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New for 2015: Author and Character Interviews #RLFblog #amreading
Romance Lives Forever Thank you for a great 2014! The Romance Lives Forever blog grew, and some wonderful features were added. For the year, there were 363 posts.
Social Media
The link between the blog and Paper.li helped get out the word about blog posts. The paper is an online daily ezine, and this one posts to Twitter. The blog uses the hashtag #RLFblog, and you can click on Twubs to check its reach.
Triberr did a great job of sharing the news as well. Because of my followers, the tribemates I associate with, and their followers, RLF has a reach of over one million. The program works because it brings new readers, and reminds current ones of new material. It provides an average of 45 – 50 mentions on Twitter every day, and since each post has the guest author’s Twitter handle in the title, that means the guest gets mentioned too.
Networked Blogs helped by posting automatically to Facebook. The blog goes to several pages, and is often shared. Did you know the blog has its own Facebook page? Come over and like the page, and then share the day’s post, especially if you’re one of the guests.
https://www.facebook.com/RomanceLivesForeverSign Up!
Request a date by clicking the Request a Date tab. Fill in the info, pick two dates, and I’ll do my best to get you one of them.
RLF Top Blogger Award RLF Gems
This popular feature happens on the first of each month. I post a listing of the top bloggers, and send the top five a graphic to post on their websites or blogs. It’s almost always the most visited page of the month, although I don’t count it when listing which posts are the most popular. I want the credit to go to my wonderful guests. The top blogger each month gets a month of free ad space on the blog. The top blogger for the year gets a full year of ad space. The winner for December, and for 2014 will be announced Jan 1, 2015.Thank you…
The blog has grown and changed in response to your requests, and I hope you’ve found it helpful. If there is something you’d like me to add or change, please let me know.Thank you for your support. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you, and I hope to see you back soon.Kayelle Allen -
MFRW Founding Day 2014 @MFRW_ORG #RLFblog #MFRWauthor
#MFRWorg Marketing for Romance Writers is a peer-oriented mentoring group
open to the entire literary community. Ask your marketing-related questions, or
request help, advice, or opinions. You can learn how to create a professional image
and use it effectively, as well as ask for opportunities to join other authors in
promotional efforts. You can learn the business aspects of writing. News about pitch sessions and calls for submission are posted
on the Yahoo group. As a member, you can attend exclusive, member-only pitch events
with publishers. Members can attend free, online workshops and seminars.
Newsletter Marketing for Romance Writers promotes for its members on most
social media. Get your book cover pinned on one of the MFRW Pinterest boards, and
show off your cover models. The hashtags #MFRWorg #MFRWauthor and #MFRWhop promote
for you. You can get interviewed on BlogTalkRadio. Link your blog to a community
hop via a unique software “ribbon” with exciting themes, and draw readers
to your site. Feature your book in our award-winning newsletter.If you have questions about marketing your books, join us. The
MFRW motto is “seek, teach, share, learn, succeed.” Services and membership
are free.MFRW was founded October 31, 2006 by Kayelle Allen, who heads
the group to this day, guiding its direction and overseeing the numerous volunteer
staff members that help it run.MFRW Staff Volunteers
Barbara Donlon BradleyCatrina BurtonEmeraldJeanne BarrackMari A ChristieMona KarelNicole MorganPaloma BeckRebekah R GaniereRochelle WeberTina GayleFormer staffJeannie LinKaren CotéKasey LaneKristyn PhippsLisa EdwardsRJ GarsideSarah CassMember Benefits
Benefits http://marketingforromancewriters.org/media/mfrwbenefits.pdfMarketing for Romance Writers online
Where to sign up for promo:MFRW Promo Form http://is.gd/mfrw_promoformFollow us. We follow back!Twitter http://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG
#MFRWauthor #MFRWorg #MFRWhooks #MFRWhop (FYI #MFRW = Maryland Federal Republican
