Slipping into oblivion: How important is visibility?

We're going to leave the ghosts, asylums, and other paranormal entities behind for a bit.  I wanted to talk about something of dire importance to anyone who depends on 'visibility' to survive in this cyber world we live in.  We all know that money, for most of us, is tight and our only venue promo and advertisement is the internet.  So how to keep a consistent presence across the net is a big challenge.  I have inadvertantly tested this and found that slipping into the oblivion is so very easy to do and unfortunately, you sink fast! 

Over the last several months, I've noticed even my most dependable followers have moved on.  It is not a good feeling being alone and unheard, especially for a writer.  My views and comments on this blog have dropped drastically and are non-existent on my website. So what is the problem?

• Updates.  This is something that is a necessessity, and I do religiously keep up with. Fresh conversation and topics draw your readers and show them you are out there. So, I know I'm okay in this department.
• Topic/Content.  Maybe my topics are uninteresting to others?  Could be an issue but I wouldn't know that unless someone said "Hey, you're boring the bejeebers out of us, already!"
• Visibility. Bingo! This one is a biggie.  I have been so tied up with other responsibilities that my overall visibility had dropped excessively.  What does that mean?  Well, for instance, I have not spent the time needed to visit other blogs, give interviews, hold contests, author spotlights have slimmed out, and hold the occasional give-away to drawn interest.  I have attempted to visit my favorite blogs in the last couple of weeks and comment but I suppose because I cannot do this as a daily routine my visitations may be lost in the mire.  I am only able to follow through on this on a weekly basis.
• Loops and Blogs. Another major problem for me is finding the time needed to remain visible on the loops and blogs I belong to.  Whew! this is a major challenge for me. I have attempted to incorporate one morning a week to do this.  But again, it seems futile as I don't really see any gain from this.  Not complaining.  Will keep plugging and keep working at it. Solutions are hard won especially with life biting at your heels.  Everyone has one and all the demands that come with it, so I'm not alone. Were there an easy solution, it would be a perfect world, would it not?
• New Material/Releases. Another huge obstacle.  I have been pulled from my personal works for sometime now.  I haven't been able to write except in limited spurts of time, nor am I the type of writer that can force the muse, so much of those times may produce nothing, nada, blank pages... I will say that I have no less than five/six projects in different stages!  I just need to sit down and get them going. More likely--get them finished!  New releases regularly are the key.  Each new project, its promo, etc. bring potential new readers and bring back your faithful followers.  Without fresh material flooding the saturated market, you are guaranteed a nosedive into oblivion.  Trust me, I know...

Well, that said, I am going to pull out one of those projects I mentioned and get to work. As Nike says: Just do it!

D~

To Brand or not to Brand

Please welcome Cari Quinn, graphic artist. Hi, Cari!

Hello, Dayana. Thank you for having me today, Dayana!

While my first love is writing, my day job is as a graphic designer and proofreader at a community newspaper. Having worked in graphic design for almost a decade, I'm used to seeing what works - and what doesn't - on the page. Clarity and brevity are essential, and most importantly, a design piece is only as good as it reproduces.

But this doesn't apply to writers, right? Not so. Your brand is a visual interpretation of you and your product.

What color scheme have you chosen for your webpage and/or blog? Is it mirrored in your bookmarks, business cards and any other promotional materials? Perhaps not, but if you carry through your theme, the more recognizable your name becomes. Preferably, this theme works with your tagline and with your product. Maybe you write all over the map (as I do) or maybe you have two main genres in which you write. In those cases, generic is best, but perhaps there are design elements you can pick up that apply to both and would work well on your webpage and bookmarks, for example. An easy one...do you write paranormal romance featuring werewolves and vampires? A three-quarter moon in the night sky might be the perfect element to evoke the reaction you're hoping to create in your reader. In my opinion, simpler is best. You're trying to create a feeling, not bombard the senses. Just as a lipstick imprint on an envelope is sexy and romantic, it's also clean and basic. That's what you're looking for. That snap of instant recognition that, if you're lucky, will become something your readers instantly associate with you.

