Online Marketing Symposium (Creating Epic Blog Tours), a Bit of Romance, and a Fest!

I don't often talk about my writing journey, unless it's behind the scenes through personal emails to help other authors. BUT recently my debut novel, MOONLESS, was published, and as a part of that effort, I hosted an EPIC blog tour. I learned so much from it, and as knowledge is power, today I'd like to share that knowledge with all my wonderful writerly pals. (If you're not a writerly pal, feel free to jump down to the other bits at the end of this post.) 

HOW TO RUN A POWERFUL BOOK BLOG TOUR

I've heard chatter that blog tours are a waste of time. My blog tour was the single most successful advertising campaign to date with significant exposure, response, awareness, and visibility. Advantages of blog tours:

1. Getting the word out. You might think you've tired everyone's ears to death by screaming about your amazing future release, but you probably haven't even reached a tenth of the people in your circles. A year later people you know may be hearing it for the first time. From my experience, even people who are likely to buy your book will have to see/hear about it approximately 3 times before they make the investment.

2. SEO. The more links back to your site (especially on blogger or google+), the easier you are to find. This is a long term investment.

3. Sales. The reality is, for every 200 people you reach, you'll probably make 1 sale. BUT in a TARGETED blog tour, you are speaking to your soft audience. Some posts/locations were more effective for me, but typically I saw 3 to 5 purchases or adds on Goodreads per post. Remember, this is coming from a debut author who had no track record. Sales are easier when you have a track record. The high traffic blogs boosted that # to 10, and some gave me only 1. 

Now, there are a number of blog tour services out there. I haven't used one, but for reaching a wider audience, I think they can be a great resource. You're limited by your budget and their resources. Do your research. Find someone who SPECIALIZES in your genre and definitely price compare. Check out their other tours. BE IN THE KNOW. Typically they utilize between 20 and 40 stops, and those stops may not be high traffic locations. Do they take bloggers by volunteer, or do they have a long-standing roster of proven helpers? Do they tailor the tours to blogs that really hit your niche? 

I'm a bit of a control freak, plus I've got this amazing network of bloggies whom I LOVE to death, so what did I do? I organized my tour solo. But first, I did my... 

Homework. 

Study what has worked for others. There are a HUNDRED ways to launch a tour. Keep in mind, an effective tour is FUN for you, those who host you, and readers. Pick a theme. Get creative. Do something tailored directly to your book or writing. While you're brainstorming, let me give you some ideas.

Features. These depend on your theme. A warning. DO NOT PREPARE THE EXACT SAME FEATURE and then feed it to multiple people. You will have people who follow your entire tour and get ecstatic, even fanatical about your book. (Then they're even more likely to shout about it and start some word of mouth.) Every post should be unique.

• Everyone and their dog is willing to interview you--and while I love author interviews, my eyes glaze over after the second lengthy paragraph. In a world where tumblr, twitter and facebook rule, keep in mind attention spans are shrinking. SHORT interviews (we're talking 5 or less questions) and a really focused theme can be SUPER effective. See a couple amazing examples HERE.
• Character Interviews: Handle with caution. If you're an actor, you probably have this in the bag. These really have to be some of your most focused and creative writing. For these I suggest getting questions from beta readers, critique partners, and advanced reviewers who are already acquainted with your characters. (And don't be afraid to ask these people to host!) An effective interview looks something like THIS.
• Excerpts are powerful things. Readers loves stories. (That should be obvious, right?) Remember to keep them short: no more than 500 words and preferably less than 300 (or a single page of print). Before my tour, I selected 15 different excerpts and asked a number of people to read and rate them from most engaging to least. I did this for a couple reasons. 
• To figure out which were the best. 
• To get others excited along with me. From that original 15 we selected 8, and they are bits I use with confidence now in all promotions. 
• Reviews. I highly advise rounding up reviewers, but be sure you give them adequate notice. Two months was sufficient for some, but others require 6 months. If you're firm on your dates and you want REALLY HIGH TRAFFIC reviewers, I advise scheduling book blog reviewers 6 months out. (With a well timed reminder email. Or two.) How do you find these reviewers? There are online directories--just do a quick google search (and be sure to include your genre). 
• Guest Posts. Be careful on these. Remember the focus is to share your book. I did some top ten lists that were just great fun, but they didn't end up contributing much to my bottom line. THIS ONE did. (You'll see why.) Here's an example of a guest post that was VERY effective: Moonless in Clips.
• Games. Remember what I said about having fun? I hosted my Truth or Lie game across the blogosphere as well as a Mystery Sentence Game with hidden words in the excerpts. I've seen choose your own adventures, book blasts where the story continues in a chain of blogs, and so many others. This is where you get creative, but remember your readers have lives. If it's too invested, they're probably not going to play. Make it simple, quick and easy to be involved AND to share.

