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Enjoy this Free Red Plague Sneak Peek PDF full of excerpts and extras!
<3 Anna
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<3 Anna
Leave a CommentAre you going to the annual Romance Writers of America’s (RWA) conference this year in Orlando? I’m super excited to be there the entire week of July 24.
If you’re planning on attending, let’s catch up.
I’ll be promoting my two paranormal series, The Red Plague and The Dark Caster, with postcards, pens, and temporary tattoos in the goody room.
I’m really looking forward to re-connecting with my writer friends and learning a lot from the panels.
P.S. I’ll keep you updated throughout the week of the 24th on Twitter (@AnnaAbner) and through this blog. 🙂
<3 Anna
Leave a CommentI’m so excited to attend both Comic-Con and Romance Writer’s of America’s national conference (I can’t stop smiling!), I ordered new promotional goodies. If you’d like to receive the pictured loot, send me an email at anna@annaabner.com or leave a comment on my blog and I’ll ship a personalized care package to the first 10 responders. Good luck!
<3 Anna
2 CommentsI made this myself (miracle!) to take to the RWA national conference and publicize my published works, and I’m so proud of it I wanted to share it with you.
<3 Anna
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The Ebook Formatting Fairies recently conducted a survey about reading habits. Some of the more interesting results were:
What do you think about these results? Do they represent you as a reader?
<3 Anna
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I didn’t think anything would come of sending press releases to my local and hometown newspapers, but I’m thrilled to say my story was reported in the Hesperia Star Newspaper in my hometown of Hesperia, California today.
Link to the online version here.
Here is a scan:
Here is a photo taken by a fan in Hesperia.
<3 Anna
Leave a CommentI’m a new indie author with a book to promote, but I don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing. So, I’m all about free easy ways to get my name and novel out in front of a lot of different people. Here is a list of things (in no particular order) that have worked for me.
I’m assuming you have a website or a blog already set up.
<3 Anna
Leave a CommentWhen you’re a small-time, self-published author like me you have to be your own PR department and take over everything from running a website to convincing bloggers to review your book. Throw into that list writing your own press releases.
Unless you’re super famous or have a topical book to promote you probably won’t see any stories in national newspapers and magazines about you or your book. But, just maybe, your local newspaper will be interested in printing a story about a local girl (or boy) who followed her (or his) dreams to publication. I believe it’s worth your time to write a press release and email it to your local journalists and news desks.
1. Start your email with your full contact info and a friendly greeting (personalized, if possible). You can find the appropriate editors and email addresses on the newspaper’s website.
2. Print FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE at the start to signal the journalist when the actual article begins and that it is news ready to be printed.
3. Write a catchy headline. This is the first impression most people will have of the article and, by extension, you and your book. I followed the same rule of thumb for billboards–7 words or less. And capitalize the first letter of each word.
4. At the beginning of the first paragraph print your location in all caps and then the date.
5. The first paragraph should have the most important information about you and your story and the reason you’re both interesting or topical enough to warrant printing the article. Think about the 5 W’s of journalism. And don’t forget quotes or snippets of reviews (if you have them). End with a hook. But you knew that one already!
6. The next one or two paragraphs give more information on you, your story, and your book. But keep the whole thing short and snappy. Shoot for between 200 and 500 words.
7. Include where the book is available and add a link to your website or blog.
8. Attach your cover art or an author photo.
9. End the press release with ### to let journalists know the article is finished.
10. Final reminders: Write the release in the 3rd person and the way a non-partial professional journalist would write it. It should look like other, similar stories printed in that publication. And don’t be afraid to send a new press release out if your novel suddenly becomes topical or you can link it to a current event.
If you’re a new author and you’re not sure how to get the word out about your book, a nicely worded press release to the local paper can wield positive results.
<3 Anna
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