• Author Marketing,  New Writer Tips

    Happy Birthday #14 Marketing for Romance Writers #MFRWauthor @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #Authors

    Happy Birthday #14 Marketing for Romance Writers #MFRWauthor @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #AuthorsKayelle Allen here. Marketing for Romance Writers started in 2006 and is still going strong. All services and membership are free.

    It began because, like all my friends, 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 was beginning to understand the overall concept. Even so, 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. How was I supposed to promote on social media? Did I need a blog?

    So many questions

    My friends all had the same 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. I was asking questions myself, plus I took time to go find an answer if someone asked and I didn’t know. Eventually, I got 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 do 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.Happy Birthday #14 Marketing for Romance Writers #MFRWauthor @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #Authors

    I set it up as Marketing for Romance Writers because that’s what all of us were at the time. Our current members are not all romance writers, however. They come from all genres. 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!

    In 2006, we had 12 members. Fourteen years later, we’re in the thousands. We now meet on IO Groups and our staff of volunteers produces a monthly magazine. We coordinate multiple blog hops to bring traffic to member websites, including Book Hooks and MFRWsteam.

    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 is on most social media. The Twitter hashtags are #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor and #MFRWsteam, used for various weekly/monthly blog hops. See volunteers needed below for a chance to network while making a difference for fellow authors.

    Find and Join MFRW

    Marketing for Romance Writers IO Groups:
    Main https://marketingforromancewriters.groups.io/g/main
    Steam (Erotic) https://marketingforromancewriters.groups.io/g/steam
    MFRW Magazine https://newsstand.joomag.com/en?q=Marketing+for+Romance

    Marketing for Romance Writers Website http://marketingforromancewriters.org

    Marketing for Romance Writers News https://www.facebook.com/mfrworg

    Marketing for Romance Writers Promo https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrwauthors/

    MFRW Triberr Tribes

    Books and Authors http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=31990
    Business of Writing http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=48112
    Erotic http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=40964
    LGBT http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=41440
    Mainstream http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=40921
    Sweets http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=40922

    MFRW Blogs & Hops

    MFRW Marketing http://mfrw.blogspot.com
    MFRW Author http://mfrw-authors.blogspot.com
    MFRW Book Hooks https://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com/
    MFRW 52 Week Challenge https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/
    MFRW Steam http://mfrwsteam.blogspot.com

    Free Promotion for MFRW Members

    Follow us – we follow back.

    Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/
    Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/161092-the-mfrw-book-place
    LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/marketing-for-romance-writers-organization/
    Twitter http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG

    MFRW Volunteer Staff

    Kayelle Allen, Founder & Blog Coordinator https://kayelleallen.com
    Emerald, Facebook Coordinator http://www.TheGreenLightDistrict.org
    Mona Karel, Moderator http://mona-karel.com
    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
    Tina Gayle, Twitter Promo & Blog Hop Coordinator http://www.tinagayle.net/home.html
    Kathryn R Blake, Blog Hop Coordinator http://www.kathrynrblake.com/
    Lisabet Sarai, Blog Hop Coordinator https://www.lisabetsarai.com/
    Alice Orr, Writing Tips Blogger https://aliceorrbooks.com
    Dee S Knight, Blog Hop Coordinator https://deesknight.com

    Volunteers Needed

    Goodreads Coordinator (posting books as requested) [edit: Fiona McGregor took on this role.]
    Twitter Coordinator (approving followers, sending tweets)
    Triberr Coordinator (approving blog posts within Triberr)
    Pinterest Coordinator (pinning covers)

    We currently need coordinator volunteers for these sites. Each position takes about an hour a week, average, and can be spread over several days. If you have experience in these areas and would like to volunteer, please contact us! main+owner@marketingforromancewriters.groups.io


    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.

    The Success Story

    Are you part of the Marketing for Romance Writers success story? Please share in the comments.

