C.Y. Bourgeois is a freshman author and an avid reader. After having spent countless enjoyable hours over the years reading other people’s narratives, she realized that she too has stories to tell.

C.Y. considers herself a native of Alaska, having lived there since the age of two.  She and her husband recently moved to northern Idaho where they now reside with their two dogs and three cats and where she is currently working on her second Shelby Leight novel, Visions of Mortality.

Her latest book is a suspense thriller (bordering on YA) called Visions of You.

Please visit C.Y. Bourgeois’ website at http://cybourgeois.authorsxpress.com/

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, C.Y.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

Visions of You is a thriller set in Palmer Alaska in 1975.  It’s about a group of teenagers who lose a friend to a serial killer and become actively involved in trying to stop him.  One of the main characters, Shelby is stunned to discover she has the ability to communicate with her dead friend.  She also meets and falls in love with a young man, Paul, who has inherited a strange affliction from his mother.  She has to deal with that on top of coming to grips with her own, frightening, new-found abilities.  Visions of You dips the reader’s toes in the paranormal, but never completely jumps in and leaves normal.  It’s a fast-paced, believable, coming-of-age story with action, scary twists, some laughs, and a few tears.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

I’ve been blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, I’m on Goodreads, and Amazon’s AuthorCentral.  I also purchased some ads on Facebook.

After that, what happened?

Things are still slow.  I’m going to put my book on Pinterest, and Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book is working with me to get VOY out in the virtual world.  I also have another book, a novella, The Concrete Gnome in the works.  It’s almost finished and I’ll be publishing it to the Amazon Kindle Direct Program.  Hopefully, if people enjoy reading that, they will want to read Visions of You as well.  I’m also writing Visions of Mortality, the second book in the Visions series.

What did your publisher do to promote your book?

They set me up with all the marketing websites and published my book to Kindle, Nook, and every other e-reader imaginable.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

Well, I’m a brand new blogger, so I really don’t have an audience yet.  I keep blogging, but I don’t think anybody’s reading it.  So, it hasn’t helped with sales…yet.  I’m going to keep on blogging and try to establish a niche, find a topic that will draw in some readers.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

I think social networking and online book tours are the way to go nowadays.  I’m planning on a couple of select brick and mortar stops, but being visible on the internet is essential.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

I’m working with Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book.  We’re taking Visions of You on a virtual book tour.  I tend to be a bit of a hermit and shy about promoting myself, but I’m really excited about working with Dorothy.

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

Right now, word of mouth, whether it’s on Facebook or actually in person, has been the most successful tool for me.  Visions of You has some really good (5 star) reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and that helps.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as booksignings?

I haven’t had any book signings yet.  That’s something I’m working on.  I have my heart set on having one in Palmer.  I just need to get ahold of the bookstore to set it up.

Thank you for this interview, C.Y.!  We wish you much success!

Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about myself and my book, Visions of You.

PHISH NET STALKINGS, by Denise Robbins, L&L Dreamspell, 332 pp., $16.95 (Kindle $4.99).

All she wanted was to find love. Was that too much to ask? How difficult could it be to find one man, the perfect man for her?

After dating the losers of the century, Jane decides there has to be a better way. She turns to an online dating service. After all, they guarantee a ‘happily ever after’ or your money back.

Jane East, CEO of Not-So- Plain- Jane’s organic cosmetics wants to fall in love with a man who makes her toes curl when he kisses her. Unfortunately, the one man who makes her toes curl also wears ladies’ pink underwear and a badge. The pink underwear she could probably deal with, but the badge is a different story.

Ever since seeing her mother and granny Pearl murdered by men with badges, Jane has a fear of cops and anyone who carries a badge. Especially, because the killers are still on the loose and searching for her.

Former FBI Cybercrime special agent turned small-town Chief of Police, Cooper Chance, gets caught with his pants down and his family jewels tucked in pink ladies’ underwear with lacy frills when he meets the woman of his dreams. That’s not his only issue. The woman has a fear of cops. If he can get past her guard, maybe he can save her life.

BOOK EXCERPT

Cooper went into his office, shut the door, and closed the blinds. “No way can I pull this off,” he protested holding up the leather skirt and heels. He stripped down to his skivvies and slid into the black leather skirt. “No way!” His damn boxers hung too low, below the skirt hem.

“Shit,” he growled and raked fingers through his hair. Just listen to him, he already sounded like a girl talking about hems.

“That’s why we included the ladies’ panties,” someone shouted back. Muffled chuckling rumbled behind his locked office door.

He riffled through the pile and found a pair of bright pink panties with ruffles and the tags still on them. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

The raucous laughter and low snickering that met his complaint burned his ass. What made him think that becoming the Chief of Police of a small town would be simple, easy? He must have been nuts. At least if he had been in a big city, like New York, Boston, or Minneapolis, he might not have felt so ridiculous. He would have fit in with any number of transgenders who walked the street. But here, in Manchester, New Hampshire he would stick out like a wolf in a pack of cats.

