Friday, July 24, 2009

What the heck do I do now?


It's now just over two weeks until my release date for The Challenge. YAY!!! Only, what the heck do I do now?

----------------Newb Alert - Newb Alert-----------------

So I have a list of newbie questions I thought to put out for all of you seasoned authors out there. Now, I figure it is only fair to pay for any brain picking I do, but my currency comes in the form of a snippet of my upcoming release. I'll post it at the bottom. :)

On with the questions....

1. Should I be promoing it like crazy? Probably, but how and where?
2. When it comes out, how many copies should I buy to use as give aways? Is there a magic number?
3. Do interviews on other blogs work?
4. I'm working on a second book, as I've heard that is the best promo you can do, but is there anything else that worked really well for anyone out there?
5. Any other words of advice for my big day...I'm all ears.

Thanks! Now how about a snippet...

As the car drew to a halt and Bastian got out, she wondered again if she was making a mistake. Yes, she wanted to know the wildness of sex with this side of her physiology, but at what cost? Did she dare risk the loss of her anonymity? She’d hidden for so long behind her talent that it was hard to put herself out there for sex alone.

“We’re here.” His hand reached out, palm up, ready to assist her from the car. He left her breathless with his considerate gesture. How many men these days opened car doors? A symphony of nature met her as she rose from the car. Water lapping onto the shore and a fresh pine bouquet filled her with a wild yearning. She could run here, be free here. Maybe she could be more, here.

They moved along the dock towards a giant gazebo outlined with twinkle lights. Silky netting hung suggestively around a raised pedestal in the center of the room, a bed hidden within its depths. They were alone, and the incredible man at her back demanded her full attention.

“Shh, pretty kitty.” Bastian wound himself around her, calming the shakes racking her body. When had those started? “There’s probably a minimum of a hundred things I could call you.” His tongue dragged lightly over the whorls of her ear. “But do you know what I would like?”

She tingled as pictures raced through her head. Her body sprawled over the hood of the car, the warm metal teasing her breasts as he pounded into her from behind.

“Wha—what?”

“Your name, darlin’, what do I call you when I demand your release?”

8 comments:

Savanna Kougar said...

Oooooo, Bastion, seduce that 'pretty kitty'...

Serena, Celia Kyle is very seasoned and good at promo. She writes a lot of shapeshifter novels, if you haven't already seen her books.

Has Kayelle Allen invited you to her Yahoo Group yet? It's one of the good ones. I'd promo there, and on some of the major Yahoo groups. Like TRS blue, Love Romances Cafe, Chatting with Joyfully Reviewed. Also, Just Another Paranormal Monday Yahoo loop is good.

Yeah, I'd do interviews with author/blogs that are paranormal, especially.

Don't worry about copies. You'll have access to giveaway copies in ebook form.

Right now, it's a game of getting your name out and your book in front of those who read that genre.

Paris said...

Serena,
Don't forget to get your book into the PI Booknotes, they have lots of exposure. If you haven't made a trailer of your book cover, take a look at One True Media--you have access to free music and they walk you through it. A friend of mine made one for me and put it on You Tube.

Definitely do the interview and blog promo and if the old budget allows, I think you can buy advertising space on some of the review websites like Night Owl and JEER with a link to your buy page with your excerpt and blurb.

Good Luck!

Serena Shay said...

Savanna,
Awesome info! I joined Kayelle's group, and wow, tons of great info! I'll have to check out the other groups as well.

Definitely need to get my name out there, but need to find a balance so that I can keep writing and not end up doing drive by promo! hehe

Thanks!!!

Serena Shay said...

Paris,
PI Booknotes, good call. I have to gather up the info I need to do that.

Hmmm, a trailer huh, I'll have to try that. It would be good for my website and blog I bet.

Advertising space would be cool, but the old budget might complain about that...LOL I'll keep it in mind though.

Thanks for the great info!!

Savanna Kougar said...

Serena, The Romance Studio is relatively inexpensive compared to some sites and they are great to work with... Their featured member is not much cashola. And, if you wait for one of their ad specials, it's cheap compared to a lot of sites.
Best of all, for me, I just like the way they look as eye candy, or eye candy romance, as I think about it.
http://theromancestudio.com

Serena Shay said...

TRS...yep, I signed up for that, but only the freebie one for now. I need to check it out and see what I can do there. Plus, I need to check out your awesome forum there!

Thanks Savanna

Savanna Kougar said...

Hey Serena, I dunno about awesome... I'd like to shapeshift it into awesome.
If you like what you see, feel free to promo THE CHALLENGE with it's own page, blurb, excerpt, etc.
Or any creative fun promo you can think of...

Serena Shay said...

Cool! Thanks Savanna, that would be wonderful!!