Promoting, There's a Reason You Pay People to do This...

Hello, world. It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. So, my YA urban fantasy, CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED is available at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com; I threw my official book launch party...now what? Now comes the promoting. The part where we self-published authors have to dig in and find creative ways to promote our work since we don't have a big publishing house (who have armies of people to do this type of work) at our disposal. *sigh* On the bright side, I have to say I've already met a lot of interesting people by networking via Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter, so I don't regret a moment I've spent thus far on promoting my book.

Me signing my #1 fan's (Dai'Quan Jackson)
manuscript that I gave him two years ago 

I want to know if anyone out there is using Authonomy.com. I stumbled upon this website when I was researching publishing houses. HarperCollins created a website where undiscovered talent has a chance to display their writing and a chance for an editor to read their work. Don't get too excited. I joined the site last week and holy cupcakes it is a lot of work!! You would have to spend an exuberant amount of time reading other peoples' work, politicking to get backings (it takes 200 backings to get to the Editor's desk), increase your ratings (both you and your book get ratings, which consists of people giving your writing 1 to 6 stars and you commenting on others' writings to increase your ratings), etc. Aren't you exhausted just from reading that! I know I do not have time to go that route, but wondered if anyone has heard any success stories about Authonomy.com...

Goodreads is the best and where I spend majority of my time with Facebook coming in a tight second.   I am on my second giveaway with Goodreads. My first, 1059 people signed up for the book and currently there are 569 people with my book on their shelves (for non-Goodreader patrons that means there are 569 people who are aware of my book and want to read it). I am pleased with this pace. I also started a group on Goodreads called Codename Fairy Godmother Fans. Once I get enough people who have the book we will go through the book chapter by chapter and the members will get a chance to ask me (the author) questions about the writing, things they may not understand, and just general discussion about the world I created. I'm pretty excited about that as I would love to ask Stephen King some questions about his wacky imagination! Hopefully, the group will be interesting enough where people will keep inviting their friends and more people will find out about the book and more people will add it to their shelves.

Whew! Promoting...there is a reason you pay people to do this!!

So please check out my giveaway at Codename Fairy Godmother: Reassigned giveaway. And join my fan club at Codename Fairy Godmother: Reassigned Fan Club.

CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED Official Book Launch Party, Halloween 2012

Hello, World. It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED official book launch party was this past Halloween. After the weeks of planning and advertising, the event came and went. I want to thank everyone who came to the event and helped me celebrate the launch of my debut novel. I want to especially thank the Mayor of Jacksonville for attending! That was quite an honor. Here are a few pictures of the event. For more, visit www.tanjlisamarie.com. 

CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED Offical Commercial

Hello, world. It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. Check out the official commercial for my YA urban fantasy, CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED. Visit YouTube and make comments!! Thanks to my graphics ninja at www.kennbaker.com.

 

 

 

 

I'm on Amazon.com!

Hello World,

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie!! YA urban fantasy, Codename Fairy Godmother: Reassigned is on Amazon! Both in paperback and for Kindle. I know the official release date isn't until Halloween but it is there and ready for reading! 

I have to say, seeing my book out for the public to buy is a lot like giving birth to a child. But instead of nine months of nurturing, my book took two years! (Isn't that how long a mother elephant has to carry her child. Poor elephants!) But the hard work really begins...promoting. 

So, I ordered two books specifically to send to Barnes & Nobles to try and get their stores to offer my book to their customers. I checked on BN.com and they require two actual books (no manuscripts), marketing and promotion plan, trade reviews, and a note describing what makes the book unique. As soon as the books arrive I will comply with these instructions and send them off!

Next on my list is to send my book to reviewers to help get the word out. I think I take constructive criticism like a champ, but this is different. People will not be critiquing my school work or job performance; this book is a labor of love that my imagination and I conceived together. I am enthusiastic to hear what people think of the crazy world I created, but in the same breath, will someone call my baby ugly to my face! Oh snap! lol.

Everyone, check out my little spot on Amazon! Dreams do come true with hard work and even harder efforts!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tanjlisa

More on My PR Efforts

Hello, World:

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. Update on my PR efforts for my YA urban fantasy novel, CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED. I received my bookmarks in the mail and they turned out GREAT!! Every time I handed one to someone, their reaction was the same...they simply love the bookcover picture as much as I do! (Thanks again Kenn Baker). So, I've been handing those out downtown Chicago in the bookstores and just walking around. I will step up my efforts next week and go to the college campuses.