“Do women really wear this kind of underwear?”

“Panties,” one of the men shouted from the outer office.

“Panties,” he grumbled out the corner of his mouth. He held the silky material and eyed it with caution half expecting his men to supply him with a thong. Air wheezed out of his lungs when he saw that there was material on all sides and not some tiny strip that would ride up his ass. Just the thought of it made his shoulders shiver.

Before he lost his nerve, Cooper stripped off his cotton boxers and stuffed his beefy legs into the pink panties. When the underwear reached halfway up his thighs, he heard a popping noise. He glanced down and saw the elastic in the leg holes had ripped apart. “Not one size fits all, are they?”

You can visit the author’s website at http://www.deniserobbins.com.

A STORY OF THE WEST, by Susan Spence, iUniverse, 328 pp., $19.95 (Kindle $3.95).

Matt Daly’s eyes narrowed as he faced the stranger in front of him. “I know I don’t have a quarrel with you because I don’t know you,” he growled.

“But I know you,” the menacing outlaw sneered back, clearly ready to use the Colt revolver hanging from his hip.

Only a few years earlier Matt and his father had trailed a herd of longhorns north from Texas into Montana Territory. Upon arriving, they decided to stay and raise cattle on the fertile grasslands.

Shortly after the Northern Pacific rail line was completed and it became easier for people to head west. Lavina Lavold stepped off the train in Miles City with her family and immediately caught Matt’s eye. When they fall in love, Matt’s life seems perfect.

There are unscrupulous men, however, determined to build cattle empires. A ruthless neighbor decides he wants the Daly’s claim, and he will stop at nothing to acquire their ranch. Since the entire area is undeeded land, it is up for grabs and there is no law on the rough frontier to prevent a range war. When Matt refuses to back down, his life takes a dangerous turn.

Forced to abandon his family, his travels take him down a long road of misery. An encounter with an Indian medicine man helps him to regain his sense of self, but not until after he gives in to his desperation.

A Story of the West depicts life during the open range ranching days of the Wild West. Besides plenty of action, I have added a women’s perspective to settling the American West. I researched the era to ensure historical accuracy and have written an accurate portrayal of life during this time, as well as an exciting read.

BOOK EXCERPT

Matt rode into the town of Laramie. In years past it would have been a lot livelier. Cowboys just off the range would have been drinking up their summer wages. Now there was a grimness. It was the same feeling that encompassed the entire western prairie.

Matt tied his horse to the hitch rail in front of the first saloon he found. As usual he checked brands on the other horses standing there and looked at the faces inside before entering the bar. After purchasing a bottle of the cheapest whiskey, Matt walked past a table where a couple of men sat. One of them looked at him and sniffed loudly.

“Smells like we got one of them prairie lice in here.” He was too drunk to know if Matt really smelled like sheep or not. He just wanted to pick a fight.

Matt set the bottle down on a table, picked the man up by his neck and threw him to the floor. He glared at the shocked man lying at his feet, then at his companion. “Who are you insulting, you dirty sack of shit?”

“Just be on your way!” The bartender yelled at Matt. He knew the two were trouble makers, but they were also regulars, something he was short of these days.

Matt grabbed the bottle, shaking from the rage that had engulfed him. It scared him. Never had he felt out of control like that. He had wanted to kill the man with his bare hands.

He decided he was going to have to keep moving. But first he was going to have a bath and buy new clothes to get the stink of sheep, real or imaginary off of him. It was cold out, late fall. Matt wondered if he should risk getting a hotel room. There was one that offered baths. That would feel good. Maybe he would stay just a couple of days. Matt let his guard down as whiskey saturated his consciousness.

He had also been recognized. A cowboy who had once worked for Bully Buehler saw him on the street. He was sitting in on a poker game at another saloon that evening.

“Hey Red.” He knew the man sitting across from wanted a reputation with a gun, so he decided to bait him. “There’s a man in town you oughta’ meet, name of Matt Daly.

Red knew the name. He practically drooled. “He’s here now?” The other smiled. The trap had been set. He had no feelings towards Matt one way or another. He just wanted to cause trouble.

The man named Red called Matt out the next evening, after he knew Matt had spent the afternoon drinking. “Hey Daly!” Matt turned and faced a tall redheaded man showing off the new Colt Peacemaker that hung from his hip.

“I know I don’t have a quarrel with you because I don’t know you.” Matt first wanted to talk his way out of a gunfight, but once again he felt his rage bubbling close to the surface.

The other man was way too cocky. He sneered. “I hear you think you’re pretty fast with a gun. I also hear you’re yellow.”

There was no way Matt was going to back down. He seemed to become another man as his rage turned to cool anger. He would wait all night for the scum to draw first, and then he would blow the asshole’s face off. His determination grew, taking over any other thoughts. His eyes narrowed as he stared the man down. Red faltered slightly by blinking. He had expected Matt to be scared of his large presence. It had always worked before.

