Tag Archive for: Blog Tours

This is the Last Time I’ll be Posting on the Third Tuesday

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Am I sad? Not in the least. It will be so refreshing, not just for me, but for everyone to read thoughts from someone new. And I’ll still be here for the first Tuesday. After all, it’s good for this old gal to hang out with all these younger girls.

So what do I have to say on this last third Tuesday posting? I’ve been busy as always. I received the text blog for my next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery and spent two days searching for errors. Did I find any? Of course.

I’m also snatching bits of time to work on the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. What’s taken up most of my time is working on the blog tour I’ve organized for the RBPD. Besides asking people to host me on their blogs, I’ve written something different for each one. Fun, but a challenge.

As the new year has begun, I’m receiving invitations to give presentations. This past Saturday, I joined a writer’s group to talk about promotion. It was interesting, because the majority who came knew nothing about what they should be doing to let people know about their books. I had handouts and I certainly hoped it helped.

In March, I’ve been invited to speak to the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime. I love going over there because that’s one of my favorite place in California. They’ve asked me to speak about blog tours, a perfect subject for me. I actually belong to that chapter even though it’s a three hour drive to get over there-but I’ve made so many friends there it’s definitely worth the trip.

As the year progresses, I’ll be filling my calendar with other speaking engagements, book and craft festivals.

For my fellow Stiletto Gang members, how is 2016 shaping up for you?

For the readers of this blog, what are the kind of author events you enjoy ?

Marilyn, who will see you on the first Tuesday of February.

P. S. I’d love to show you the cover of my next book, but I don’t have it yet.

Need to Take My Own Advice

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Managing our time has been a frequent topic on this blog. I’m always quick to give advice on the subject. This week I realized that I need to heed what I spew out to others.

One thing I gave up doing long ago was housework. The last few years I’ve had someone in the family who needed extra money and was willing to clean my house for me. I still do touch-ups and clean bathrooms that need that extra scrub.

Right now I’m gearing up for the launch and promotion of the 8th in my Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series due out sometime this month. To categorize what kind of book it is, I call it a cozy police procedural. Though it’s pretty far along in the series, I write each book as a stand-alone so it isn’t necessary to read the books in order. I’m setting up the in-person launch at our local used book store. There are no other bookstores within an hour plus driving time.

But what’s really been taking up time is that I decided to plan my own blog tour. I now know why those who do this professionally charge as much as they do. First you have to find blogs who are willing to host you–and ones that might get a bit different traffic–and coordinate the dates. I always ask them what they’d like me to write about so that each post will be different. The group I gathered together came up with some splendid topics and interview questions. Then, of course, I had to write the posts and add all the information about my book, send them to the appropriate person along with my book cover and a photo of me. This time instead of sending my usual photo, I sent a different one for each post.

This will be happening during the month of April and a couple of days into May. To add to the craziness, I also signed on with eight authors to do another blog tour right in the middle of mine. This one will only last eight days, but it will be labor intensive. I’ll be busy promoting all these blogs and doing all the needed commenting.

This month I’ll be attending Epicon which is the convention for E-published authors and E-publishers in San Antonio. I’m giving a presentation on blogging and blog tours. My publisher is attending so I’ll also be spending some time with her. Soon after returning, I’ll be heading for Left Coast Crime. I’ll get home just a couple of days before my blog tour begins.

Somewhere in all this I need to be working on my latest manuscript.

Poor hubby, he’ll be disappointed if I don’t take a day now and then for us to head to town, have lunch out and take in a movie. He’s going with me to San Antonio so maybe that will count for some of our together time.

Like someone commented on a earlier post, my “me time” is when I’m writing.

One other thing I can’t miss is the fact that Dancing With the Stars is soon to begin. I can pass up a lot of reality TV, but I love Dancing. Hubby likes it now too, so that’ll be part of our together time.

Next month I’ll let you know if this has all been way too much for this great-grandmother to cope with.

Marilyn

The Ins and Outs of a Blog Tour

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I’m on a blog tour right now for my latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel, An Axe to Grind.The book was supposed to be out in January and I knew that there might be problems, so I set up the blog tour for March. Guess what? The book just became available last week.

As I’ve done before, I hired Pump Up Your Promotions to do the tour and the quickly arranged for the blogs to appear appear weekday during the month of March–and some of the blogs required books to review. All of them have different requirements for what they want for the blog–though all ask for a photo and a book cover. Most want a bio and a blurb about the book, others want more information about me as the author, why I wrote the book, what inspired me, that sort of thing.

A few blogs are more interested in the writing process and ask for advice for aspiring authors.

Though all this writing must be done ahead of time, I find it’s a lot of fun to come up with new ways to talk about my book. After all, if someone actually follows along on the tour I don’t want them to be bored with the same information over and over.

Every day when a new blog is up, I make a point to go visit and offer my thanks. I also go back two or three times during the day to read comments people have left–if there are any. Sometimes people make such nice comments, I leave another of my own.

Another requisite is to promote where you are visiting each day by letting people know. I’ll put the blog’s URL on all the listserves I’m on as well as Facebook, Twitter and the like.

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Yes, it is, but it’s work I can do from home and then get back to my writing.

Does it result in sales? I’m not sure, but I do know my Amazon numbers go down when I’m on a blog tour, and that’s a good thing.

I also do a lot of in-person appearances. Since I’m usually selling my own stock, I know right then how that works out. The big difference is that when I have to leave home, I can’t do much of anything else, and often I have to stay overnight somewhere. I do enjoy talking with readers and about writing, so that has a plus side too.

Oh, I also have a video about An Axe to Grind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdrZA6B7iFI

If that doesn’t work, you can go to my website and watch it.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com