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!

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.