Richard Alan lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife, Carolynn.  They are the proud parents of three wonderful adult sons.He is a Vietnam combat and 101st Airborne Division veteran.

After an education in mathematics, a 17 year career in manufacturing engineering and a 22 year career in software engineering, he has started a career as an author.  Richard writes novels about people trying to find their life-partner, soul-mate, the person they are meant to be with for life.  His first two books, Meant to Be and The Couples, are available on his website and most online retailers.

Richard’s other interests range from mathematical analysis and photography to anything with an engine.  His current projects include writing the third (Finding Each Other) and fourth novels in the “Meant to Be” series, and discovering the properties of functions of p-adic numbers.  Having completed a potting bench for his lifepartner, Carolynn, he is busy driving her to watch salmon runs, visit National Parks, and anywhere that provides an opportunity to view her avian friends.

His latest books in the Meant to Be Series are Meant to Be and The Couples.

You can visit Richard Alan’s website, VILLAGE DRUMMER FICTION at www.villagedrummerfiction.com.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, Richard.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

Meant to Be is about the joy and sorrow of striving to discover a life partner, a soul-mate, a person with whom we are meant to spend the rest of their lives with.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

I am self-published.  The first thing I did was arrange a book signing at local bookstore.  I used e-mail and Facebook to advertise and I provided a poster to the book store.  They also had their own advertising.

After that, what happened?

With the help of my wife, I created and maintain a Facebook fan page.  I learned to Twitter and am growing my Twitter network.  I write a blog, and belong to numerous groups of authors who help each other.  I am doing a virtual book tour with “Pump Up Your Book” and I am participating in the Fourth Writers Platform-Building Campaign.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

I’ve only been blogging for three weeks.  It has not impacted my sales yet.  My network of really good bloggers is growing rapidly, so I hope to see a change soon.  The writers’ blogging community is very generous with their advice and support.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

It is too early to tell, but I have seen others obtain success over time.  It appears to be the most effective tool available at this time.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

I have been giving the first book away to many people, to increase awareness of my writing.  I believe once people read it, they will want to read the subsequent novels.  Although each book stands on its own, I think they are more fun and interesting if you follow them in order.  We also have a lot of friends and family who are spreading word.

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

Selling to friends and family has been the most effective, but that does not generate enough sales.  I haven’t found the best tool yet, but I hope the multiple social network efforts will do it.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as book signings?

I’ve done three book signing events.  They were not very effective.

Thank you for this interview, Richard!  We wish you much success!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk with you.

A multi-published author and former RWA President, Jill Limber’s latest books are Montana Morning, A Heart That Dares and The Right Track. As a child, some of Jill’s tales got her in trouble, but now she gets paid for them. Residing in San Diego with her husband and a trio of dogs and one very ancient cat, Jill’s favorite pastime is to gather friends and family for good food, conversation and plenty of laughter.

You can visit her website at www.JillLimber.com.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, Jill. Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book, The Right Track?

This book was my first contemporary romance. Up until I wrote The Right Track, I had written historicals. The Right Track is set on a private railroad car that I have travelled on many times as the chef, so I didn’t have to do a lot of research. Crossing the U. S. by train is an amazing way to see our beautiful country.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

Told all my friends and reader via my website and with postcards and emails.

After that, what happened?

I got a lot of nice response and the book sold well.

What did your publisher do to promote your book?

They put a nice low price on it—that helps!

What’s your opinion on blogging? Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

It is hard to gage how much promotion of any kind helps sales unless you do a day-by-day analysis, and that is very time consuming. But I love the feeling that I am connecting with readers, so I do love blogging.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool. Do you find it is or isn’t?

Again, this is hard to quantify, but reaching out to readers is always a really good idea. People can’t buy a book they don’t know about.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

Literacy signings, contests and giveaways.

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

The release is so new, it’s hard to say.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as book signings?

I have found you meet some wonderful readers at book signings, but sell very few books, particularly if the book is only available in digital form.

Thank you for this interview, Jill.  We wish you much success!

Valerie Stocking was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and wrote her first short story when she was five.  When she was eight, she won a short story contest in Jack and Jill Magazine.  She wrote her first play at the age of ten.  In 1966, when she was twelve, she and her mother moved to a small town in Florida where they lived for a year.  During this time, Valerie experienced difficulties with the public school system, tried a Seventh Day Adventist school briefly, and then dropped out altogether.  It was her experiences during this year that inspired The Promised Land. Later, she would finish high school, graduate from college and earn a Master’s degree in Cinema Studies from NYU.

For nearly 30 years, she wrote and edited in various capacities, including copywriting, newspaper articles, and short stories.  She wrote nearly 20 full-length and one act plays over a ten year period, which have been performed throughout the U.S. and Canada.  She edited books for audio, abridging over 100 novels in a 6-year period.  In 2010, she published her first novel, A Touch of Murder, which is the first of what will become the Samantha Kern mystery series.  It was nominated for a Global eBook Award in 2011 for Best Mystery.

