Marketing and promoting are difficult tasks. Getting attention for audio books can be a bit tougher, especially if you're not familiar with the process and you just don't even know where to begin. From crazy to clever, these tricks and tips will get you started on the path toward bustling audio book sales.
• Did you know you can promote your audio book without using your book cover?
• How can random tweets and FB posts help?
• Can you really ignite your book sales on a less than $50 per month advertising budget?
• Want some really far away from the cardboard ideas?
The answers to these questions are just the beginning of a successful marketing campaign, and Gangbusters Audio is your first step toward audio book sales success!
Shelby Roswell is a history professor on the fast track to tenure until her new book is crushed in a review by the famous historian, Ransom Fielding. She struggles to regain her momentum only to discover that Fielding has taken a visiting professorship at her college. The place that was once a refuge from the poverty of her past is now a battlefield of Civil War proportions.
Ransom is still struggling with his role in his wife’s accidental death six years ago and was hoping a year at Shelby’s small college would be a respite from the reminders back home. He never bargained for falling in love with the one woman who would give anything to make him leave. Together Shelby and Ransom learn that home is never very far away, and when you least expect it, love arrives.
With a cast of Civil War re-enactors, an evil wedding planner, antebellum mansions, and several mysterious diaries, 'Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits' will take you on a touching and hilarious ride through a modern South you haven't seen before.
If you take a look at our Featured Contests this month, you'll notice there have been some changes. We're trying something a little different to see how our readers like it. Instead of the answering questions to win, you simply have to fill out the contest form for each contest. PLEASE be sure to fill out the form with ALL of the information. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this format better. You can always drop me a note at contestguru@coffeetimeromance.com to tell me that you like it or hate it. Here are our Featured Contests for May:
Kelley Heckart is giving away a set of Jody Bergsma note cards featuring Metamorphosis, Meadow Fairies small picture frame, and a body art stick on.
Marteeka Karland is offering a $10 gift certificate to Beautiful Trouble Publishing.
Reeni Austin has 2 complete sets of paperback copies of the Barboza Brothers series to give away (signed).
Rebecca Heflin is giving away an autographed paperback copy of Rescuing Lacey.
Allison Knight has an e-book copy of Betrayed Bride to give one lucky winner.
Happy May! The sun is finally shining, the grass is green, and the waves are lapping at the shore here in my neck of the northwoods. I am as happy as can be. I think the people listed belows are probably just as happy. They are our winners for the April Featured Contests. Congratulations to all of them!
Trix, Colleen, and Sherry each won an Amazon giftcard plus Kindle copies of Some Other Child and Killer Kisses from Sharon Buchbinder.
Cahm has a copy of Denyin Bjorn, a t-shirt, and a coffee mug coming from Charisma Knight.
Elaine will be receiving a $25 Amazon gift card from Sloan McBride.
Mary will be looking lovely with her emerald green Austrian crystal necklace and earrings from Marcia James.
Jennifer won e-copies of Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart and Natural Born Enemies plus a 3 pack of sample-size scents (Studio 3B) from Gemma K. Murray.
Karielle has a $20 gift card plus a copy of KellyAnn Zuzulo's The Genie Ignites coming to her.
Rita, Kelly, Gladys, Mahvish each will receive a copy of The Genie Ignites in e-book form from KellyAnn Zuzulo.
Do you have a blog that you regularly post on? Like to guest blog and do blog tours? Did you know that these posts can continue to promote you and your books for years to come? Many authors think write it, post it, promote it and forget it. So these wonderful posts get buried in blogs and essentially never see the light of day until the occasional reader puts the author's name in a search engine and maybe they pop up on the second or third page. As an author you should keep a list of links for any guest blogs you've done and or articles you've written, whether they were for a blog tour or not. Then when you're between books, you can promote these to help generate publicity for your current books. Remember, these can promote for you for years! You can even re-write some that were subject matter and not book matter to post as new articles later on!
Our Coffee Crew works hard every day reading and writing those great reviews because we love it. Out of all the books that the entire staff reads, occassionally one raises to the top of our Staffer's mind. A special book that is just so wonderful, we feel it deserves an extra acknowledgement. So once a month, our Coffee Crew awards a book with the CTRR Award and share it with you.