Women) so be sure to add org, author, hooks, hop, etc. to help us find your tweetsFacebook https://www.facebook.com/mfrworgPinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mfrworg/Goodreads http://is.gd/mfrwgoodreadsWe’re also found here:
Pin your books on our boards
(even if you’re not on Pinterest)LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/marketing-for-romance-writers-organization/BlogTalkRadio http://is.gd/mfrw_btrOur members blog and
promote here:MFRW Author Blog http://mfrw-authors.blogspot.comMFRW Marketing Blog http://mfrw.blogspot.com…soon to be adding a learning blog in WordPressJoin our
bloghops here:MFRW Bloghop Start Page http://is.gd/mfrwaveMFRW Bloghoppers (Author workgroup) http://facebook.com/groups/mfrwbloghoppers/Founding members
Amanda Young, Barbara Karmazin, Dee S Knight, Janet Elizabeth
Jones, Kayelle Allen, Laura Baumbach, Lisa Andel, Rae Monet, Sheila Eskew, Shelley
Munro, Sienna Black, Tina HollandAbout the Author
Kayelle Allen is the founder of Marketing for Romance
Writers. She is a multi-published,
award-winning author, owner of The Author’s Secret, an author support
company, and the blog Romance Lives Forever. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary
characters, futuristic immortals,
covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Unstoppable heroes, Uncompromising love, Unforgettable passion
http://kayelleallen.com/ Mobile http://kayelleallen.mobi -
Researching a Publisher: 3 Author Tips by Mary Caelsto @harmoniczen #RLFblog #musecharmer
Mary Caelsto More choices for authors means more ways to publish and more
publishers. Having a completed, polished manuscript is only part of the work of
getting published. The next step is to find a publisher. With so many companies
arriving on the scene and going out of business, it can be difficult–maddening
even–to find a publisher. So what’s an author to do?The very first thing I suggest to authors is to leverage the
power of a favorite search engine. This shouldn’t be the only criteria an author
uses to choose a publisher. It can, however, provide a good start. The best way
to search is to use proper terms. The publisher’s full name should be searched with
quotation marks around it to ensure that the name as an entire phrase comes up.
For example, searching “ABC Books” without the quotes will bring up results
with “books” in it, but not the ABC. That probably won’t be very helpful.
Even if the publisher has a unique name, use the quotes. What you feel is unique
may not be when searched against the entirety of the internet.Next add a modifier. I use a word like problems or issues. The
way this looks in a search engine is like this:“Publisher full name” + problemsThen, look at the results that come up. Newer dates are bigger
issues, as are venues. Let’s take a moment for some honesty. No publisher will make
every author happy. This means that there is a good chance that some result will
come up. A story in Publisher’s Weekly or other high visibility blog will raise
more alarm bells than a single result from one author.It is the author’s job to determine which issues, if any, aren’t
deal breakers. Personally and for many authors, any issues make the publisher a
non-starter. There are too many good publishers out there to get caught with the
bad ones.Beyond a search engine, the next step in smart publisher research
is doing some good old-fashioned leg work. Visit the publisher’s website. Look at
their covers. See if they lean heavily to a specific genre or subset of books. An
author should make sure that his or her books will fit in well with the publisher’s
literary culture (or lack thereof). A sweet romance author in a sea of erotic books
where it’s obvious the website and publisher caters toward the steamier books wouldn’t
be a good fit, for example.Yet, there’s one more tool for smart publisher research: reading
the books. Yes, this takes time. Yes, this may be an investment. However, the prettiest
cover and best laid out website could conceal books with poor editing. If an author
absolutely cannot find time to read books, then check reviews. Many good review
sites will mention issues with editing or storyline problems.There’s more to publisher research than these three steps; however,
by starting with these processes, the author will have a good feeling which publishers
will do right by them and whose books the author will feel proud about being among.
