5 Book Marketing Ideas for the Self-Help Genre by Tamara Branch

In June 2014, my first book, ITGIRL4LIFE was published. I had the paralyzing realization in that moment, that nobody is the Universe knows about this book. Seriously, no one on the planet knows this book exists, I thought. I had read articles and blogs that said you should be marketing your book 6 months before it comes out, at least. Well, I didn’t do that. Everything was new for me on this publishing journey. I was winging it. I did some of what was recommended and did my own thing in other areas, and made a few mistakes that I learned from. I would have started earlier looking back but I also know that there are no hard and fast rules, no black and white as a self publisher. You do what works best for your individual project, schedule and budget. Here are 5 marketing ideas that have really helped my book sales and increase overall awareness of my brand.
 
Get Social. You are IT. In other words, people, your fans, your target market want to hear from YOU. Your book - your platform! Share your writing journey, your personality, your truth, why you wrote your book. Talk about the messages you want to convey, the societal impact, who you want to inspire and why. Create a real ‘in person’ presence, beyond your book. Authenticity is your greatest marketing tool. Blogging, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are my go-to channels for promotion. Social media can have a tremendous impact, if used thoughtfully and with purpose.
 
Give Your Book Away For Free...Strategically. I wrote a self-empowerment guide for teen girls. My team of two reached out to hundreds of girls organizations, foundations, and philanthropists who are committed to the enrichment of girls. We also sent books to teen celebs, and young women in the entertainment industry. Countless pdf’s of my book went out to help spread awareness of how this book can be used as a tool to help build high self-esteem. Hard copies went out as well. It worked. We got a lot of support, reviews, shout-outs outside of customer reviews on Amazon. Think outside the box. Find people and organizations who will likely resonate with your mission and connect with them. It’s networking time. Don’t be shy!
 
Submit for Awards. Do some research - select the top awards for your genre and submit your book for a handful of them. Any award recognition is helpful, may bump up sales, add credibility and create a extra interest.
 
Check out Expo’s and Book Fairs. Good Expo's can draw a huge crowd and can be a great opportunity for YOU, the author to be seen, sell books and build your brand. I participated in The Ultimate Women’s Expo in Los Angeles, which exposed me and my book to hundreds of organizations interested in supporting girls. I gave it a whirl and it was a huge success - not cheap though. Book fairs are all about books. Traveling to Book Fairs can be very costly. There are companies that for a small fee will represent your book at fairs in the States and abroad. My book was represented in the Frankfurt Book Fair and Beijing International Book Fair and a few agents expressed interest while I stayed in the comfort of my home. That little move may turn into an international book deal. I do want ITGIRL4LIFE translated in several languages. We’ll see.
 
Set Aside Marketing Budget. You can do a few things with no money but you can do more with some cash. Put aside some money for your promotional budget. You will need it. You may have to hire an assistant, a marketing expert, pay a fee to submit your book for awards, get an intern, do a virtual book tour, or a traveling book tour, you will likely have to order your books in bulk to support your own events, etc. Make an early promise to yourself that you are going to give your book a fighting chance in the marketplace. Do whatever it takes to get it out there.
 
Let’s face it, there are a million ways to market your book and honestly, it can feel like a long uphill climb, at times. Bottomline, you have to promote from different angles. Some things will work and some won’t. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Keep building. Remember the joy and passion you had when you decided to write something and share it with the world. You need YOU in all your glory to be strong and committed to your success. Never give up. Your book just needs the right combination of buzz worthy activity to reach new heights.

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About the Book

"I believe in the power, beauty, strength and amazing potential of girls. I believe girls deserve to feel extraordinary. I believe that when girls shine their light, they are unstoppable!"
- ITGIRL4LIFE by Tamara Branch

Tamara Branch is from New York, born and raised in the Bronx. She is thrilled to share her first book release, ITGIRL4LIFE, kicking off the ITGIRL4LIFE self-esteem movement to empower girls to stand up, stand out and shine bright in the world.

Tamara has worked as a professional model and actor for almost two decades. She strutted down the runway for designers Calvin Klein, Donna Karen and Christian Dior, acted in a few independent films, co-hosted PBS New York’s education series, “What’s up in Technology” and appeared T.V. commercials and print ads for Levi’s, Old Navy, Hershey’s, Colgate, Kellogg’s Special K, Revlon, Hanes, Nike and many others. A Penn State alumnus and lifelong student of personal development, Tamara is deeply passionate about uplifting the human spirit.

