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Happy MFRW Founding Day #MFRWauthor #Authors
Kayelle Allen here. Back in 2006, I was a busy author with four books. I was promoting,learning more about promoting, and asking friends about promoting. All the ins and outs of book marketing were starting to gel and I felt like I was beginning to understand the overall concept. That said, I had a constant list of questions. Facebook was two years old. Twitter had been founded that year. Pinterest and Instagram were four years away. I had friends who had similar questions, and we would email each other and ask. Often, I’d get the same question several times in a row. I found myself going back to my “sent” file to copy an answer and resend it. Not that I wasn’t asking questions myself, but I think because I’d take the time to go find an answer if someone asked something I didn’t know – I started getting more and more questions.
It was Halloween, and I was busy with all sorts of details of writing, and I got the same question from two different people. I remember thinking that there had to be an easier way to handle this. I needed a way to let everyone know what I’d discovered at the same time, and if I had a question, get an answer from someone who knew. Yahoo Groups was established and well-used, so I decided to create one that all of my friends and I could use together. We could post a question there, and anyone who knew the answer could reply.I set it up as Marketing for Romance Writers because that’s what all of us were at the time. Looking back, I’ve often wished I’d named it Marketing for Every Writer. Of course, then the initials would have been MEW vs MFRW and our symbol might have been a black cat!Then, we had 12 members. Ten years later, there are 2420 there now, plus 6230 on Facebook, 3411 on Twitter, and 1400+ on Pinterest with 71 boards and over 1000 pins.About MFRW
Marketing for Romance Writers is a peer-oriented mentoring group open to the entire literary community. Ask your marketing-related questions, or request help, advice, or opinions. You can learn how to create a professional image and use it effectively, as well as ask for opportunities to join other authors in promotional efforts. You can learn the business aspects of writing.News about pitch sessions and calls for submission are posted on the Yahoo group. As a member, you can attend exclusive, member-only pitch events with publishers. Members can attend free, online workshops and seminars.Marketing for Romance Writers promotes for its members on most social media. Get your book cover pinned on one of the MFRW Pinterest boards, and show off your cover models. Share your tweets with the MFRW street team and get them shared on Twitter. The hashtags #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor and #MFRWhop promote for you. You can get interviewed on BlogTalkRadio. Link your blog to a community hop via a unique software “ribbon” with exciting themes, and draw readers to your site.Find and Join MFRW
Marketing for Romance Writers Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/Marketing for Romance Writers Website http://marketingforromancewriters.orgMarketing for Romance Writers News page https://www.facebook.com/mfrworgMarketing for Romance Writers Promo page https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrwauthors/Free Promotion for MFRW Members
Follow us – we follow back.Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/
Goodreads http://is.gd/mfrwgoodreads
Google+ http://bit.ly/mfrworg-gplus
LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/marketing-for-romance-writers-organization/
Twitter http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG our hashtags are #MFRWauthor #MFRWorg #MFRWhooksMFRW Volunteer Staff
Button is sized for blogs Kayelle Allen, Founder https://kayelleallen.com
Emerald, Facebook Coordinator and Editor http://www.TheGreenLightDistrict.org
Mona Karel, Moderator, Blog Hop Coordinator http://mona-karel.com
Paloma Beck, Blog Director http://www.romancebeckons.net/index.html
Rochelle Weber, Newsletter Publisher http://www.rochelleweber.com
Barbara Donlon Bradley, Newsletter Editor http://www.barbaradonlonbradley.com
Michelle Davis, Newsletter Editor https://twitter.com/michelle40768
Libby McKinmer, Newsletter Editor http://libbymckinmer.com
Mari Anne Christie, Newsletter Editor http://marichristie.info/
Reet Singh, Goodreads Coordinator http://www.reetsingh.in
Zeenat Mahal, Goodreads Coordinator http://www.zeenatmahal.com/
Tina Gayle, Twitter Promo Coordinator http://www.tinagayle.net/home.html
Carmen Stefanescu, Blog Coordinator http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.com/—If you have questions about marketing your books, or you want to share an opportunity such as being a guest on your blog, join us. It’s okay to ask for guest spots too. The MFRW motto is “seek, teach, share, learn, succeed.” Services and membership are free. Are you part of the Marketing for Romance Writers success story? Please share in the comments. -
Happy (Halloween) Birthday 2015 @MFRW_ORG #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor #RLFblog
#MFRWauthor Happy birthday to Marketing for Romance Writers 2015. I
created MFRWorg on Halloween, 9 years ago this year. It’s hard to believe it’s
been that long. It had about 12 members because those were the people I was
always talking to and we would ask each other marketing type questions. We were
each other’s resource. I had been getting emails for a long time and would
answer with what I knew. When I realized I was getting the same questions in
slightly different forms from multiple people, I decided to make it easier on
all of us and create a group where we could post once and get answers from
everyone. Voila! MFRW was born.
