Amazon has tools you can use to promote your books. While I believe Amazon keeps these things on the down low, they are out there if you search for them. If you know anything about HTML code then copy paste this:

<div id="kindleReaderDiv32"> </div><script src="http://kindleweb.s3.amazonaws.com/app/KindleReader-min.js" ></script> <script>KindleReader.LoadSample({containerID: 'kindleReaderDiv32', asin: 'B00HHMKIRY', width: '720', height: '799', assoctag: 'themascre-20'});</script>

The highlighted in red are what are flexible. For many they are obvious. For those just starting to understand HTML code...the "B00HHMKIRY" can be changed to your books ASIN. The Width "720" can be changed. For my blog I changed it to 550. I did not change the height and kept it at "799". After the "Assoctag" is your Amazon Associates tracking ID. Mine is "trolrivpubl-20" just in case you want to credit me with some affiliate money! :) Hey, I can try.

Here is what the code does and looks like:

For me, this is a cool widget I can use to promote my authors books. Show readers a good portion of the book and keep them on my website while cruising my books for sale!

ACTION ITEM: Copy the code and paste your excerpt to your website!!

Another session during #RWA14 was with Laura Kaye dealing with promotions. She describes the difference between Marketing and Promotion as...

Marketing = paid stuff you do
Promotions = Free stuff you do

She focused on FREE this session and explained the 6 things you want to achieve to promote your book.

1. Sales
2. New Readers
3. Exposure
4. Name, Brand, Book Recognition
5. Build relationships w/readers
6. Networking with Authors, Bloggers & reviewers

She went for the big social media outlets, explaining what each platform does best for books and authors. Below is a very basic run down of where each of the above 6 things fall into each social media outlet.

Now if you're looking at this list and thinking, "huh?" then you might need a bit more explanation. Take a look at each social media outlet. These are the places you'll find the six different types of promotions where most authors find success. For instance, most authors find that Pintrest is a great way to 1) Get exposure for their book, 2) Get Recognition as an author and 3) Can build relationships with readers.

Now look at the chart again. Make sense?

What this does is tell you that maybe your promotion of finding new readers should be concentrated on Triberr, Group Blogs, and Blog Hops, but not Twitter, Facebook or Pintrest. Want sales? Concentrate on your blog, blog tours and Group blogs.

ACTION ITEM: Build a promotions strategy based on this knowledge. 

The Bird Day Battalion

Meet Katelyn Anderson, a play by the rules, temporarily out of work archaeologist desperate to pull off the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Enter Dominic Valentini, her oldest friend and former neighbor, a take chances, take control, think outside the box kind of man. Kate needs his help. Dom just needs her.

The V-Day Aversion

It's two days from Valentine's Day, and Dominic is a man with a plan. Katelyn is a woman with her own plan: avoid whatever Dominic's got planned. When Katelyn's sister Kandace asks Kate to help catch her estranged husband cheating, Kate jumps at the opportunity because she hates Valentine's Day. Poor Dom just wants Kate to stand still long enough to give her a Valentine's Day to remember. Can he offer her something to change her mind?

He stood up and led her onto the dance floor to join the bride and groom. No one looked askance at them, after all, they were the maid of honor and best man; it was tradition anyway. But when he kept her in a close embrace even into the next song, Demi caught her brother’s eye. He had that protective look back on his features. She pushed Kyle away just slightly. He obliged, but only just.

Kyle’s eyes were smoky and dark like the underside of a storm cloud. He began to sing along with the song in a soft baritone, “Wise men say… only fools rush in… but I…”

“Stop,” she hissed. Her voice sounded insincere even to her own ears. It didn’t help he was doing a pretty good impression of Elvis, and her favorite song, no less.

He grinned and the laugh lines at the edge of his eyes highlighted a scar next to his eyebrow she hadn’t noticed previously.

“Where’d you get that scar?” she asked.

“Dom and I and some college buddies were white river rafting about six years ago and my tube tipped over. He actually saved my life. It’s extra ironic because at the time we still disliked each other, and were only there together because we had a mutual friend invite us both. But after that, and a bottle of Wild Turkey, we’ve been tight.”

“I didn’t realize that,” she whispered, wondering why she had never thought to ask.

“A lot’s happened while you were away,” he said. For once there was no accusation or judgment in his tone.

She looked over his shoulder again. Kate was unsubtly dragging Dom from the floor where he was glowering at Kyle and Demi’s dance. She urged him to sit down at the table with her parents, back facing towards them. Shortly thereafter, Kyle began to guide Demi towards the edge of the room, making her wonder if twins had some sort of ESP.

“Kyle…” she warned. “Someone will notice.”

“Let them.”

“Kyle…”

“I want to be with you, Demetria. Go on dates, have sex and pointless arguments, figure out why you like to eat rabbit food, be the person you call first when you’ve had a bad day, come over and hold your hair when you’re sick. How much clearer can I make this?” he asked.

They were now at the edge of the hall. He dropped his embrace and tugged her by the hand. She didn’t know why she followed. Maybe the daze brought on by his goofy list, maybe the way her heart raced at the simple sweetness of it. Maybe it was the sugar high.

