Book Author: An Interview with Jinx Schwartz

Today I have an excerpt of a recent interview with award-winning Author Jinx Schwartz. She is the author of the Hetta Coffey series.

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult/tweens, Historical/Western, Humor, Chicklit

Website: Jinx Schwartz
Author's Blog: Jinx Schwartz's Water Writes
Blog: Google +
Twitter: @jinxschwartz
E-Mail: jinxschwartz@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest


Author Description:
Award-winning author, Jinx Schwartz, spends time between Arizona and Mexico. Her Hetta Coffey mystery series won the EPPIE award for Best Mystery (Just Add Water) and was a finalist for Best Mystery (Just Add Trouble).

Jinx Schwartz is the author of eight books, including the award-winning Hetta Coffey series. Hetta is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht and not afraid to use it!

A ninth-generation Texan, Jinx has lived and worked all over the globe, and much like the protagonist in her Hetta Coffey mystery series, she's a woman with a yacht and not afraid to use it.



SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

First things first. ‘Just’ what is next? Pun intended. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

I always call the next book "Just Whatever" until it is finished. Since book five in the series, Just the Pits, was recently released, I'm back to square one, but I tend to turn out a book a year, so am hoping to have book six ready by next summer. Okay, that gave me a headache. You know how it is when you FINALLY get a book published! However, Hetta will still be in Mexico, and just maybe a shadowy character will play a much larger role than usual.

Since you started before the social media buzz, what impact has social media relationships had on your current success? How much has it changed your book launch process? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I guess success is relative. I've only been actively marketing my own books for a year, but I now sell more books in a month than I did for years with a small publisher. There is no question that between firing my publisher and going Indie with Kindle Direct Publishing Select, my sales are all due to the social media. How else can a relatively unknown writer get known? Free days on Kindle garner new readers, Twitter and Facebook keep me in touch with them and reach out to new readers, Google Plus is my new venue (learning here!) and although I'm on Pinterest, danged if I know how it works for me. It all counts to meet new people.

Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I only do a couple of book signings a year now, with my biggest one in Mexico. This year I'll be in San Carlos, Sonora, right around Thanksgiving. I post my schedule on my website. I also speak to groups and will be at the Bisbee, AZ, Women's Club on Sept. 26.

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

My brand is: Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she'd not afraid to use it!

I haven't involved readers in book covers, other than throwing out a few for their vote on the best. I work closely with Karen Phillips to generate book covers that tell a story and each one also IDs my brand with an anchor, compass rose, porthole, and/or a boat.

Several of you novels have been converted into audio books. What has been the impact on your regular sales? Has the audio books gained a new audience? Do you recommend new authors going this route to get more exposure?

I get a royalty check from Books in Motion, who recorded the audio books, every six months. Not tearing up the world financially, but there is definitely an audience out there. I actually love audio books when on the road. The books cost me nothing to make, so my percentage of sales is small, but hey, it all counts.

What writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

Sisters in Crime is great, and so is EPIC. However, when it comes to marketing and meeting neat new writers, ASMSG is king. Check their Facebook page.

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?

Since we spend several months a year on our boat in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, I spend the summers in Arizona marketing and the like, with more writing while afloat. While I no longer have an 8-5 job, marketing has become a serious time drain, but well worth it. Last winter we had almost no Internet available because we were at anchor in remote locations, and my sales took a serious dump so I know social media works.

My scheduling motto: I don't have a plan and I'm sticking to it.

Has the advent of ebooks changed anything in your writing, your marketing and the relationship with your readers and fans?

As I said before, I think Kindle Direct Publishing is the best thing since sliced bread. Yes, marketing is key, but at least I now have total control over my own writing career. And now I have so many great readers that I would never have if it were not for Amazon.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

Free is good for me. Amazon gave away almost 50,000 Just Add Water ebooks over the weekend, and sales on the second in the series, Just Add Salt, is now in the top 100 paid in Humor. AND, 50,000 NEW readers have now heard of me, and hopefully will read the book they downloaded. That said, every time you have a freebie promo, you get reviews like, "not my cup of tea" but that's the way it goes.

