My workshop at RWA - How to Promote Your Book (and Have a Life)

I mistakenly published this post earlier in the week while I am away in Florida.  I am republishing it for today, it's designated day.

I was honored to present a workshop with Kim Rocha during the 35th Annual RWA Conference - How to Promote Your Book (and Have a Life).

Bloggers are called the online gatekeepers to readers. Two book bloggers, Kimberly Rocha and Kim Lowe, offer their perspective on what works (and what flops) in promoting romance books and author brands. We’ve posted reviews and we’ve hosted blog tours. We’ve hopped over to other blogs for cross promotion. We’ve participated in launch parties on Facebook and character chats on Twitter. We’ve seen it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly – on social media. 

We have also attended industry events – RWA National Conference, NJRW Conference, Barbara Vey’s Readers Luncheon, and the RT Booklovers Convention. We’ve attended panel discussions about marketing, only to find that authors miss the main ingredient – what readers want. We know what readers want because we are readers. We interact with readers every day as “trusted advisors” through our blogs.

We created a Power Point presentation to highlight the indispensible aspects of promotion – author website, social media, and face-to-face interaction. We will use the presentation to guide the discussion, giving us the flexibility to engage in a lively discussion and answer any questions from authors.

So what did we say?  

Write the book that will entertain readers, offer an escape, and make them come back for more.

Everything else is icing on the cake.

We also offered tidbits about book reviews, blog tours, social media, and reader interaction.  I'll share these tidbits in September.

I thank Kim Rocha for inspiring me to pitch this workshop.  I also thank my readers for offering their feedback every time I ask.  

I am giving away my final copy of PREMIERE - A COLLECTION OF ROMANTIC TALES FROM RWA:

From Romance Writers of America® comes a never-before-published collection of tales that showcases the breadth and complexity of the world's most popular genre of fiction!

New York Times bestselling authors Cindy Gerard and Allison Brennan bring the thrills in their tales of romantic suspense.

New York Times bestselling authors Sabrina Jeffries and Courtney Milan take you on a trip back in time with lush stories of historical romance.

New York Times bestselling authors Vicki Lewis Thompson and Joan Johnston show the wonder of contemporary romance, while New York Times bestselling authors Monica Murphy and Laura Kaye's New Adult romances delve into the evolving Millennial perspective.

And editor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day's tale of angels and sizzling desire takes readers to the edge with paranormal romance.

From the first love of Young Adult romance to tales of second chances, LGBT romance to the realms of the supernatural, contemporary to historical, suspense to inspirational, the genre of romance has a story for every reader and this blockbuster inaugural collection from Romance Writers of America showcases it all!

Plus tales from:
Lila Bell
T. L Costa
Diane Kelly
Amber Lin
Katy Regnery
Erica Ridley
Regina Scott
Harper St. George
Lex Valentine

To enter the giveaway,

1.  If you were the cover model on PREMIERE, what type of chocolate would you be eating?  

I'm a fan of Mauna Loa chocolate covered macadamia nuts!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Rachel Grant and Mary Sullivan, Treasure Hunters at RWA

My favorite panel during the 35th Annual RWA Conference was Treasures, Artifacts, and Curses: Archaeology 101 for Writers:

Rachel Grant and Mary Sullivan

An archaeology professor and private sector archaeologist give a behinds the scenes look at real life work of archaeologists. They'll alert attendees to common pitfalls they see in novels and discuss how to weave realistic archaeological details into stories.  

Rachel and Mary addressed the myths about archaeology that are often romanticized in pop culture - in reality, Indiana Jones was a thief!  I came to appreciate the effort of these archaeologists in uncovering the past.   Both confirmed that archaeologists take many notes ... so it must be a natural progression to write romances featuring archaeologists!

The bonus - both Rachel and Mary have lived in Hawaii.  Plus Rachel's husband, an underwater archaeologist for the US Navy, recently returned from a trip to Djibouti, Africa.  She shared a stone he received for teaching purposes that is dated as a million years old.  I was impressed!

Mary co-wrote the Case Study in Archaeology - A Student's Perspective.  Rachel is the author of the Evidence series with smart heroines and sexy heroes.  Back in May, she celebrated the release of Book Five, COVERT EVIDENCE:

Falling in love was never part of his mission…

With visions of professional glory, underwater archaeologist Cressida Porter embarks on a research trip deep into the heart of Eastern Turkey. Her dreams turn into nightmares when she becomes the unwitting courier for a terrorist network. Stranded and unable to speak the language, she turns to a handsome and enigmatic security specialist for help, even while fearing he may be behind a violent assault that leaves her vulnerable.

CIA Case Officer Ian Boyd’s mission is clear: follow the courier, identify the terrorist leader, and intercept the microchip before it falls into enemy hands. For Ian, cozying up to the alluring archaeologist to find out where her loyalties lie isn’t exactly hardship duty. But spending time with her proves dangerous when she awakens a longing for a life he can never have.

Attraction wars with distrust as Cressida and Ian are forced on the run. When violence erupts in the already unstable region, Cressida discovers everything she knows about Ian is false. With all secrets revealed, Cressida must decide if she can trust the spy with her life, while Ian faces his own impossible choice: Cressida or his mission.

I am giving away RWA conference "treasures" (aka swag) to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you have a favorite "treasure hunting" movie?  For hints, check out this list.  I enjoyed the movie THE DA VINCI CODE although I did not read the book. 

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Hawaii offers many treasures ....