Giveaways. I suggest using Rafflecopter and posting an image of your prizes ABOVE the widget. A word on cash prizes... They're great and will attract a TON of attention (IF ADVERTISED RIGHT), but you really want to attract readers, not just people looking for handouts. Keep that in mind as you set reasonable amounts and offer more books/swag than cash. I suggest offering multiple prizes, and inviting other genre-centric authors to join your giveaway. Remember, they'll also help you spread the word. Also keep in mind, some potential buyers will hold off purchasing your book until the raffle ends. 

Length: I've seen tours done two ways: spread out over months (one feature a week), and run in succession (day after day for 3 days to a month). Remember marketing is a LONG TERM thing, so either one works. It comes down to how you are most comfortable. I asked for volunteers within a 3 week time frame and anticipated getting 20 to 30 people interested. I ended up with 63 stops in 18 days. Yup. Insanity. I could comfortably handle 3 posts a day, and I don't advise more than that in a single day unless you're doing a 1 day blast. Remember that as a guest, you are committing to getting the word out about each and every feature, as well as responding to comments. Be involved. It's etiquette. A word on signing people up: most bloggers will jump on board 1 to 3 months out. More than that and they're going to procrastinate making a commitment.  

Professionalism/organization. This attracts people. Remember how I said I ended up with 63 stops by passively mentioning my tour a couple places? Here's how I did it: 

Looks professional, right? It was an easy, pretty, sign up form and when people started raving about it, others stopped in to check it out and signed up. I admit, my techie did build this, but the investment was worth it. It's a form that with minor adjustments can be used again and again. I've seen other people use Google docs for sign ups. 

The biggest thing people complimented was my organization. After people signed up, I sent out an initial email with all the details of the tour, including options on different types of features and my ENTIRE media kit. If you'd like to see a copy of that email, I would be happy to share it. Just ask. In the email I set specific dates for interview questions to be sent.

I kept everything on a calendar and spreadsheet--who was hosting which feature and when, with a to-do list and deadlines. I pre-wrote several posts so I wasn't up against a deadline and tearing my hair out. One thing everyone appreciated was receiving the posts in html, so they could just cut and paste.

Communication. A week before the tour, I sent an email with the rafflecopter code and the tour schedule. Each morning of the tour I sent emails to the hosts for the following day, an opportunity to thank and remind them. 

Follow Up. At the tours' conclusion, there was another follow up email and thank you. It is nice to offer your hosts a gift for helping. I entered everyone in a raffle and gave away a few gift cards. With my rafflecopter entries, I sent people who didn't win a $1 coupon off the book on Smashwords. 

Things I would do differently next time: I would welcome volunteers, but target more blogs with high traffic and query them well in advance. Most people are flattered and more than willing to participate. The worst they can do is say no, and really, it's not a big deal if they do. I would arrange my sign up so that people can see the available dates and select from them. (Arranging them all myself was a bit of a headache.) I would pre-write tweets and facebook statuses to help announce each stop.   

And there you have it. The rest of the Symposium can be found below.

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For NON-writers, and a few writers who like romance...

It's a celebration of that little thing called love, and today I'm excited to share this little tid-bit with you from my WIP without a title that we call Faux. 

Sam looked down. “When I hit rock bottom, when things couldn’t get any worse, I decided you deserved to lose just as much as I had. I blamed you. It was the only way I could deal with them abandoning me.” Sad eyes turn on me. “I blamed you.”

I stared.

“So I came. I watched you, scheming about how to make you suffer. Finally I decided I had to meet you, to figure out what dagger I could twist in your back.” He reached for me.

I stood frozen, disgusted.

“The first time we talked, you made me laugh. I…” His eyes lowered. “I hadn’t done that since, well, I couldn’t even remember. Everything, all my plotting, I just…” His fingertip grazed mine and electrical warmth swam into my veins. He seized my hand. “We met every day after school. It was innocent. We’d catch butterflies, or swing at the park, or just talk. You showed me how to live, how to really live.” He brushed my hair behind my ear. “You gave me a reason to live.”

The rest of the hop is HERE.

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I'm STOKED to help reveal the cover for this wonderful New Adult novel by Kitsy Clare*:

Nice, right?