After graduating from Institute for Integrative Nutrition, studying under Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil and some of the top health and wellness experts in the world, she was inspired to raise the bar on her own ‘self care’ and support others in living more vibrantly. She is an abstract artist and teaches a dynamic dance class, where she gets to fuse her varied background, having trained in everything from jazz, ballet and modern to Afro-Caribbean and Salsa.

Tamara was recently asked to become a Female Visionary Author guest blogger for The Brave Heart Women Global Community.  She's a SAG/AFTRA member since 1998, a member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and is represented by Abrams Artists Agency.

Tamara currently lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband of seven years and offers ITGIRL4LIFE workshops to assist girls on their self empowerment journey.

You can reach Tamara via: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Greg Messel

A trip back in time to the 1950s world of my novels, "Last of the Seals," “Deadly Plunge,” “San Francisco Secrets,” “Fog City Strangler,” and my new novel “Shadows In The Fog,” is full of reminders how much the world has changed. 

One of the most obvious changes involves the social mores surrounding smoking. In “Shadows In The Fog” the characters rarely have five minutes of conversation before they start lighting up. 
 
My main female character, Amelia, even tries to light a cigarette while she’s on a wind swept water taxi going out to Alcatraz. I’ve been out on San Francisco Bay on a boat to Alcatraz. You can hardly stand up straight because of the wind, let alone light a cigarette. 
 
Sam Slater’s cigarette case actually saves his life during a shooting in “Shadows In The Fog.” He quips to Amelia, “who says cigarettes are bad for your health.”

When I began my career in the corporate world in the 1970s,  I remember conference rooms being smoke filled with ash tray spilling over with cigarette butts and ashes.  
 
I remember the smoking sections on airplanes. I remember being in the last row of the non smoking section which was pretty much the same as sitting in the smoking section. 
 
Flight attendants still warn you on airplane flights to not smoke in the  bathrooms. That warning is about 35 years old now.
 
Today smokers must huddle around the doorways of office buildings to grab a cigarette outside. There are enclosed rooms at airports for smokers. That's fine with me but it has been a monumental change.  
 
In today’s business world it would be considered appalling if in the middle of an office, someone lit up a cigarette. 
 
In the 1950s, smoking was even more pronounced. My grandparents were both chain smokers and I remember as a child or a teenager, that you could actually see smoke rolling out the door when you entered their house. I was exposed to massive amounts of second hand smoke for years. 
 
My grandparents are long gone but when I picture them in my mind’s eye, they are holding a cigarette.  
 
In my mystery novels set in the 1950s, everyone smokes and pretty much non stop.  They are constantly lighting up--even baseball players like Sam Slater. 

Sophisticated, glamorous San Franciscans of the 1950s, like Sam Slater and Amelia Ryan nearly always had a cigarette in their hands. Watch movies from the 1950s or 1960s to witness how it was just part the persona of the attractive, urbane persona. Watch an old “Tonight Show” when Johnny Carson smokes one cigarette after another with guests like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. 
 
In “Shadows In The Fog” the first thing everyone does when they are in a stressful situation is to light up a cigarette. When Amelia escapes after being kidnapped by gangsters, she immediately reaches for a cigarette to light up as they recover from the trauma. 
 
I’ve watched vintage cigarette commercials which played on television in the 1950s. They are funny but somewhat disturbing when you look back on them with our knowledge about the impact on health from cigarettes. 
 
Brands like Kool and Newport touted the soothing effect on a raw throat from their filtered cigarettes. There is a famous ad for Camel’s cigarettes which includes the tag line “According to a recent Nationwide survey: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette.”  
 
When Sam and Amelia visit Dr. John O’Dell in an earlier book in the mystery series, “San Francisco Secrets”, the first thing the medical doctor offers the couple is a cigarette.  At their first meeting, Sam asks the doctor if cigarettes are bad for your health. 
 
Dr. O’Dell advises Sam “there are benefits of smoking as long as you don’t overdo it. I think smoking filtered cigarettes like these Winstons helps,” the doctor says. “It cuts down on the irritation to the throat.  Smoking actually releases a couple of chemicals in the brain, which relieves tension and helps you experience pleasure.”
 
The doctor also tells Sam that smoking can aid in weight loss and releases chemicals in the brain which are similar to the sensation that you experience when you kiss a pretty woman.
 
