PromoBeats Spotlight Questions
1) Please tell us what name(s) you write under, the name of your book(s),
the genre of your book(s), and the formats in which it's available:
LORI: Right now I am writing under my own name, Lori Zecca,
but I have a few projects going at the moment that may change that fact. My first
and only published novel is LOVE ENOUGH FOR ALL, a contemporary romance, exploring the lives of two single parents with lots
of issues, and lots of kids between them, as they struggle to balance friendship, mutual dependence, and . . . mounting desire. Available in trade paperback.
2 What do you do to promote your book(s?
LORI: My marketing efforts are quite diverse. Anything and everything to get my name and my book out there. I
do some book signings, individually as well as group signings (I’m a member of RWA and the Missouri chapter MORWA). I am a lecturer and essayist, and have been featured on many author panels, using
both as a venue for selling my books. I have book marks that features my book
cover, blurb, website address, and other ordering venues are listed on the back using identifiable logo's that I cut and pasted
from the Internet (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc), which I pass out with every
opportunity. My husband travels frequently and takes bookmarks with him wherever
he goes (many a flight attendant have ordered books!). My website is a very intricate
part of my marketing strategy. I've learned all about metatags and how to use
them to gain exposure on the Internet. Running contests periodically, using countless
writing/author venues to advertise, is an easy and powerful promotional tool and helps to develop a mailing list in the process. I have joined several online groups and exchange links with other authors. I attend conferences and workshops, local and national when I can, and enter industry recognized contests
for published authors (I was just named 2nd place winner for The Lories Best New Author, RWA chapter contest). I also network with other authors via internet mostly and donate items for drawings, contests, etc. to
conferences and workshops that I cannot attend. I am a contributor to several
anthologies and gain exposure through the anthology promotions as well. I also belong to a national bookmark exchange group
and we place each others bookmarks in book stores, retail shops, etc.
3) What method or methods of promotion have you used that works well?
(Please rank them from the most to least effective, with #1 as the best)
LORI:
#1 Would have to be the Internet and learning to utilize metatags.
#2 Bookmarks and other inexpensive promotional items (postcards, magnets, etc)
#3 Contests. There are so many free sources on the
Internet to promote your contest and people just love the chance to win an autographed book!
I usually have them answer a question related to the first chapter posted on my website and ask them if I can contact
them in the future with updates on my work.
4) What method or methods of promotion have you used that have not worked
well? (Please rank them from the most to least effective, with #1 as the
worst)
LORI:
#1 The least effective means for promotion, in my opinion, is submitting bookmarks to conferences
and workshops. I still do, anyway—it’s cheap and you just never know—but
my feeling is that the recipient is usually bombarded and may never take the time to actually read about each book.
#2 Print media advertising. I haven’t done too
much of this because of the cost involved, but when the end justifies the means, I may consider it again.
5) Where did you learn how to promote your books? Is there a special place
or places where you find good promotion information?
LORI: Networking with author, or
any type of writing lists (on-line) or by joining similar types of organizations are perhaps the best resources available
for new and inventive promotional ideas. There are Websites as well that cater
to author promotion. One of the better sites I’ve found is Earthly
Charms (www.earthlycharms.com).
6) Do you like to promote? Or do you find it frustrating? (Please state
why.)
LORI: This is an excellent question,
actually, because generally writers do not like to promote/market their own books. For
most of us, writing is all we’re interested in. However, there is a difference
between this type of writer and the career-minded writer. The writers who are
seeking careers realize that marketing is a part of the package, that even if you are fortunate enough to have a big publishing
house behind you with a decent advertising budget, you are still going to want to push your own book in order to generate
top sale status.
Having gotten off track . . . the answer is yes, I do happen to market my own books with the exception of book signings. Then again, my background is sales and marketing so perhaps this just comes naturally for me.
7) Have you been interviewed as an author? By which
mediums? (TV, radio,
print)
LORI: I have been interviewed in print as well as Internet
media. I have a press kit in which I have prepared questions and answers if the
need should ever arise, but so far my interviewers have had their own angles. I’ve
been asked to do a guest spot on a local St. Louis radio show, but I haven’t quite made up my mind about that one yet.
8) Do you have any good promotion tips for your fellow
authors that you would like to
share?
LORI: Talk to people and let them know about your accomplishments.
People just love to meet a real-live-published-author! And always carry
bookmarks and offer to autograph them.
9) Please add anything else here you'd like to say.
LORI: I began writing almost out of the blue three short years ago.
Being an avid reader with an overactive imagination, I always wanted to change what I read, so I tried to write down
my ideas. They were good stories, but that’s all—the actual art of
creating a novel was far beyond my comprehension. That’s when I got on-line
and began networking and learning all I could about technique and our industry on a whole.
Authors are amazing people for so many reasons, but when it comes to contributing to the success of others, you’ve
never met a more happy or satisfied writer. One year later I had my first contract
and was being asked to contribute to several well known anthologies. Three years
later I am writing full-time, mostly non-fiction in the form of freelance writing for national trade magazines, but fiction
still keeps me up to all hours of the night! I also give back what was given
to me—I speak to new writers and provide insight and I judge more contests than my family would like. <g>
10) Please add a short bio, your personal website url,
and your publisher(s) url for
your book's page(s).
LORI: When
I’m not writing, On-line or have my nose in a book, I love to indulge my family, friends, and yellow Lab—my passion
for fine art, gardening, and wine—and I’m a devoted hockey-mom, too!
To read the first chapter of my book and learn more about my work, visit my Website: www.lorizecca.com . To purchase my book direct from the publisher: www.publishamerica.com.
