As a romance novelist, I am still a work in progress, but recently my progress has improved and improved. In this post, I wanted to share with you my personal strategy for growing my email list. This is the strategy that grew my list by 50% in three months. Numbers don’t lie. Owning our list is a critical way to communicate with our fans. We can send them teasers of upcoming books, cover reveals, ask
KDP Select Versus Wide Distribution? Best to Try Both If you’ve been following my newsletter (subscribe here) the last month or so, you know that I have been evaluating my options with regard to Amazon’s KDP Select Program, and wide distribution through platforms like Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and so many others. I sent a survey to my readers asking them which platform they preferred. Of course, they were divided right down the
Writing is hard. It takes creativity, commitment, perseverance, and a lot of luck. And that’s on a good day. Not every day is a good day—Chaos Rules In fact, many days seem designed specifically to derail us as writers. There are the days when the kids are sick, or we are, or weeks of family vacations, or in-law visits. Let’s not forget the days when we stare at a blank page and nothing comes.
I have been blogging for almost a decade, but every year my post about trends in romance novels remains my most popular post. Why? Because understanding how to evaluate market trends can mean the difference between success and failure for a new book launch. Seriously. How to respond to the ever-fluctuating trends is a problem unto itself, but before an author can address that issue, they have to anticipate and respond to the market trends
Today I spoke with a fledgling author looking for ways for her readers to discover her work. Last week, I met another author with five published books who sought marketing tips and secrets to broaden her readership. One writes fiction, one non-fiction. One is indie published, the other works with a small publishing house. My number one challenge? Finding my readers and connecting with them, and of course, encouraging them to buy my books.
When we start talking about software, I am mostly out of my depth, but what I know I, I know. And the products I recommend below I know—or know about. Does the market shift like quicksand under our feet? You bet. But today, this is where I stand. Seriously, I cannot publish a blogpost, or a book, without these five. Are there a hundred more tools that I love and rely on? You bet. But
Why did I ever think I had to go it alone? Welcome to the first edition of my author’s toolbox. Today I want to start where I began. Not really. I began by flailing, and failing, miserably. This is where I started turning things around.It’s where I like to believe I began. I published my first book, Bedazzled in 2014, but I republished it after I discovered a world of experts—cover artists, marketers, editors and so
I am an author. I have been an author for more than a decade and in that time, I have heard one question over and over again, “why don’t you coach authors?” Because being an author for me is being a coach. I can’t help myself. First, because sharing comes naturally to me, and second, because I love helping others succeed. I always have. I nurture and prod people. I did it in Fortune 500
or Anyone you Love and that can still arrive by Christmas Day. Are you still racking your brain for a creative idea of what to buy your wife/sister/girlfriend/lover/daughter, the writer in your life? Not another journal or a a lovely pen like last year. It’s time to stop limiting your thinking to the traditional tote or a tee that has a book title on it. And for heaven’s sake, don’t rely on a quick Google
Want to write better sex scenes in your romance novels? Want to spice up your sex life, period? Then Please welcome Sexuality and ADHD Coach and this week’s guest blogger, Diane Délina. What’s a Sex Coach Doing on A Romance Writer’s Blog? When I met Madison, I had no idea she was the author of these great romance novels. She had no idea I was an expert on Sexuality. I was coming to her home
I am so excited to have USA Today Bestselling author Eileen Troemel visiting the blog again this week. She is bringing us an early Christmas gift in the form of her newest book, Bah Humbug. Here’s more about the book, directly from the author In Eileen’s Own Words Bah Humbug is a Christmas romance. Elena hates Christmas and hates how much her neighbor decorates his house. Luke lights up their neighborhood with his holiday decorations.