Radio Interview on Self-Publishing and Dynam with KCNI / KBBN

  This week, I was lucky enough to participate in a radio interview on self-publishing and Dynam with KCNI / KBBN  radio by Julie Toline. It was a great time, and as I mentioned on my Facebook page, I learned that the interviews that don't require make-up can sometimes be the most fun!

We chatted a little bit about my journey through the self-publishing world and about Dynam. It's always hard when someone asks you details about a mystery / suspense novel. I don't want to give away the surprise!

Have a listen here!

Dynam Interview with Samantha Peterson KCCI

SandhillsExpress.com also published an article about Dynam, which can be found right here.

Exciting week!

Love,

Samantha

How to Host a Book Launch Party to Sell Out

For many authors, a book launch is an exciting shove of your "baby" out into the world. It's a celebration of completion, an "I did it!" to share. For others, it's a cause for gut-twisting, fingernail-picking nervousness. For me, it was both! If you're planning a book launch, here's how to host a book launch party that might sell out -- just like mine did!

1. Choose a Venue.This seems pretty obvious, but it can be a tricky decision. You need to decide if you should host the event in a bookstore or somewhere else. In making this decision, consider your most important guests, your VIPs. In my case, the guests whose attendance I value most are my family and friends. While they would attend an event in a bookstore (because they are awesomely supportive), they would enjoy it much more in a relaxed atmosphere, like a bar or coffee house. For this reason, I selected a bar we all frequent for an official "launch," and a local coffee shop in my hometown in order to cater to those hometown folks who could not make it to Denver.
2. Invite Your VIPs.Of all the people you would like to show up, who is the most important? Who are your VIPs? This is going to be different for every author. It might be family and friends. It might be media. It could be fellow authors. Whoever these people are, consider the most appropriate way to invite them. Paper snail mail invitations? Email? For me, my family and friends use Facebook, so it was a no-brainer to set up a Facebook invite. I also called a lot of family and friends on the phone.

   Another important win for me was asking friends and family to help at the launch. I had a friend who took pictures. Another friend manned the Square Card reader for book sales. Another one helped answer questions when I was busy signing.

3. Show Off Your Cover Art.Creating an over-sized image of my book cover was the smartest thing I did for my book party. It helps people unfamiliar with your venue to know they are in the right place, is a great addition to photo opportunities, and helps passers-by gain familiarity with your book. Plus, you spent time and / or money creating this gorgeous art. You deserve to show the world your stuff!

   To make mine, I purchased a foam tri-fold display board, which was about $20. I also visited Staples Copy & Print and ordered a two-foot by three-foot poster of my book cover, which was also about $20. I adhered the poster to the BACK of the display board using double-sided tape, which was $2.  Once adhered, the "arms" of the tri-fold can flip out to hold the cover upright, eliminating the need for an easel. One less thing to carry the night of!

   The quality of the poster I received was sensational. I still cannot believe how amazing it looks, even up close. As you can see, it was well worth the $42.

   

4. Do What Feels Right to YOU!I cannot emphasize this point enough. If you're hosting a book launch party at a super-fancy wine bar, and you're neither a fan of wine nor super-fancy, you will spend the entire evening feeling uncomfortable. If you hate public speaking, don't feel compelled to do an excerpt reading. If you love food and can't imagine a party without it, order what you like. If you don't care and don't have the money, don't!

   This is, after all, a celebration of you! You did it! Enjoy the party! And enjoy it as YOU, in your natural, authentic, completely unique way.

5. Promote, Promote, Promote.Promote your book launch party with whatever budget you have, even if that budget is $0.  I used Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I also submitted the event to local event organization websites, like Denver.org, Westword, and DenverPost.com. These are all free, just make sure you give them enough time to get it up and on the site after submitting!
6. Encourage Sharing.Some of the people who attend will want to share their fun-time vibes through social media. Help them! I created a sign with my social media sharing hashtag -- #DynamBook -- for free! I also included a QR code linking to the book on Kindle, in case attendees wanted the e-version as well.

   I already had an 8.5" x 11" document frame, so this was a cinch! And it's another thing on your table to generate interest. Millennials like me love to have a reason to share via social media. The hashtag generated as much interest at the party as the book cover!

   

7. Say "Thank You!"Talking to every person who is kind enough to attend your launch and extending a heartfelt "thanks" is extremely important. These people had plenty of options for entertainment. They chose your party! That means a lot, and they deserve some appreciation.

I was lucky enough to sell over 50 copies! I should have ordered far more, but since most of my friends already ordered copies in advice I assumed that would be enough. Good luck to fellow authors in their book launch parties. Hopefully this helps!

Love,

Samantha

30% Off Any Book With Code BOOKDEAL - Amazon Black Friday Book Promo

Hey Everyone, I'm so excited! Amazon.com has a promotion for Black Friday on books! Since they almost never do this, and since coupon codes are a recent addition to Amazon, it's pretty cool!

The deal is for 30% off any book with code BOOKDEAL.

________________________________________________

Terms & Conditions

▪ To use this promotion, you must enter "BOOKDEAL" at checkout under the "Gift cards & promotional codes" section to receive 30% off any one book.

▪ This offer is only valid on print books. Excludes Kindle eBooks and Audible Audiobooks.

▪ The promotion is valid for a limited time only, from November 27, 2013 at 9pm PST to December 1, 2013 at 11:59pm PST. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time.

▪ Offer only applies to products sold and shipped by Amazon.com.

▪ Limit one promotional code per customer and account.

▪ The maximum benefit you may receive from this offer is $10.