Not every member of our Coffee Crew will have a 'special' book they recommend, so when one of the books is selected, you know it is special! Stop by our blog to see which books were nominated and won this month...or in the past!
Sign up today and receive your favorite authors newsletter! You can pick and choose or join all of them today. They will arrive in your e-mail box each month. See the Archives
THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED. AUTHENTIC DESCRIPTIONS. IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING GOOD HABITS.
Wow, doesn't the sound of that make you want to write with more awareness...get more real...be more efficient? Think about it. What if someone actually told you how to do all that stuff - for free?
Well, they did and it's why Kierce Sevren's Technique Tuesday is Coffee Time Romance & More's selection for May's Caramel Corner. We learned a bunch just in bringing it here to tell you all about it.
An author who goes out of her way to teach others is what Caramel Corner is all about and Technique Tuesday is filled with all kinds of treasures to better one's craft.
But that's not the full story of Kierce Sevren.
Her artistic abilities are amazing. I mean, what does one do when planning on a move into a new house? I don't know about you but most would plan in their mind the placement of their furniture, right? Kierce draws hers. Freestyle. Now who does that? Maybe you do, but it's a wonderful trait to discover.
Her Fun, Freaky, Fiction Friday shows a reflective soul and to solidify that perception a visit to her Poetry page was a special treat as well.
So, welcome Kierce Sevren to the Elite 12 of Coffee Time Romance & More's 2013 Caramel Corner. Thank you for sharing your skills with us to learn from and enjoy.
Take your skill to the next level by following Ms. Sevren's wise advice here.
Secret Cravings' Authors
Dawne Prochilo
Jean Joachim
Lindsay Downs
JL Hammer
and friends
21
9 Year Anniversary Party - Coffee Time Romance & More
27
Red Rose Authors Chat
28
Elizabeth Black
Mary Suzanne
Jodi Olson
and friends
29
XoXo Publishing
Coffee and Scones
I am taking a creative writing class in school and my professor is a little...well, I'll just say snooty when it comes to reading. He claims to only read literature. He said, "Stephen King is an okay writer, but he isn't all that great." I won't even start on what he said about genre writing.
As I reader and writer of "genre", I laughed since the writing industry is a much larger place than this particular professor would like it to be. What makes our favorite authors our favorites?
For me, a book (and author) gets higher marks if they can make me laugh, cry, and want to throw the book across the room all in one book. If an author and the characters they create invoke all of the passion it can, it sits on my shelf for the rest of my days.
How about you? Drop me a line at juliette@coffeetimeromance.com. Next month, I will share who your favorite authors are and why? Tell me what makes a book work for you. If you want to stay anonymous, just make a note of it in your email.
This is the book lover's community that has been waiting for you. Join us for fun and meet people who share the same love of books that you do. Author's Coffee Corner - Stop by our Author group area and find hundreds of authors who have their Author area with us. Java Junction is filled with publisher and author groups. Special Interests is filled with hobbies, fun things, cooking tips, recipes, and great things to do.
We are always looking for new ways to improve our forums. We want you to help us our future in our forums! So post your idea or read and comment on other ideas. What do you want to see in our Forums?
Stop by and welcome our newest forum authors and a new group:
The Marketing for Romance Writers motto is "Seek, teach, share, learn, succeed." MFRW is open to the literary community. We teach members marketing and publicity, and work together to provide opportunities. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and now Coffee Time Romance. We brainstorm ideas, get feedback, and find others for mutual promotion. We are associated with www.marketingforromancewriters.org The group was founded in 2006 by author Kayelle Allen, and has a staff of over a dozen volunteers. All our training is free. Join us!
This seminar will help aid in visualization of situations, locations and characters. It is the same technique used in film or television storyboarding, where each strip or picture helps round out elements used to bring your story to visual life.
In addition, the seminar will feature the essential features of the screenwriting technique of plot points to add to key important turning points in the seminar.
Both of these techniques will help writers add to creating a faster paced more visual manuscript.
I am a former theatre actress/director and a television producer/writer and director. I have used these techniques in building all of my books. I am also a former college instructor and have conducted online seminars for many of my corporate clients.
