Here at RT Booklovers Convention, Kansas City, MO

So, here I am in Kansas City, MO, with Christina Courtenay and Liz Harris, at least one of whom has just gone back to sleep. I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to post pix to FB. Flights were long but good. Security at Newark so hot that they searched my cardigan and my hair! Hotel is v obviously geared up for a huge event, with RT Booklovers material even printed on our key cards. A day to chill today before the convention begins tomorrow. International Visitors reception at 5pm.

 

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Marketing tips for authors from Janey Fraser

As I’m so pushed for time owing to my imminent departure to Kansas City for the RT Booklovers Convention, Janey Fraser has kindly offered to share the benefit of her considerable knowledge of self-promotion for authors to save me from blogging today. Here are her tips:

 

• Forge links with a competition sponsor. I do quite a lot with Champneys. They currently kindly giving away a one night break for two people on my web site. www.janeyfraser.co.uk
• Readers have to answer a question about my new novel Happy Families which has just been published by Arrow (by Janey Fraser £6.99).
• Pitch a tie-in article to local papers and magazines, offering a free book to the first five readers who email you with their comments. You might get more response from a local publication than a national one.
• Pay a local stationers or printers to get an ink stamp made up with your book’s title and your name and publisher and price. You can then stamp it on the back of every envelope you send. I paid about £15 for mine. The tip, by the way, came from an RNA talk.
• Get cards made with your book cover on one side and a blank space on the other. Send as post adds. They will be seen by at least two people The recipient and the postman!
• Spend ten minutes every day adding new followers to your Twitter list. The chances are that they will follow you. Then post at least three times a week. You don’t need to mention your book every time.But you might find people check out your website.
• Search for businesses with websites that might be willing to promote you. When my novel The Au Pair came out, an au pair agency kindly put my book on its website free of charge. 

My thanks to Jane!

I (heart) Chipping Lit Fest

The lovely Jaffe & Neale Bookshop Cafe

I had a fantastic time at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival (known affectionately as Chipping Lit Fest) at the weekend.

I led a workshop on ‘Writing Hot Scenes’ in a room above the Jaffe & Neale Bookshop & Cafe where I was treated to chocolate brownie and rooibos tea on arrival and cioccolata torte and rooibos tea on departure. With two slices of cioccolata torte to take home … (Are you beginning to see why I had a good time?) My thanks to Polly Jaffe for being so generous and hospitable.

The workshop went well, with lots of hilarity as well as work from the lovely participants. Thanks to you all for attending. In fact, you made it go so well that I’m now running a similar workshop at the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s conference July 12-14.

Then I was fetched by a nice lady named Susie to take part in a video interview on the balcony of the pub next door. Cue buying me a drink as we passed the bar and sitting me down to lunch with the film crew.

I’d been put up at a lovely hotel, enjoyed a gorgeous dinner on the evening before, and met Richard Dawkins in the Green Room. The sun had been shining all weekend and I was sorry that I had to leave.

But Formula 1 was on the TV.

On Monday I’m flying out to Kansas City on Monday to the massive and influential RT Booklovers Convention, the thirtieth year of this annual event that welcomes readers and writers of romantic fiction from all over the world. I’ll be appearing on three panels, signing at the Giant Book Fair, giving a radio interview, meeting readers and attending a mind-boggling array of parties and events. One of them is a ball.

Here’s my tiara.

I also have a red cowboy hat with sequins for ‘Rosie Gulch’s Gals’ party and blue/black feathers for my hair for a paranormal party, where I’ll be going as the Witch of Middledip.

Fantastic value script-writing workshop

Erewash Writing Group has arranged an all-day Playwriting Workshop to be held In Long Eaton on April 13th. It will be led by award-winning playwright, Keith Large.

Price £10.00, plus lunch £4.00, if required. Advance booking essential.

Full details from secretary Janet Devereux, tel. no. 0115 8498519.