Valerie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her dog and cat, and is working on her next novel.

You can visit her website at www.valeriestocking.com.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, Valerie.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

Sure!  The Promised Land is about a 12-year-old girl’s coming of age in a small southern town in 1966.  She and her mother have just moved there from a Connecticut suburb, and of course it’s culture shock.  The girl befriends a biracial boy with explosive consequences.  The book also deals with the inadequacies of the public education system, and adolescent drinking and drug use.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

I made a list of all the people I wanted to send advance copies to.  I also contacted Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book to query about a blog tour.

After that, what happened?

Once the book came out, I sent the copies to the people on my list.  And I contacted Dorothy right away.

What did your publisher do to promote your book?

They developed and sent out a press release.  They also made a large number of promotional bookmarks for me.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

I’ve been blogging on a regular basis (twice a week) since last November.  It really isn’t enough time to have developed a large enough audience to say whether or not it has helped book sales.  I have been looking at the numbers, tracking the people who are reading, and it’s still a small audience, but it seems to be growing.  On Mondays, I do a potpourri of subjects: I talk about my writing, about the 1960’s (a connection with The Promised Land), and paranormal activity.  It seems that most people enjoy the paranormal stuff more than the other things.  I am going to be writing a paranormal thriller soon (I hope!) so I’m doing and writing about research in that area.  On Thursdays, I have a serialized mystery going, called “Color Me Dead.”  It’s a Samantha Kern mystery (she’s the detective in my first novel “A Touch of Murder”).

From what I understand, it can take several years to build a blog, in terms of audience.  So I am going to keep writing, and be patient.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

I have become active on Facebook and Twitter since November, talking about my blogs and my progress with The Promised Land. It’s a great way to get the message out to a lot of people.  I am on LinkedIn, but don’t do much there.  I’ve been adding friends to FB a lot, though.  And I’m getting positive responses.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

I’ve sent out review copies to a number of people, including a woman who interviewed me before on a radio station in the Four Corners (NW) area of New Mexico.  She told me to send anything else I wrote to her, and said she’d like to interview me again.  In addition, an interview I did for the local NBC affiliate here just aired yesterday.  It will be available for general viewing on my website soon.  I’ve done 2 open mic readings, and a book signing here in Santa Fe.  The big reading/signing here is going to happen April 19, at Collected Works bookstore.  I’m going to be putting out flyers for that, and also contacting a local radio station about interviewing me.  So I’ve been busy!

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

Facebook.  I can get the message out to a lot of people, numerous times, and it doesn’t cost anything.  Twitter’s good, too, but I find the length limitations frustrating at times.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as booksignings?

I love book signings!  I enjoy talking to people, despite the fact that I’m very nervous right beforehand.  However, before a person will come to a book signing, they have to know about it.  So advertising it is key.  It’s not going to sell mass quantities of a book, but it adds a personal touch that I like.

Thank you for this interview, Valerie!  We wish you much success!

Thank you!

Noah Baird wanted to attend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, but his grades weren’t good enough (who knew?).  However, his grades were good enough to fly for the U.S. Navy (again, who knew?), where he spent 14 years until the government figured out surfers don’t make the best military aviators. He has also tried to be a stand-up comedian in Hawaii for Japanese tourists where the language barrier really screwed up some great jokes. On the bright side, a sailboat was named after the punchline of one of his jokes.

He has several political satire pieces published on The Spoof under the pen name orioncrew.  Noah received his bachelors in Historical and Political Sciences from Chaminade University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He knows nothing about hoaxing Bigfoot. Donations to Clarity is his first novel.

You can visit his website at www.noahbaird.com or his blog at www.noahbaird.wordpress.com.

Connect with him at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Noah-Baird-Writer/100193913390453.

About Donations to Clarity

The plan was simple: hoax bigfoot, then sell tours to bigfoot enthusiasts. The plan wasn’t brilliant, and neither were Harry, Earl, and Patch. The three chemical-abusing friends only wanted to avoid the 9 to 5 rat race, but their antics attract the attention of a real bigfoot. When the misogynistic Earl is mistaken for a female bigfoot by the nearsighted creature and captured; it is just the beginning of their problems.

The U.S. Government has a plan to naturalize the mythical creatures living within the U.S. borders.  The problem is the plan needs to be carried out carefully.  You can’t just drop little green men and Sasquatch in the middle of Walmart without warning Ma and Pa Taxpayer. The naturalization program is not ready to be set into motion, and the rogue bigfoot is bringing too much attention to itself, including a feisty investigative reporter who uncovers the truth of the government conspiracy and two bigfoot researchers. No longer able to contain the situation, government agents are tasked with eliminating the bigfoot and all witnesses.

Between bong hits and water balloon fights, Harry and Patch come up with a plan to save Earl and the lovestruck bigfoot. Where do you hide a giant, mythical creature? In an insane asylum, because who is going to listen to them?