That's also where your tagline comes in. Do you have one? A tagline encapsulates your work in one or two sentences and lets your reader know what to expect when they pick up your story. When I started writing a few years ago, my tagline was "Because love - and sex - can be funny." I chose this because everything I write seems to have a thread of humor running through it. As I went along, I realized that tagline didn't work for me anymore, because I was branching out. Yes, my stories still usually have a humorous element (or so I hope!) but I'm also writing darker pieces now, such as Urban Fantasy. So I went back to the drawing board and came up with "What's more dangerous than falling in love?" I'm a romance writer, and by putting that word "dangerous" in my tagline, hopefully the reader gets the impression that there may be darker aspects to my writing. Even when I write straight contemporary, that tagline works.

Being succinct is key. Think what you would want someone to say about your work, and see if you can tie that into your tagline. If you're really creative (and we all are, or we wouldn't be writers), look for ways to tie your tagline into the branding of your website and promotional materials. You write paranormal and cozy mysteries? Have that slice of moon on the top of your webpage? Maybe add a gleaming silver knife with one drop of blood to represent the mysterious side of your writing persona. And perhaps your tagline is, "Sexy romance filled with things that go bump in the night." Okay, not great, but it's just an example for you to use as a springboard for your own ideas.

I also think having a logo is important. YOU are your own company. And the more places that people see your specific logo and tagline, always represented in the same way, the more often that becomes imprinted on a reader's mind. Recognition is your best friend as an author. If Sally Jane is sitting home looking for a spicy book to download and she remembers seeing your splashy, unique logo on a blog somewhere, you may just be the one whose books she searches out to read. In this time of self-promotion, it's vital you give yourself every opportunity to succeed. In case any of you stop by my blog, I don't have a new logo up yet. ;) But I will soon!

One last word about branding and creating a mood with your promotional materials. As I mentioned earlier, a design is only as good as it reproduces, which is why blogs that are dark in color with red or white type rarely work well. Anything that is hard to read gives your potential reader a reason to bypass your page - something you do not want. True, there are sites like Readability, http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ which can translate most blogs/webpages into something easy on the eyes, but most people don't want to go through that extra step. Keep your design elements to the tops and sides of your pages and leave the areas where you type as clean as possible. And be brief, as brief as you can while still getting your message across. I love to read, but when I see a blog that's a page long or more, I cruise on by. At best, I hit the highlights. Which brings me to another point. Try to break long passages into sections, with bullets that make it easy to skim. Anything that encourages your reader to stay a while is a very good thing!

Thank you for reading! I'll be around to answer any questions or comments. I'm considering doing a series of posts on this subject on my own blog, so please stay tuned!

Cari Quinn
www.cariquinn.blogspot.com
Wow! Great information isn't it? Thanks for sharing all this, Cari. Please stop by again any time you like. I really enjoyed this.

Also, for those of you who haven't checked out my blog post yesterday, I talk about additional exposure ideas and thoughts. Thanks for dropping by today.

More thoughts on gaining exposure on the internet.

Well it seems July has about flown the coop. Time certainly does fly, doesn't it. I noticed that, other than the guest spots, visits/comments have slowed noticably this month. I am one for keeping my website and blog current and fresh, so it's a little disappointing when you don't see much traffic. I'd like to discuss how to get more traffic to our respective internet venues.

Catherine Bybee spends hours and hours on this very subject. And I for one am heeding her words. I have joined Coffee Time, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, keep blog and website freshly updated, as I mentioned above, and try to get to other blogs and loops to leave comments. That is a challenge in itself I have found as there are only so many hours in a day. But interacting is so very important, so I will continue to work on getting around the internet to other blogs and loops in hopes that those people will do the same.

I will also experiment with Catherine's suggestion to read and review other author's books. I have done reveiws, albeit, under another pseudonym and on a more professional level. Though being in the position that I'd like to see reveiws written by my readers, I definitely can return the favor. Nothing like a peer kudo on your book cover!

I was recently approached via email by a marketing company whose name I will not disclose who claims to be able to get my name and books out to more than 5,000,000 readers within my writing parameters. Hmmm... I thought. What's the ticket on that? So, I sent an email inquiring they send me more information as I send no personal information over the net such as phone number, address, etc. EVER! They did respond and the lowest circulation which I think was something like 500K was almost $600 and $800 for circulation to one million then up to $2100! Hellooo I'm still considered a starving artist at this point in my career! That ain't happening:)

Anyway, just some thoughts to toss out there.

Cari Quinn will be dropping in tomorrow to discuss more on getting our names circulating out in cyberspace. She will be discussing branding, website etiquette and graphic art. Please come by and check her out.