The doctor’s advice is the common thinking of the times and the narrative from the tobacco companies.  Dr. O’Dell tries to convince Sam that smoking a cigarette is almost as pleasurable as kissing Amelia. Sam’s not buying that argument. 
 
Ah, the 1950s, when you could eat a steak dinner, light up an after dinner cigarette and not feel a bit guilty. Ignorance is bliss I guess. 

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Greg Messel has spent most of his adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed articles to various magazines. Greg retired from the corporate world and now lives in South Jordan, Utah with his wife of over 40 years, Carol Madsen Messel. They have three adult children who are married and have 11 grandchildren.

Greg has written eight novels. His latest is "Shadows In The Fog" which is the fifth in a series of mysteries set in 1959 San Francisco. "Fog City Strangler," "San Francisco Secrets," "Deadly Plunge" are sequels to the first book in the series "Last of the Seals." His other three novels are "Sunbreaks," "Expiation" and "The Illusion of Certainty."

Greg is currently working on his ninth novel--the sixth in the mystery series--"Cable Car Mystery"--which will be published in late 2015.

You can reach Greg via: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

About the Book

The story begins on a stormy morning in February of 1959. The front page of the morning paper is dominated by news of the plane crash which killed rock ’n roll stars Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens. 

Private Eye Sam Slater is hired to perform what he thinks is a routine two-day job as a favor for a friend. However, it all goes terribly wrong when a young San Francisco policeman is gunned down while sitting in a parked car with Sam. 

The murder sets off a chain of events which will pull Sam and his wife and partner, Amelia, into a dangerous web of intrigue in the dark, shadowy alleys and back rooms of San Francisco’s Chinatown. 

In the winter of 1959, Amelia resigns as a TWA stewardess and is now Sam’s full time partner in the private eye business. 

Sam and Amelia inadvertently come in conflict with the San Francisco mob boss after helping a crusading newspaper reporter who is working to expose corruption in Chinatown. Now a mysterious dark car follows the Slaters every where they go. Sam and Amelia discover a hidden world of corrupt cops, gambling parlors, brothels and human trafficking exists right under their noses. 

At the same time, a rising California politician hires Sam and Amelia to find his daughter who disappeared without a trace three years earlier. The search is prompted by the sudden appearance of a letter from the woman, who was presumed dead. 

As Sam and Amelia pursue these cases, they discover that all the clues lead them back to Chinatown. The Slaters want to avoid taking on the San Francisco crime lords head-on. However, when Amelia is kidnapped in an alley during the Chinese New Year’s celebration, Sam plunges himself into danger desperately searching Chinatown to find her before it’s too late. 

The reader will be drawn into fast moving events which culminate in a harrowing conclusion as Sam Slater races against the clock on a foggy night in Chinatown.

“Shadows In The Fog” is the fifth book in the the award winning Sam Slater Mysteries Series but is a stand-alone thriller in the tradition of great whodunits.

Q&A with Abby Green author of Fonseca’s Fury

How have your years working in the film and TV industry helped to shape your writing?

I think they’ve helped because I’m used to working in an unconventional environment and largely for myself. Even though working on a film is with a lot more people, you’re still freelance. It’s also helped because I’m used to breaking down scripts into their various components, which comes in very handy for knowing how important the continuity of a story is.

I’m also used to working under pressure which helps coming up to deadlines!

What inspired you to make to the move to being a romance writer?

I’d wanted to get out of being an Assistant Director for a while, and at first I wanted to write a screenplay but then I thought about it and realized that perhaps writing fiction might be more practical in the long run. (The percentage of scripts that actually make it to the screen is tiny!). I had lived with a friend who had first talked about submitting a manuscript to Mills and Boon and that’s where the germ of the idea started, so it’s all thanks to her.

If you could make any literary hunk in history come to life, who would it be and why?

At the moment, it would have to be Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books because he’s just the most perfect hero. He starts out as this incredibly sweet and honourable guy, virginal to boot, yet very instinctively Alpha. He grows into this very complex and charismatic man who has the most amazing love of a lifetime with the heroine, Claire. He develops through the books into an incredibly rich and complex character. 

About her Book

It's hot in the jungle…

The last time Luca Fonseca saw Serena DePiero, he ended up in a jail cell. The Brazilian billionaire has since clawed back his reputation, but he's never forgotten her. So when Luca discovers Serena's working for his charity, his anger reignites!

Serena has changed. Finally in control of her life, she refuses to let Luca intimidate her. She'll deal with whatever her new boss throws at her—from a rain-forest trek to the social jungle of Rio! But she can't handle the passion that flares hotter than Luca's fury.