Along the way, the three friends learn Star Wars was a government training film for children, the truth behind Elvis meeting President Nixon, and the significance of the weight of the human turd.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, Noah.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

The plan was simple: hoax Bigfoot, then sell tours to bigfoot enthusiasts. The plan wasn’t brilliant, and neither were Harry, Earl, and Patch. The three chemical-abusing friends only wanted to avoid the 9 to 5 rat race, but their antics attract the attention of a real Bigfoot. When the misogynistic Earl is mistaken for a female Bigfoot by the nearsighted creature and captured; it is just the beginning of their problems.

The U.S. Government has a plan to naturalize the mythical creatures living within the U.S. borders.  The problem is the plan needs to be carried out carefully.  You can’t just drop little green men and Sasquatch in the middle of Walmart without warning Ma and Pa Taxpayer. The naturalization program is not ready to be set into motion, and the rogue Bigfoot is bringing too much attention to itself, including a feisty investigative reporter who uncovers the truth of the government conspiracy and two Bigfoot researchers. No longer able to contain the situation, government agents are tasked with eliminating the Bigfoot and all witnesses.

Between bong hits and water balloon fights, Harry and Patch come up with a plan to save Earl and the lovestruck Bigfoot. Where do you hide a giant, mythical creature? In an insane asylum, because who is going to listen to them?

Along the way, the three friends learn Star Wars was a government training film for children, the truth behind Elvis meeting President Nixon, and the significance of the weight of the human turd.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

I started researching how to promote the book. I got into the habit of keeping up to date with what was happening in the industry by reading the book section of the Huffington Post, etc.

After that, what happened?

I set out a plan on how to approach promoting the book. I set up a website, a Twitter account, a Facebook fan page, etc. I began contacting bloggers to see if they would review the book. I sent out press releases.

What did your publisher do to promote your book?

They promoted the book through their website and blogs, as well as press releases. Some of the other writers also interviewed me, etc.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

I hated the idea of blogging. My first few blogs were of me whining about blogging. Here’s part of the first blog I wrote:

I don’t want to write a blog. I want to write a book. Even the word sounds unappealing: blog. Say it out loud. Boring, right? “Buhlog”. Sounds like you’re trying to get a spider web out of your mouth. I understand the reason I should blog is to connect with a fan-base, get my name out, promote the book, etc. Blogging just seems counterintuitive to me. Any jerk-off with a keyboard can blog. An author writes books. I’m not implying I’m better than bloggers, or that all bloggers are crap, but there are plenty out there digitally converting the mundane into cyber flotsam.

My mental picture of what writers do is probably skewed. I want to do what Hemingway did: drink, fish, write. Maybe run with the bulls in Pamplona. Papa did not blog (I know there weren’t blogs then; just go with me on this). When my publisher told me I needed to start blogging, I told him I wanted to pull a Hemingway: drink, fish, write. We could negotiate on the fishing, but I was going to remain firm about the drinking and writing. Since I’m sitting here writing this blog (and drinking), we can see who won that little argument.

My other issue with blogging is I don’t know how or what to blog about. What’s the theme? Do I write about my life? My life as a writer? I’m not a good enough writer to think I could teach you anything about writing. Someone suggested I blog as Bigfoot; like a Bigfoot celebrity diary. I have to tell you: after writing a book with Bigfoot in it, I’m fucking sick of Bigfoot.

I still don’t know what the general theme of this blog should be. So, for this entry, I’m going to tell you the things I’ve learned since becoming a writer.

I learned local papers don’t review books. There’s one person in a cabin in Montana who reads books and posts reviews on the internet. Newspapers just link to those reviews.

I should’ve practiced my signature. Sharpies make crappy signatures permanent. To compensate for my poor penmanship (or should it be ‘penpersonship’ in this politically-correct America), I doodle dog turds and monkey faces. It was either that or pretend I have palsy.

If you call the newspaper in Ithaca, NY and mention ‘Bigfoot’ and ‘marijuana’ in the same sentence, you will have a long conversation with everyone in the newsroom about Bigfoot and marijuana. I couldn’t persuade them to review my book, but I did get a great brownie recipe.

I don’t think the blogging has done much for the sales. What is interesting is I have a substantial amount of people who follow the blog. However, the people following the blog don’t seem to be purchasing the book.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

This is another one I’m not so sure about. During the first few months the book was available, I had more fans on Facebook than I had purchases. Social networking may be an effictive tool, but I haven’t figured out the combination that works for me.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

I’ll tell you what I did that didn’t work. I updated Wikipedia pages to include my book. For instance, my book has an Elvis impersonator in it, so I added my book to Wikipedia’s Elvis impersonator page. However, Wikipedia would drop my updates to the pages. Whoever owns each particlar page has to approve of your update. In most cases, mine were not approved.