I sent CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED book launch party flier invitations to the libraries around the central Arkansas area. I also sent flier invitations to the English departments to twelve schools in the same vicinity. I wrote a short note explaining how teachers are under-appreciated and they should come out to celebrate the written word and literacy. I used PRweb and created a press release. You can check it out on Yahoo News. Last, I sent my press release to the 20 media email addresses that I already sent a book launching party invite to. I haven't received any email traffic from any of these efforts, but I will not let that discourage me! If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to leave comments. Us self-published authors have to stick together!

I created an author profile on Goodreads.com. I have two ladies who seem really interested in the book and agreed to send them a preview copy next week. I also signed up for a give-away contest. I will give away five copies of my book to people in the US, Australia, UK, and/or Canada. The contest is open from Wednesday, October 10th through Wednesday, October 24th.

Next week, I will decide how many reviewer copies I plan to send the media and start to compile that list.

Wearing the PR Hat

Hello World.

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. So, update on the CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED book launch: My schedule is flowing smoothly so far. We have the venue for the party, we have several confirmed guests attending, decorations are taken care of, ordering party favors this weekend, and sent out invites to the press. That is where I need help, the PR department.

I've been reading blogs and articles on how to successfully launch your book. I don't think I've done enough to get the word out so I will have to step it up a notch. This weekend I will gather addresses for all libraries, bookstores, and publicized book clubs in the central Arkansas area and mail them an invitation to my book launching party. I will solicit the help of my Facebook and Twitter eFriends (as I like to call them) for getting the word out about my book launch date. I will also have to concentrate some of my efforts in the Chicagoland area. I will send out press kits to the newspapers and media outlets here also. I will litter the college campus areas with fliers. And I will hand out items in front of the bookstores downtown. I can start this campaign next week since I will have finished my book edits and sent it to the printing house for final approval.

I have to remember to keep a positive attitude and not let any doubt enter my mind. This will be a successful book launch. Especially if my eFriends help me spread the word (that's you!).

No one said realizing your dream would be easy or cheap. I am so close. I cannot give up now! Starting next week, I will have to PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE the heck out of my book!

Wearing the Marketing Hat

Hello World:

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. In the world of self-publishing, a writer has to be more than the writer. The writer is also the promoter, public relations rep, admin, legal department, researcher, and finally the marketing department. (You guys can chime in with other titles that I missed.)

This weekend I had on my writer and marketing hats. While going through my CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED proof correcting mistakes, I also had to figure out ways to get the word out about my book. I was a Twitter-tornado! *Shout out to all my Twitter followers!* It's a full time job alone just Tweeting, reading Tweets, re-Tweeting, etc. I was exhausted! Next, was Facebook. *Shout out to all of my Facebook like-ers!* I put out an ad on Facebook and while some may not like the Pay Per Click method, I like the stats the Facebook Aps page shows. Over 50k people has seen my add so far and I've had it up since 9/8/2012. That's 50k potential buyers!

Last, I just placed an order for 250 bookmarks. This is a great promotional tool. I ride the subway to and from work Monday through Friday. So I've started asking young adults (YA) to look at my book, read the synopsis, and tell me if they would be interested in buying the book. So far, all positive responses! The flaming fairy godmother on the front just really draws their attention. Right now, I'm handing them my business card telling them the book releases on Halloween. But when I get the bookmarks, I think my marketing ploy will go even better. Plus, I can hand the bookmarks out without jamming a 584-page book in peoples' hands. The front of the bookmark is like the front cover of CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED. The back has the release date, and all of my social contact info: Tanjlisa Marie, website, etc. You can't really get a clear view but here's what they will look like. Tell me what you think . . .

As always, I hope this info has been useful!

Book Proof/Party Update

Hello World:

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. I received my proof this week for CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED and I have to report . . . no other feeling compared to opening the package and seeing my book. It was beautiful! See for yourself . . .

I've already went through the book once to look at formatting issues. I found a lot of mistakes and corrected them already. Now, my editor and I are going through the book one more time (hopefully) for grammar and whatnot. My deadline is next Friday. I have to make corrections and resubmit to the website so they can approve my newest draft. Hopefully, the website will not find any mistakes and approve my manuscript before October 1st. That is when I will have to order 100 copies for my book launching party in time for a no-later-than October 30th delivery date. WHEW!

As for the book launching party itself. Here is an update on my To Do list.

