Shameless

Shameless self-promotion, that’s what this blog is all about.

 I think I’ve asked for reader reviews and support before, but I’ve never come out and said, “please, sir, may I have some more?” (from the musical Oliver Twist, a childhood favorite) but I’m asking now.

I’m asking those of you who write me and tell me how much you like my 5 Spot books to spread the word about ODD MOM OUT (or Flirting or Frog Prince if one of those was your favorite reads) and the best way to spread the word is good old fashioned word of mouth.  Tell your friends ODD MOM is out now and available and if your store, or your friend’s local bookstore, doesn’t have the book in, ask the store to order it in.  If it’s in and sold out, ask the store to reorder.  If ODD MOM OUT is there but not Flirting or Frog Prince, ask them to order the other books to join ODD MOM OUT on the shelf.  Readers are telling me that if they like one book, they like all three.

So why am I asking for favors?  Because the publishers give us a very short time to make a splash, and they watch those reprintings very closely.  If a book’s in demand, it sells fast and the store knows, and the sales reps know, and the regional managers know and it gets the reputation of being a hot seller.  If it sits on the shelves without a lot of momentum, it gets a reputation of…well, being…slow.  And well, slow lovemaking maybe extremely sexy, but slow sales aren’t.

I hear from readers that they found my book on a bookstore front table where the sign says “New Fiction”, and that’s great.  A lot of readers shop the new fiction tables at the front of the store, but you don’t just land on that table by accident.  Publishers pay to have you there, and even if you’re on the front table in Barnes & Noble or Borders, its only going to be for a week or two.   And two weeks on a table isn’t enough to give a book ‘legs’, and only you, the reader can give a book legs.  Authors may write books, publishers may print and distribute them, but only readers make a book a strong seller.   

I’m asking because I’ve found many of my favorite authors through reader recommendations. I would never have become a Christine Feehan, JR Ward, or Loretta Chase fan if readers hadn’t emailed me and said, “Jane, you’ve got to read this author!”   I do get the book, and I thrilled to discover someone I wouldn’t have found otherwise and it’s a win-win.  The author gets a new fan, and I discover a new great author and let’s face it, most of us women are so busy we won’t have time to find the great steals and deals for ourselves, we need help. 

And since I’m asking, I’m just going to shoot for the moon and say what all of us authors would love to beg our readers to do:

1) if you love a book….please consider writing a review at Amazon or B&N.com.  If you love my book, definitely please consider writing at review at Amazon or B&N.com.  🙂

2) if you love a book ask your local library to order copies so other folks can read the book, even if they can’t afford to buy a copy for themselves.

3)  if you love a book, let your local bookseller know.   Lots of booksellers don’t have time to read everything and all it takes is one or two customers saying, “this is a great book, you’ve got to read XYZ” and the bookseller finds another gem to enjoy personally, as well as recommend to his or her customers.

4) and lastly, if you love a book, let the author know.  I guarantee it will make his or her day.

And now I’m done asking for favors and shifting gears.  I’ve got to get a Q&A for a Dallas tv station finished tonight so the show producers have it in the morning.  I’ve spoken to a Visalia Times-Delta reporter this afternoon.  I spent two hours on the phone discussing the Flirting with Forty script that’s being developed for Lifetime. 

Life is good, its very good, and two days from now it just gets better with ODD MOM OUT’s official release party and  a week from tomorrow I fly to California launching a 6 week book tour.  It’s going to be a demanding, interesting, and exciting 6 weeks.  I hope you’ll be coming along for the ride. 

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