Talk soon. Any suggestions and ideas you have are more than welcome on the art of making internet noise:)

D~

Twitter dee, twitter dum...

Okay, so I've finally joined My Space and discovered Twitter. I'm working on Facebook, considering the necessity of one more venue to update, LOL I'd like to have a full out discussion on the merits of all these hookup spots. Marketing/promo/branding for us writers is very important and like me most don't have the funds to hire advertising firms to take care of this for us. Let's put out heads together this weekend and share ideas for getting our names out there. What are you doing? What cost effective venues are you using?

While you're pondering the above don't forget to stop in and visit with Mary Ricksen tomorrow. She is the next guest up and author of Tripping Through Time.

Well, its off to the day job for me. Wishing you all a wonderful day:)

Dayana~

Time Management: Part 3 Handling the Unexpected:)

Good Morning! Are we ready to practice all the great suggestions at handling our time management whoas? I've crafted my proposed list, for the week and daily, in my day planner and already have a major crimp in my plans for the week. After nine glorious days off from the day job (taken to catch up with my real life, LOL) I have to figure that into my planner as of today. UGH! Eight hours wasted! *grin*

Here's my plan:

6-7:30AM - Read, answer email, and update blog if necessary.(daily)

8:20AM - Off to the day job (daily)

Lunchtime (whatever time that happens to be) - Feed myself, take care of my GypsyLee(she gets fed and her meds, etc.) and then let the neighbor's dogs out(part of my daily schedule until further notice)

Back to work (daily)

5:30PM - Home, repeat doggy care for mine/add a walk for Gypsy:) and let the neighbor's dogs out. Make dinner, check email while cooking. Enjoy Dinner, clean up.

8:00PM - Sit down and relax for one hour with House-one of the few TV shows I allow in my schedule. (Monday nights though I have a show on Wednesday and Thursday, as well, I watch) So proposed schedule repeats on those nights.

9:00PM - Writing or other craft related time until bedtime. I have two projects planned for completion this week. We'll see if I make my mark.

Approximately 12:00AM - Nitey nite:)

Now I have several things that will inevitabley be interrupting above plans. One a precruise get together with my RWA Chapter on Wednesday night in which I will be hanging out with...

Don't be jealous...

are you ready?

Rhonda Penders of The Wild Rose Press and Liana Laverentz twice winner of the Golden Leaf Award(Hope I've gotten this contest name correct) for both her novels, Thin Ice and Jake's Return.

And though I have tentatively planned on taking weekends off, for the most part, I do tend to do some sort of work during them. I will have Liana staying with me Saturday and Sunday. Rhonda, Liana, and I will be hanging out together Saturday, as well, when the cruise ship returns. So See? I've a full week planned. Let's see just how much I really get accomplished.

I should mention that I have some marketing plans and an interview to write up and blog about to toss into the mix:) Can't wait to begin ticking items off my very long list:)

There you have it. What about you? What is on your agendas for the week? I'd love to hear about it.

Have a great and productive day!

D~

Author Loops: How useful are they?

Has anyone had the embarrassing experience of posting to an author loop and being virtually ignored? Have you felt maybe these loops are no more than who can schmooze who the best? Has anyone found any particular value in spending hours reading and answering posts just so maybe someone will by chance respond to yours?

I have good reason for asking these questions. I have delved into introducing myself on several author loops for marketing/branding purposes and found that aside from being mainly a popularity contest much like the high school cheering squad but mainly in effective, as it would take more time to schmooze some responses from these very motivated individuals than I have to donate to the loops.

I am truly not being mean but what does it take to get a response on those loops? In my experience and talking amongst some of my author peers/friends, I have heard similar thoughts about the loops. The same people respond to the same people day after day.

Has anyone actually experienced any marketing value from bouncing around these loops? Are other authors buying and reading your books? What about reader loops? Where are they? Anyone know? In my opinion, I would think visiting 'reader' loops would be much more rewarding. Putting up release announcements, blurbs, excerpts for peer authors other than for support (of which I've experienced shall we say the cold shoulder) doesn't seem the least bit fruitful.

Okay, on this point, I am not saying that authors are not readers because many of you and other authors who I don't even know on a personal level have supported me throughout my career. I just question the value of trying to 'join' in the buzz on the loops. It seems a waste of valuable marketing time to me. I work a full time job, a home business, and write. Marketing is very important and personally, I am not in a position to waste time on non-productive marketing venues.

