Promopalooza time.

I see a lot of promo on Facebook, including people who don't pay attention to a group's rules when they join and post promo that violates the rules. We have this problem a lot in the Erotic Romance group. Ironically, very few people break the rules in the BDSM Bibliophreaks group. Hmmm.

So I created three promo-specific groups authors, bloggers, and reviewers can feel free to promo in. Please note the specificity of each group (it's easy, it's right in the name):

BDSM Books Promopalooza
GLBTQ Books Promopalooza
Menage Books Promopalooza

Enjoy!

Friday frappe.

Time for another mash-up of things I've gleaned from the interwebs (other than pictures of cats).

Great article at the Writer Beware blog about when to refuse a contract (complete with reference links): http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-blog-post-mustering-courage-to.html

A couple of great articles from LiveScience about dreaming here http://www.livescience.com/24707-dreams-sleep-science.html and here http://www.livescience.com/17290-facts-dreams-nightmares.html.

Don't be drinking anything (you have been warned) when you read Kristen Lamb's latest blog post. The WANA guru for writers has hit this one out of the park. http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/why-settle-for-your-readers-wallet-when-you-can-get-in-her-pants/

For a turn of mood, stop by the Prescription for Murder blog for a discussion about deadly flowers: http://jamesjmurray.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/flowering-plants-beautiful-but-deadly/

From the Huffington Post, 7 Creativity Tips From a Top Mathematician: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hilary-harkness/creativity_b_2111428.html

And now for something completely different, I am a recent Ana White fan. She's got a great DIY project on her website for a farm table, just in time for Thanksgiving: http://ana-white.com/2012/11/plans/farmhouse-table-updated-pocket-hole-plans

And I received my latest writerly toy tool from Writer's Digest yesterday. The Storymatic: http://thestorymatic.com/





And finally, a rational (and short) article listing the basic pros and cons of self-publishing from DailyWritingTips.com: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-rewards-and-risks-of-self-publishing/

Rainy day blues? Pimp your book! :)

I love rainy weather, but #Debby has given me a touch of cabin fever. To take my mind off it, I'm opening the comments section of this post for today ONLY (I'll close the comments tomorrow) for you to PIMP YOUR BOOK! That's right, give us a title, blurb, and a buy link. (No excerpts, please, for space.) Any genre, any heat level, and up to THREE per author. (One book per comment, please.) So go ahead and pimp your book and let's see how many new reads we can discover.

Ready?

GO...

Self-Promotion Tutorial for Writers is Ready!

The promised tutorial on self-promotion for writers is here!

"Pimp Yourself: Easy, Painless, and Cheap Self-Promotion for Writers" is now available as a .pdf in the files section of my Yahoogroup newsletter at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TymberDalton_updates/

 Please do NOT upload or share this file anywhere else! Refer people to my newsletter group to get it.

I'm not charging for this tutorial. All I ask is that if you find it helpful, please make a donation of a minimum of $1 (because of payment fees) to me through PayPal.com or Dwolla.com to: tymberdalton@gmail.com

It's nearly 20k words long, and I cover a variety of topics from picking a pen name, why use Gmail, and even some tips for those who are self-published. I also include a list of resources in the back that I either use or have heard of.

To get it, you need to log into the group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TymberDalton_updates/ (you need to be a member of the group to download it) and click on the Files link in the left menu. You'll see it.

The direct link is: http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/oB3VTnohDR0EXYnUzi11lZsERh7IxQLICKlh6f-7vjzUEJ9AwI-fFH96TY6VgHQ3FY-6djNXvDXTwYUm8WXoQA/PimpYourself_TymberDalton.pdf (but again, you need to be a member of my newsletter - FREE - to be able to access the link).

Enjoy!!

Writing How-To: Promo on the Cheap

I know I’ve harped on promotion before, but it can be overwhelming for an author, especially a new one, to effectively do it. There are so many avenues out there, free and that will cost you, that it’s mind-numbing to make a decision.

Rest assured, you can do a lot of effective promoting without spending more than a few dollars to register a domain name.

1. Get a website. Preferably, your pen name in .com, .net, and possibly .org if it’s in your budget. (I recommend Godaddy.com for domain registration.)

2. Get a Gmail address for your pen name. Use ONLY that email address, for fan mail and publication. (This will help keep your private email private.) (Free.)