Taking some time in publisher research will prevent trouble and heartbreak down
the road. And, there’s a good chance it will lead to better sales.More Resources
If you’re interested in learning more, join Mary starting August
20, 2014 for Smart Publisher Evaluation for Career-Minded Authors. This week-long
course will dive deep into the art of evaluating publishers so authors can avoid
trouble, find the best fit for them, and know that they, and their work, will be
supported. Learn more and register here: http://musecharmer.com/musestore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=212Daily Writing Inspiration: http://www.dailywritinginspiration.comCircle of Muses: http://www.circleofmuses.comMuse Camp: http://www.musecamp.comVisit her website at www.musecharmer.com
to get her free video presentation Tap Into Your Muse Power to learn exactly how
an author’s muse is the most important tool for today’s working author.Author Bio
Mary lives in the Ozarks with her husband, three spoiled horses,
an office rabbit, an opinionated parrot, a not-so-itty-bitty kitty committee, and
a charmed chicken (rooster). She’s been published since 2002, working for some of
the biggest and best digital-first publishers. Three years ago, she began The Muse
Charmer to share her insights from being in the publishing industry for so long
with authors. Her belief: it can be easy to be an author today. To that end, she
offers classes, news, and information authors can use to navigate today’s ever-changing
publishing industry.Author Social Media
Website: http://www.musecharmer.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/harmoniczenFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/musecharmerYou May Also Like
Second Chance a romance by Martha O’Sullivan @m_osullivan26 #RLFblog #contemporary
High Country Dilemma by Dena N Netherton @denanetherton1 #RLFblog #contemporary #romance
It’s new :) Read Love, Truth, and Taking Chances by Shilpa Suraj @shilpaauthor #RLFblog #Contemporary #romance
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Writing “Campaign” the novel by E Ayers @ayersbooks #RLFblog #contemporary
Campaign Thanks so much for having me here
today. My newest book Campaign will be live Monday, July 21, 2014. It’s my seventh
River City novel. River City is a fictional mid-sized city in the eastern United States.I love writing the River City
novels because they aren’t exactly a series, although it’s fun to read them in order,
just jump in and try one. The glue that holds them together is the city. Yes, many
of the characters know each other. Some work together, are friends, or are business
associates. So there can be some loose ties between them.In my head, I have some criteria for
River City novels. The couple has to be doing something
to make the city better. It doesn’t matter if they donate to a cause, or actively
participate in some sort of activity/volunteer program, such as coaching soccer.
Plus there has to be something about that story that needs to be told. Something
different that sets it apart.I’m going to say that all the stories
are PG-13. Let’s face it, teens today know more about sex than their grandmothers
did after they were married! That might sound horrifying to some people, but I don’t
think it is. Knowledge is power. It’s also protection!So that said, I’m PG-13. I don’t write
anything too sweet or too hot. I’m right down the middle. I let my characters and
their personalities drive the heat of the story.Writing Campaign was a roller coaster
ride. It’s an emotional story, filled with highs and lows. And just when I thought
I had a grip on it, my heroine, Kathryn “Ryn” Demary would toss another
problem at me, because she wasn’t the average heroine. And Brad Shoemaker might
have fallen in love with her, but he had a career choice at stake.So while the story seems simple enough,
Ryn wasn’t. She’s mute and that is a huge factor throughout the story. Yes, there’s
dialog. She talks with her hands, she uses a computer gadget, and occasionally pen
and paper. That alone created a grammar nightmare. So after spending some time at
one of the local colleges discussing the situation with the grammar gurus, it was
concluded that she signed or she typed was to be treated exactly the same as she
said.The other problem with signing is
that folks who sign don’t exactly use each word and there is no past or future tense.
They sign you go store eggs milk bread I cook food we food. That could mean you
went to the store so I cooked the dinner – let’s eat! Because Ryn can hear, and
once upon a time, had a voice, she might sign in the abbreviated form, but in her
head, she’s saying the whole sentence. I used the whole sentence.The truth is people don’t know what
to do when faced with someone who is disabled. Fear that they can’t communicate,
or that they will do, or say, the wrong thing keeps people at a distance. And that
can be heart breaking for the person with a disability.I hope when people are done reading
Campaign, they will understand a little more about disabilities, and they will see
Ryn as a young woman who is surviving in a vocal world. She loves Brad and wants
to be his wife, but she wants to be more than a silent smile at his side.Campaign Brad and Ryn’s Story A River City
NovelContemporary RomanceBrad Shoemaker was blindsided when he discovered that love could
be silent, and Kathryn “Ryn” Demary is mute. But when Mayor Bruno Giovanni
is forced into early retirement, he chooses Brad to run in his place. Ryn is determined
to campaign at Brad’s side, but instead of being an asset, she just might be his
biggest liability. Ryn finds herself campaigning not just for Brad to become mayor
but also for his love. Politics can get dirty and Ryn’s caught in the middle.Buy This Book
Available soon: Check author’s website for buy links http://ayersbooks.wordpress.com
Author Bio
E. Ayers is a multi-published and Amazon best-selling author
of western and contemporary romances. Her books are never too sweet or too hot.
