Your Ever-changing Author Platform by Rolynn Anderson

Wisdom sharing time, team!

A colleague of mine, Mara Purl, and I are putting on an AUTHOR PLATFORM workshop at the InD’Scribe Conference. We’ve got a good handle on the talking points and I’ve developed a handout for attendees that encourages them to write down their ideas as we talk. We’ll have a wide range of experience in our audience…some of them in the biz as long as you have been.  We could use some tidbits from you!

We think the four ‘legs’ supporting an author platform are: GENRE, BRAND, GOAL, PASSION. The Hope: If an author can clarify for herself what she writes and can consistently articulate those premises to readers, she’ll find her niche…increase her readership.

Mara and I consider this a dynamic process. (Notice the table-top in my picture is quite worn :-) For example, my genre of choice these days is contemporary mystery with romantic elements.  (Used to be contemporary romantic suspense).  By examining my reviews and re-reading my own books objectively, listening to my editor’s comments along with my beta readers', I’ve see themes/patterns in my books I didn’t know where there.  As a result, I redesigned my website and aligned with new authors who were 'like me.' The path to pinpointing genre, brand, goal, and passion is quite a journey of self-discovery.

My questions for you…any one of these five or all:

1.  How much has your genre/brand changed over the years you’ve published?

2.  What do you wish you’d known about these concepts early in your publishing career?

3.  What’s your next step in polishing your author platform?

4.  What’s a author platform strategy that's worked for you?

5.  Critique all the above according to your experience. 

Thanks for your ideas, team.  I’ll be sure to give you feedback about what I learned from InD’Scribe workshops I attend (at InD’Scribe Oct. 4-7)!  Stay tuned for my blog entry on October 10. Cross your fingers for me, too.  BAD LIES is up for a Rone Award in the suspense/thriller category...at the conference.  Hope springs eternally!

Fire is Nice is coming out soon.  Here's the cover:

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson

The Young, the Elderly, and #InDScribe2017 by Brenda Whiteside

The day is half gone in some time zones, and I'm just getting this post up. Even though I have a daily planner, some days I don't have time for much except what is thrown at me. Finding the time to look at my planner never happens. We've all been there.

I arrived back at the Ranch last night after a week in Prescott. Half the week I was granddaughter tending, which I love, but she's all consuming. The world revolves around a four year old, at least in Nana's mind. After three days with her, exhaustion sets in. The other half of the week, I kept my mom
company while my sister and brother-in-law got a few days break. Mom is 86 and in perfect health, but refuses to spend a night alone. I understand her concerns and don't mind spending time with her. But she is as consuming of my energy as my granddaughter.

In the middle of that, we had to go down to Phoenix for the funeral of a very dear man. He's been our friend for thirty-eight years. The service was beautiful, but emotionally draining.

With all of this, I'm supposed to be getting ready for the InD'Scribe Conference which I am driving to on Thursday. Fellow Rose, J L Wilson, will be flying into the Phoenix airport. I'll pick her up and we'll head out on a road trip. California here we come. What to wear? What to take? Wine is the only thing on my list at this point.

The Power of Love and Murder is a finalist for a RONE Award to be announced at the conference. Wish me luck!

Amazon Buy Link

For thirteen years, Penny Sparks has managed to hide from the political powers who murdered her family. When she unwittingly exposes her true identity, not only is she marked for death, but the people closest to her risk meeting the same fate. 

Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets his sister’s roommate, Jake believes Penny might be that someone who can help him find life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world. 

With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender behind the murders of her family. Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hope for a new life. 

N N LIGHT REVIEWS

If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, this is a must read. If you’re a fan of suspense and/or political thrillers, you’ll love it!  

KAM’S PLACE REVIEWS

Like the other "Love and Murder" books in the series, Brenda crafted a story full of mystery, corruption, bit of romance, and ended it all with a happily ever after.

Lemons, Breast Cancer, and Fulfilling Your Dream by Mackenzie Crowne

Have you ever had one of those When life hands you lemons moments? I’m not talking about a disastrous new haircut or even that moment when you can no longer zip your favorite pair of jeans. I’m talking about one of those Holy crap, what am I going to do now? moments.

Before the fall of 2007, I hadn’t. Like J. Thaddeus Toad on his wild ride, I’d been happily racing through life, enjoying the scenery and signing on for whatever new adventure presented itself. A constant stream of fads and manias drew my interest. You see, like Toad, I had a short attention span. Inevitably, some new bright and shiny notion would send me off in another direction. My switch from one mania to another was never a conscious decision, it just sort of…happened.