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews or no you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

Free books garner reviews...not always good ones, but that's the risk you take. I review other author's books and they mine. I am all over the charts for garnering reviews and am not above begging.



Author's Book List
Just The Pits - Hetta Coffey Series (Book 5)
Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she's not afraid to use it!

As a self-employed engineering consultant with a penchant for oddball—read: shady—projects, Hetta Coffey has a history of inviting trouble. But now that she's been hired for a legitimate mining project in Mexico's Baja, it looks like smooth sailing ahead...until she discovers that people and pesos are disappearing faster than you can say, "This job is the pits!" And Hetta Coffey as sleuth? Goodness knows she's nosy enough, but her detective skills leave a lot to be desired. Luckily for her she gets help from her best friend, Jan, and a mysterious Velveeta thief.



Order the Book From: Amazon



Troubled Sea
Hetta and Jenks Jenkins live a life many only dream of aboard their 42-foot boat in Mexico's hauntingly beautiful Sea of Cortez. But their chosen sea has a serpent: Mexico's out-of-control drug trade.

After witnessing a drug-deal gone wrong, they set off a deadly chain of events that lands them in a sea of intrigue involving a best friend, the Mexican Federal Police, the DEA, US Coast Guard, the INS, and a nasty drug cartel.

This fast-paced adventure is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of cutting the lines and shoving off to adventure.



Order the Book From: Amazon



Just Deserts - Hetta Coffey Series (Book 4)
Hetta Coffey is a woman with a yacht, and she's not afraid to use it. As a self employed engineering consultant with a penchant of oddball-read: shady- projects, she has a way of attracting trouble.

With her floating home drydocked for repairs in Mexico, Hetta needs a place to live and a job to pay the boatyard. Landing a project at a mining operation not far from her boat, Hetta finds herself on the tumultuous Arizona/Mexico border, where all hell is breaking loose even before she gets there.



Order the Book From: Amazon



Just Add Trouble - Hetta Coffey Series (Book 3)
Hetta Coffey is a woman with a yacht and she's not afraid to use it.

A globe-trotting engineer with adventure in her soul, Hetta is determined to solidify her relationship with her long-distance boyfriend, Jenks jenkins. What better place for a romantic interlude than aboard a yacht in Mexico's hauntingly beautiful and solitary Sea of Cortez?

But where Hetta goes, trouble follows, and chaos is sure to ensue. After a run-in with a couple of sea serpents that threaten to rock the boat, she nevertheless decides to take on a project in the port city of Guaymas. After all, Jenks is headed back to Kuwait, so why not cash in on the best of both worlds by making some dough while living aboard her boat in Mexico?

Once again Hetta's indomitablespirit, stubborn independence and penchant for deceit will keep the reader in stitches as she launches herself and her best friend, Jan, into a sea of trouble. A pesky parrot, a drunken aunt, and a shadowy figure who is handsome in a "criminal sort of way" lead to murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and run-ins with several federal agencies on both sides of the border.



Order the Book From: Amazon



Just Add Salt - Hetta Coffey Mystery Series (Book 2)
Hetta Coffey is a woman with a yacht, and she's not afraid to use it!

Hetta, a globe-trotting engineer with attitude, a penchant for trouble, and a yacht, is back, and this time she s steering us into hot Mexican waters.

Miffed that vacation plans with her chronically absent boyfriend Jenks Jenkins have gone awry, she accepts a job in Baja. So what if she and her friend Jan are spectacularly unqualified to take her yacht on a thousand mile cruise in the eastern Pacific Ocean in the middle of hurricane season? Hiring a handsome, if somewhat fishy captain for the trip might keep them off the rocks, but probably won t do the same for her future with Jenks. Meanwhile, a little eye candy on board can t be all bad.

Hetta s unmanageable independence impels her to tackle the very profitable, if environmentally and politically incorrect project south of the border. True to form, her irreverent nature and disregard for danger soon swamps her in a sea of inconvenient bodies, illegal aliens, a pesky whale, and a menacing Mexican machinator. And without her usual arsenal of firepower.