3. Get a blog. If you aren’t able to make a website, then go to Blogger (http://blogger.com) and register one there. (Free.)

4. Go to Godaddy.com (or wherever you registered your domain at) and POINT them (forward them, depends on the terminology) at the blog address. It will take probably up to a couple of hours to take effect.

5. There are HUNDREDS, if not thousands, of free Blogger templates out there you can use to customize your blog. If that’s beyond you, you can use one of the pre-installed templates.

6. BLOG your ass off. Not just about your upcoming release, but about whatever. (Seriously, I recommend staying away from politics and religion.) Try to post at least once a week. Use tags in your posts. When should you start promoting if this is your first release and it’s not even out yet? You should have already started getting your name out there.

7. Don’t just copy/paste your text from Word into your blog. Make SURE you go back and preview it to make sure there are paragraph breaks, no typos, etc. (PROOFREAD your blog!!)

8. Facebook. Set up a PAGE and promote THAT. (Once you get over 25 followers, you can change the name of it to an easy url.) Don’t promote your profile because as of now, you’re limited to 5,000 friends. The pages are better suited for author promotions. Use the NetworkedBlogs app to set it up so your blog posts automatically post to your Facebook account. (Free.)

9. Set up a Twitter account for your pen name. (Free.)

10. Use the TweetDeck application (Free) to post to your Twitter and Facebook page at the same time. (Wise use of time. There are other applications too, like HootSuite, and others.)

11. Go to Amazon.com once your book is available there and set up an author page. (Free.) Set your blog RSS feed and Twitter feed to post to it. (See where I’m going with this?)

12. Goodreads.com – Ditto. (Free.) Set it up to pick up your blog RSS feed.

Okay, so far, all this (except for the cost of registering your domain name) is FREE. Totally free. And you can set many of these things up to cross-post automatically. You blog, and it can post to Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads. You can post a Tweet and Facebook update at the same time. You can also install apps on your blog to post your Tweets automatically, so you have that option as well.

Do you see where I’m going with this? If you set as much up to cross-pollinate, so to speak, it will allow you to promote not only for free, but in one fell swoop. This is all stuff I’ve talked about before, but it’s now easier than ever to accomplish it.

There are also smart phone apps for many of the applications, so if you’re on the go you can post updates.

I don’t want to hear you say, “I don’t have time to promote.” Once you get just these things set up, you can literally cover a wide swath of promotions in just a few minutes of time every week. Think of what you could accomplish if you spent an hour a week? Ten minutes a day for six days a week. How cool is that?

I’ve also talked about things like email lists (Yahoogroups), but you can also participate in Facebook pages and groups. There are reader sites like AllRomanceebooks.com, CoffeeTimeRomance.com, ManicReaders.com, RomanceDivas.com, RomanceJunkies.com, Longandshortreviews.com, NightOwlRomance.com, and many others. (And that’s just for romance, not counting non-romance sites out there.)

Yes, some of those sites have advertising packages, but many of them have discussion boards…FREE.

The important thing is to get out there, build a relationship with your readers, not just shoving your books in their faces, but getting to know them, letting them get to know you, interact with them.

Now get out there and promo your ass off! :)

Promo is NOT Optional

You struggle and work and sweat and cry and bleed and rip a piece of your guts out and -- finally -- you have a book and it's *gasp!* accepted by a publisher.

That was the easy part.

As an author in today's digital age, you cannot breathe a huge sigh of relief and go on to the next book without a look back. I've talked about this before, but you are competing against a huge (and ever growing) pool of writers who are just as hungry to sell their books as you are.

The problem for you, of course, is if they're even more hungry to sell books than you are.

Now, there is a right way to promo your work and a wrong way. I've briefly touched on the wrong way (spamming, annoying the crap out of people, doing diddly squat). I've also mentioned a few avenues for the right ways (Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail lists, blogging).

But if you do nothing but put out a few posts when the book comes out and then sit back and chill, don't be surprised if your royalty statements reflect that. And it's not the publisher's fault (usually).

It's yours.

In the good ole' days of publishing, publishers put money behind their authors, set up press junkets, and paid advances that allowed bigger name writers to hire publicists to help get the word out.