Over the years, I dabbled in many things. At one point, I filled my spare room with craft supplies because a good friend was a marvel at creating gorgeous Christmas wreaths. However, it wasn’t long before I discovered how badly I sucked at crafting. The subsequent yard sale earned a whopping thirty-four dollars, but my spare room was clear of twigs and bows once more.

Obviously, this isn't one of my boys.
Just making the point that
I'm apparently not the only
one who sucks at sewing.

Another time I purchased a used sewing machine from a charming eighty-year-old woman whose fingers were bent and curled with arthritis. The new valances over my windows were presentable enough but, before I destroyed all the evidence, I used to cringe whenever I'd come across a photo of my boys wearing the result of my short foray into the world of patterns and thimbles.  

Don’t most people have one arm much longer than the other? Dr Suess would have been proud of my handiwork. I, ahem, gifted the old lady’s machine to a friend.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I had occasionally gotten involved in something I felt strongly about and managed to see it through to an acceptable conclusion, but other than enjoying time with family and friends, the only mania that hadn’t faded over time was my writing. I was ten when I penned my first short story and dreamed of sharing it with others. Unfortunately, I never gave that lifelong passion the attention it deserved. Busy running in a million different directions, I treated my writing as more of a hobby than the burning need it was—despite the persistent antics of the characters living in my head.

Then, on a crisp late September morning, I faced a moment unlike any other. Within the confines of a small, windowless room, those lemons life occasionally delivers slammed into me like an out of control freight train. Facing a tiny sprite of a woman, an oncologist, J Thaddeus and I were introduced to the concept of mortality. From that moment on, Toad was on his own. After all, if I was going to battle and beat breast cancer, subjecting myself to physical disfigurement and debilitating treatments, I owed it to myself to do whatever it took to bring my dreams to fruition.

Breast cancer handed me an entire bushel of lemons, and while I wouldn’t wish the experience on my worst enemy, the diagnosis forced me to make lemonade. In the process, I quenched a soul deep thirst I’d been ignoring for years. Earlier this week, I sat in that same windowless room where that tiny sprite of an oncologist and I shared grins and high fives. You see, ten years later, having recently published my thirteenth title, I’m cancer free. Yeah, baby!

I could say mission accomplished and stop there, but that would be so Toad. He and I think differently these days. He's content to spend his life racing from one new fad to another. I, on the other hand, have experienced the sheer joy of fighting the battle and winning, in both my health and my writing. I’m a survivor, and with the concept of mortality firmly in place, I refuse to settle for just a piece of my dream. I insist on having it all.

What about you? Has life ever handed you lemons? And what did you do with them?

When Mac isn’t busy celebrating 10 years of cancer free living, she spends her time weaving HEAs for her characters, like Sophie Taylor, the heroine of her RONE AWARD winning romance, A SONG FOR SOPHIE, available via The Wild Rose Press and everywhere else e-books are sold.

The P Word by Brenda Whiteside

There have been a few of us Roses that have written about promotion and how we attack it. Mine has been on again off again, but no real plan. I tried to make a plan for books three and four in the series, but I didn't totally follow through. I get involved writing the next book or have some family interference and promotion falls away. With the completion of book five, I've decided to give a promotion plan another shot.

My goal is to concentrate on promotion for July and August. I've studied what some others have done, studied all the notes I've kept on the subject for the last year, and investigated several avenues. The goal is to find a few good avenues that readers use to find the books they choose. These are the top 10 ways I plan to promo.

1) Post on my blog five times a month, post twice a month right here on the Roses of Prose, and guest once a month at other sites.
2) Upload all my books on AskDavid.com for a six month period.
3) Post everyday on my Facebook author page which also goes to Twitter.
4) Tweet twice a day, five days a week on my Twitter page.
5) Place ads three times a month on The Romance Reviews.
6) Advertise/take part in promos on The Romance Studio
7) Do a July promo with N N Light and possibly one in August
8) Advertise on Amazon for the month of July
9) Do an Amazon giveaway for the month of August

10) AND my biggest expenditure, if they will have me, is Bookbub. Once I have a release date for

the fifth book, The Deep Well of Love and Murder, I will attempt to get a book, with a reduced price, listed on Bookbub.

I'm still trying to decide the best way to utilize Facebook in addition to staying active with posts.

If after these efforts, I don't see an appreciable rise in sales, I'll go back to my old mode of operation...write as often as I can and not fret about having the time to do promo.

I've heard so many times over the last ten years that the best promotion an author can do is write the next book. But someone has to let the readers know I write. That's my plan for the next couple of months. I'll report back in at the end of my experiment.