Any opinions out there? What has your experience been with these loops? Anyone have any hints on 'fitting in?' On making these loops advantageous?

I'm curious. Please pipe in and give your thoughts. I have teetered on the fence for a long time as to whether I should continue to try to get some 'notice' on these loops or just leave well enough alone.


D~

Please Welcome my guest and good friend, Pam Ridley, author Lies Too Long

Spreading the Word (literally and figuratively) or Marketing Basics

The last time you read a book by an unfamiliar author, what was the number one motivating factor triggering your selection?

I was going to ask this question in a survey, but the answer seemed too obvious to bother. Subject matter. The book’s subject was an area of interest. Beyond the genre being of interest, to sustain a reader past the first few pages, the characters must be engaging. In the midst of their dramatic circumstances they have sparked enough emotion to make us care what happens to them.

But here’s the big question for an author whose work hasn’t been discovered by Oprah or a big name publisher: how do I get my well-written, emotion packed book into the hot little hands of the reader?

Dayana offers the following suggestions:

(1) Keep a blog and website updated.
(2) Contests are a big way to get your name out there.
(3) Business cards, magnets, bookmarks plus brochures to offer with prize bags, baskets, and promo packages are all good ideas.
(4) Networking. Get active with peers, loops, writing groups, community; anywhere to get your name and brand(that's clearly another subject) out there.

Author Sharon Wildwind (www.sincguppies.org/authors/a.wildwind.html) shares what works for her:

(1) Since my books have a veterans' theme, I do a targeted post-card mail out to all military
libraries, veterans' hospitals' patient libraries, and a list of people who have said, "Let me know when the next book comes out."
(2) An Internet presence through lists, a blog, a web site, etc.
(3) Donations to conventions and to individuals. This is where I combine art with promotion. There's always something hand-made with the book, even if it's only a card. The things I make most frequently are tea cozies, book bags, and decorated pencil tins.

So what strategies will I personally pursue in advance of my new book coming out in December 2009? Who exactly is my target audience? Readers of romantic suspense, yes, but I decided to take a more careful look and came up with this answer to who would want to read this book:

Read Another Memory if you believe the lines between this world and the next can blur. Read this book if you believe life can steal every shred of joy, and still the human spirit refuses to give up hope. Read this book if you believe our elders teach us to celebrate life. Read this book if you believe in love.

Now my audience is even more defined and
(1) I can direct my advertising dollar accordingly, which would be largely devoted to an Internet presence; ads, guest blogging, writing stories for sites and ezines that will link to my site, as well as making a book trailer.

(2) I will keep in touch with my fan base who read my previous books and trust they would want to read this one.

(3) It’s always a good idea to keep copies in the car trunk because you never know when an opportunity will present itself. I have no problem giving away copies because the important thing is that the book gets read to support word-of-mouth advertisement. That’s the best way to spread the word.

Pamela Ridley
www.p-ridley.com/

Wow! What a week!

I have had the most productive week that I have experienced in my entire career as a writer! I am both excited and awed and I must say, even abit humbled.

Allow me to backtrack a moment...

When I released my first book, Dancing on the Edge, writing as S. L. Connors, I truly had no clue what to do, how to do it, or even where to do it. I took baby step after baby step into the unfamiliar waters of everything from submitting the manuscript, editing, publishing, and marketing the finished product. Yes, and like a toddler struggling with its first steps, I took many stumbles and falls along the way. The entire process was slow, grueling work, and I must admit frustrating. My most frequent mantra was, "I'd much rather be writing! Why can't I just write!"

Well, it seems that all that hard work and lurching about has finally paid off. Maybe not so much for my first novel, but it seems I am doing a better job at falling into the proper venues of introducing my new book, Curse of the Marhime, and my name, Dayana Knight, into the proverbial limelight.

I've done all the logical things such as: create a website, blog, book trailer, business cards, send announcements out on all the loops I can. And delved into the world of contests. Market, market, market!

Now back to the good fortune the Craft Goddess has smiled down upon me this week.

First, I received an invitation to be a sponsoring author for LASR's (The Long and Short Review) First Anniversary celebration which I graciously accepted.

Then I was invited to be interviewed by peer author and friend, Allie Boniface(http://allieboniface.blogspot.com/), on her blog this coming Wednesday, July 23rd. Please, by all means, tune in.