I should have called it Marketing for Writers. Many of our current members
don’t write romance, but some principles carry over to every kind
of book, and every kind of writer. It doesn’t matter though, because those who
don’t mind looking past the name will find answers to their questions.There are thousands of members now. The group fills a unique place, and creates a safe place to ask questions, without having to deal with constant promo. However, if you need a place to share a post, come ask. Opportunities abound.What is Marketing for Romance Writers?
MFRW is a peer-oriented mentoring
group open to the entire literary community. Ask your marketing-related
questions, or request help, advice, or opinions. You can learn how to create a
professional image and use it effectively, as well as ask for opportunities to
join other authors in promotional efforts. You can learn the business aspects
of writing.News about pitch sessions and calls for submission are
posted on the Yahoo group. As a member, you can attend exclusive, member-only
pitch events with publishers. Members can attend free, online workshops and
seminars.Marketing for Romance Writers promotes for its members on
most social media. Get your book cover pinned on one of the MFRW Pinterest
boards, and show off your cover models. Share your tweets with the MFRW street
team and get them shared on Twitter. The hashtags #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor, and
#MFRWhop promote for you. Link your
blog to a community hop and draw readers to your site.If you have questions about marketing your books, join us.
The MFRW motto is “seek, teach, share, learn, succeed.” Services and
membership are free.MFRW promotes its members Happy birthday, MFRW. Here’s to many more!
Social Media
Marketing for Romance Writers Yahoo http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/Marketing for Romance Writers http://marketingforromancewriters.org/Twitter http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORGPinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/Goodreads http://is.gd/mfrwgoodreadsLinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/marketing-for-romance-writers-organization/Kayelle AllenHomeworld https://kayelleallen.comTwitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen -
MFRW Founding Day 2014 @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #MFRWauthor
#MFRWorg Marketing for Romance Writers is a peer-oriented mentoring group
open to the entire literary community. Ask your marketing-related questions, or
request help, advice, or opinions. You can learn how to create a professional image
and use it effectively, as well as ask for opportunities to join other authors in
promotional efforts. You can learn the business aspects of writing. News about pitch sessions and calls for submission are posted
on the Yahoo group. As a member, you can attend exclusive, member-only pitch events
with publishers. Members can attend free, online workshops and seminars.Newsletter Marketing for Romance Writers promotes for its members on most
social media. Get your book cover pinned on one of the MFRW Pinterest boards, and
show off your cover models. The hashtags #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor and #MFRWhop promote
for you. You can get interviewed on BlogTalkRadio. Link your blog to a community
hop via a unique software “ribbon” with exciting themes, and draw readers
to your site. Feature your book in our award-winning newsletter.If you have questions about marketing your books, join us. The
MFRW motto is “seek, teach, share, learn, succeed.” Services and membership
are free.MFRW was founded October 31, 2006 by Kayelle Allen, who heads
the group to this day, guiding its direction and overseeing the numerous volunteer
staff members that help it run.MFRW Staff Volunteers
Barbara Donlon BradleyCatrina BurtonEmeraldJeanne BarrackMari A ChristieMona KarelNicole MorganPaloma BeckRebekah R GaniereRochelle WeberTina GayleFormer staffJeannie LinKaren CotéKasey LaneKristyn PhippsLisa EdwardsRJ GarsideSarah CassMember Benefits
Benefits http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/mfrwbenefits.pdfMarketing for Romance Writers online
Where to sign up for promo:MFRW Promo Form http://is.gd/mfrw_promoformFollow us. We follow back!Twitter http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG
#MFRWauthor #MFRWorg #MFRWhooks #MFRWhop (FYI #MFRW = Maryland Federal Republican
Women) so be sure to add org, author, hooks, hop, etc. to help us find your tweetsFacebook https://www.facebook.com/mfrworgPinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/Goodreads http://is.gd/mfrwgoodreadsWe’re also found here:Pin your books on our boards
(even if you’re not on Pinterest)LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/marketing-for-romance-writers-organization/BlogTalkRadio http://is.gd/mfrw_btrOur members blog and