For Sienna, love and art are perilous games. Is she ready to take that gamble?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.

Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

Dare Sienna throw away her chances of hitting it big to follow her heart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When Kitsy Clare isn’t creating stories on her favorite Mac Air, she teaches speculative fiction and creative writing workshops. She also loves to draw, travel, read spicy romance, sci-fi and all kinds of thrillers. She divides her time between New York City and her studio in the Catskills, where she enjoys the sounds of birds, bullfrogs and the random coyote. 

*Kitsy Clare is the pen name for her new adult romance. She also writes young adult fiction using her real name, Catherine Stine. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One won finalist spots in both YA and Science Fiction in the 2013 USA Book News International Book Awards. It was also granted an Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book. Ruby’s Fire, the new companion novel to Fireseed One, is receiving high praise from reviewers. She’s a member of SFWA, SCBWI and CBIG. She can be found on www.catherinestine.com, www.catherinestine.blogspot.com, and https://twitter.com/crossoverwriter

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AND LASTLY, it's not too late to join the

Meet my AMAZING co-hosts: Pk Hrezo, Tammy Theriault, and Michael Di Gesu.

If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, who would you beg your parents to set you up with? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.) Who and why? Come tell us February 10th! Sign up below. Be sure to grab my button and post it on your blog, share it with everyone and let's make it a party!

What have you learned about blog tours? 

Excitement and Cheese!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Lets celebrate.)

And my favorite way to celebrate is with a new book.

Do you love the feel of paper books? I do. I love curling up with one in bed and diving into the world of imagination. Old books especially get me excited. Pens, pencils and notebooks...well I regularly get lost in the stationary aisle. 

BUT, I love digital books most. They can go anywhere. I don't have to worry about bookmarks or my littles tearing/smudging the pages on accident--OR losing my book. (Which happens ALL THE TIME because we have TOO many "helping" hands around.)

That said, the time has come. 

Moonless is going to be released as a physical book!

This is pretty much me, but with cheese.

So now I'm looking for a little help getting the word out and will be hosting the...

My very first blogfest! Meet my AMAZING co-hosts: Pk Hrezo, Tammy Theriault, and Michael Di Gesu. Is this a party, or what? 

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

So here's where you come in: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, who would you beg your parents to set you up with? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.) Who and why? That's what I want to know on February 10th, so think about it, sign up on my linky list, and make sure to include the hop image in your post.

Oh, and be sure to grab my button and post it on your blog, share it with everyone and let's make it a party! Yay! I can't wait to hear all about your dream matches!

P.S. Come back next week to learn who won Rachel Morgan's Writerly Wednesday Truth or Lie game.

P.P.S. If you missed it, Kate Scott twisted my arm into telling a childhood story, and here's another fun hop featuring CLEAN reads--and guess what? Mary chose to feature Moonless! Yay! Oh yeah, and I just found out I made Robyn's TOP FIVE READS for the year. *gulp* I'm blushing. Seriously blushing. 

Follow Fest! With Cheese

It's been a while since I participated in any kind of blog hop. How about you? The magnanimous Melissa Maygrove has put together this wonderful little hop--to get to know new people AND win prizes! (Yay! We likes prizes!) It's not too late to sign up and play along. Check it out HERE. 

And now, on to the fest... 

Blog button designed by Carrie Butler

Name: Crystal Collier *waves a wedge of cheese* 

Fiction or nonfiction? FICTION

What genres do you write? Young Adult in sub genres of anything fantasy (historical, paranormal, speculative, urban, epic, romance, & horror), and light sci-fi. I periodically dabble in Middle Grade, and Adult.  

Are you published? Check out the sidebar, baby. Yah! (The countdown is on.)

Do you do anything in addition to writing? I'm an orchestral/vocal composer and performer. In a past life I worked for a video/audio production studio and now freelance--when I feel like it. On an unrelated note, I'm also an educator. (Home school all the way!)

Where can people connect with you?

Blog: You're lookin' at it! I post Mondays with uplifting/motivational thoughts, Writerly Wednesdays (check out the tab above) with the Truth or Lie game and BOOK GIVEAWAYS, and Funny Fridays.  

Sign up for my NEWSLETTER at the bottom of this post and receive freebies! 