That was pre-social networking, and before the destruction of the archaic publishing model as we knew it for decades. Now, publishers cannot afford to spend money on unknowns, and if you're signed with a small indie publisher, they usually can't afford to spend money on ads. (There are exceptions, of course, but many can't.)

You are competing against a ton of other authors for space on readers' TBR list. You want to develop a presence with readers that makes them want to immediately click on your buy link and download your book to their device. You want to be more than just a byline on a book cover -- you want to be a personality. You want to give them value-added content, be it free stories or funny or informative blog posts or whatever. You want to keep your name out there as a participant on e-mail lists or social networking circles or whatever it is you choose to use for promotions.

If you sit back on your ass and wait for sales, good luck with that. You should be prepared to see your figures in the toilet. You should spend as much time on your promotions (and again, this doesn't have to involve money, just a lot of time and effort) as you do on your writing.

And if you can't stomach the thought of doing that, then maybe this isn't the right line of work for you. Sorry for the tough love there, but I get tired of hearing newbie writers lamenting poor sales, and when I ask them how much promo they do they say they don't. Or worse, they say they hate to promote themselves, so they don't do it.

We're not talking spamming people. We're talking getting your name out there, building a brand, a presence people can get to know, and working your tuckus off to keep you name out there on a regular basis. No, it's not an overnight thing, and sometimes it will take two or three or four books to really start to see a building sales trend from your backlist as more people get to know you, but like anything worth investing in, the more effort you put into it, the more return you will get.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

How NOT to use Facebook if you're a writer.

Lately, there's been a pretty aggravating trend of writers not using Facebook the way it was intended (as a pretty good social networking site) but as...well...

A $2 whore.

This trend seems to be predominant amongst newbie and self-published writers, although it's not exclusively limited to writers. I've seen plenty of self-help gurus and others doing the same thing.

Lately, I've been SWAMPED with "friend" requests. The problem is, now I'm seeing a lot of these aren't "friend" requests, but people who have scoured friend lists of other Facebook users and decided to add me too. Which poses a problem for me, because while I don't really want to be "friends" with people whose book/product I have no interest in buying, I also don't want to not friend someone who is a genuine reader of MY work.

Also lately, another annoying (downright RUDE) trend has occurred: people who I accept their friend request proceeding to post what is tantamount to an advertisement on MY Facebook wall about their book/product/blog/whatever.

Eh, no. That's the fastest way for me to unfriend and block you (as well as delete the post you put up on my wall).

That's the equivalent of me walking up to your house and slapping a big-assed advertisement on the wall without asking you first, then saying hi, howya doing? and walking away. Would that piss you off?

It should. And I'm not alone.

So being the helpful thing that I am, I decided I was long overdue to post a helpful blog entry about how NOT to use Facebook. I wish this was stuff I knew when I first joined Facebook, because it would have saved me a lot of grief now.

Also, keep in mind that fellow writers are NOT really your target audience, bunky. So going through and prevuing other people's friend lists to friend people isn't helping you. We're too busy pimping our own books to buy yours usually. Especially if you're pimping something like a children's book and I'm an EROTICA writer.

Duh.

In fact, I just weeded down my friends list, removing people who obviously had "friended" me to up their friend count, not because they were interested in my works. (For example, a ultra-conservative religious right-wing politico probably isn't interested in my Pagan, liberal, GLBT-friendly beliefs and writings.) And yes, I'm guilty of not checking out people's profiles before I accept their friend requests because until recently, I didn't realize this was a problem. Which put me in the position of not knowing if someone is friending me because they're a reader, or because they want to sell me something. And I don't want to risk alienating a reader, but I don't want your fricking spam either.

1) Don't be a whore. Facebook isn't about getting as many friends as you can because--wake-up call--unless Facebook has changed something recently, you are limited to the number of "friends" you can have. Instead, you should...

2) Use a fan page. When posting Facebook links, post THAT link. Keep all your book/product-related posts there to drive people genuinely interested in that to your fan page. Share the fan page link on your profile on a frequent basis if you've already accumulated a large number of "friends" who might or might not be your target audience.

3) Have a private Facebook page ONLY for family/friends and keep it PG to G-rated. I've had friends who've had to unfriend me because they worried my book cover images weren't appropriate for some of their friends/family. I couldn't even friend my own son because I'd set my profile to 18-and over only. For my private profile, I ONLY accept friend requests from relatives/friends I actually know.