RONE Finalist

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about life’s latest adventure on her personal blog http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside

Out of My Comfort Zone #RONEAwardNominee by Brenda Whiteside

I am a semi-finalist in the RONE awards with two books in the same category. (A Legacy of Love and Murder AND The Power of Love and Murder). These two books made it past round one (getting a 4 Star review) on their way to a prestigious RONE award. Step two is a vote...from readers. If I get enough reader votes, then the book will move on to the final phase,  which is Industry Professionals will read and pick the winners.

Back to step two, where you come in. I need your votes. There are 24 nominees in my category, Thriller/Suspense, and only two will move on to the final phase. If you haven't registered with InD'tale before, you'll need to do that. After the contest, if you want to unregister you can. What registering does is allow you to vote, and you'll also receive the online magazine each month for free. It really is a nice one, but you can opt out. The point is...I need your vote first.

The conundrum is I have two books in the category. I think I need to favor one over the other or risk the result of not getting enough votes for either one to move on to the final round. If you've read them both, then vote your conscience if you must, but I'm going to favor The Power of Love and Murder. There is a scene in the book right out of my brother's life, so it's special to me. Plus, it's political misdeeds and rock and roll related...timely and fun.

Here's the link: http://indtale.com/2017-rone-awards-week-four

Thank you so much!

The Power of Love and Murder

For thirteen years, Penny Sparks has managed to hide from the political powers who murdered her family. When she unwittingly exposes her true identity, not only is she marked for death, but the people closest to her risk meeting the same fate. 

Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets his sister’s roommate, Jake believes Penny might be that someone who can help him find life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world. 

With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender behind the murders of her family. Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hope for a new life.

A Legacy of Love and Murder

In Austria to meet her great-grandfather and explore his castle estate filled with priceless art, August Myer arrives to find he’s died suspiciously. As one of the heirs, her life is in danger, turning this fairytale Alpine adventure into a nightmare of unexplained accidents, neo-Nazi threats, and murder. 

Inspector Tobias Wolf splits his time between his profession and fighting the spread of neo-Nazism. But when the beautiful, intriguing American crosses his path during a murder investigation, ensuring her safety challenges his priorities…and his heart. 

When August learns the handsome inspector’s involvement with a major female Nazi is more than he’s admitted, and the death of her great-grandfather is somehow connected, she takes the investigation into her own hands. The outcome could be the death of both of them.

Brenda blogs here on the 9th and 24th of the month.

Amazon Author Page for All of Her Books

How Kind Strangers are to Authors! by Rolynn Anderson

It goes without saying that authors are extremely generous to one another, offering advice and promo help, writing reviews, and playing cheerleader.  We know how tough the writing/marketing business is, lucky to be helped by blogger friends, mentors, conference buddies and the like.  In turn, we try to pay the benefits forward.

Authors understand each other; we help each other.  But the ways non-writers reach out to help us, moves me to tears.  I’ve told you about my ‘bad trip’ on an anesthesia drug, and the two experts who are now my advisors: my anesthesiologist and his buddy, a pharmacologist.  They are both giddy about being acknowledged in Cézanne’s Ghost.  The surgeon who performed my minor surgery started reading my novels after my first visit to her office.  She, too, has offered to serve as a consultant.  Two local Starbucks managers, friends of mine, let me have book signings at their coffee shops; scores of local folk have bought my novels without knowing a thing about me.

Remember my need for a waterproof notebook for the drowned character in Lie Catchers?  I sought out the Rite in the Rain Company and talked them into putting my cover and info on mini waterproof notebooks for one quarter the cost (I never could have afforded swag as expensive as their retail price).

My new 'kind stranger' story is about an artist, Jeff Haines, whom I contacted because I wanted to put one of his sketches on the front of Cézanne’s Ghost.   When we first talked on e-mail, he said he'd never worked with a novelist who wanted cover art.  Basically, he does custom drawings.  The price he gave me was impossible for me to pay, so I passed on the picture.  But I liked the sketch so much, I decided to try one more time.  I explained to him how I would use the picture and the most money I’d ever make on the book.  He said he liked the artist-to-artist relationship and gave me I price I could pay.  One time only.  Period.

I can’t wait to show you Aline, my heroine, sketched by Jeff, but I better wait until I have paid him.  Plus I’m a suspense writer…I like to keep you waiting and wondering, don’t you know?

So, tell me about a stranger’s kindness you experienced in your adventure as an author.  Bet you’ll have trouble picking one from many!

Speaking of covers, FAINT is up for a cover RONE award.  I’m proud of my collaboration with Kim Mendoza to create this cover!     

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson

https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=rolynn+anderson

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson