unbalanced and yet she escapes from FBI agents several times, walks through roadblocks and breaks through security systems. This chick on pain meds is more amazing than Tom Cruise ever was in Mission Impossible. That’s what I don’t buy it. Second, her only purpose is to distract our agent from pursuing the cult.

This doesn’t work because it is too improbable. Things could happen to interfere with him getting to the cult leader, but this doesn’t work in my book and it feels like filler. Another curse of the sub-plot is too many subplots. One potentially fun book veered off into a sub-plot on every character’s life and I do mean all eight characters. That took a fun book and put the brakes on the fun part as I waded through all the friends’ issue to find the main character plot line.

Sub-plots can be like listening to half-drunk strangers talk to you at cocktail parties rambling on about nothing. You wonder what the purpose of the subplot is and work to connect it in your mind and realize on the last page it served no purpose other than to boost the word count. It is rather like the stranger who talked only to hear himself talk and never finished his tale.

I have skimmed books with meaningless sub-plots just to get to the gist of the tale. In the end, a subplot often detracts from the tale instead of adding to it. As a writer, think carefully before chasing after a sub-plot. It may not be as wonderful as you think it is.

Hi Ya ’all,

It’s been a wet summer here, which is welcome after two years of drought. Somehow, the wetness has spawned a bumper crop of rabbits competing for the produce in my garden. I’ve tried everything from marigolds to fox urine on one of my uninvited diners.  He hasn’t read any of these gardening manuals about what chases rabbits away. I resorted to chasing the furry critter yelling, “Get out of here.” My ninety-pound dog chased me while I chased it. It would be a whole lot more helpful if he chased the bunny. The rabbit and I are a standoff. I’ll bring him food if he promises to stay in the front yard.

As far as writing, I am taking part in the 31-day blog challenge. Drop in and see what I topics I am tackling. Recently, I investigated the vanishing Amazon reviews and how writers are fighting back. http://writerwonderland.weebly.com/7/post/2013/07/vanishing-amazon-reviews-the-backlash.html.

I’ve joined the Tuesday Tales group. For those who are unfamiliar with the group. A dozen or more writers share snippets of their developing stories based on a common theme every Tuesday. Eventually the snippets turn into a book.  Check it out at Tuesday Tales.  http://tuesdaytales1.blogspot.com/

As far as books go, Dangerous Curves released May 23rd.   Incognito, a fun and sexy romance about mistaken identity is out in July. Seeking Shelter, a mainstream fiction novel about an abused woman escaping her abuser and building a new life, should be out at the end of August. I just received contract for Perfect Stranger, which is a Christmas tale that should be out in November.

The month of July is a busy one for me. I am editing three new books to pitch. Two are the start of two separate new series. I have a new romantic suspense series that features a mysterious, abrupt investigator who always happens to be on the scene when something fatal happens. I am thinking of calling the series, Always Watching.

The second series is a paranormal time travel that focuses on a contemporary family of witches. I am calling the series Pagan Eyes. There will be six books in all. The first one focuses on Leah who keeps slipping back in time, which tends to be unfortunate since in the past they kill witches. She has a task to complete to be able to return to the future. It is unfortunate no one told her exactly what she needed to do.

If you are wondering about Rose’s story from Escaping West, it’s in the works too. I am finishing a contemporary romance entitled The Soul Mate Search, and then it is on to Rose.  My loving husband and soul mate is in the middle of editing that one. Yes, I am very fortunate to be married to a man who is great with websites and knows grammar. To think when we were dating, it never occurred to me to date someone who would be beneficial to my writing. I just thought he was cute, romantic and smart. Gotta love an intelligent man who opens car doors.

Authors remember I not only host book tours on Writer Wonderland, but authors’ promos and blogs too. Because it is open website as opposed to being restricted, excerpts have to stay in the PG range. http://writerwonderland.weebly.com/about.html. The best part is it is free.

See you in August.

 

This will be my third Romance Writers of America conference.  For those of you who don’t have a clue what this means, imagine two thousand romance writers crowded into one hotel. There are workshops, books signings, famous author sightings and pitch opportunities. This is no cheap trip. Unless you live close to Atlanta, the entire trip runs close to $2000 including the $500 registration fee. Some end up paying much more due to shopping, drinking or the distance they are from Atlanta. Why do aspiring romance writers flock to the conference? 
 
Many aspiring writers believe this is their chance to become another Nora Roberts. It makes sense since Nora Roberts was one of the founding members of RWA. The purpose of RWA is to help romance writers become published authors. No other genre has such a comprehensive group. This might be the reason agents and editors come to RWA to listen to anxious writers pitch their tales.
 
One popular writer mentioned at a previous conference that RWA flies in the agents and editors to bring in the money. It certainly works. Not only am I paying $500 to attend, but also the hotel jacked up all room prices on what was already an expensive stay. The rumor was that the agents all ask for your work so you have a positive feeling about the conference. This was easy enough to check.

