One of the things I think most new authors are unprepared for is the amount of work that goes into publishing even AFTER the book is available to readers. Getting it on shelves is, in so many ways, only half the battle! Once it's there, you have to let people know that it's there...and in a lot of instances, telling them so isn't enough!

You have to put a little work into effectively marketing your books. It can be absolutely exhausting! But it's also absolutely important. Here are my six marketing tips to (hopefully) make your life a little easier. 

1. Build a Mailing List - If you don't have one, you NEED one. This will allow you to keep in touch with your readers without having to pay to reach them like you often have to do on social media sites like your Facebook Fan Page. Giving readers an incentive to sign up for your list, like a free book or exclusive content can be a great help. Equally as important...you have to utilize your list! Don't just let it sit there, collecting dust. And don't be shy about sending them stuff. They signed up for a reason. If they decide it's not for them, they can always unsubscribe. I, personally, use Mailchimp, because I like the way it's set up and I can integrate it with Instafreebie. There are other options out there, but I'm not as familiar with them. Ask around and find out what your author friends are using.

2. Use Instafreebie - When running a give away to gain subscribers, to say thanks to your subscribers, or simply to find new readers, Instafreebie is a great option. It allows you to give away a title for free, and has a lot of great options to help you along the way. You can set a password so the giveaway is contained to only those you provide the password to, you can make it public, you can integrate your mailing list so readers sign up in order to grab the freebie.... Lots of options that allow you to give away books while retaining control!

3. Learn to love Facebook Ads - I'm begrudgingly adding this one to the list for a number of reasons. First, Facebook Ads, when done right, can be incredibly powerful tools. Second, if you want your stuff to be seen on Facebook, even by those who Like your page, you're going to have to bite the bullet and deal with Facebook Ads. Third, they can be a great way to find new readers. All of that said...I have a love/hate relationship with FB Ads. They can be a total pain in the ass, with FB approving and disapproving ads with no rhyme or reason. I've had an ad for a New Adult book with NO sex denied because it was "sexual". I had to appeal, and FB was like, "Our bad!". I've had an ad approved, had it start running, and then midway through, FB disapproved it. Again, I had to appeal, only for them to be like, "Our bad!".  This is particularly infuriating if you're running an ad for a time-sensitive sale or giveaway. BUT... FB ads really can be worth the hassle. Play with them. Learn to use them. Learn to love them. You need them, as much as it pains me to say that.

4. Sign up for CoPromote and Triberr - To help others find your content, consider signing up for a service like CoPromote or Triberr, both of which allow others to easily find and share your content. In exchange, you find and share relevant content from others. I used Triberr for a long time, but don't have as much time for it now. Instead, I use CoPromote. I've had a lot of success getting my content seen, have grown my followers, and I've found a lot of great content myself.

5. Schedule a Bookbub Campaign - Bookbub is expensive...let's just put that out there now. You also have to meet certain criteria in order for them to feature your book. But if they do, the return on investment is absolutely worth it! Curiosity Quills has run Bookbub campaigns for FADE several times with really great results. With their help, FADE sold over 4k copies in a matter of days. It also increased sales for FALL, the second book in the series. I cannot say enough how worth the expense Bookbub can be!

6. Gather Book Reviews - Gaining reviews for a title is an incredibly important element of book marketing. Build a list of reviewers you can contact when a new title comes out, or when you're running a Review Tour. Ask your readers to post their reviews to Goodreads and Amazon, even if those reviews are short and sweet. This is important, not only because other readers want to know what people think of the book, but because you have to have a certain number in order to use services like Bookbub, or for Amazon to add your books to the emails they send out. That said, you have to take the good with the bad. You will get negative reviews, and they won't always be nice about why they hated every single thing about your book. You have to learn to roll with the punches and let it go. Seriously. Let. It. Go. Don't email someone who hated your book and try to change their mind or tell them why they're wrong. You're going to cause bigger problems doing that than the review caused in the first place! Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, even when we don't necessarily like them or agree.

What is your go-to marketing tip? What has worked for you in the past? I'd love to know!

It's Week 2 of the #LifeBooksWriting Blog Challenge, where authors from all walks of life and genres share posts about either their lives, books, or writing. You can follow along with the challenge with the #LifeBooksWriting hashtag on social media, or follow the prompt guidelines below to participate!