She writes down the middle. She is proud to be part of the Authors of Main Street,
an elite group of award-winning and best-selling contemporary authors.Giveaway
Anyone who signs up for the Authors of Main Street Newsletter
today or tomorrow will be eligible to win an autographed copy of Campaign in their
choice of Kindle or PDF format. Our newsletter goes out once a month and represents
all the authors on Main Street.Author Social Media
Shared Blog http://authorsofmainstreet.wordpress.comTwitter http://twitter.com/ayersbooksAmazon Author Page http://amzn.com/e/B005AYJ0XEAuthors of Main Street Newsletter http://ow.ly/xel3e -
5 Things Authors Miss on their Tax Returns @emlynley #RLFblog #taxes #authors
Tax Tips for Authors In my real life I’m a tax and finance professional and I’ve been
sharing my knowledge with other writers for the past three years. I find many people
have problems with the same issues year after year. Are you making these mistakes?
If so, you’ll find more ways to solve these problems (and more) in my book Tax Tips for Authors 2014. (Available from
Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, iTunes, Smashwords ARe/OmniLit
and in print)1. Calling your hobby
a business – or vice versaThe IRS has a pretty strict line between hobby and business,
because businesses get to write their losses off against other income (W-2 or investment
income) which lets them lower their taxes. To be considered a business you need
to have profits in 3 out of the past 5 years. It you’re having more years of losses
than profits, the IRS may want you to prove you’re a real business, which means
show that you are trying to make money. They look at the ratio of expenses to earnings
and the type of expenses you claim: advertising and other promo help you, but travel
to conventions may hurt you if you’re not earning enough to justify the expense.Businesses that claim to be a hobby are seen as avoiding self-employment
tax, so if you have increasing hobby income, the IRS may force you to file Schedule
C and pay SE tax. Make sure you classify your writing correctly.2. Not filing quarterly
estimated tax paymentsThis is one of the most confusing aspects of self-employment
and for authors it’s even more complicated: earnings and expenses fluctuate wildly
during the year. Some people just ignore it, then get both a big surprise balance
due in April, plus a penalty for not paying quarterly. There are ways to avoid this,
the easiest being to pay at least 110% of last year’s tax bill in quarterly installments.
If you overpay, you’ll get a refund, but you’ll definitely avoid a penalty. I go
over how to calculate the correct quarterly payments in my book, Tax Tips for Authors
2014.3. Paying too much self-employment
taxHow do you pay too much? By not taking all the deductions you
can, and by not keeping a careful running balance of profit and loss during the
year. You only pay SE tax when you have over $400 of profits, so if you can reduce
profits (by increasing legitimate spending during the tax year) you can save some
money. Make sure to do a tentative P and L calculation in early December. It may
make sense to register for expensive conventions then rather than waiting till January.
Buy a new computer or pre-pay for advertising. Shift only planned spending rather
than simply spending down your profits carelessly, so you can build your business
rather than just avoid taxes.4. Missing out on deductionsMost authors I work with don’t keep good records of their spending.
This includes mileage driven for “business.” Did you write down every
time you drove to the library, book store, airport, etc.? Get in the habit of writing
down your mileage and other expenses every day or two—before you forget—and you’ll
see how much more you are able to claim. Keep receipts for books, index cars, notebooks,
stock photos, domain names, lunch with your writing partner, swag, etc. This will
also help you keep a running P and L for filing quarterly payments and making good
year-end spending decisions. I have much more information on proper recordkeeping
and deductions in the book.5. Mixing business and
personal expensesAlong with the hobby/business issue, this is one of the things
IRS loves to investigate. The best way to keep everything separate—even for sole
proprietors—is to have separate bank accounts and debit or credit cards. It’s easy
to have a separate PayPal account just for your writing business, and you can get
a PayPal debit card. An Ally bank account is free and requires no minimum deposit
and they issue debit cards as well. Have all your payments made into the separate
accounts, and spend only from the business PayPal/Ally debit card. If you need to
use a credit card, ask for an additional card from your credit card company and
use the new one only for business. At the end of the year you can get a separate
statement of your business expenses, which makes recordkeeping and organizing deductions
a snap.Want even more information? Sign up for my Tax Tips Newsletter, or visit
the Tax Tips for Authors website. Best of all, pick up a copy of my book Tax Tips
for Authors 2014. It’s got new information for filing 2013 returns, a Schedule
C walkthrough, chapters on self-employment taxes and quarterly payments and a whole
lot more.Contest
Out of the Gate Ask a tax question and be entered to win a free registration
to an author-oriented Tax Workshop held by EM Lynley.About the Author
EM Lynley is a former investment analyst and White House economist.