Twitter: @crystalcollier1

Facebook: Author Crystal Collier

Google+ 

LinkedIn 

Pinterest

Tumblr

Author pages:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble: Coming Soon

Smashwords

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

Cheese makes the world go round, and here's a wedge for you. ; )

WIP It Blogfest: SOULLESS

Hello friendlies! Today is

Join up and hop around with us, learning about all the amazing project people are working on right now. This one is mine (*Note, all images/blurbs are in the works, and I'm open to suggestions for how to improve them.): 

WIP Title: SOULLESS, book 2 to MOONLESS (Release date to be announced shortly)

Word Count: 33K, goal: 90K

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

How long have you been working on it?: ...Do I count when I jotted down the first notes and page one, or when I actually started working on it? This one's been sitting in a folder and added to periodically for about 5 years, but is under serious construction as of March. 

Elevator Pitch: Alexia saved the man she loves, but lost her sister to red-eyed wraiths. Discovering the power to reverse time, she faces a terrible choice: keep her happily ever after, or save her sister and countless others from the Soulless.

Brief Synopsis: 

Alexia only wants to be with the man she loves, but at the cost of hundreds of lives?

Alexia saved Kiren, but lost her sister to red-eyed wraiths known as the Soulless. She has lived with that truth, supporting Kiren while he protects the rest of the world from these predators. When she discovers her ability to reverse time, Alexia faces a terrible choice: keep her happily ever after and ensure the future safety of her kind, or say goodbye forever and leave to prevent the Soulless from existing. 

She may make things better. She may make them worse. The only certainty is, she will never be able to come back.

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?: Always. Anyone who has written AT LEAST 2 complete novels, has 5 to 10+ years writing experience, and reads all the time, shoot me a first chapter. I'll send you one back and we'll decide if our critique styles/likes are compatible. I tend to be very positive, pushing toward the very best writing, but incredibly invasive. If you're seeking someone to pat you on the back and tell you this is the best story since baked bread, I am NOT the partner for you. If, however, you are looking to grow as a writer, and seek a partner who is constantly reading industry books and applying their advice to her own (and critique partners) writing, we may just be a match. I read all genre's, but am not particularly drawn to hard core sci-fi, detective stories, contemporary, memoir, or erotica. Anything with a paranormal, fantasy, or horror twist? I'm so in. 

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?: I am always looking for beta readers. Always. To become one, sign up for my newsletter and you'll receive the call as soon as I'm ready. (As well as other cheesy/exciting opportunities.)

That's it for today--now tell me where I can improve my pitch, eh? (It's so brand spanking new!) And what are you working on? 

Be sure to check out some of these awesome blogs: 

Blogfest Full of AWESOME

Who doesn't love a chance to share what they're working on? 

DL Hammonds is hosting a wonderful blogfest this month, and I'm going to be there. Are you? It's all about what you're working on now, or your Work In Progress. (WIP) It's also about finding friends to hold your hand through the long journey to success. Inspired by Devo's song, Whip it, we're asked to share:

WIP Title:

Word Count:

Genre:

How long have you been working on it?:

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): 

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?:

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?:

And now for the theme song:

Ready for the hard part? Which work of awesomesauce are you going to share?

1st Kiss

And now for the tail end of BLOGFEST... Thank you Jackie and Danielle (Dani) for hosting this!

The First Fight/First Kiss blogfest: 

• Post 1  June 12 - Share with us a 1st FIGHT scene on your blog.
• Post 2 Thursday, June 14 - Share with us a 1st KISS scene on your blog.

*sigh* So, here's the first kiss in FAUX PAS:

Sam killed the engine. “Welcome back.”

“What if they don’t recognize me?” I panicked suddenly. The hair alone, but then the eyes, my shape, everything had changed.

“They’ll recognize you.”

I looked at him. “How can you be sure?”

“You’re still you, Faux.”

A compliment? Yes, he meant it in a good way.

I played with the hem of my shirt. “What if they’re angry with me, or frightened by what I can do, or-?”

“They love you, Sparky. No worries.”

“Thank you, Sam.” I breathed nervously. “For everything.”

He placed his other hand on top of mine. “It’s gonna be okay.”

I nodded apprehensively.

“I’ll be right there with you.”

I nodded again. “I know, so why should I be worried? Without you I’d be dead, probably five times over. What’s facing my parents compared to the Soulless?”

He smiled, a covert little sweet thing. It consumed my attention and pulled me out of my nervous twist.

“Thank you.” I leaned across to kiss his cheek.

He turned.

Our lips touched.

An explosion burst through my chest—warm and real, but thankfully not in the flame variety. It launched through me, leaving my skin tingling with warmth, brilliantly charged, radiant with life.

I pulled away, worried I might actually fry him. His fingers gripped mine solidly, eyes mesmerizing. He wasn’t afraid.