Seminar Host: Meg Lacy
Jenna Rutland
Dani Sullivan has come to Lake Bliss to write her latest cookbook and take a breather. After the year she’s had, she deserves a summer retreat to reevaluate priorities and make peace with past decisions. But from the moment single dad and sheriff Matt Reagan shows up, she has a hard time convincing herself that a life away from Lake Bliss could beat the life she might have here.
Recently divorced Matt is ready for a new relationship, but he doesn’t want short-term—his son needs permanence, and so does Matt’s heart. Unfortunately, it’s the smart-mouthed and sinfully sexy Ms. Sullivan who catches his eye. But when Matt learns Dani’s secrets, will he still want her to stay? Or will her chance for love last just for the summer?
Blog stuff - Excerpt day, Author Spotlight, Publisher New Release Party, Author Spotlight New Beginnings, and watch for Industry Snapshot 2013: The Twenty-First Century Publisher.
1 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Desiree Holt
2 Thursday Thirteen with Lena Hart
3 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Karina Cooper
4 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Kenra Daniels
5 Summer Heat...scorching stories of love and romance
Summer Heat - Crimson Frost Books is looking for hot, sexy stories featuring exotic places and steamy romances. We're especially looking for stories that push the envelope - holiday romances or a business trip that turns up something even more! Crimson Frost Books accepts books from 15,000 words to 60,000 words. Sitting in on Pitch will be Publisher/Senior Editor Patricia Bates and Submissions Supervisor Celeste Brammer.
Bring on the heat...the hotter the better! Beachwalk Press, Inc. is seeking submissions of all sub-genres of romance, but at the moment we are especially interested in acquiring paranormals, shape-shifters, and interracial romances. We accept books of 15,000 words to 75,000 words. Sitting in on the pitch will be publisher, Pamela Tyner.
6 Book Brew with the Crew
There has to be a reason why books about the west--especially "cowboys" have always been a favorite with readers. Even today, a good chunk of the category romances have a guy in a Stetson on the cover. Close to a quarter of the historical romances do to. Do you also enjoy this genre? If so then our May Book Brew is for you! We are going to feature "Cowboys and Indians", rodeo, ranches, and maybe some historical gunslingers and dance hall girls, pioneers and frontier folks in a good old west extravaganza! Don't miss the fun. WE'll have lots of books to give away and a special sur-prize or two as well, See you on May 6 at noon EDT for an eight hour party of root, tootin fun.
7 Claudine's Treats
8 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Dani Collins
9 Thursday Thirteen with JoAnne Myers
10 Beyotching with Bonnie
11 Coffee, Book, and a Blog with Kat Martin
12 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Trinity Blacio
13 Publisher New Release Rave with Decadent Publishing
Tease me, please me, make me beg for more. From sweet to sexy, shifter to dashing dukes, Decadent's newest Tease Series will tickle you in just the right place. These short romances are perfect for that lunchbreak lovin' fix. Decedant authors will debut their Tease releases on Coffee Time Romance's blog, May 13. Come on by and meet them and their latest tease.
14 Claudine's Treats
15 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with MJ O'Shea
16 Thursday Thirteen
17 Total E-Bound Release Day
18 Industry Snapshot 2013: The Twenty-First Century Agent
19 Industry Snapshot 2013: The Twenty-First Century Agent
20 Author Except Day
21 Claudine's Treats
22 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Lauren Jameson
23 Thursday Thirteen
24 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with K. E. Saxon
25 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Jennifer Kacey
26 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Suzanne Sabol
28 Claudine's Treats
30 Author Spotlight Salute to Mom
31 Coffee, Books, and a Blog with Mary Ann Haverlack
*Thursday Thirteen
At Coffee Time Romance, thirteen is a lucky number. What are your favorite thirteen things? What things would you like to see in thirteens? How about thirteen hunky men, or maybe thirteen favorite books, or—yes—your thirteen favorite chocolates. (You better believe there are thirteen great chocolates!) Whatever your favorite thirteen, CTR's weekly Thursday 13 is a great way for you to connect with your readers and give them a little insight into you, their favorite author. If you would like to share a thirteen, contact…..(You fill in as you like)
Coffee Crew News - Find out what our staffers are up to!
