Publishing and Promoting Tips from C.M. Brown and Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaStorm

Today tour stop is a tour swap! I am visiting C.M. Brown, talking about the timing of your book release, and she’s here with some publishing and promoting tips.

Hi Dianne, and thank you for hosting me today on your site to discuss publishing and promoting tips.

Well, to begin with I decided to publish my books the indie way after participating in a seminar at my local council library. The Australian government funded a local author/artist Judy Barrass. (to encourage new writers to publish their work using available options on the internet)

I researched into the information I left with, excited and determined and eventually decided to use Smashwords as my publishing platform. I still use their site, but also download my books at Amazon.

To create hard copies, I decided to use LULU, they have connections to Amazon and I found that downloading to all of the above platforms was quite easy, but made sure I followed the instructions provided at each site precisely.

But, I would suggest new authors read the guidelines of these sites and think about what suits them best and before deciding to publish ensure that you have given your work to a few critique partners to ensure your product is the best it can be. It is extremely important to try a few different beta readers and CP’s to find your right matches. Follow the advice you are given without taking offence and decide how their suggestions would improve your overall story.

Once you have tightened up your working story you must ensure the formatting of your product is spot on. It is essential that your formatting is perfect. You do need to spend the time and follow the ‘How to Publish’ guides at each site. Be sure that images are saved in the right file format and they are of an appropriate file size.

After your work is accepted to the platforms of your choice, it is time to market your product!

This can be the hard part.

When I published my first book I did not have a blogging account nor had I made any connections with anyone on the internet involved in the literary world. I decided to open a blogging account and luckily worked out how to blog.

I found my way around more by perseverance and luck than anything else.

By joining the various blog hops and connecting with other authors, I learned that I needed to give as well as take, as in all things in life. By giving others the opportunity to spotlight their work, I found friends and made connections with other authors.

By spending a lot of time reading other authors posts, I learned from them how to market my books.

I created an author account with Goodreads and joined one of their groups - Never Too Old For Young Adult, which luckily for me is a very motivated group with strongly active moderators heading it. I have recently offered a number of my books for free in a Read for Review offer, which the moderators of the group process and request decisions are finalised sorting out the genuine participants.

One of my followers left me a comment on one of my posts over the Christmas break, thanking me for letting them know about Goodreads. I was touched, as I know how much I appreciated the helpful information I found on other peoples blogs, when I first began.

Joining a group set up for blog tours is also important, as it gives you the opportunity to market your work on other blogging sites. There are many sites to choose from. I am personally using The Blog Tour Exchange, set up by Sharon Bayliss, who is connected to Curiosity Quills (A blog site set up as a publishing house, with loads of useful information for new authors). The Blog Tour Exchange allows an author to sign up for a blog tour in exchange for hosting other authors blog tours on your blog. Badges and information are posted on the site, helping to publicize your blog tour.

Although it is important to have a vital network of authors to be connected to, it is also important to connect with potential readers. During my time blogging, I have found that a lot of authors tend to become involved in certain circles and forget to venture out of these groups to connect with the reading community. Try to find sites on the internet where readers lurk. Become involved in their blog hops and give away free copies of your work and ensure to visit them occasionally to strengthen your network.

There are many more tips I have found during my short time self-publishing and marketing my work, but I think I have covered the most important ones in this post. I would like to thank you again, L. Dianne for having me here today, it has been fun to share my hard learned tips with your readers!

Carolyn

He Came For Mine, Book Two in 'The Protector Series'

Fending for herself for almost two years, Jazz worries she will never see Sebastian again.
A new man enters her life, but he holds a secret.

Will Jazz trust him?

~~~~

Sebastian discovers an ancient ritual which must be performed on the Chosen One's son before his first birthday, or he will die.

He returns to Earth to find Jazz in the arms of another man.

A man he knows very well.
A man he does not trust....

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Smashwords, and Goodreads.

Thank you, Carolyn.


I’m also doing a cover reveal for Alex’s next book...

CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Release date: September 17, 2013
Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844002
E-book ISBN 9781939844019