     

  • Author Marketing

    Happy Birthday Marketing for Romance Writers #MFRWauthor @MFRW_ORG #Authors

    Kayelle Allen here. Wow, has Marketing for Romance Writers grown! Back in 2006 when I started this group, 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 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. How was I supposed to promote on social media? Did I need a blog?

    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 and 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. Our members are not just romance writers, however. They come from all genres. 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!

    In 2006, we had 12 members. Eleven years later, there are 2420 of us, plus 6781 on Facebook, 3875 on Twitter, untold numbers on Goodreads, and 1492+ on Pinterest with 54 boards and over 790 pins. Our staff of volunteers produces an award winning newsletter and in 2018, we will publish a monthly magazine. How can we promote for you?

    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.org

    Marketing for Romance Writers News https://www.facebook.com/mfrworg

    Marketing for Romance Writers Promo 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 #MFRWhooks

    MFRW Volunteer Staff

    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
    Lisa Lowe, Goodreads Coordinator (website under construction)
    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.

     

  • Immortals,  Science Fiction

    6at6 #Scifi #Facebook party @HoustonHavens +5 Authors 6pm April 16th #RLFblog

    Join the fun on April 16th at 6 PM EST
    The 6at6 Facebook Party with bestselling authors Kayelle Allen
    and International Bestseller Houston Havens, as well as top of the line authors
    Anne Kane, Colleen Myers, M. Schiller, Rochelle Weber ~ will not only give you a
    chance to win a Kindle Fire but you’ll get an opportunity to meet the fascinating
    characters Pietas and Six. These guys are from the new Kayelle Allen series Bringer
    of Chaos!
    You’ll also get more insight on my Psychic Menage Series. For
    those who’ve been working too hard and didn’t hear, a few weeks ago I released book
    four in the series, Intimate Betrayal. I will open this party at 6PM EST please
    come and bring your friends. I’d love to chat with all of you and share the good
    times! Some lucky person will win a Kindle Fire…let’s hope it’s you. There will
    be lots of giveaways for all!
    Who:
    What:
    6at6 Facebook Party
    Where:
    Facebook, in your jammies if you want http://bit.ly/6at6party
    When:
    6pm EST April 16, 2016 (get the Six theme?)
    Why:
    It’s for Six, one of the heroes in Bringer of Chaos: the Origin
    of Pietas by Kayelle Allen.

    Come hang out with us and have fun. Goodies and giveaways for
    everyone.
    —-

    About Houston Havens

    Erotic romance author Houston Havens, a former successful
    model enjoying an adventurous jet-set lifestyle, intrigues her readers with a
    mix of the past, present, and future, and sexy blends of futuristic science
    fiction, paranormal fantasy, and western romance, always with love everlasting.
    A tenacious Irish lass filled with passion and mystery hopes her sultry stories
    will entertain and fascinate those who dare to take the journey. She’s also a
    social media junkie with an award winning blog.

    Author Social Media

    Website: http://houstonhavens.com
    Blog: http://houstonhavens.com/blog
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/HoustonHavens
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/HoustonHavens
    VIP Lounge (Newsletter) signup: http://houstonhavens.com/vip/
    Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Houston-Havens/e/B00J1T0QY6/
    Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/HoustonHavens
    Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104340584560714468515/posts
    Tumblr: http://houstonhavens.tumblr.com
    Booklikes: http://authorhoustonhavens.booklikes.com
    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/24819699-houston-havens
    Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/houstonhavens/
    Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuOpU6OsngnhTac_JvTLItQ
  • Contemporary

    The Thin Person Inside a new #contemporary romance by @RochelleWeber #RLFblog

    This quick interview includes info about the author, and
    introduces the story.

