Liz Jasper

1. What's your name/pen name, e-book title(s), website? When
> did/will the book drop?
>
My reinvented self is Ashlyn Chase. Available titles are: Vampire
Vintage, Heaving Bosoms, Being Randy. Coming in the near future: Wonder
Witch and Demolishing Mr. Perfect. Aren't you glad you asked? LOL.
>
> 2. What kinds of promotions have you done to get the word out about
> your ebook? If there’s some you plan on doing, list those too,
> but identify them as “to do’s.” e.g. maintain a website, join
> chat rooms, join sites dedicated to authors, join writers
> groups, interview or be interviewed, hold contests, donate
> books, send out arcs, teach writing classes, buy ads, make and
> send out bookmarks or postcards, hand out business cards, notify
> your alma maters, notify your local paper, blog, put it in your
> email signature, walk around holding a sign, clutching
> strangers’ legs as they pass by on the street, etc.
>
I'll try this and that. If something seems to be worthwhile, I'll do it
again. I once hired an expensive publicity "expert." She didn't do much
for me. Then she sold the business to a person who did even less for me!
I'd rather just play on the web with readers for free. It's more fun and
appeals to my cheap side.
>
> 3. What, if any, promo activities do you consider absolutely
> essential when a book first drops? Why?
>
What's this 'drops' stuff? My books don't drop. They're released! They
take off! They fly!
>
> 4. What's the best promotion you've ever done?
>
Hard to say, but I'd guess it may have been the International on-line
radio show I did about living and writing humorously. I hit my
publisher's best sellers list right after that.

> 5. Have you done any promotion you’ve regretted? C’mon, let’s hear
> the horror story.
>
I don't know if it's a horror story or not, but I had a book signing
without a single sale. It happened to be motorcycle weekend in NH and
guess where everyone was? LOL.

1.
What's your name/pen name, e-book title(s), website? When did/will the book drop?

Terry Odell. "Finding Sarah", "What's in a Name?" available now. "Starting Over" available in August, 2007. http://www.terryodell.
com

2.        What kinds of promotions have you done to get the word out about your ebook? If there’s some you plan on doing, list those too,
but identify them as “to do’s.” e.g. maintain a website, join chat rooms, join sites dedicated to authors, join writers groups, interview or
be interviewed, hold contests, donate books, send out arcs, teach writing classes, buy ads, make and send out bookmarks or
postcards, hand out business cards, notify your alma maters, notify your local paper, blog, put it in your email signature, walk around
holding a sign, clutching strangers’ legs as they pass by on the street, etc.
My website, with monthly contests. My blog. An Author's Den page. A Myspace page. Numerous Yahoo groups, chat rooms. I've had
bookmarks printed, and I've made little booklets with the first chapter of my book, and also 'cover flat/postcards.' I've almost always got
bookmarks & flats in my purse. My website & book titles are in my sig line for my emails.

3.        What, if any, promo activities do you consider absolutely essential when a book first drops? Why?
No clue. I did a list mom day at Cerridwen Chat for my first book. Was out of town for the second. Sent announcements (not too soon –
helps if they can click to a buy link) but tried to participate and get my name in front of people.

4.        What's the best promotion you've ever done?
Right now, I'm a featured author at The Romance Studio. Too early to tell if it will help, but it's a site that has more exposure to a wider
audience, I think.

5.        Have you done any promotion you’ve regretted? C’mon, let’s hear the horror story.
Too hard to track ROI on specific promos.

6.        IYO, what’s the biggest promo bang for the buck?
Bookmarks, cover flats will give people something to 'touch'. Most of the online groups seem to prefer erotica, but I think the modest fee
for The Romance Studio is worth it.

7.        When Raelene Gorlinsky told me I'd have to "develop an online presence,” I went straight to the kitchen, made a double batch of
chocolate chip cookies, and ate them. What have you done to get your name out on the web?
As mentioned above in #1

8.        Virtual book signing. Is it possible (even for those who don’t write paranormal)? Have you tried it?
Haven't tried it. I do offer signed covers as prizes for contests; I print them on photo paper and it's an inexpensive prize.

9.        What do you do to keep your web site interesting?
Update it regularly – every month there's a new contest, plus I update when I get a new review, or anything of 'writing' interest happens. I
prefer not to yammer on about personal stuff.

10.        You've published your e-book – yay! Now, how do you convince Aunt Martha to buy it, even though she's never read an e-book
before? We can all cite the e-book advantages listed on the CP web site, but what do you tell people? Not just Aunt Martha -- we all
know she's going to buy it anyway-- but, say, your hairdresser, who can't help but be interested after you try out your blurb on her?
Wish I knew. Most people I know don't have a clue about e-books. I'm sure my hairdresser will buy my book in print. Many of them take
my cover flat or bookmark and hand it back when I answer "where can I buy it?" with "On line—it's an e-book" and they tell me to let them
know when I have a "real book" out there. However, every now and then you find someone who understands, and even knows they can
download to their PDA. Unfortunately, so far, the ones I've met in this category have been outside the romance reading demographic,
but I still give them a bookmark.

11.        How do you think promoting an e-book is different from a promoting a print book? If your e-book has gone to print, are there
promotional activities you've had to add? Or plan to add?
I just found out my books will be in print this summer, but I haven't started thinking about that yet. I'll have to see how it all works.

>
> 6. IYO, what’s the biggest promo bang for the buck?
>
Connecting with readers. I love my readers and it must show. I'm so
excited when someone actually writes to me or talks about my book
on-line. I guess you call that word-of-mouth. The buck is negligible and
the bang is knowing people actually love what I do. I can't put a price
on that.
>
> 7. When Raelene Gorlinsky told me I'd have to "develop an online
> presence,” I went straight to the kitchen, made a double batch
> of chocolate chip cookies, and ate them. What have you done to
> get your name out on the web?
>
Unless you wrote your website addy on those cookies and gave them away
at a state fair, I'm betting that didn't help. LOL. Your website is the
best on-line presence you can have. I think an author's day or shared
authors' day with a contest can be helpful. Interviews are good if you
provide a link to them for easy viewing.
>
> 8. Virtual book signing. Is it possible (even for those who don’t
> write paranormal)? Have you tried it?
>
What the hell is a virtual book signing. I guess I haven't tried it.
>
> 9. What do you do to keep your web site interesting?
>
Gaaaa... Not much. I wish I couple think of something other than the
occasional journal entry, contest and new book info.
>
> 10. You've published your e-book – yay! Now, how do you convince
> Aunt Martha to buy it, even though she's never read an e-book
> before? We can all cite the e-book advantages listed on the CP
> web site, but what do you tell people? Not just Aunt Martha --
> we all know she's going to buy it anyway-- but, say, your
> hairdresser, who can't help but be interested after you try out
> your blurb on her?
>
I made a pamphlet about how easy it is to buy and read an ebook. I sent
it to libraries and fellow ebook authors who requested it. I've also
printed out a novella and given it to my hairdresser. Everyone in the
salon read it and loved it! I'm not sure if they've bought ebooks since
or not.

> 11. How do you think promoting an e-book is different from a
> promoting a print book? If your e-book has gone to print, are
> there promotional activities you've had to add? Or plan to add?
>
It's very different. I've only had ebooks so far, but I have a whole
list of things to do for a print book. Buy or borrow a book called
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers.
>
> 12. How do you know your promotion efforts are doing any good?
>
There's no way to know. You simply have to do what feels right and have
faith.
>
> 13. Do you have any advice for new e-book authors? Anything you wish
> someone had told you?
>
Your book itself is the best ad you can have. if you write a great book,
people will want your next one, and the next, and next...