I’ve been to two conferences so far and had full requests at each. Nothing came of it. The editor who asked for my story at the first conference left her position and sent my book back. The second conference editor returned my book two weeks later, stating she didn’t need any more vampire tales. It was about the Civil War, no vampires were included. As for the other attendees I asked, about 60% did get requests. It isn’t surprising since RWA chapters groom the writers and manuscripts for the romance novel industry. That particular rumor doesn’t have validity. 

Agents are notorious for asking for your work and not calling. This rumor does appear to have some validity. Most of the writers I talked to never heard from the agents requesting their work. Not even to acknowledge they received the work. A few received an automated email. This is not a place to find an agent. Most people are not at their best trying to condense what they’ve done in the last year in an eight-minute pitch. The same agent might be more attentive in a less nerve-wracking environment. So the issue is, where do you normally meet agents? This is why people are willing to fork over the big bucks to meet an agent.

There is a ladder system in place too. Published authors who are making money meet the agents and editors first.  These authors do not promise their firstborn nor do they dress up like a character from their story trying to be memorable. Their pitch focuses on the story.
 
Pitching your book is similar to attending a dance stag. The attendee’s goal is to dance with someone. Does the begging writer who blathers out her life story get to dance? What do you think? The rude writer who ambushes an editor in the bathroom never gets a request for a full. A writer who promises a potential agent with books she hasn’t written will find her life difficult, especially if the agent does request that unfinished manuscript.

Agents and editors are human. While you are pitching your book, stumbling over your character’s name, they might be thinking about how much they need to go to the bathroom or that they are hungry. They are trying to pay attention. It is hard to be interested with dozens of nervous people rushing through their stories, barely taking time to breathe. Be yourself. Take a breath. Be polite. Do not ramble about your children, trip or pets. Be interested in the person you are meeting. If you do these things, your meeting should be more pleasant for the both of you.

Tomorrow, I will address the benefits of attending, besides the pitch appointments.
 

The Scottish Highlands—a place where faeries and brownies and other fae creatures dance through time. On occasion, so do mere mortals.

Determined to regain her royal status, a banished faerie princess accepts a challenge from the High-Queen of the Fae to unite an unlikely couple while the clan brownie attempts to thwart her.

Passion ignites when a faerie-shove propels burned-out business consultant Laurie Bernard through the garden gate, back through time, and into the embrace of Patrick MacLachlan. The arrogant clan chief doesn’t know what to make of the lass in his arms, especially when he recognizes the brooch she wears as the one his stepmother wore when she and his father disappeared.

With the fae interfering at every opportunity, the couple must learn to trust one another while they battle an enemy clan, expose a traitor within their midst and discover the true fate of the missing parents. Can they learn the most important truth—love transcends time?

Journey from the lush gardens of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to the Scottish Highlands of 1509 with Just Beyond the Garden Gate.

The manuscript for 'Just Beyond the Garden Gate' finaled in the From the Heart RW Golden Gateway contest and the Oklahoma RW Finally a Bride contest.

'Just Beyond the Garden Gate' is the first book in the Highland Gardens series. The second book, 'Just Once in a Verra Blue Moon', coming September 2013.

Beyond the Garden Gate is the debut novel of Dawn Marie Hamilton. This historic romance is full of brawny Scots, time traveling fairies and two lovers destined to meet. It all starts with Laurie Bernard who decides she needs a break from catering to executives who act more like divas. Her break leads her to a quaint B &B run by a sweet Scottish couple who have been waiting for her.

Yep, that’s right they’d had their eyes out for her. They knew eventually that the right girl would come along who would be perfect for their son, Patrick. Unlike most matchmaking parents, they never mention their son or their intentions. Good reason too since they might scare off the slightly introverted Laurie. It might be hard to explain that their hard working, handsome son exists more than a couple centuries in the past.

Laurie’s goal is to veg out for a month. Forget about her job and her demanding cousin Finn. What happens is she falls in love with a neglected cabin she finds in the woods. So much so, she talks the B & B owners into renting it to her for a year. The appearance of the small home changes her entire life focus. The sullen gardener decides to help her, but in turns helps herself more. Laurie Bernard may be the answer to lifting a fairy curse.

This is the real reason Laurie finds herself hurtling through space and time only to land at the feet of the most handsome man she’s ever met. All isn’t easy. Not only is the very delicious Patrick engaged to a highland chieftain’s daughter, but also her Da is ready to force a war to insure Patrick marries the gel. Throw in fairies and brownies working against one another, a greedy, deceitful uncle and a lecherous thug who keeps trying to kidnap Laurie and you have problems. Who ever said the path of true love ever ran smooth?

Beyond the Garden Gate contains a vivid backdrop of historical Scotland. Ms. Hamilton has certainly done her research. The secondary characters are well rounded and troublesome for the most part. Patrick and Laurie have great chemistry and witty repartee.

Beyond the Garden Gate is a debut novel, which makes it so extraordinary. Many veteran authors don’t reach this level of characterization and story flow until several books later. You like romance, hunky Scots and fairies, then, this is the book for you.