Set sail for Baja Mexico s Magdalena Bay as Hetta Coffey leads us once more into a morass of intrigue that will keep you laughing, breathless, and wanting more.

To quote Lord Byron, Hetta would "much rather sink beneath the shock than moulder piecemeal on the rock."



Order the Book From: Amazon



Just Add Water - Hetta Coffey Series (Book 1)
Winner: International EPPIE Award for Best Mystery.

Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht and and she's not afraid to use it.

She's a globe-trotting civil engineer with swath of failed multi-national affairs in her jet stream.

Plying the San Francisco waterfront, trolling for triceps, her attention is snagged by a parade of passing yachts--especially their predominantly male skippers--and experiences a champagne-induced epiphany: If she had a boat, she could get a man.

In spite of a spectacular ignorance of all things nautical, Hetta buys her dream boat, but shadowy stalker, an inconvenient body, and Hetta's own self-destructive foibles, give a whole new meaning to the phrase "sink or swim!"



Order the Book From: Amazon



Land Of Mountains
A ten-year-old's new home on an exotic Caribbean island proves so fascinating she quickly forgets she didn't want to leave Texas. After all, where better than a jungle world teeming with voodoo, mystery, and a really pesky zombie, to indulge her favorite pastime: snooping.

In this humorous mystery, award-winning author Jinx Schwartz transports the reader to another time and place where rivers, and little girls, ran wild and free.


Book Trailer: Land Of Mountains


Order the Book From: Amazon



The Texicans
NOT another story about Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston and the boys.

Decades before Crockett, Bowie or Houston even set foot in Texas, Frederick Stockman was already there. Author Jinx Schwartz, a ninth-generation Texan, has delved deep into her ancestral roots to create this moving story of the Frederick Stockman familys' courageous determination to make Texas their home during the turbulent period between 1806 and 1836.

The Texicans was inspired by a Texas history book calling her ancestral clan a "congenial society for evil"--rogues "skilled in many forms of villainy" for their role in the tumultuous years of first Spanish, the Mexican rule. Frederick Stockman and his family immigrate to Spanish Texas in 1806 to ranch, but soon find themselves inexorably drawn into the bitter conflict between Mexico and Spain. They join forces with a dashing young Spanish deserter, Miguel Gonzales, in his successful campaign to liberate Mexico and Texas from Spanish rule. Their ties are further cemented when Gonzales marries into the family.

As Heroes of Mexico, the Texicans--staunch supporters of Mexican rule for Texas--find themselves vilified by North American settlers illegally flocking across the unprotected border. These newcomers, calling themselves Texians, view Mexico, Mexicans and Texicans as the enemy. Targets of bigotry, the Texicans themselves are torn along cultural lines as their hero-turned-despot, General Santa Anna, propels them towards a deadly showdown.



Order the Book From: Amazon



Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS eBook Author’s Corner and HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

Book Marketing, Trojan Style - LA Festival of Books 2013

It was a beautiful spring weekend in Los Angeles and it was time for the 18^th Annual LA Festival Books sponsored by the LA Times. This weekend there would be over 150 thousand in attendance.

The football field at USC was covered with tented booths and the adjoining buildings were filled with various panels, seminars and readings. The sideshow even included Carol Burnet doing her Tarzan call. If you missed it, here is a link to a YouTube version.

For authors and everyone else involved this is a really, really big deal. Everyone loves a parade and readers love a Book Festival.

It is time to give your pitch

So you’re an author seating or standing (mostly standing) in a booth, greeting prospective customers. You have a great red cover on your book, begging for attention.

The first thing that comes to your mind is “have I remembered everything”. You’ll find out soon enough.

You can forget almost anything but you need to bring a plan. You know, a goal of what you want to accomplish and how to get there.

Most authors have a set of common goals. They want to sell books, gain exposure, meet people and have fun. You are meeting readers and potential customers.

Sales

One thing you realize before you get started is this is an expensive proposition. So you must be prepared to get the most ‘bang for your buck’.

At the minimum you need sales materials. If the prospect shows an interest, he has to leave with something.

It would be nice if it was an autographed book.

I suggest something of value like a pen with your information on it. Something that they won’t put in the trash can at the end of the aisle.