Kyle tugged her into a side room and shut the door. Just like their first time, Demi was the one to draw his mouth to hers. His hands undid his belt and slacks then pushed her dress up, and yanked her hose down. He hitched her up and backed into a chair, keeping their mouths locked. He grabbed her hips as he sat and she knelt to straddle him in it.

“Ungh,” she moaned when he entered her without any more preparation than a few dozen sensuous kisses. She was just dry enough that it felt forceful, but wet enough for it to not be painful. For some reason the rough sensation was an incredible turn on. She grabbed his head and deepened her kisses while he moved her up and down on his cock. He broke the kiss and moved his mouth to her neck.

“Say yes,” he whispered.

She shivered from the tickle it made on her skin. She had forgotten what she was supposed to be answering. She gripped his head firmer and started moving faster on his lap. He grabbed her hips and stilled her, then waited until she looked in his eyes.

“Say yes,” he repeated. “Take a chance on me. On us.” His voice and expression were passionate and demanding.

Her flesh and soul felt inexorably tangled up in lust and longing, yearning not just for his body, but to discover what it would be like to be cherished by him.

--The Good Life © 2014 by Genevieve Dewey, All Rights Reserved.

The Downey Trilogy

First, I Love You

Second of All

Third Time’s The Charm


Dom & Kate

The Bird Day Battalion

The V-Day Aversion

The Good Life

Please feel free to connect with Gen online:

www.GenevieveDewey.com

(Get missing scenes and supplemental flash fiction!)

Twitter: @GenevieveDewey

Facebook * Goodreads * Pinterest * Google+ * YouTube

DISCLAIMER: I STOLE this from Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound Newletter. She's got a great weekly newletter I follow gleaning insight into promotion and marketing for my authors.

Here's her take:

Gorgeous Quotes, in Seconds.
Here's another fun, free tool that lets you start with a quote--yours or someone else's--and turn it into an image that you can use for your blog, Facebook cover, Twitter cover, Google+ cover or marketing materials. It's QuotesCover.com. 

Type your quote into the box, or search for quotes using a keyword. Then decide how you want to use it. Change the color, font or background, tweak it more and save it.
This is a fast way to create social media covers and banners.

ACTION ITEM: Go to QuotesCover.com and get your quote!

To Blog or not to Blog: Really? Think about what you just said. You’re basically saying, I don’t know what to write.

Writers spend a lot of time writing stories. Some say, I don’t have time to blog. I don’t know what to blog. Blogging is just so overwhelming.

Let’s take a close look at each of these excuses and determine if they are valid.

1.      I don’t have time to blog.

Either you don’t see the value, you don’t know how to write short, sweet and fast or you have the issues of thinking what you have to say isn’t worth reading. Let’s look at subject A:

a)      I don’t see the value in blogging.

*Sigh* You might have heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is one way readers find you. Remember, you write for a variety of reasons, but you PUBLISH for only 3 reasons. Those are:

- To inspire

- To entertain

- To solve a problem

Yes, you PUBLISH for one of those 3 reasons. Guess why I’m writing this post. If you said all 3, you’d be right! Back to "I don't see the value in blogging". The value of blogging is to reach readers. They don’t always search Amazon for your key words or specific title. They may type in “Free stories” or “Free money” or “Free sex” – whatever. If you had a title like that, I wonder how much SEO you’d get. The more eyes on your writing, the better. Sometimes you get people who want your books because you write well.

b)      I don’t know how to write short, sweet and fast.

That’s okay. You know the recommended amount of posts are 2 – 3 a month. That’s because you can promote the post everywhere. Sure I do once a day but they are mostly short 300 – 500 word articles. You don’t have to write fast. You don’t even have to make the posts long.

c)      What I have to say isn’t worth reading.

Okay. I’ll come out and say, if that’s how you feel, then don’t publish. Stop the bullshit “I’m a horrible writer” crap excuse to prevent from blogging. If your ego is so low that you’re constantly asking for an ego boost by way of compliment, you don’t have thick enough skin yet to publish. If this is the excuse you use for not blogging, don’t publish yet. Get your boot straps laced and pull your pants on first—then blog.

There’s a theme here—there is only one good reason not to blog. If someone tells me they don’t want to—that’s a good reason. They think it’s a waste of time, blogging is dead. Well, I say, it depends. Thirteen year olds aren’t allowed to go on social media yet and therefore, they interact with blogs because it’s the only social thing they can do. Maybe your audience isn’t thirteen year olds. Maybe your audience are people that can’t discuss the kind of things on social media platforms because it’s a hot button. Those adults will find your stuff if you present it on your blog. Politics for instance—for some they don’t want to discuss it with friends on Facebook, but they would on another forum if they felt safe enough to.

Through out this, the point that’s most important is the 3 reasons why you publish. When you don’t know what to write, think about why your write. It’s 1 of the 3, or maybe all of them. So blog about your writing inspiration, blog to entertain people, blog to help other people. But don’t think you have nothing to blog for.

ACTION ITEM: Find your reason to blog: to inspire, to entertain or to solve a problem. Remember that helping a reader find your book is under the "solving a problem" and the "to entertain" category because being bored and not finding the right kind of entertainment is a problem. :)

Never wonder what she's really saying with Fem-logic!!