Next, I had emailed my announcement of Curse of the Marhime's sale to The Wild Rose Press in hopes of getting a mention in the RWA's "First Sales" column in the RWA Report Magazine as well on the RWA official site and was advised my mention is slated for the October issue! This is perfect timing because my ebook release date is Spetember 5th and the print is slated for December, 2008.

On Friday evening I returned home from work and, as is my habit, fired up my laptop to check my email. Well, I came across an email from LASR announcing 'free advertising' so, of course, I opened it. LASR offered three months free ad space on their website for the first ten respondents so, you guessed it, I hurried and shot a response back. I won! I never win anything, but I was number eight and won!

Okay, now I'm doing Snoopy happy dances because I just can't contain my good fortune any longer and emailing anyone I possibly can to share my glee.

This morning I received yet another offer for marketing from another peer author and friend, Donna Sundblad, asking if I'd be interested in being interviewed on BlogRadio.

Can I just say, I can't believe the opportunities that have suddenly dropped into my lap. This is incredibly exhilarating, and it just proves that persistance does, in fact, reap it's just rewards.

Book Trailer, 101

Book trailers are fast becoming the next hot commodity for emarketing books. Like movie trailers, they provide prospective readers a glimpse of your book and even offer wonderful and free venues to air them. Namely, YouTube(www.youtube.com) and Preview The Book(www.previewthebook.com) as well as placing them on your blogs and websites.

But, I don't know the first thing about creating a book trailer, you admit rather dejectedly.

I didn't know anything either about the process, but I've found ways around my lack of computer saavy. Here's how I created my book trailer which you can view below on the 'Introduction' post of this blog.

I had absolutely no experience on the subject until about a year ago when I wanted to revive a crime suspense novel I'd released, December, 2006 under another pen name, that had not gotten much PR. One, it was my first published novel, and two, I was greener than Spring grass:)

I fell upon a peer author who created and produced trailers and was gracious enough to work with me on mine for a nominal--and I must add--a reasonable fee. She tutored me on the ins and outs and worked me through the below steps. All of which helped me when it came to my current release, Curse of the Marhime.

1. Consider carefully the theme and mood of your book.

2. Go to stock photo sites and peruse photos that would work to describe your story and even represent your characters. The stock photos sites I use are http://www1.istockphoto.com and http://dreamstime.com/. These sites do charge as little as $1 per photo but are royalty free. Membership is free and it's easy to register. There are free stock photo sites out there, but I prefer the knowledge that I have definite rights to the photos.

3. Go to stock music sites and choose music you feel would work with the mood and theme as well. This is more grueling than searching pictures but well worth the work it entails to pull the perfect music for you trailer. I use www.sounddogs.com. Again there are free music downloading sites but I choose to be sure of my rights.

4. Now you've selected photos and music, you'll need to write a script. Curse of the Marhime runs two minutes so my script had to reflect this. You can begin with a one minute trailer, as well. A word of advise, I would not go over the two minute mark because they tend to become boring and readers may lose interest. I actually wrote more than necessary but my producer(Allie Boniface) took the script tags that worked best with the photos. I created my script and pictures around the events as they unfold within the book, so it was easy to write. Sort of like outlining the story.

5. Production. This step is lost to me so I turned it all over to my producer. She put the trailer together and then sent me a preview. Curse of the Marhime trailer was perfect on the first viewing and needed no revision process!

I am thrilled with its outcome and am confident that it will entice readers to rush out and purchase my book.

6. Get that trailer out there! Prior to having your release date, you can load the trailer on YouTube and, of course, your own blog/website to get exposure. Once your have a release date, you will want to load it on Preview the Book a very popular site for readers to check out upcoming book releases. And all are free! What could be better? Your publisher will probably have a venue of exposure for you trailer as well, so don't forget to ask.

I hope this information is helpful and I would like to take a moment to direct you to a very talented woman and author, Allie Boniface, if you would like help creating your book trailer. She will work with you or do it all. Fees depend on the level of work and research she does on each project. Please see contact information below:

http://www.allieboniface.com

To sample Allie's work, please visit her YouTube page:

http://youtube.com/user/AllieB1970

Thanks, as always, for dropping by.

Next discussion: The importance of copyrighting your work. Hints and information on how and why you should do it.