    About the Author

    Rochelle Weber is a Navy veteran
    with a BA in Writing from Columbia College in Chicago. Her novels Rock Bound
    and Rock Crazy are available in both e-book and print. Her third book, The Thin
    Person Inside, is available at MuseItUp Publishing, Inc. Ms. Weber edits for
    Jupiter Gardens Press, The Author’s Secret, and publishes the Marketing for
    Romance Writers Newsletter, winner of the 2013 Preditors and Editors Readers’
    Poll for Best Writers’ Resource. She also started Roses and Thorns Reviews
    and currently has two partners.
    Ms. Weber battles bi-polar
    disorder, quipping, “You haven’t lived until you’ve been the only woman on the
    locked ward at the VA.” Her song, “It’s Not My Fault,” won a gold medal in the
    National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. She has lost over a hundred pounds
    and kept it off for over three years. She lives in Round Lake Beach, Illinois.

    Interview with Rochelle Weber

    Why did you write this book?
    The Thin Person Inside: Kristen
    Jensen never expected to fall in love when she got help for her morbid
    obesity—let alone with a rock star. I started to write a book about a secretary
    who meets a rock star. Originally they met at an AA meeting, but I just
    couldn’t get the conflict there. First he relapsed. Then she did. Then I
    decided a story about a person in recovery relapsing was just too trite. Then I
    decided to put it in the future and have them meet in Rockton on the Moon. Maybe
    the conflict could be that he lived on Earth. Then they were going to honeymoon
    up there. Nothing worked.
    Then someone said, “You should
    write about your weight loss.” Bingo! I changed Kristen from an alcoholic to a
    food addict, described my experience in treatment, even copied my homework from
    treatment, and the whole thing just flowed. I decided Sean should lose his hand
    because I already had a hero with crushed legs in another book. I’m not a heavy
    metal fan, so I didn’t know there was a drummer out there who lost an arm and
    came back to the band. I met a veteran who lost his hand in a farm accident and
    played piano, and that’s where I got the idea Sean could manage keyboards with
    one hand.
    What is your favorite genre to read?
    Do I have to choose one? I love
    sci-fi, mystery/suspense/thriller, sweet romance, some paranormal—pretty much
    everything but erotica and BDSM. I find erotica boring and BDSM just isn’t my
    thing. I just don’t get the concept of deriving pleasure from pain. I’m a wimp.
    I don’t want to feel pain, and I’m empathetic so I don’t want to read about
    anyone feeling pain.
    Who is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own)?
    Again, must I choose only one? I
    think I can narrow it down to three. 
    Professor McGonagle and Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series, and
    Maureen Johnson Smith, mother of Woodrow Wilson Smith, aka Lazarus Long, created
    by Robert A. Heinlein. All three are strong, independent women who protect the
    people they love and stand up for what they believe in.
    What are you working on at the moment, and what will see from you in
    coming months?
    My current WIP is languishing
    somewhat, as I’m busy with promoting my new release and various editing
    projects. It’s an historical book set during the Vietnam Era called Full Circle
    about a girl who dates a bad-boy biker wanna-be.  She thinks he’s dumped her when he stops
    showing up, not realizing he’s been arrested and gone into the Marines. She
    joins the Navy and becomes a Hospital Corpwave and meets him again when he’s
    admitted to her hospital after being injured in Vietnam. I guess I seem to be
    forming a pattern of injured heroes. I’m running out of body parts to maim. ;-/
    Please tell us about your latest book.
    Kristen Jensen, a Navy veteran,
    tips the scale at a crippling three hundred pounds. In desperation she asks her
    VA therapist if she can go into addictions treatment with the guys where she
    meets Sean. With black hair, blue eyes, and a perfect body she figures the
    reason he’s speaking to her is that she’s the only other person in the room.
    The Haystack told their lead
    singer, Sean Wesley, to get clean or get out. But none of the big-name clinics
    worked. Sean’s a Desert Storm vet, so they send him to a VA in the middle of
    nowhere. When he meets Kristen the first day, he thinks it’s tragic such a
    pretty girl’s trapped in a huge body. And her honesty, intelligence, and
    bravery are even more impressing. Sean’s drawn to Kristen, but she’s had
    decades to build layers of defense.