With all authors vying for attention, they must have something of yours that will refresh their memory later.

You need a sales pitch. Like Terry Ambrose told me at the Tucson Festival of Books last month, “[Long ago I] learned the importance of the hook. Depending upon the reader, the author has on average 10-15 seconds to describe their book and get the reader interested. I have three different opening lines that I'll use depending on the question I get from the potential reader.”

Get your radar going. Qualify your guest and give them your best pitch.

Writer’s Groups

Writer’s groups seem to have it figured out. First of all, most of them are genre-oriented. That immediately qualifies your visitor.

They share cost, help fellow authors and carry the atmosphere of the genre because everyone is talking about the same type of book, like a Mystery.

I thought it would be interesting if I could single out a group and get their observation on the festival.

This time around, I connected with the Murder, We Wrote writers group.

I thought it would be fun to ask the members of a group about their experiences at the show and pass that on. I solicited Terry Ambrose’s help and here is what we came up with. (Author credits at the end of this post.)

Making connections at a Book Festival is one of the things we discussed with the group. Here is their take.

Connections

Mystery writer Teresa Burrell had this to say: “Two different attendees approached me to do speaking events this fall, both for legal organizations.”

Mystery Author and Humor columnist Gayle Carline continued the thought:

“Sometimes I meet people who are interested in speakers, and I never turn down a speaking engagement. This year, I was interviewed on two different radio stations. You never know where that kind of publicity will lead.”

Mystery and Psychological Author Jenny Hilborne said, “I met the Vice President of Advertising for the LA Times. She purchased my latest release, STONE COLD, a thriller set in Oxfordshire, England. As a fellow Brit, I'm hoping she will enjoy it and maybe include a review in the LA Times.”

Mystery writer Terry Ambrose had a good connection also. “I met a lady who does a radio show with a significant audience and hope to get an interview on her show. I also may have lined up a slot on the program for the Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference. I have my fingers crossed on both!”

Now those are the type of connections you want. If those come through they can be worth more than selling dozens of books at the show.

Writer’s Group Event

Synergy is one of the major components in a Writer’s group. You can just fill it.

Gayle Carline had this to say about her group. “I love being with this crew of writers.”

 

I can fill her motivation, can’t you? Most authors who are not rockstars in the industry need help with the costs in a large event like this.

Mystery Author Pam Ripling had a comment on Costs.

“… authors lose the opportunity to meet and market to one of the biggest gatherings of readers in America. Costs of exhibiting solo are also prohibitive for most independent authors, so it makes sense to share resources in a cooperative fashion. Murder, We Wrote is just such a co-op.

And on Sharing Space, she said, “The MWW authors also come home with inspiration, ideas and knowledge they didn’t possess when they arrived.”

Teresa Burrell had this to say about one of her takeaways. “What I enjoy the most is seeing the same readers come back year after year to buy the next book in my series.”

Author Gayle Carline echoed that. “[This was] the opportunity to meet people.”

Learning Experience

One of the areas that we don’t read much about is the opportunity that a Festival affords authors to learn more about the other aspects of authorship besides writing their novel.

Mystery Writer Paul Marks had this to say about the experience. “And since we all write different sub-genres of mystery it was good to have a booth where almost anyone interested in mystery could find something to enjoy. And it was good to see how the other writers work and promote their work.”

Watch and observe other authors. This can be a learning experience that can help build your audience.

Making the Sale

Terry Ambrose commented on group sales. “All during the event, we were able to ask reader’s questions and then have the most appropriate author(s) talk to that person.”

Mystery Author Jim Stevens said this about closing the sale. “Finding that one phrase that 'clinches the sale' can be worth its weight in printed paper. I also met some TV and film people that bought my book; sure hope they like it.”

There were many authors and writing groups like Murder, We Wrote sharing their booth with writers.

Takeaways

1. Qualify your visitors. Adjust your pitch. Make the sale.
2. Group/Team efforts like Murder, We Wrote can be like a tag team match. Work together to make the sale.
3. Try to make a connection. You can only do that if you quality your visitor. You never know who will visit your booth.
4. Hand them something of value to refresh their memory later.
5. This should be a learning experience. Soak it all in.