promote here:MFRW Author Blog http://mfrw-authors.blogspot.comMFRW Marketing Blog http://mfrw.blogspot.com…soon to be adding a learning blog in WordPressJoin our
bloghops here:MFRW Bloghop Start Page http://is.gd/mfrwaveMFRW Bloghoppers (Author workgroup) http://facebook.com/groups/mfrwbloghoppers/Founding members
Amanda Young, Barbara Karmazin, Dee S Knight, Janet Elizabeth
Jones, Kayelle Allen, Laura Baumbach, Lisa Andel, Rae Monet, Sheila Eskew, Shelley
Munro, Sienna Black, Tina HollandAbout the Author
Kayelle Allen is the founder of Marketing for Romance
Writers. She is a multi-published,
award-winning author, owner of The Author’s Secret, an author support
company, and the blog Romance Lives Forever. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary
characters, futuristic immortals,
covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Unstoppable heroes, Uncompromising love, Unforgettable passion
http://kayelleallen.com/ Mobile http://kayelleallen.mobi -
All About Street Teams @pendarielraye #RLFblog #MFRWauthor
Kaden’s Reprieve Dariel Raye and I have worked together on several projects,
so when she started a street team recently, I asked if I could tag along. She
soon outran me energy-wise, and I dropped back to admire from a distance. I
asked her to keep me posted on what was what. This is her report. — Kayelle
Allen- Street
teams are all the rage in the book market right now. Ideally, an awesome group
of loving fans sacrifice their time and effort to help get the word out about
our books. Realistically, though, it’s not quite that simple. After contemplating
the pros and cons of street teams, I finally started one a couple of months
ago. I’d been reading about them and asking questions from more experienced
marketers, but since I started working with Raye’s Ravers, quite a few more
things have been made clear to me. Here’s my take, along with a few suggestions. - Ongoing
point/reward system is too tedious, and even that doesn’t get everyone sharing/tweeting.
Also becomes impersonal, IMO. The golden rule for street teams is to find unique
ways to show appreciation. Never forget that these awesome individuals are
helping you for FREE, so personal thank yous are definitely a requirement.
I’ll talk more about this later in #6 and #11. Points/rewards for special campaigns/projects
works better. You can use Google or some other spreadsheet to help keep up
with points for each team member during the campaign. I started with a month
long campaign, but I don’t recommend that – too LONG. Two weeks is probably
a good maximum for special projects and campaigns. - Don’t accept
people onto the team who are on more than 5 street teams – there are exceptions
to every rule, of course, but generally speaking, they simply don’t have time
to keep up with all the boards, groups, and teams on a regular basis. Unless
your team quickly becomes a favorite, they’re seldom around to respond to tags
or any other messages you post. - Create
a private group for sharing and team files. - I’m sure
you know this, but very few writers have time to be on street teams. Like you,
they need to be writing. Any time they have left needs to be spent marketing
their OWN work. Cross promotion is always awesome, but it should never be just
about you and your work when working with another author. Enough said. - Team-ONLY
parties can be nice incentives for special campaigns, and this is another reason
for #7. - Let people
go nicely who never share. I call most of them “Friends of Raye’s Ravers”
because they cared enough to give the team a try, and they still help by sharing
occasionally. Occasional “house cleaning” is important though. Unless
a team member lets you know why they’re not around (vacation, family problems,
illness, etc.), set them free if they don’t respond to posts and never share. - Chatting
with team members as a group helps everyone get to know each other better –
strengthens the team and it really is nice to get to know people who like your
work. - Another
thing I’m planning is choosing a “Raver” of the week or something
to help get more consistent sharing. It’ll be random. - Playing
random games and asking questions helps with team building too. - Create
special prizes only given to team members to increase interest and pride. - All in
all, if you’re planning to start a street team, expect to spend the first few
weeks or so just getting your team up and rolling. In other words, don’t try
to start a street team in the midst of a big writing project. Your goal is
to keep the team moving and show appreciation without
constant hands-on involvement from you. Let’s face it – if your team needs
your constant attention, you still don’t have time to write! I don’t think
there’s a hard and fast rule as to what works or doesn’t work, but the beauty
of it is that the sky’s the limit in terms of fun things to try, and you get
to meet some awesome people along the way.