The book also has a chapter where two characters break-up only using Pearl Jam song lyrics. I joined the fan forum through Pearl Jam’s webpage to promote the book, but that didn’t translate into sales either. I would get into these chatrooms, pretend to be someone else, and name-drop the book. I thought a bunch of fans of the band would eat this stuff up, but they weren’t having it.

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

I would say nothing I’ve done has been effective enough to call a marketing tool. I posted flyers in coffee shops, read for theater groups, begged every blogger on the web to review the book.

Self-promotion has been much harder than I anticipated. I now understand why the guys in KISS and David Bowie wore make-up and 7 inch heels. I’ve considered turning writing into a performance art. I thought I could type the Star Spangled Banner, light the laptop on fire, and smash it on stage; but these laptops too expensive to trash every night.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as booksignings?

Bookstores don’t have an open door policy for book signings. When my book was released, I checked my local booksellers to ensure they had the book in their inventory. Then I called to offer my availability to sign books in the store. Seems logical, right? Wrong. Some bookstores can be a pain-in-the-ass about letting new writers come in for signings. They either wanted to evaluate the book to see if it’s suitable for a signing, or it was a flat “No” because new writers don’t have a large fan base. Some bookstores are essentially Amazon.com showrooms. They just can’t afford to host signings. It seems counterintuitive to me; meeting the authors in your community was one of the great things about bookstores.

Thank you for this interview, Noah!  We wish you much success!

C. Elizabeth lives in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. She stumbled upon writing, it found her, she finds writing a peaceful escape and is very excited to have her characters come alive in her readers’ minds. Her contemporary romance novel, Absolute Obsession, is about 42 year old Rose Gerbaldi who by an intervention of fate unites her heart and soul with 30 year old British movie star, Michael Terrance. Please visit and blog with her at www.celizabeth.ca. Connect with her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/search/users/CElizabeth4 and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1567713637.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, C. Elizabeth.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

Thank you for having me, I’ve been looking forward to this.

Absolute Obsession is about loving wife and mother, 42 year old Rose Gerbaldi, who, through a sequence of remarkable events, falls in love with 30 year old, British movie star, Michael Terrance, a man she has never met and one who she can never have. Though her decisions are made, unbeknownst to her, fate is conspiring to put her back on the path that it had so lovingly entwined for her and Michael.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?

The first thing I did was create a website and contacted book stores for in-store signings or to stock Absolute Obsession on the shelves.

After that, what happened?

Things went a little crazy. There was always so much to do to get the word out and along with my full time job and family, the hours ran out very quickly – it was time bring in the professionals.  I hired Pump up Your Book to put me on a virtual book tour for a month and it was great, people got to know me and Absolute Obsession was getting some attention, not to mention giving me some free time to focus on other things.

What did your publisher do to promote your book?

Wings ePress Inc. promoted through their website as well as all the bookselling websites, such as Amazon and Fictionwise.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

I love blogging, whether it makes a difference or not I don’t know, but one thing it does do, it keeps my creative side moving along.  Never stop writing, you might lose it.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

I use as many social networks as I can. Does it help? It’s too early to tell at this point.

Besides blogging and using the social networks to promote your books, what other ways are you promoting your book?

I am using two PR firms, Pump Up Your Book  for my virtual online visibility and Gal-Friday Publicity out of Vancouver, BC for the personal touch, face to face interviews, etc..

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

Up till now I’d have to say Pump Up Your Book, but the other marketing plans are just starting up, I’m certain they will have an impact as well.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as booksignings?

The majority of my book signings have been a wonderful experience. I do love meeting the people and hearing some of their stories. So far, it has all been a great and wonderful unexpected journey thanks to everyone.

Thank you for this interview, C. Elizabeth!  We wish you much success!

Thank you for having me, it was fun. Cheers!

Giveaways, Contests & Prizes!

Join C. Elizabeth at the Pump Up Your Book Live! November Author Chat / Book Giveaway Party on Friday, November 18 starting at 8 p.m. eastern!

Char will be giving away a copy of her book! You could win a beautiful copy of Absolute Obsession simply by attending the chat and asking her a question. All there is to it!

For details on chat, visit the official chat page for the November authors at Pump Up Your Book Live!

THE PUB ACROSS THE POND, by Mary Carter, Kensington, 336 pp., $10.95.

“Sometimes leaving home is the only way to find where you belong….”

Carlene Rivers is many things. Dutiful, reliable, kind. Lucky? Not so much. At thirty, she’s living a stifling existence in Cleveland, Ohio. Then one day, Carlene buys a raffle ticket. The prize: a pub on the west coast of Ireland. Carlene is stunned when she wins. Everyone else is stunned when she actually goes.

As soon as she arrives in Ballybeog, Carlene is smitten, not just by the town’s beguiling mix of ancient and modern but by the welcome she receives. In this small town near Galway Bay, strife is no stranger, strangers are family, and no one is ever too busy for a cup of tea or a pint. And though her new job presents challenges–from a meddling neighbor to the pub’s colorful regulars–there are compensations galore. Like the freedom to sing, joke, and tell stories and, in doing so, find her own voice. And in her flirtation with Ronan McBride, the pub’s charming, reckless former owner, she just may find the freedom to follow where impulse leads and trust her heart–and her luck–for the very first time.