Final Thought
If you participate in Amazon’s KDP program or have giveaways to promote your books and your brand, consider giving away free ebooks at a festival.

You display your book with that great cover. You give the prospect your pitch. Then you close by handing them a flyer or other sales media with directions on where the free ebook can be downloaded.

Your focus is on building your brand and increasing your Amazon ranking and get some reviews.

Remember you are one on one with a reader. You are not fighting with hundreds of free book offers online. It is just a different focus.

Related Articles:

Free Books: Give it away. Just give it away.
Book Marketing, Desert Style: Tucson Festival of Books – 2013
Crime Fiction Collective

Credits:

Terry Ambrose - Mysteries with character

The Snitch - Contests, recipes, and tips to stay ahead of the con

Photo Finish - A killer. A con. Island secrets uncovered.
License to Lie - Never trust a soul...even your own.

Web: terryambrose.com

Facebook: suspense.writer
Twitter: @suspense_writer

Teresa Burrell

The Advocate Series

www.teresaburrell.com

Gayle Carline

Humor Columnist, Mystery Author

http://gaylecarline.com

http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/gaylecarline
http://www.twitter.com/GayleCarline

Jenny Hilborne

Author of mysteries and psychological thrillers

Madness and Murder, No Alibi, Hide and Seek, Stone Cold

It's a twisted world we live in....

http://JFHilborne.com

http://jfhilborne.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/jenny.hilborne.5
https://twitter.com/JFHilborne

Paul Marks

PaulDMarks@gmail.com

www.PaulDMarks.com
www.facebook.com/paul.d.marks
www.amazon.com/author/pauldmarks

Pam Ripling (Also writing as Anne Carter)

Buy CAPE SEDUCTION here!

Visit me at Beacon Street Books

Jim Stevens

jimstevenswriter@gmail.com

JimStevensWriter.com

Follow me:

Follow Me on Twitter: @jimhbs

Or EMAIL at: jim@jamesmoushon.com
View my website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer
Or visit my blog: The eBook Author Corner
Take a look at my Author’s blog: HBS Author’s Spotlight
And the HBS Mystery Readers’s Circle

Check out the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels:

Call Off The Dogs

Or newly released

Black Mountain Secrets

Book Marketing, Desert Style: Tucson Festival of Books 2013

A book festival is always fun. You get to meet so many interesting authors. This time I trekked to Tucson, AZ, for the Tucson Festival of Books. This was the fourth year for the event and even with below normal temperatures and a brisk wind, the attendance was close to 80,000 for the two days.

Even though I have been to many gatherings like this, being a veteran of Comdex and the LA Book festival among many, I was anxious to visit my first Tucson festival.

My goal was to talk to as many authors as I could to expand my list of HBS Author’s Spotlight candidates and to see how the authors were trying to sell their books and themselves.

There were over 400 authors, I was told, with about 20% being in the Romance and Mystery genre.

One of the first booths I came upon had one of my Spotlight crew, R.P. Dahlke and Mystery writer Terry Ambrose. That was the start of a fun day.

Stumble Upon

I quickly found out that my work was cut out for me. You literally had to stumble upon an author. If you had a task of talking to Mystery Writers, you had a big challenge. They were scattered everywhere and so were the readers, 55,000 that Sunday.

The authors were divided into two types of booths. There were three Author pavilions with authors sitting at tables with their books and sales pitch in hand. And there were exhibitor booths with affiliated authors signing at scheduled times.

Author’s Goals

When you attend an event like a book festival, you should have a set of goals going in like selling your book AND getting the reader/prospects to look further after they leave. If you sparked their interest, they will check your book out online. They may even tell someone else about meeting you.

A book festival requires a different approach than a regular book signing at a bookstore, to be sure.

I asked Author Terry Ambrose about his approach.

“The great thing about the Tucson Festival of Books is that there are readers everywhere you look. In a book signing, the readers come specifically to see you, so your audience is composed primarily of those you know directly or peripherally. At an event like the book festival, you're meeting new readers whom you never would have met had you not gone to that event.”

