Marketing Your Passion with Diana Cosby

Today, we are delighted to welcome international best-selling author Diana Cosby to 4writers. Diana, thanks for being here today!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Marketing Your Passion

by Diana Cosby

Guest Blogger: Diana Cosby

Once an author sells their book, they’re faced with the new challenge of marketing their work.  To me, it’s imperative that the author defines their goals.  What exactly are they trying to achieve?  Is it a sales number?  Do they want to reach a certain best-seller list?  With a clear goal in mind, it’s time to push forward, break down the steps in your marketing strategy.

I prefer to do something I call, “Marketing Your Passion.”  Simply, this is doing what makes business sense and what is fun.  Let’s be clear, marketing is HARD WORK!  There are no short cuts, but well laid out plans for maximum effect.  As marketing is hard work, why do something you dislike?  It will show in your actions and could come across to the reader as insincere. 

One normally believes as we’re authors our promotion should center around our books.  I personally disagree.  I believe that our readers like to learn who we are, and enjoy the connection of having common interests.  You do this by sharing your passions.  Write articles, volunteer, or give workshops about what intrigues you.  Your bio will give readers follow-on information to read more about you.

            How do you find venues to submit articles?  Look for blog owners seeking authors to appear on their site.  Write an article for a local newspaper.  Submit an article to a magazine you enjoy.  A personal favorite of mine is ReporterConnection.com. 

Each weekday, a message will appear with a reporter or others seeking people to interview about different topics.  If a topic is of something that you’re interested in and have knowledge about, you can choose to respond.  If your query is accepted, in addition to an interview, quotes or whatever the person is seeking help on, credit to you will be given in the form of your name and a link in the article.

            So, the next time you’re drafting a marketing plan, define your goals, then choose areas in your life where you have fun.  In the end you’ll meet amazing people who share your passion.  Take care and I wish you every success!

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author

www.dianacosby.com

His Captive-Alexander MacGruder

His Woman-Duncan MacGruder

His Conquest-Seathan MacGruder

His Destiny - Oct 2011

What Makes You Pick Up A Book?

When I shop for romance books, I have tried and true methods for picking them up. First, of course, are my favorite authors – Julia Quinn, Julie Garwood, Jo Davis, Shayla Black/Shelley Bradley, Suzanne Enoch, Tracy Anne Warren, Stephanie Laurens, Susan Gable, Diana Duncan, Karen Hawkins – just to name a very few. Those are auto-buys for me and I eagerly await their new releases. I have a special calendar above my desk with upcoming releases penned in.

Beyond that, though, I pick up books first based on the cover – I’m a firm lover/believer of clinch covers. While my imagination will fill in the details and come up with my own hero and heroine as I read, I like having a head start on the cover. Bare chests and sultry women are good.

Next are titles. In historical romances, I gravitate toward books with words like royal titles (Dukes, Earls and Viscounts), knights, Templar, crusades, Scotland, etc. In contemporary books, I lean more toward the erotic and mysterious. I’m not really much on generic titles or the other spectrum of all-inclusive titles such as the Billionaire Cowboy’s Secret Baby with His Virginal Bride. Hey, it could happen. Now, some of those tags interest me, but by and large they don’t catch my eye.

I also love saucy titles such as Sarah MacLean’s Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake. That was a darn good book, as are the sequels. Karen Hawkins’ phenomenal MacLean curse series also tweaks tradition tongue-in-cheek style: To Scotland, With Love, Sleepless in Scotland, The Laird Who Loved Me. Who could resist those titles? And you really MUST read those books. Wow.

Next is the back cover blurb. Those 30 seconds it takes me to read the back cover is like the trailer to a movie. Grab me, interest me and leave me with that I-have-got-to-buy-this-book feeling. Good cover/blurb writing is an art and those who excel at it do a lot to convince me to buy. Hopefully, but not always, the author does her (or his!) part and delivers an exceptional story.

After the blurb, I’ll flip open and read the first paragraph. If it doesn’t grab me, I KEEP READING. I know how hard I work on my books and there’s no way I’m giving up after one paragraph. I usually will read at least the first five pages of the book because I know if I don’t like it by then, I won’t at all. Most of the time. Once or twice I have been fooled.

Those are all the usual reasons people have for picking up a book. What are some things that pull you to pick up and buy a romance novel?

What makes you pick up a book?

Happy reading,

Jennifer August