I’d never felt anything like it, this amazing rush. Is this what it felt like? To truly care about someone? To be in love?

I swallowed, looking down.

He squeezed my hand. “Let’s go meet Mommy and Daddy.”

1st Fight: Blogfests and Boogiemen

It's BLOGFEST time again! Really, this is the only time I get out anymore, cyber-wise. I suppose real life is taking up too much realty. (Eek! Not real life!) 


Anyhoo, I heard about this blogfest and it was just too much fun, so the rules:

The First Fight/First Kiss blogfest: 

• Post 1  June 12 - Share with us a 1st FIGHT scene on your blog.
• Post 2 Thursday, June 14 - Share with us a 1st KISS scene on your blog.

So, here it is, a 1st Fight Scene from my WIP (work in progress), FAUX PAS:

Sam yelled. I shrieked.

Crunch! The vehicle smacked into the creature. It disappeared. The car stopped, dead.

My head whipped forward. It slammed backward into the headrest. The vehicle rocked back.

Breathing hard, I reached up with trembling fingers and brushed the hair out of my face. Glass sparkled on the floor and across my skirt. My hips ached beneath the belt.

I turned to Sam.

His head rested on the dash, his hands splayed against the windshield’s broken glass, and bleeding.  

Not conscious. He was not conscious.

A shaking breath rattled out of me. I bit back tears.

His seatbelt hung unused. What kind of idiot would steer into a person, er, creature without putting on his seatbelt?

“Sam?” I asked.

Movement turned my head. A black lump appeared in the headlights. I reached for my seatbelt buckle. My hands shook. 


It straightened up, eight feet. The creature stood still as death, watching me through jagged panes of glass. My hands froze. It rounded the front of the car, taking its time.

I punched the release button on my belt. It wouldn’t unlock. I pulled at the belt. I pounded the buckle. Tears blurred the silver clasp.

The thing leaned down so that its head was level with mine on the other side of the passenger window.

My breath froze. No, I couldn’t draw air. It was freezing.

Two glowing red pupils burned into me from where its eyes should have been, the rest of it hidden in the shadows of a hood.

I was going to die.

A metal bar hummed past my ear. It smashed through the passenger window and pierced the creature through one eye with a sickening squish.

The thing squealed.

I cringed away, covering my ears.

Sam reached across me and grabbed the metal pike he’d launched. He ripped it out of the monster’s face. Something wet spattered my cheek. I tensed.

He drew the weapon back, and smashed it through the thing’s chest.

The shrouded being fell across the open window, limp.

Yup, that's it. Lots of fighting, eh? *ahem* So anyway, see you back here Thursday for a first kiss?

Loved, but not Lost

Dear Dad,

It’s been 7 years since I last spoke to you face to face. I speak to you now, sometimes in sleep, sometimes in waking, sometimes in memory. Most often I think of you while high in the mountains backpacking, hiking, spelunking, scuba diving, or while studying your grandson. He has your eyes. 

I think of you when in the service of others. How many people did we pack or unload from moving trucks? How many secret Santa deliveries did we make? How many cuts and bruises did you sew up and sooth? I think you chose to be a doctor not just heal people's bodies, but with your calm, gentle words, to heal their spirits.

My first memory of you is teaching me to doggy paddle, empowering me to explore the water on my own, showing me the importance of independence and trust. I recall you holding the back of my bike as I struggled to get my balance. I remember you packing us up for family trips and teaching us the importance of frugality by doing things yourself—like fixing that troublesome van again, and again, and again. You only ever splurged one day of the year. I’ll never forget the light in your eyes on Christmas morning as you watched us filter into the living room and shriek for joy.

I remember the music. You played piano every night. It soothed my soul and made me yearn to find the music within. You championed my singing and quieted my complaining brothers.

You taught us the scriptures. They have been a source of comfort and strength in hard times, a place for seeking answers when I earnestly needed to know truth, and in times without you.

The greatest lesson I learned from you, Dad, is the lesson of family. Because you loved us, you lived your life in such a way that we could one day be together forever, and showed us the way.

I love you, Dad. Thank you for the legacy you left me. When this life is done I will gladly step beyond, knowing that my father waits with a welcoming embrace. I look forward to that day.

Love,

                Crystal

 

Stephen Lloyd Hicken was born May 17, 1950 and is a beloved son, husband and father. He served a mission in Brazil, four years in the air force, as a scout master for 20+ years, and as a doctor. On November 20, 2004 he left this life after a three year battle with lung cancer. He is greatly missed; loved, but not lost.