Observations - Sales Tools

Let’s take a look at what I observed while I made my rounds talking to the various authors. I will start with the sales tools. Allow me to jump ahead of myself. When I got home I went through all the literature I picked up. I thought it would be fun to give credit to the top item in each category of the sales items. This should be a shopping list for authors attending book events.

Business Cards

The cards ranged from 4-color quality cards with cover pictures to computer stickers on cardboard to none at all. One author said he forgot them. My top card of all the cards I received was from:

Darrell James for Nazareth Child

Bookmarks

Most of the bookmarks were professionally done with covers, review snips and contact information. Why in the world would you go to the expense of creating a bookmark without contact information but I saw that also. I had a tie in my little contest on this one:

Sharon Skinner for The Healer’s Legacy and Susan Oleksiw for Anita Ray Mysteries

Post cards

Most of the post cards had copies of the author’s book covers. All the authors who had them had done professional jobs. My top picks came out in a draw again:

Terry Ambrose for License to Lie and Todd Borg for Tahoe Trap

Flyers

I saw several flyers on colored stock. This was something that I thought I would see more of. There is so much area (letter size) to get your message across. Besides, the cost factor is a plus. My top pick here was:

Betty Webb for The Llama of Death

Display Banners

Most of the banners were bland, I thought. The one that really caught my eye was my top pick for this category:

All Mystery e-Newletter (See banner below)

Books

There were lots of books with great covers. The authors were more than willing to sign a purchased copy. There were too many really good ones to pick here. One author even gave me a copy of her book after I introduced myself.

Thanks so much Katherine Monk for giving me your book Joni. @katherinemonk

Sign Displays

The same great quality was displayed here, also with cover blowups. It was hard to pick one here too.

Action

Here was my biggest surprise of the event. I was confronting authors at their sales point. I talked to a lot of authors with mixed responses. Some had long pitches, some had none.

A book festival is more than signing a book. It is a sales opportunity for than and in the future. The most effective pitch was the short, quick one, in my opinion. With that many readers in one area, a long pitch surely lost some opportunities.

I asked Author Terry Ambrose, a veteran of the festival, about his festival pitch?

“[Long ago I] learned the importance of the hook. Depending upon the reader, the author has on average 10-15 seconds to describe their book and get the reader interested. I have three different opening lines that I'll use depending on the question I get from the potential reader.”

One of my observations was that almost none of the authors qualified me. They saw a live one, and there were many at the festival, and jumped right into their sales pitch. We are talking 55,000 people on Sunday.

How about these questions? Do you read Mysteries? Do you like Suspense?

As I saw, there was a variety of people at the festival. You had readers. You know people that love to read. And then you had tire kickers. There were people who were there for a good time but were not buyers. Note: Tire Kickers sometimes buy books and a good impression will last.

There was a lot of foot traffic and the authors needed to work the prospects. Talk to them. Socialize with everyone. Hand them a copy of your book. Here take a look? You never know.

My Takeaway Ideas

Idea 1

After observing a trash can filled with Author’s literature and plastic bags, I had a flash back to my Comdex days. I had learned a lesson there. Give your prospect something of value. Something they won’t throw away. Not expensive stuff. Maybe a pin with your book title, your name and web address or twitter tag. How about a pad of paper, hotel type, with your book title, your name and contact information?

Idea 2

This looked like a perfect place to offer free ebooks to reader. If you can have Amazon give away your ebook for 5 days, why not give the attendees a shot at it. If you make this a primary objective, give your prospect an opportunity at one of your ebooks. If they like your work, they will buy your other books.

Idea 3

Because of the loose organization of the festival, the reader/prospects really had to do 'on the spot research' to find out what genre the author was selling. Have a name plate made up and place it on the table beside you. Something like: Mystery Writer - James Moushon – the Jonathon Stone Mysteries.

Prospects who weren't looking for Mysteries would move on but others might stop. Qualify. Qualify. Qualify.

At the end of the day

So I needed to ask a veteran of the Tucson festival what she thought of the event. Rebecca Dahlke responded with this:

“As for the Festival audience, it was wonderful! People come prepared to buy books, and aren't afraid of trying new authors. Anyone who can pitch a book to a reader surely sold some books at this event.