4) Don't post just stuff selling your book. Post funnies, quotes, stuff going on. Link your blog to your Facebook fan page so it also posts there.

5) Ditch the apps. Seriously. It's a HUGE complaint I hear from others. Save the apps for your private page. I personally block ALL new apps regardless of who they come from as soon as I see them because they clog my feed. It's also not professional.

6) Do NOT post a link/picture/video to your own stuff on someone else's page without asking them first. That's RUDE. When someone does that to me, I immediately remove the post, unfriend the person, and block them from future contact. I'm not alone there either. Not the best way to make sales, eh?

7) Groups are a pain in the butt IMO. NEVER add someone to your group without permission. PERIOD. If you have a group, especially if it's languishing, try using a fan page instead. Go easy on the event invites and messages. Try to use a separate opt-out newsletter and drive people toward that instead.

8) Don't send me a private message asking me for money or to donate to your project or whatever. I'll delete it and unfriend you. (I had a guy looking for financing for his film project hit me up this morning, which finally drove me over the edge to write this post.)

9) If you have interests you like to post a LOT about, consider a fan page for those and keep your book fan page specific to that so you don't bore the crap out of your readers. Or if you write erotica and non-erotica, set up a fan page for the book/series/pen name/whatever. Nothing says you can't cross-promote as needed, but people reading children's books might not be interested in your erotica. This does not conflict with tip #4, but you need moderation when posting about non-book stuff.

10) Try to stay away from controversy. Yes, it's your page and I'm not saying don't be true to yourself, but remember you're marketing. Try to avoid politics/religion when pimping your books. (I don't always succeed here myself, but I try.)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

"Fierce Radiance" Coming Monday, Feb. 15th!

Geez, you can tell I've been swamped, I totally brain farted and forgot to post my cover and info on "Fierce Radiance!" It's coming Monday, Feb. 15th from Siren-BookStrand, but it's already available for pre-order!

http://www.bookstrand.com/fierce-radiance

Blurb:

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Sci-Fi Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/F, M/M, Dom/sub]

Being orphaned twice, tragedy defined starship captain Aine Lorcan’s early life. As a result, she buried herself in her work and earned her “Ice Queen” nickname. When she crash lands after a raider attack, it’s hunky Act’huran Commander Sammuel Jorvis who rescues her.

Sammuel and Ker have searched to find the perfect third to complete their triad. Aine first tries to fight the attraction she feels for Sammuel before giving in to his sinfully hot brand of persuasion. Meeting Ker only cements the love she has for the men and her feeling of belonging.

When duty calls and the Confederation wants her back, she wages a war of conscience. Stay with her men, or fulfill the legacy her two fathers died to help her achieve? Now with one of her men in danger, will Aine’s love burn out, or will she live up to her reputation of Fierce Radiance?

--

Now, don't assume it's a BDSM book just because you see Dom/sub. *LOL* Actually, it's not BDSM, although there are two haaaawwwttt Alpha guys who are so steamy the paint will peel off your walls. *LOL* There are D/s aspects to it though. So if you don't like BDSM, but you do like hunky, take-charge Alpha heroes, you might want to give it a shot.

This isn't part of my "Deep Space Mission Corps" series ("Love at First Bight"), it's a different "world" than those books, but it does lend itself to possible sequels.

What a great Valentine's Day gift to yourself! :)

Guest Blogging Today - Characters & Promotions

I've got a new free story posted in the Free Reads & Excerpts section of my LesliRichardson.com website, titled, "Of Shuffleboard and B-Negative." It's a twist on the traditional vampire tale.

Also, today I'm guest-blogging at Lyrical Press: http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com The topic: Characters. Come. First. If you're a writer, you won't want to miss it. If you're a reader looking for insight into the writer's process, you'll hopefully find it interesting.

And I'm blogging at Amused Authors: http://amusedauthors.wordpress.com The topic: It's the promotions, kiddo. New writers often think that writing is the hardest part. Wroong. That would be promotions.

Whoo hoo! "Love Slave for Two" at #4!

My first Tymber Dalton book is at #4 on BookStrand's bestseller list after one day!!

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-loveslavefortwo-13926-200.html

Short Story Excerpt: "Puppy Dog Eyes"

We're having a Halloween party at Amira Press! You can get a full version of this story (written by little ole' me) by clicking here and reading how to get the free download. Make sure to ask for "Puppy Dog Eyes" by Lesli Richardson.