    About the Book

    Title The Thin Person Inside
    Genre Contemporary Romance
    Author Rochelle Weber
    Book heat level (based on movie
    ratings): R

    Buy This Book

    Publisher MuseItUp Publishing,
    Inc. http://tinyurl.com/rwmusettpi
    Barnes and Noble http://tinyurl.com/rwttpibn
    Kobo http://tinyurl.com/koboriwttpi

    Author Social Media

  • Author Marketing

    Why I Created Marketing for Romance Writers

    Picture yourself cruising the net looking for a good spot to
    promote your new book when you happen upon a great review site. You decide
    to request they read it. First question: Title of book — hah! Piece
    of cake. Publisher: Duh! This is easy too. ISBN: Hmmm. You tap your fingers on the keyboard. Didn’t I see that in an email? So you open a new window and start
    rummaging through all the stuff in your inbox. It has 475 messages in it so it
    takes awhile. You notice an email from a fellow author and read it, respond,
    then decide to see what’s in that cool looking newsletter that just came. About
    an hour later you close the email window and there in the background is that
    review site — still waiting for the ISBN that you never found. Sound familiar?
    I thought so. I’ve done things like this, and so have many
    others. In 2006, I created Marketing for Romance Writers so I could get some
    writing done but still help about a dozen friends with questions like “How
    do I get my book reviewed?” “I’m drowning in email. How do I create
    folders?” “What’s the #1 thing I should do to market my book?” I figured if I helped them, they’d help me when I had a question too. Guess what? It worked. We all helped each other.
    I answered their questions with articles on how to create a
    review request form, how to determine what kinds of folders you need, and ideas
    on how to find out who was talking about you online. These were things I was learning myself, and I enjoyed sharing. Since that time, those
    twelve people have morphed into over twelve hundred, and I am not the only person answering questions. Our group is a self-help group that relies on crowd sourced answers. Everybody shares info and news. We started calling the
    group MFRW because we talked about it so much and the title was too long to
    write out. We invited guest speakers to come help us learn, and we shared with
    author groups and our publishers. We gave free workshops. I decided at the beginning that we would not charge for
    lessons because everyone needed a chance to learn and not everyone could afford it.
    We began a professional newsletter, gave seminars,
    workshops, and had Q&A sessions. We started two blogs and a Facebook group. We created a few excerpt books to give away. This month, we added a website, and in July, we’re sponsoring a free, two-day Marketing
    Summer Camp with over a dozen guest speakers, panels, and a large number of
    giveaways and handouts.
    Things have changed. Yet the more they change — the more
    they stay the same. A recent discussion on the Yahoo group asked “When
    does marketing become spam?” Last count, there were over fifty responses
    in two separate topics relating to that subject. We also took on the task of
    liking each other’s Amazon author pages, and on Facebook, we regularly like and
    tag each other’s books as a way to help with sales.
    Our Author Blog Banner
    Yes, we’ve come a long way. We started out with a Yahoo
    group and a dozen friends, and we’ve become a crowd with multiple aspects of
    social media. We have a newsletter editor, two proofers, a blog director, five
    group liaisons, a promotions director, and me. Eleven people to look after the
    goings on around a group that started with only a dozen members. Yes, things
    have changed, but they are still focused on the same five things as they were
    in the beginning. Our motto is still “seek, teach, share, learn, succeed.”

    Our Volunteer Staff

    Kayelle Allen Founder 
    Newsletter Editor: Rochelle Weber
    Proofers: Cat Gardiene, JJ Keller
    Blog Director: Lynn Crain
    Promotions Director: Karen Cote’
    Group Liaisons: Jeanne Barrack, Jean Drew, Dawne Prochilo, Heaven O’Shey, RJ
    Garside

    Join Us!

    We still help one another and look for ways to advance our
    careers by working together. It’s been a little less than six years since we
    started on this journey. I can’t wait to see where the next six takes us. Won’t
    you join us?

    Where to find Marketing for Romance Writers online:

    Our Marketing Blog Banner

    Sign up for Summer Camp by joining the Yahoo Group.

    All
    members are enrolled. To take part, read your messages. That’s all there is to
    it!
    img credit: “You have a new book” rgbstock.com