Heck, you might even get a little more marketing done than you
can on your own.Previous Books
Kaden’s Reprieve:Barnes and Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/w/untameable-heat-dariel-raye/1116022654?ean=2940148255086Dark Sentinels Book One: Sable:Amazon http://amzn.com/B008L87H0OJordan’s
Wings – The Alerians – Dark Progeny Series:Amazon http://amzn.com/B00AQBDTJWFind Me Here
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pendarielrayeFacebook: http://facebook.com/authordarielrayeAuthorgraph: http://authorgraph.com/authors/Pendarielraye - Street
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What I did during #MFRWorg Summer Camp @AuthorTinaGayle #RLFblog #MFRWcamp
MFRW Summer Camp Today Tina Gayle shares her take on Marketing for Romance Writers Summer Camp, held last weekend on the Coffee Time Romance forum.= = =I can’t tell you how excited I was
for MFRW summer camp to start. Not only had I signed up to give a class, but there
were so many wonderful classes to take. I love learning new things so I’ve been
biting at the bit to get started.I was blown away with the pre-camp
class by Kristyn Phipps. She explained how to use Buffer, had pictures and diagrams
and cyber popcorn…oh, my. Best of all, I was able to read it a day later. I couldn’t
attend the class on the day she posted it, but managed to learn it a day late. Man,
how I love internet classes.Now with the stage set for camp to
begin, I had to get my stuff up and going. My class of “Cut the Crap”
(on editing) needed to be ready to run with the rest of the classes by Friday. I
had the handout ready and then sat down to fill in all the things that weren’t in
the outline. It is amazing how a one page outline can morph into pages of explanation.
I broke the class up into several parts so as not to overwhelm my students and to
concentrate on one point at a time.I posted the new thread and watched
as the number of views when up. Silly, I know, but I was surprised by the number
of people who could relate to the points I was making. While I waited for comments
or questions, I ventured into the other classes.Wow, talk about finding useful information.
From discovering how to form a Street Team group to understanding POV, there were
classes on so many topics I struggled to read all the information in the time I
had allotted for camp.The best part is that even though
camp is officially over. I can still go back and read through the parts that I missed.
Check it out at http://coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=1977&page=4&order=descI can also download all the handouts
so I can review them later. Check them out at http://marketingforromancewriters.org/camp.htmCoffee Time Romance did a wonderful
job of making this appear seamless. I know it wasn’t, but as an attendee, I had
no problems with viewing classes or leaving comments.Also, there were fun games on Pinterest.
I didn’t play, not because I didn’t want to, time became a factor for me. My husband
decided a round of golf was needed to round out his weekend so what can I say, I
indulged.For those of you who didn’t attend
the camp, I strongly recommend that you check out the above sites and gain what
you can from some excellent information. RWA is having their national convention
this week. I have to say summer camp was better. One, it isn’t as expensive (Free
for the camp.) Two, no crowds. Three, great information, and four, all while living
in the comfort of your home. What more could you ask for?Man, summer camp so rocks, I can’t
wait till next year.Thanks to everyone who made this happen.
You guys are the best.About the Author
Tina Gayle After years of working in
the business world doing a variety of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing
and hope to incorporate the joy of being a mother into her books.Currently working on a series
about four executive wives, she is excited about combining elements of women fiction
with the passion of romance. The first three books have been released and the last
one is coming out in 2014.Married twenty-five years,
she and her husband love to travel and play golf. She can’t wait for Mike to retire
so they can do more of both.Read the first chapter of
any of her books by visiting her website.Find Me Here
Home http://tinagayle.netBlog http://tinagayle.blogspot.comFacebook http://facebook.com/tina.gayleLinkedIn http://linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759 -
MFRW Summer Camp: A Deleted Lesson on Twitter @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #MFRWcamp
Marketing for Romance Writers — Summer Camp Marketing for Romance Writers Summer Camp 2013
Join our workshops here:http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=1977Sign in, or join. You must also join the MFRW group. We are listed
at the top of every page. Full instructions for joining are here: http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/CTRforuminstructions.pdfWhat kinds of things do we teach at camp? See yesterday’s post for a full listing of the schedule. Everything from writing tips to blogging, making the most of Triberr, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. We have podcasting, using Paper.li, and how to handle queries and pitches.Here’s a peek at one of the workshops that **did not** make it into this year’s camp.Top Ten Tips for Finding #Followers on Twitter
Whether you’re a reader or a writer, or both (like me) you might have questions
about Twitter. I have a few answers for you. These are basics, but they have helped
me, and I hope they help you.Do I need an avatar?