• Budget - so far so good. Have not overspent; still in range.
• Venue - We reserved the Chopsticks International Events Center in Jacksonville, Arkansas for a reasonable price. The place is perfect because it is already stylishly decorated so that means I can move money from the decorating budget to something else.
• Guest List/Invitations - So far I have 17 confirmed guest from my Facebook efforts. I'm really trying to install in my friends a sense of urgency because I have to have my guest count by Monday so my promoters can offer the remaining seats to the general public.
• Decorations - we only have to decorate the tables.
• Press Kits - I emailed over 60 Arkansas media personnel. Hopefully, I will get a response from some. I only have 25 slots reserved for media/blogger types so it will be first come, first serve.
• I put out two Craigslist ads looking for Arkansas bloggers, no hits yet.
• Program/Events at the Party - My promoter and I had a meeting Friday. The program looks exciting and filling. I don't want to give anything away, but rest assure there will be plenty of photos and video footage to share later on.
• Party Favors - So far we are giving away pens, magnets, and book markers.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Hello, World:

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie.

One month to write the story.
Two years of going through revision after revision.
One more step away from finishing the process in order to order my proof . . . priceless!

I cannot believe I am so close to seeing my manuscript, CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED, as an actual, professional book. Wow! All I have to say, is no matter what stage you are at in your project--keep going. You will thank yourself once you reach your goal.

I have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic people in realizing my dream!

I hope the world will enjoy the fruits of my hard labor.

Check out my YA urban fantasy novel's debut, HALLOWEEN 2012.

What do you get when you splice TOMB RAIDER's Laura Croft with Tinker Bell?
Meet Agent Thunder, a kick-butt Huntress with the Fairy Godmother Organization (FGO).
Find out what happens when the FGO’s #1 bounty hunter encounters Earth’s most infamous villain and gets REASSIGNED for her own protection . . .

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CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGED

Check out my website for more info: www.TanjlisaMarie.com

Halloween Book Release Party 2012

Hello World,

It's me, Tanjlisa Marie. As my release date deadline for CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER: REASSIGNED approaches, I'm finishing several projects simultaneously: editing, formatting, and planning the book release party. 

Blogs really are helpful since I had to consult a couple to find out about throwing a release party.  So I've broken down the task into several categories: budget, venue, guest list/invitations, decorations, press kits, program/events at party, and party favors.

Budget - I've set money aside to buy 100 books for the party. I plan on using the price of the book as the entry fee for the party so the guest will each have a book and I didn't necessarily have to give it away for free. I also have money (but am also looking for donators) for decorations, door prizes, refreshments, etc.

Venue - My promoter has already approached a bookstore in Little Rock to see if we can have the event there.  The book owner gave her approval, but there were stipulations so we will have to work through those before committing.

Guest List/Invitations - I already created an event in Facebook to invite all my friends. As soon as I secure the venue, I will send out Save the Date cards. I am researching bloggers and journalists in the area to send out invitations to them.

Decorations - I kind of cheated since my party will be on Halloween.  Decorations will be a simple task. There will also be a costume contest, encouraging people to dress up as fantasy-based characters.

Press Kits - As stated earlier, I am researching bloggers and journalists in the area to decide who to invite. I will send them a press kit once I narrow the choices down.

Program/Events at the Party - We are stepping things up a notch in this category. From my research, it appeared not much happened at regular book launching parties. Well, not for Tanjlisa Marie. We will have door prizes, a costume contest, live music, and a few surprises I don't want to give away.

Party Favors - Money left over will determine what I will give the guests as party favors.

If you are in the Little Rock, Arkansas area during Halloween, email infotanjlisamarie.com for an invite. Also, check out my website www.TanjlisaMarie.com.

New Bookcover

Hello world,

I am excited!  Kennbaker.com just finished my bookcover and I love it!  I also finished my website tanjisamarie.com.

 

 

Busy, busy, busy.

I'm working on the book formatting for Createspace.com.  They have a template so that makes it a little easier.  Wow!  No one said realizing your dream was easy but the thought of seeing my book in print keeps me going!

Project Update

Hello world,

I took somewhat of a hiatus for the summer but I am back!  I found an editor via Craig's List to take on my project and she went through my manuscript once.  I made the corrections and sent it back to her for the second edit.  I'm pretty excited about the progress.

I am redoing my book cover.  After conferring with several people and researching YA book covers, I don't feel the one I currently have fits with the genre.  I worked with Kenn Baker (http://www.kennbaker.com/illustration.html) and I am satisfied with my new picture.  I loved working with him.  He was professional, accommodating, and talented.  I will share it with you all soon. 

My targeted launch date is October 31, 2012.  I will meet with my promoter next week to ascertain if this is a realistic date. 

More to come.

Synopsis

I've blogged about everything except what my book is about.  Duh.  So here it is...