This year, I concentrated on ‘pitching’ All Mystery e-newsletter to new readers instead of selling my books: http://allmysteryenewsletter.com

I had authors, Terry Ambrose and Clark Lohr in my booth with me, and bad weather on Saturday didn't keep people from buying books. The guys sold multiple copies both days, and I think they would consider it a successful weekend!”

So a good time was had by all. I hope there were lots of books sold and relationships formed.

One last word for authors. You never know who you’ll meet at the show and what that relationship will mean to you. The passerby could be a buyer, a tire kicker or they just may be someone who will write an article about you for a magazine or the Internet.
 

Related Articles:

Free Books: Give it away. Just give it away.

eBook Marketing: Include Live Contact Information in Your eBook
eBook Marketing: How Do You Target Your Reading Audience

Follow me:

Follow Me on Twitter: @jimhbs

Or EMAIL at: jim@jamesmoushon.com

View my website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer

Or visit my blog: The eBook Author Corner
Take a look at my Author’s blog: HBS Author’s Spotlight
And the HBS Mystery Readers’s Circle

Check out the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels:

Call Off The Dogs

Or newly released

Black Mountain Secrets

Bestselling Author: An Interview with Tara Sivec

Today I have an excerpt of a recent interview on the HBS Author’s Spotlight with Bestselling Author Tara Sivec. She is the author of the Chocolate Lovers series and the top ranking novel, 'A Beautiful Lie', the first book in the Playing with Fire series.


Author Genre: Romance/Suspense, Humor, Chick Lit
 

Author Description:
Tara Sivec is a wife, mom, chauffeur, soccer coach, babysitter, short-order cook, genius and the funniest person she's ever met. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. In her spare time she likes to write and make people spit Diet Coke out of their nose. Most of her material comes from real life experiences with family and friends. Lucky for them, the names have been changed to protect the innocent (aka, drunk).

SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Let’s start with what’s next. Are we going to get to read another Playing with Fire novel soon? You know you still have Chocolate Lovers out there. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Yes! I’m in the process of writing the next Playing with Fire book right now. It’s called “Because of You” and I hope to release it early April. Each book in the series will be about a different Navy SEAL from the first book. This will be Brady’s book. Brady has been to hell and back since the SEAL mission in the Dominican and he’s opened his own PI firm. He’s hired to investigate a stalker that’s been sending notes to one of the biggest pop stars in the world – Layla Carlysle. Layla has suffered through her own tragedies and behind closed doors, doesn’t live the glamorous, amazing life that everyone thinks she does. Brady and Layla are quick to judge one another but they’ll need to trust each other and put aside their differences before the letters being sent to Layla become a reality.

You have a good following on Twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? Do you see a carry over to your writing success?

I absolutely credit social media for my success. Without it, I doubt anyone would have ever read my books aside from family and friends, who kind of have to or I’ll disown them LOL! As an indie writer, you have to rely heavily on things like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and word-of-mouth to get your name out there. I have met so many amazing and supportive people throughout this process and I am so grateful they took a chance on a new author and continue to promote my work.

You do a lot of book signing, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? When and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online? Are you scheduled to come to Phoenix and who are you signing with?
(Orlando Wicked Girls Book Weekend/Book Signing: February 15 - 18, 2013)

I wish I could do book signings every single day! It is amazing to meet fans and my fans are the best – they are so much fun! My next book signing is in Orlando, Florida next weekend. You can keep up to date with all of my upcoming signings under the “Events” tab on my website: www.tarasivec.com or on Facebook.

There is actually a book signing in the works for Arizona, I have an organizer looking into locations right now so hopefully I’ll have news on that soon.

What kinds of support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

No real support groups, per say. I have a handful of absolutely wonderful indie authors and book bloggers who I’ve made friends with the past year that are always there for support or to lend an ear when I send them rambling emails or text messages! It’s amazing to have made friends with people in the indie world who know exactly what you’re going through and are willing to help you and answer questions for you.