▪ Offer good while supplies last.

▪ Offer is non-transferable and may not be resold.

▪ The offer discount will be allocated to the highest priced book in your order.

▪ If any of the products or content related to this promotion are returned, the value of the offer will be subtracted from your return credit.

▪ This promotion may not be combined with other offers, including promotional certificates.

▪ Items must be purchased in a single order and shipped at the same speed to a single address.

▪ If you violate any of the Terms & Conditions, the promotion will be invalid.

▪ Void where prohibited.

▪ Shipping charges may apply to discounted and free promotional items.

▪ Offer does not apply to Amazon Gift Cards.

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Don't forget to share with your friends! Even if they don't like this genre of book, they might like to get something else!

Samantha

Quotable Quotes - Favorite Love Quotes and Empowering Quotes

I've always had a thing for quotes.

There's something magical about a few sentences that are so well written and/or so emotionally poignant that they slap you in the face.

They are forever posted on my wall, as a background on my phone, and on my Pinterest boards. I'm back in good ol' Arnold, Nebraska this week for Thanksgiving, and I have discovered that this fascination must have started sometime in my childhood. There are framed quotes around my room, empowering quotes written in journals, and even a feeble attempt at decoupaging a quote to a book end.

More specifically, I've always had a thing for love quotes and empowering quotes.

Some favorites among the millions...

Love Quotes

• "I asked her if she believed in love, and she smiled and said it was her most elaborate method of self-harm." - Benedict Smith
• "The smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth, the feeling of her skin seemed to have got inside him, or into the air all around him. She had become a physical necessity."  - George Orwell
• "According to Greek mythology humans were originally created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves." - Plato

Empowering Quotes

• "When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, 'Plot twist!' and move on." - Anon
• "If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sun beams and you will always look lovely." Roald Dahl
• "And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." - Sylvia Plath
• "The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before." - Albert Einstein
• "You're off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way." - Dr. Seuss

And my current favorite, which is the background of my phone:

"You can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will." - Stephen King

That got me to thinking, "I wonder if anything from my novel would ever be considered quote-worthy..."

So I had to create a pin for myself. :)

Happy quoting.

-Samantha

Dynam Denver Book Launch Party at Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew!

It's all ready to go! Dynam is officially for sale! I've spent the last year:

• Writing
• Re-writing
• Editing
• Realizing it wasn't good enough, and editing again
• Hiring an amazing copy-editor, Susan from Adirondack Editing to clean up my messes
• Fixing all of my mistakes
• Discovering that formatting a book is WAY more challenging than one could ever guess!
• Accepting the help of amazing friends for cover art, website help, and design suggestions
• Drowning in marketing options

And it's finally ready!

The official Denver book launch party will take place in Denver, Colorado on December 13th at Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew. I am lucky enough to be friends to a few of the people who own and work at this fantastic Denver landmark. They brew some tasty beer, and the atmosphere is perfect for the Dynam launch party. They are also mentioned in the book. Can you guess what page?

The party is "Buy a Book, Get a Free Beer!" so make sure to bring your confirmation code from Amazon.com and you'll get a free one, on me! Click the banner below for more details.

Friday the 13th could be good or bad! What's your vote? Are you superstitious?

To begin, Dynam will be available on Amazon as a paperback, and on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo as an ebook version. Are there other versions you would like me to add?

Love,

Samantha

Goodreads Giveaway for Dynam!

Hey All! I'm running a Goodreads giveaway for my novel starting TODAY!

For those of you that have toyed with the idea of running a giveaway, but haven't quite figured out if you want to do it, I highly recommend it. This is my second giveaway for my novel. The first one had over a thousand entrants! As giveaways are completely free (except for the cost of mailing the book to the winner) you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Plus, it's a way to connect with new readers!

Many excellent articles exist online about Goodreads giveaways and how to gain the maximum benefit from these marketing tools. My favorite is an article by Emlyn Chand on Novel Publicity & CO's website. She discusses how the strategy laid out on Goodreads website is not necessarily the best idea. She's done research to support her own ideas, which I followed to much success in my giveaway.

443 people have Dynam on their to-read list! I hope you will add it to your list as well!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dynam

by Samantha Peterson

Giveaway ends November 27, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Thanks for entering, and please share with your friends if you know other people that enjoy freebies!

-Samantha

Marketing a Novel! - I've Written Something. What now?

So you've written your novel. Someone edited it. It looks all perfect and shiny on your screen. What now?

It's time to learn about marketing a novel! If you've ever considered how to do this, you might have been completely overwhelmed by all of the opportunity for great exposure! As someone with a background in marketing, I enjoy reviewing and analyzing all of the various choices in an attempt to figure out what type of ROI you may get from each one. You would think that someone with a creative brain wouldn't be interested in the nitty-gritty of numbers-based decisions. But I'm a weirdo.

And of course, the best marketing is FREE marketing!

I set up my author profile on Goodreads last week. Why is it that when you start marketing something, it feels more "real" than it did before the marketing? Here is my new Author Profile on Goodreads! And here is Dynam's Book Listing! Yowza! Look at that! I'm a real girl (not to be confused with Lars and the Real Girl).

I absolutely adore Goodreads, though I am curious to see what happens to the site with the recent acquisition by Amazon. As an author, it is extremely easy to set up your author profile and learn to use the site for marketing purposes.

I also got Dynam's Facebook page set up this week!  Success!

I'm so excited to get the word out there! I can hardly wait to put my marketing budget to good use.

What things have you learned about marketing a novel?

Love,

Samantha