Codename Fairy Godmother: Reassigned

Agent Thunder, a 17-year-old kick-butt Huntress for the Fairy Godmother Organization (FGO) is forced to become a Wish Granter after encountering a Terminator-leprechaun, the arch nemesis to fairy godmothers she never knew existed. While in the fairy godmother protection program, the leprechaun tracks her down and reveals they're soul mates.  Although skeptical of his revelation, Agent Thunder is still under the impression he's not as menacing as she's been led to believe. As they spend more time together and feelings evolve she soon discovers the life-altering truth.  Not only about the villainy leprechaun, but about conspiracies surrounding the FGO, and everything she's ever held as gospel.  Will she choose happily-ever-after and cause the annihilation of the entire fairy godmother race?  Or will Agent Thunder conjure enough strength to destroy the one person who taught her how to love and rescue her fairy-napped sisters?

Contest

Hello Everyone.

Eventually, I will need book reviewers to critque Codename Fairy Godmother:  Reassigned.  So I am holding a contest.  The first 50 subscribers to my blog (I already have one) will receive a free review copy of the book.  All you have to do is be one of the first 50 subscribers and you win!!  Also, "Like" my page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TanjlisaMarie

Good luck!!

In Search for a Copy Editor

Hello Everyone,

The next phase of my journey is to find a copy editor.  This looks to be one of the most expensive ventures in the process.  Searching and researching various websites have me concluding I will pay somewhere between $2000 and $2400 for a copy editor's services.  I am not prepared to pay that much.  I have friends, friends of friends, and God Almighty looking into finding me a charitable person willing to take my project pro bono with the promise to add their name to my Acknowledgement Page and a free copy of the book (hardcopy and digital).  In other words, I'm hoping for a miracle.

Of course I have a Plan B.  I signed up for kickstarter.com which is a website where people ask for donations for their various projects.  Also, I will construct a fund-raising letter to mail to people I know and businesses around my area.  Throughout this arduous process, I will try to maintain a positive attitude to attract what I need and not give up hope.  Wish me luck!!

Book Cover Completed

Hello Everyone,

Well, I received my finished product and I am pleased with the outcome.  Kevin over at All Ivy Writing Services did an amazing job with my order.  They were fast, accommodating, and thorough.  Go check them out @ www.aiwriting.com.  As a super-conscientious consumer, when I find a company that exceeds my expectations, they become like family. 

Without further ado, I present the future eBookcover for my YA novel, CODENAME FAIRY GODMOTHER:  REASSIGNED.  Chime in and let me know what you think about it!!

Adventures in Artist's Land, Part II

Hello everyone.

Exciting news today.  I received my modified artwork and was not disappointed.  To be able to witness my protagonist transform from a thought into an image is quite gratifying.  I emailed the artist for two more minor modifications.  Hopefully Agent Thunder will be ready to make her Internet debut soon!!

Adventures in Artist's Land

Manuscript written - check.
Self-edit - check.
Finding an artist for the book cover:

I didn't think finding an artist for my cover art would be my first real obstacle.  It sounded simple enough and was anything but.  First, I asked friends and family if they knew of any artists.  My brother introduced me to three but they never got back to me after providing them with a description on what I wanted.  I looked on Craig's List and found two, emailed them, but they didn't get back in contact with me either.  A friend supplied me with an artist's phone number.  He at least did a sketch as we spoke over the phone, even emailed me the sketch.  But this artist didn't get back in contact with me after I emailed him the modifications on the mock up.   

Wondering if residents in the artist's world were allergic to money, I finally remembered this company that I researched for the copy editing portion of my project.  I revisited their website and found they also offered book cover service.  Spoke with the company's rep, we negotiated price and project details, payment was made, and I received three sketches in one week's time.  Talk about ecstatic!  That was Thursday.  So I sent the company rep my modifications and now I am waiting to see (hopefully) the finished product.

Intro

Hello,
My name is Tanjlisa Marie and I am an unpublished author.  While still in the beginning phases I thought it would be nice to share my adventure to help future unpublished authors. 

My young adult manuscript, Codename Fairy Godmother: Reassigned, was written in 2010.  While only taking 1 month to write, the other 23 were used for editing, editing, and yes, more editing.  My last editing session took the longest after deciding to change the viewpoint from first person to third. 

I researched the traditional methods of publishing:  entice an agent so he/she can entice a publisher in hopes that it will get published and become a best seller.  But after a friend sent me an article about eBooks, I've decided to go that route instead. 

This blog is sort of a public journal if you will.  I know in any field, advice or step-by-step instructions are useful.  Hopefully my documented journey will help future unpublished authors with their individual endeavors.