Now she writes gay erotic romance. She loves books where the hero gets the guy and
the loving is 11 on a scale of 10. Her Precious Gems series is best described as
“Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone”—only gayer. The Delectable series
is Gay Romance with Taste. Her books are available in print and e-book from Amazon
& other book distributors.Author Social Media
Website: http://emlynley.comBlog: http://emlynley.com/blogLiveJournal: http://emlynley.livejournal.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/emlynley -
13 Tips for Sharing Links @vickibatman #RLFblog #authortips
Bug Stuff… and Other Stories As
authors, we write or create something, and we want to share with the BIG WIDE WORLD.
But how?I’ve collected
a few tips to ease your way:1. In each blog, there should be buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Goggle+ and
more to click on. When you do, an automatically generated blurb appears. Use this! Send our happy camper to Facebook
(you can send to multiple pages, too). And remember
on Facebook to intrigue readers by beginning
your post with a question. That gets more visibility.Don’t forget
to use other buttons and forward our camper to Google+ , LinkedIn, Stumble Upon,
Twitter, and a whole variety of others.Author and
fellow Plotting Princess, Michelle Miles, recommends a Jetpack
plugin called “Publicize” to have it go out to Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
when it’s published.2. Copy your post with link on your Facebook page. In most cases, a picture
from the blog will appear as well–which makes your post more desirable. Again,
remember to begin the post with that all important question.On Facebook,
you can share on other pages you are
an administrator on. This is very desirable.
Click share, find pages you manage from
the drop down menu, click on the appropriate page, and post.3. Take that just posted text, which includes the link and copy, and paste
onto your writer group pages on Facebook. You
do belong to other groups—right? They want to know your good news, and in a
lot of cases, they might share the link with their friends. Sharing is a good thing.4. Do you belong to a Tribe in Triberr? Consider signing up and have your RSS
feed automatically networked (check Networked Blogs) to the tribes where your
mates will share the twitter post.5. Do you have a Twitter manager like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite? If so, create
an @mentionyourname column. You can edit and retweet your tweets throughout the
day. Easy peasy. Just avoid being spammy.Have you considered
setting up columns for your friends and other organizations? Do it! You can retweet from there, too.
And I’m betting a lot will reciprocate. And while we’re at it, try saying thank
you to a new follower or someone who tweeted your tweet. Nice is always appreciated.One note about tweets: try to
tie it to reader emotion. You want the reader to respond to your tweet. A generic tweet is ignored.6. Still using Yahoo groups? I do, and whenever I blog, I share the post and
the relevant link with those groups. After all, you do want some commentors!It does help
to begin your subject line with your name
and an intriguing title for your post.
Even a post ending in a question can hook someone. Be fun and playful.7. Create a tweet and ask your friends to tweet for you. Be sure to include
relevant hashtags ( # ). Just don’t overdo.8. Join a tweet group which posts daily tweets and retweets for each other.
And if you do, abide by the rules.For example: via @VickiBatman Hate to squish bugs? Bug Stuff
and other stories coming soon. http://vickibatman.blogspot.com #agroup
#amwriting #indie #ebook.Remember: 140 character limit. So you might want to sign up with Bitly (https://bitly.com/ ) and make that
link smaller, thus having more characters for the tweet.Aside: I just
tweaked the above tweet and added my Bug Stuff cover and it looks fantastic!!!9. Are you a member of Google+ ? It’s becoming the newest thang! In Google+
you group your friends. Alisha Paige, writer and Plotting Princess, says to remember
to use the Public button so your post
goes out to new friends.10. Are you on Goodreads? If so, your blog can be RSS fed to your page.11. Are you on Author Central? If so, your blog can be linked to your page.12. Lots of your sites will allow you to set up your twitter stream. Go to Unstoppable Heroes to see Kayelle Allen’s:
http://kayelleallen.com/blog/13. Join Marketing for Romance Writers and
use their street team. It’s free to members!The cyber
world changes constantly, and just when you think you have it down, something new
will pop up. Perhaps, these tips will prove useful to you.Do you
have any tips you’d like to share?By the Author
Bug Stuff… and Other StoriesAmazon http://amazon.com/Stuff-other-stories-romantic-comedy-ebook/dp/B00HPA8PVY
About the Author
Vicki Batman has three men in the house and often muses why God
did that to her.Author Social Media
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/vickibatmanFacebook: http://facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction/133506590074451?ref=hlPinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatmanAmazon Author Central: http://amazon.com/Vicki-Batman/e/B005AY5ZN8