Believe me, the full story is a howl! :)
---
(Copyright 2008 by Lesli Richardson, unauthorized duplication prohibited. All rights reserved.)

Puppy Dog Eyes

By Lesli Richardson


“So, what are you wearing to the party this weekend?” she asked Scudder.

Her team partner didn’t look up from his computer monitor, simply shrugged. The slight gesture of his broad shoulders made her heart race.

“I don’t think I’m going, Tess,” he said.

Tessa Gilroy crossed her arms and leaned against her desk. “Scudder Harris, you’re not telling me you’re going to bail on the company Halloween shindig, are you?”

He shrugged again, and she wished he’d stop doing that. Or take his shirt off before he did. Damn, she bet he had a gorgeous chest…

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” He finally leaned back in his chair and swiveled it to meet her gaze, which was deadly to her reserve. Dennis “Scudder” Harris had huge, sweet golden brown eyes that melted her insides and sent all the juices straight to her nether regions, and brilliant jet black hair that glinted with almost blue highlights when they sat outside and ate their lunch.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Why not what?”

“Why aren’t you going?”

He cocked his head. “Because I don’t know many of the people there, and I don’t have a costume.” Employees and their families from all of the regional offices were invited, several hundred people, most likely, would attend.

“It’ll be a full moon, beautiful night, perfect for a costume party. Come on, you have to go so I don’t have to go alone.”

At the mention of the full moon, a cloud crossed his face. “I’ll pass, sorry.”

She’d broken up with her skunk of a boyfriend a week before Scudder came to work for Callahan Consulting five months prior, and been assigned to her team. Team being a misnomer, because it was just the two of them. She knew Scudder was thirty-five, single, and straight, but beyond that, his life was a mystery. They talked about a lot of things, just not about him.

Her pouty face usually won him over. “Please?” She leaned forward, her arms on her desk, trying to entice him to look down her blouse.

He kindly laughed. “Tess, I’m sorry sweetie.”

She recognized the stubborn set of his jaw. Short of begging him to make wild monkey love to her on their shared office floor, she’d thrown just about every hint known to womankind at him that she wanted to go out with him. Well, except outright ask him, but he couldn’t be that thick, could he?

It wasn’t like he didn’t flirt back, because he did. One day in particular left her gasping for breath and heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

And he was gorgeous, six-two and solid, with a fluid, natural gait that left her panting after him when she watched the way his tight ass moved inside his khaki slacks.

“I’m going as a sexy witch,” she purred. “You should see how low–and high–my costume is cut.”

His eyes crinkled. “I’m sure it’s very alluring, kiddo, but we need to get this project done or you won’t be going to any party this weekend because we’ll be working.”

It was Thursday, meaning she had one more work day to convince him to take her to the annual corporate Halloween bash, held at the boss’s large, private estate north of Tampa. She would go regardless, but she didn’t want to go alone if she could talk Scudder into taking her.

At lunch he reached for his small cooler. “You eating with me today?”

She nodded. “Even though you’re standing me up this weekend.” Who was she kidding? They’d eaten together every day since they started working together.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled. “You’re incorrigible, girl.” He gently kicked their door shut and leaned over her desk. “Maybe I’d like to be alone with you, not with a loud, obnoxious group of drunks.”

Her heart pounded as his eyes playfully narrowed. “Just because I don’t want to go to a party with you doesn’t mean I won’t go out with you. All you have to do is ask.”

Speech escaped her for a moment. “I…I thought you didn’t want to go out with me.”

He gently chucked her under the chin. “I just wanted to see how long it took you to come right out and say it.” He straightened and walked to the door, opening it. She still sat at her desk, stunned.

“Well, are we eating lunch or not?”

She nodded, fumbled her lunch bag, and followed him out the door on feet that didn’t seem to touch the floor.

(Want to find out what happens to Scudder and Tessa? You'll have to click here and read how to get the free download! Remember, ask for "Puppy Dog Eyes" by Lesli Richardson.)

Chat Today (Fri. 7/25)

Jenna Kay Francis and I will be guest chatting at The Haunt at PNR email list tomorrow.
Stop by and join us for excerpts and fun!

http://groups. yahoo. com/group/The_Haunt_at_PNR/