You betcha. Get yourself an avatar, and you’ll start getting new followers.
Folks without avatars (only the egg showing) are referred to as eggheads on Twitter.
Spammers don’t usually bother with avatars because they get kicked off so fast,
so people are wary when they see one. Twitter will let you use almost any picture.
If you have one for Facebook, you can usually use that.Should I tell people I’m on Twitter?
Absolutely, and give the full URL. Don’t do the @myname thing. Does
@kayelleallen look cool? Yes. But can you click that? Nope. Always give people a
clickable link. Want followers? Give people a link to follow and they will. Write
it out this way: http://twitter.com/kayelleallenWhere do I put the link?
Start with your author
signature in email. Definitely put it on your website and blog. Are you self published?
Add it to your book in the “about the author” section. If you’re on a
forum or group, add it to your signature there. Put it in your profiles on other
social media. List it in print flyers. Put it anywhere your name is going to be
seen.Is it necessary to be on Twitter?
Here’s my opinion. Are
you an author? Then yes, it’s necessary. Can you survive without it? Of course.
But it’s like opening a store downtown and thinking that you don’t need a phone.
Why wouldn’t you take advantage of one of the most popular tools for sharing information
in the world? Do you watch TV? Ever notice those little words at the bottom of the
screen that have a # mark in front? Those are Twitter hashtags. People can share
info about the show live using those hashtags on Twitter. If Twitter is that popular
and that much a part of our culture, can you afford not to be there?How many followers do I need?
Your followers will
talk about your book, help it go viral, and spread the word. Let’s say you have
100 followers. To make this easy, let’s say each of them has 100 followers. If ten
of your followers each share a tweet you send out about your book, your one tweet
just went to 1000 people. Twitter sharing is exponential. Imagine if you have more
followers and a higher percentage shares a tweet? The reach could be huge. On Twitter,
you want lots of followers. How many you get is up to you and how much you share
that’s of interest to your tweeps.Where do I find followers?
Follow people who interest
you. Here are some easy things that attract followers.- Look at the lists others make and consider
following the people on them. - Retweet other people’s info. They may follow
you back. - Tweet 10 things about other people. Then
one thing about you. - People love to be talked about. Say something
complimentary. They will notice. - Spend 10 minutes a day reading and replying
to random tweets.
Anything I shouldn’t do on Twitter?
Yes, and please heed
these.Never send direct messages
(DMs) unless you are getting in touch
for a personal reason. People view automatic DMs to new followers as spammy. They
don’t like it.What about those verification programs? Any good?
I don’t recommend them.
The systems require your would-be-followers to do an anti-spam thing. If you are
an author you should want followers. Let them follow you.Should I follow everyone back?
No. Follow people who
interest you. You don’t have to read every tweet everyone sends — but it’s fun
to see new material and you’ll get that if you have a lot of followers. I don’t
recommend using an auto-follow service. Sadly, if you do you’ll inadvertently follow
spammers.MFRW.org What’s a hashtag?
A hashtag is a search
word on Twitter. It’s a word embedded in the message and marked with a #
symbol. When you click the word, it triggers a search for the word. You can make
anything a hashtag. They cannot contain any type of punctuation.Bonus: Remember to have fun.
Twitter is social media.
Social means hanging out, having fun, and being natural. Twitter is like sex. If
you’re not enjoying it, you’re probably doing it wrong, or with the wrong people.
Lighten up, relax, and do it from the heart. You’ll enjoy it a lot more.Find Me Here
Kayelle Allen is the owner of The Author’s Secret. She’s also a blogger,
writer of immortal role-playing gamers,
warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever.Homeworld http://kayelleallen.comBlog http://kayelleallen.blogspot.comPinterest http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen/Goodreads http://goodreads.com/KayelleAllen - Look at the lists others make and consider