BOOK EXCERPT:

Prologue
Declan
The Greatest Love Story Ever told in Ballybeog

It was the greatest love story ever told in Ballybeog when everyone was drunk, but nobody wanted to go home, and all other great love stories had been told.

Name’s Declan, but I’ll answer to most anything as long as yer thirsty and polite, and in that order. Ah, say nothin’ until you hear more. I’ve been a publican at Uncle Jimmy’s going on twenty years now. Most days it’s good ole craic, but sometimes when you’re a publican, you’ve gotta be a bags. I wasn’t sure Carlene Rivers, the Yankee Doodle Dandee who won the pub, had that in her. She had sweet written all over her, and I hate to say it, but girls like that always seem to attract the wrong kind of lads. I’ve seen many a sweet lass get the guy of their dreams, only to watch them turn into their worst nightmares. Over time their men belly up to the bar more than they do the bedroom. Because the Irishmen who “do”, usually don’t hang around here. And Ronan McBride was no exception.

Nobody thought the lad would ever settle down. There are three kinds of Irish men. Those who do, those who don’t, and those who say they might but probably won’t. Ronan McBride was the latter. He was thirty-three years of age but still hadn’t worked out his boyish ways. I don’t know why nature makes those marriage-phobic-men so alluring to the women, a course, no one would disagree that he was the best looking man in the family, and I’m not just saying that because he was the only man in the family. His father James McBride (or Uncle Jimmy as he was known around here), had passed, God rest his soul, leaving Ronan, his mother, and six sisters to run the McBride family pub. In heavenly retrospect, I bet James wishes he would’ve just left the pub to the girls; it would have been an insult to his only and eldest son all right, but as I said, sometimes when you’re a publican, you’ve gotta be a bags.

As the song goes, Ronan was a rambler and a gambler, although he was never a long way from home. I can’t tell you what it was that made the birds go absolutely mental over him, except he was over six feet and had all his hair. Let’s just say he had his pick of chickens in our little town, not to mention a hen or two who would’ve liked to sink their beaks into him.

But it was Carlene who got folks to whispering that maybe, just maybe, our terminal bachelor might mend his wayward ways. There was something in the air whenever those two were in the same room. A bit of a spark you might say, especially when they were arguing. Yep, things certainly hummed when they lit into each other, and for anyone watching it was great craic. Although we worried about Sally Collins, of course, she’d been absolutely lovesick over that boy her entire life. Still, it did me good to see that beautiful Yankee bird come into town and shake up his world, and my money was on her from the beginning.

But despite cheering the lass on, I understood Ronan’s terror. For some, there’s nothing more frightening than love, except maybe running out of ale. I was like him meself, one of the Irishman who don’t. And let me tell you, many are the nights when I’ve regretted it. Cold, long, rainy nights when I’m lying in bed and I close my eyes and some skirt that I chased when I was a younger lad comes skipping into my dream, all pretty, and bouncy, and smelling nice, only to start giving me shit for letting her go. Worse than the terrors, those dreams. I’ve known Ronan since he was a squaller, and I didn’t want him to make the same mistakes I did. I used to say, ‘What’s for you, won’t pass you’, but I know it’s a lie. I let them pass me. I always thought there’d be more time.

I’m in me seventies now, and it’s probably too late for me. I’m a scrawny looking thing with black wire glasses and I’ve a tuft of silver bird nest sitting on me head, but I’ve been told I still have a right nice smile, (even if they’re not all me original teeth), and believe it when I tell ye I got me share of tiddly-winks back in the day. I’m not much over 5’5 which I read in some touristy-type book is average for an Irishman. The average Irishman, according to this book, is 5’5, drinks four cups of tea a day, has 1.85 kids, and spends three euros a day on alcohol. I don’t know where the writer of these so-called facts was getting his information, but it sure t’wasn’t here, cuz some of our lads spend five euros an hour on the black stuff. That’s a pint of Guinness for you blow-ins.

To make a long story short, I’m just your average Joe Soap. I make up for it in other departments if you know what I mean. Ah, but this story isn’t about me or my regrets, so I hope you can put away all lurid thoughts of my national endowments. If you want to take that matter up on a one-to-one basis, and it goes without saying that you have to be a good-looking bird, then you can Facebook me. I didn’t join the fecking thing until the pub went up for raffle in America, but now that I’m on it, I reckon I might as well make the most of it. On that note, if anyone has an extra goat to give away, I’m on that farming game and I can’t seem to get a fecking goat no matter what I do, so send me one, so, if you please.
To make a long story short, we were a nice, quiet town until that fecking raffle went viral. That means a lot of people on the internet saw it. The tickets were sold in Irish festivals all over America, and they went for twenty-dollars apiece. Everyone and their mother wanted to win a pub in Ireland. And if Carlene’s mother looks anything like her daughter, I would’ve gone for a mother-daughter combo, but the Young Yank came on her own. And in the wink of an eye, our quiet little town weren’t so quiet n’more.