Especially when it threatens to consume them both!

Getting to Know Our Newest Cowboys by Carolyn Brown and Linda Broday

They are tough, hard working, and have the manners their mama gave them. Is it no wonder that readers are in love with the ultimate hero — cowboys. But just because these men rope cattle and take care of a spread, doesn’t mean they are all the same. Today we’ve got Western romance authors Carolyn Brown and Linda Broday to describe their newest cowboy heroes and what makes them completely unlike any other characters you’ve read before. Take it away ladies! 

Carolyn Brown: Sawyer had his heart broken back in Cowboy Seeks Bride so when he moves into the bunk house on Fiddle Creek in The Trouble with Texas Cowboys, he’s not so sure that he’s ever going to be interested in a relationship again. But when his heart speaks loudly, he listens and that makes him unique. Most cowboys make up their mind and a herd of stampeding bulls couldn’t change it. Sawyer realizes that Madam Fate had something better in store for him back there when he was on the cattle drive with his cousins and that it has arrived.

Linda Broday: Rancher Cooper Thorne from Texas Mail Order Bride is unique because of his past. As a boy, he watched his father beat his mother to death and was put in an orphanage. The conditions were deplorable. He saw how badly the children were treated and how much worse it was for one in particular – a halfbreed named Brett Liberty who was only six years old. One night Cooper, Brett, and Rand Sinclair slip from their beds and, by the light of the moon, the three ragged boys nick their fingers and declare themselves brothers. An unbreakable bond is formed that lasts even after they become adults. With Cooper being the oldest, he takes on the role of protector and father to the two boys. They become the only family each other has. After they were put on an orphan train and sent West, Cooper helped them escape and led them through the darkness. He killed a man (or so he thought) who attacked Brett after they got jobs working in a bathhouse which put them on the run. Cooper found food and shelter for them, dried Brett’s tears and soothed him after nightmares visited in the dead of night. 

Cooper will walk through fire in his bare feet for Rand and Brett. And so when the man he thought he killed in the bathhouse shows up for revenge in Texas Mail Order Bride, Cooper again fights to rid them of the evil that threatens them all. I think you’ll enjoy Cooper Thorne and his brothers. They represent the tough cowboys who don’t know the meaning of quit. Overwhelming odds only strengthen their resolve. I hope you’ll try Texas Mail Order Bride and if you like it, look for Twice a Texas Bride coming in May. Happy Reading!   

 
Author Biography

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times bestselling author with more than sixty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Carolyn was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, make their home. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.

You can reach Carolyn via: Website | Facebook | Goodreads

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Linda Broday writes western historical romance. She lives in the Texas Panhandle on the Llano Estacado where the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed. She’s always been fascinated with cowboys and the American West way of life because to her these men and women embody strength. Her desire to keep history alive is what drives her to write unforgettable characters.

You can reach Linda via: Website | Facebook | Goodreads

About the Book

Can a girl ever have too many cowboys?

No sooner does pint-sized spitfire Jill Cleary set foot on Fiddle Creek Ranch than she finds herself in the middle of a hundred-year-old feud. Quaid Brennan and Tyrell Gallagher are both tall, handsome, and rich...and both are courting Jill to within an inch of her life. She's doing her best to give these feuding ranchers equal time-too bad it's dark-eyed Sawyer O'Donnell who makes her blood boil and her hormones hum...

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Rancher Cooper Thorne thinks his life is finally on an even keel. But when mail-order bride Delta Dandridge steps off the stagecoach and claims he sent for her, he scrambles to set her straight. The tempestuous woman makes him see red and also challenges all his vows to remain a bachelor. It turns out Delta Dandridge is going to set Cooper Thorne straight about a few things...

Q&A with author Judith Graves

What inspired you to become a writer?
 
I started off as a singer/songwriter, writing lyrics / poetry, and began writing short stories, then novels – and after that – just about any form of fiction. I adore creating characters and the process of worldbuilding, and then putting them all through the wringer.
 
Your novels seem to be based in the young adult genre, do you have any plans on dabbling in others?
 
My (thus far!) published novels are young adult / new adult, however I have screenplays, stage plays, and other manuscript projects for adults, as well as a few for middle grade readers.
 
So it seems that you write "paranormal stories with an attitude". Who would you say is your favorite character/story that you have written so far?
 