Have you ever wanted to know more about our lovely Coffee Crew? Check out their staffer pages here. Surviving our crazy little group is a major accomplishment (grin) so a big hand to these survivors who have amazingly enough have stuck around through all of the fun LOL:
Karen Cote - This wonderful and talented lady has been with us for 2 years but it seems like we have known and loved her for a lifetime!
Latte Likes
Coffee Time patrons sure know how to throw a party.
Yeowza! We were all socializing like the social media experts we are *snicker* and liking each others pages while approximately 630 visitors watched all of the friendly action happening. *sigh* What a fun day it was and we wanted to thank everyone for joining in and stopping by. Just let us know if you want to do it again.
We love to party!
Give your Facebook Page some caffeine-love with a taste of Latte Likes!
Ooh la la-LIKES!
Coffee Time Romance & More's "Latte Likes" Winners are in.
On May 1st, our erotic reading series Between the Covers will be taking place at 8pm in Greenwich Village at the Happy Endings Lounge.
Next week Lori Perkins is teaching at class at RWA in New England: Writing Smut for Fun and Profit.
Everyone at Riverdale Avenue Book is looking forward to the Romantic Times Conference.
We're also gearing up for a weekend erotic writers retreat in the beautiful Catskills June 7-10th. There may be enough room for one or two more authors.
If I can give you helpful additional information on any of these books or news items from the press, please let me know. I really appreciate your sharing the word.
Champagne Books
Sunday Night Social in the Champagne chatroom, April 28, May 26 9pm EST.
We will be at Keycon May 19-21 (http://keycon.org/ ) drop by and say hello if you're in the area
Avon Authors
For a limited time only, Gayle Callen’s entire ebook backlist is on sale for $1.99 at all online stores. Read RETURN OF THE VISCOUNT for $1.99 just before the second book in the trilogy, SURRENDER TO THE EARL, is published in June.
Lorraine Heath is hitting the road in May. She’ll be at the Romantic Times Convention May 1 – 5. Then along with Cathy Maxwell and Elizabeth Boyle, she’ll be signing in Houston on May 11 (Katy Budget Books), Richmond, VA on May 14 (Fountain Bookstore), and Crestview Hills, KY on May 15 (Crestview Hills, KY Joseph Beth Bookstore). You can get details on the appearance page at her website
Emma Cane’s A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE is a finalist in the Contemporary Single Title category of the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A novella in the Valentine Valley series, A WEDDING IN VALENTINE, will be published in June.
Love Eloisa James novels? Join her street team, the Ambassadors! You can sign up on her Facebook page.
Great reads! Giveaways! Have you subscribed to Maya Rodale's monthly newsletter featuring book recommendations, sneak peaks and humorous and heartwarming stories from around the web? Each month, one winner will be selected from the subscriber list. Don't miss out! Sign up here!
Gayle Callen is thrilled that RETURN OF THE VISCOUNT is a finalist in the Historical category of the National Readers’ Choice Awards. The second book of the trilogy, SURRENDER TO THE EARL, will be published in June.
Puny!
What a talented group of people! Thank you for the entertainment!
E-Book store owners and publishers, do you have a book already published? Do you need a place to advertise and sell your book that is accessed by a lot of readers? We will set up a store front and advertise it for you.
Publishers: Questions about how to become part of our beautiful store? Just ask
Author Services
We have lots of different advertising features that we offer to our authors, both premium and free. See for yourself our advertising options available for you.
Would you like us to review your book?
Are you an author who would like to get an honest review of your book? It is easy, look here for more information.
Meet our Staff
If you would like to meet the Coffee Crew? Look here.
Join the Coffee Crew
You will need to have a good grasp of the English language and sentence structure. You would need to be able to write clearly and precisely. You will need to have Internet access. You will work directly under our Editor, and you should be able to work well with multiple people. Contact us for more information.
Authors, want to schedule a live or eLoop Chat?
We are scheduling chats now. Would you like to connect with readers and potential readers?
Big thank you to Rachel Carrington for mentioning us in 
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