Situated on the West Coast of Ireland, we’re nestled on the edge of Galway Bay. We might be small, but we’re mighty. Close enough to Galway City we only need to follow the scent of heather and lager along the coast to lay our fingers on her thriving pulse, but tucked far enough away that until that fecking raffle, we didn’t get too many blow-ins.

We’ll call our little village, Ballybeog, or in Irish, Baile Béag, which means “Little Center”. I picked it because it sounds pleasant and Irish-y and because nobody in their right minds wants me to use its real name. Not out of shame, mind you, but for fear of being over-run by Americans like what happened in Dingle when the dolphin showed up. Nothing can ruin a sweet little village faster than a gaggle of Americans tracking down their “Irish roots” with their iPhones and dodgy laminated diagrams of supposed family trees.

Regardless, everyone will be treated as if they’re welcome at the McBride family pub. This is the place to be. Drink away your troubles, catch up with the locals, watch a horse race, listen to traditional Irish music, play a game of pool, or darts, or cards, and see how much better life treats ye after a nice pint. Or two. Or twelve. Nobody keeps count except the Americans. Right now the place is jammers. We’re waiting on a bride. So let me tend to my other customers now, but doncha worry. I’ll check back to see how you’re doing, or freshen your pint. And if you get half a mind to be neighborly, don’t forget to send me a fecking goat.

– Excerpt from The Pub Across the Pond by Mary Carter.  Visit the author’s website at www.marycarterbooks.com.

John Banks was born in Asheville, NC.  His storytelling is very much in the Southern tradition, with a special affinity for humorists such as Mark Twain and the Old Southwest school of writers.  Though entirely imaginary, much of the material in Glorify Each Day must have come from his many years as a teacher in the public schools and community colleges of his native state and from the three years he spent as an a community college administrator.

Visit his website at www.819publishing.com or his Facebook Fan Page here.

Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, John.  Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?

In the broadest sense, it’s a novel about man’s capacity for violence – his tendency to lash out and hurt those people he loves the most and the effects his violence has on his own development as a person and on the people around him.  Specifically, I had an image in my head of two young boys, best friends, who get into one of those fights that young boys are always getting into that are usually over with quickly and are just as quickly forgotten.  But what if one of those typical quarrels took a really violent turn, perhaps accidentally or perhaps not so accidentally?  How would that affect the young perpetrator throughout his life?  What type of person would he have to be in order to do  such a thing?  I thought those were very interesting questions.  But at the same time, I was also writing some humorous pieces that had nothing really to do with violence or man’s inhumanity to man, so I ended up creating this main character who incorporated everything I was writing about so that he was actually rather funny and charming but also had this very dark side to him.  On the whole, I think it worked out very well.

What is the first thing you did to promote your book?

To get it reviewed by as many people as possible.  It’s gotten good reviews, so I’m hopeful that that will translate into sales.

After that, what happened?

Well, I haven’t really been too active in promoting my book.  I’m not a very good salesman, unfortunately.  Literary-minded fiction can be a tough sell, especially for first-time authors, and unless I want to spend thousands of dollars on a publicist, which I don’t, it would require a lot of hard work on my part to push my book, and frankly, I would rather spend my time and energy being a writer and working on my next project rather than spend all the time that would be necessary to publicize this book to a great extent.

What else have you done to promote your book?

I enjoyed setting up a website for the book and doing these blog posts are a lot of fun.  As long as it’s something that I enjoy that doesn’t force me to neglect my next project, then I’m game for it.  The “Look Inside This Book” feature at Amazon is really neat.  It gives you a chance to read the first chapter of Glorify, and the people who have read the book have all said that the first chapter was really gripping and worked to draw them further into the book.

What’s your opinion on blogging?  Do you see that it is helping sell your book or is it not making much difference in terms of sales?

Well, that remains to be seen, doesn’t it?  I certainly see a great potential for blogging in terms of sales.  Anything that allows you to put your ideas before the public has to be a good thing, although I also see the beginnings of overkill, where you have so many outlets now for information there tends to be a dilution of everything.

I understand using the social networks to promote your books is also an effective marketing tool.  Do you find it is or isn’t?

Oh yeah, Facebook has been a great tool for me to get the word out.  Without a doubt.

If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?

Since my book has just been published, Facebook has been great at letting everyone I’m friends with learn more about the book.  Hopefully, as time moves on, the blogs and Amazon reviews will help expand my readership.

What are your experiences with offline promotions such as booksignings?

I haven’t done any book signings.  I think they might be more effective for me if the book can generate some online publicity.  The book is only being sold online, so that’s what my focus is on.

Thank you for this interview, John!  We wish you much success!