All of my lead characters are snarky, but vulnerable, so I think I’m drawn to the anti-hero archetype. The loner with quirks and emotional defences meant to push others away to protect their wounded hearts. Yeah, those are the characters / stories I love to write.
 
What is the hardest thing about writing a series?
 
Keeping things like character eye colours consistent. I have index cards with descriptions / traits, but when you’re flying through a first draft, it’s VERY easy to screw up on those little details. And each novel introduces new characters that may or may not cross over into others within the series, adding to the index card mania.
 
If you could collaborate with any author, past or present, who would it be?
 
Ray Bradbury. I think we could hooch up some wickedly twisted tales and I’d try to absorb as much of his talent as possible.
 
If you could rewrite the ending of any book, which would it be?
 
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. I read it in school and remember the scads of tissues I went through after reading the ending. I know the book wouldn’t have the resonance / message if it ended any other way, but the romantic in me still wants to see Jesse and Winnie get their HEA.
 
Are you currently working on anything that you can share?
 
I’m polishing the last book in the Skinned series, Hour of the Wolf. I can’t share too much as I’m waiting for readers to finish Skin of My Teeth, but I can tell you that Eryn travels back in time. It’s sort of a Doctor Who meets Buffy story that ends the series with a bang.
 
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
 
Read everything you can find in your genre…as far back as it goes. This helps you learn the tropes, figure out what works best, and what doesn’t. From there – spin what you've learned into something fresh and exciting.

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Judith Graves has multiple young adult novels and short stories published with Leap Books, Orca Book Publishers, Compass Press, and, under the pen name, Judith Tewes, is also published with Bloomsbury Spark. In addition, Judith is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright, writes freelance articles for literary magazines, and facilitates writing workshops for both adults and young adults. She lives in northern Alberta with her husband and three crazy labs. 

Ten Fun Facts about An Affair Downstairs by Sherri Browning

1. Logan Winthrop’s appearance was somewhat inspired by model David Gandy. I usually don’t picture real people while creating characters, but Gandy kept invading my imagination. Have you seen him? Who could blame me? 

2. Eve and Marcus from Thornbrook Park make several appearances in An Affair Downstairs… with a new little addition to the family. 

 3. Aunt Agatha once dated a cross-dresser! Learn more about Agatha’s surprising romantic past in An Affair Downstairs. 

4. Like Lady Averford, I’m a protective older sister. Like Lady Alice, I’m a determined younger sister. I’m the middle daughter of three girls, which helped me gain an understanding of both of my leading female characters. 
 
5. Edwardian balls often featured a buffet dinner to seat guests in shifts, and dance cards were becoming passé. 

6. Fox hunts often accommodated hundreds of riders, and about a third of them were women.

7. Edwardian women were sporty. They liked archery, tennis, riding, and those pesky corsets were beginning to get in the way.

8. Cornelius Kenner, a character who appears later in the book, is named after my good friend (and New York Times bestselling author) Julie Kenner, though they don’t share any personality traits. 

9. Diamonds might be forever, but they weren’t actually discovered until 1866. Diamond engagement rings didn’t catch on widely until a DeBeers marketing campaign in the 1930s. Which doesn’t stop one man from offering Alice a diamond. But is it the right man?

10. An Edwardian Christmas was an elaborate, fun-filled affair. After a solemn midnight mass, the family would rise early and enjoy a day of winter activities like sledding, skating, or carriage rides before exchanging gifts.

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About the Book

Title: An Affair Downstairs
Author: Sherri Browning
Series: Thornbrook Park
ISBN: 978-1-4022-8682-7
Pubdate: 1/6/2015

The attraction of the forbidden cannot be suppressed…

Lady Alice Emerson is entirely unsatisfied with the endless stream of boring suitors her family finds appropriate. She wants something more. Something daring. Something real. Each tiresome new suitor only serves to further inflame Lady Alice’s combustible attraction to Thornbrook Park’s rugged, manly estate manager, Logan Winthrop. Despite Logan’s stubborn attempts to avoid her, Lady Alice is irresistible, and so is the forbidden desire exploding between them…

If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, don’t miss the fascinating Edwardian world of Thornbrook Park.

Sherri Browning writes historical and contemporary romance fiction, sometimes with a paranormal twist. She is the author of critically acclaimed classic mash-ups Jane Slayre and Grave Expectations. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Sherri has lived in western Massachusetts and Greater Detroit Michigan, but is now settled with her family in Simsbury, Connecticut. Find her online at www.sherribrowningerwin.com.