Between your book writing, book signings, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?

I seriously have no idea who I do it! I just quit my job of 14 years back at Thanksgiving and I look back on the last year and I’m amazed I even wrote a sentence, let alone four books! I try to have a set schedule. I drop the kids off at school in the morning and then I have the house to myself all day to focus. But being the creative type, my brain doesn’t have a schedule to follow so when something hits, I can’t ignore it. I don’t go anywhere without my iPhone, the notepad app open and ready for some notes or an actual notepad and a pen. Having a smartphone means I never really stop working. You can find me answering emails or responding to Facebook posts at 2am most nights when I should be sleeping!

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I didn’t go into this thinking I was going to become a millionaire. I started writing because I love it. I have a tattoo on my arm that reads “I write because there is a voice within me that will not be still.” I HAVE to write and I am happiest when people are reading the words I’ve written. If I have to give away free books to get my name out there more, that’s okay with me. One free book could bring in five new fans when the person tells them they loved the book, and that is totally worth the price. I do a lot of giveaways on my website and Facebook page. I love giving back to the fans who have been such amazing supporters. I’ve never really run into any obstacles aside from running out of books and having to order more. But that’s an obstacle I don’t mind!

How effective has your book tours been? Do you see an uptick in your sales and ranking after a tour?

I actually never knew what a book tour was until my third book in the Chocolate Lovers series! I’m so glad I did some research! They definitely help with the sales and getting the word passed around that I have a new book out just in case someone missed the information on my own personal social media pages. My last tour had over thirty blogs participating, it’s mind boggling! Each blog posted information about my latest release and the links where you could buy it, which is huge. They each have an amazing number of followers and it’s a great way to reach so many people at one time that I would never be able to do on my own.

Your latest release was a romance/suspense novel. Did changing hats create any problems? Which genre do you enjoy writing the most? Does moving from one to the other give you some breathing room or change of pace?

Romantic suspense is my absolute favorite genre to read so I knew writing a book in that category was going to be in the cards for me at some point. I think the only problem is that I am known for my comedy. A lot of people were nervous to read something completely different from me and they weren’t sure if I could pull off such a huge leap. I don’t know if I really enjoy one more than the other. It’s almost like asking me which child I love more! I love them both equally, but some days one is definitely easier than the other. Comedy is easier for me to write most days because I write my characters the way I talk and they interact with others the way I interact with others. Romantic suspense though is more challenging and sometimes more fun. It involves a lot of research and a lot of notes trying to remember the timeframes and the facts I’ve already made known so I don’t get confused. When I write romantic suspense, I have post-it notes littering my desk and my walls and a dry-erase board to keep track of time lines. When I write comedy, I have lots of bottles of wine handy.

It was definitely nice taking a break from comedy and doing something different. If I stuck with the same genre, I feel like I would get stale and everything would start sounding the same. I hope that bouncing between genres will keep me fresh.

I think your Merchandise Store is a unique approach. Do your readers/fans buy products from the store so they try to get as much of you as they can or is it the unique stuff their after?

I love my Cafepress store and I wish I had more time right now to add additional items to the inventory. I think they are definitely after unique things. Their favorite quotes from the books on a shirt is definitely a top seller.

Author's Book List

A Beautiful Lie - Playing with Fire, #1
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Amazon  - Barnes and Noble - Smashwords
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Troubles and Treats - Chocolate Lovers #3
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Amazon  - Barnes and Noble - Smashwords
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Futures and Frosting - Chocolate Lovers #2
Amazon  - Barnes and Noble - Smashwords
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Seduction and Snacks - Chocolate Lovers #1
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Amazon  - Barnes and Noble - Smashwords
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Takeaways:

How much do building relationships and social media play in your marketing plans?

Do you do book signing, interviews, speaking and personal appearances?

How effective has your book tours been?

What has been your experience in giving your books away free?

Have you tried to setup a Merchandise Store to publicize your books?
 

Tara’s Contact Information

Website: tarasivec.com
Twitter: @tarasivec
E-Mail: tara@tarasivec.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight.

Original Post: Tara Sivec – HBS Author’s Spotlight
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