Now that All Over You is out, I've had a little more time to read recently. I have been happily using every minute to catch up on all the books on TBR list. I have so many great books just waiting for my attention! Being able to spend the time diving into them is always a treat. Here's my latest three.

RAINING DOWN RULES by B.K. Rivers

Jemma Bowers hasn’t kissed anyone in over a thousand days. She knows—she’s counted.

For twenty-year-old Jemma, rules are not meant to be broken…even if she’s the one who created them. Friendships have boundaries, relationships mean trouble, and don’t even get her started on sex. Haunted by the death of her mother and her father’s abandonment, Jemma finds herself hungry for something meaningful and permanent, but is afraid of what may happen if she pursues it.

Jordan Capshaw can’t fight his addiction. Not even if it will cost him his career…

When Jemma finds Jordan drunk and barefoot in the street, she convinces him to get in her car. Aside from the fact he’s the lead singer of her favorite band and pretty much the rock star of her dreams, she quickly realizes his addiction is a monster neither of them can control.

Who knew choosing between a rock star and a fireman could be so difficult?

Emotions run high as Jemma soon finds herself caught between the troubled rock star and her growing affections for Vic Harper, a swoon-worthy firefighter from her past. But when her grandmother passes away, leaving her with no other family, Jemma’s world falls apart.

To save herself from further heartbreak, she risks it all by breaking her own rules, and putting her heart on the line.

After all, the heart just might be the biggest rule breaker of them all…

You can read my review of Raining Down Rules   at:   http://www.aydenmorgen.com/blog/review-raining-down-rules-by-bk-rivers-romance

TARGET ON OUR BACKS by J. M Darhower

The best way to keep your word is never to give it.

Not long ago, in a chapel in Vegas, I swore to love Karissa for the rest of my days. But nobody's promised an infinite number of tomorrows. Nobody's promised forever. Sometimes, all we have left is today.

Carpe Diem
Seize the day.

It should've been over, we should've been happy, but people are making it hard for me to live in peace. I've got so much blood on my hands they'll never be clean, and somebody out there seems to want me to pay for it. Happily Ever After always comes at a cost, one any real man would be willing to pay. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to roll over and accept these consequences.

Because when it comes to the woman I love? The life I've fought for?

Nobody is safe.

You can read my review of Targets on our Backs at: http://www.aydenmorgen.com/blog/review-target-on-our-backs-by-jmdarhower-romance-suspense-mafia
 

What are you reading right now?

Next up for me are:

• Cursed Be the Wicked by J.R. Richardson
  
• Coming Down by Carrie Elks
  
• Beautiful Broken Girl by Rachael Tonks
  
• Starcrossed by Suzanne Carroll
  

He Always Gets What He Wants…And He Wants Her…

He’ll do whatever it takes to get her…Becca Mancini doesn't have time for distractions, especially the walking, talking, swaggering, sexy-as-sin kind that disappear without a trace and leave scars on your heart and revenge on your lips. So when Jackson Hart strong-arms his way back into her life, determined to rekindle the flames, there's only one thing she knows for sure. Sparks. Will. Fly.

Check out  Jennifer Bonds’s newest Risky Business novel, SEDUCING THE FIREMAN.

About SEDUCING THE FIREMAN
 

​He’ll break her three-date rule or go down in flames trying…

Firefighter Jackson Hart is back in Brooklyn and on the hunt for the girl who’s kept him burning for ten long years. The girl he left, in a total prick move, without saying goodbye. Now he’s determined to make it right, to hell with her three-date rule. 

But Becca’s not ready to forgive and forget. In fact, she seems determined to stoke his fire every chance she gets. She wants to avoid sexy distractions like him? Fine. Because what she doesn’t know—yet—is that Jax isn’t the kind of man to give up when he wants something. And he always gets what he wants.
 
On Sale in Digital: May 2, 2016
Amazon  |  iBooks  | Kobo | B&N | Goodreads
​

My Review

ARC Provided in Exchange for Honest Review

I'm always the first to say that I don't read many novels featuring firefighters. After working with them for so long, it's hard to switch off that little voice and get into a story. But when this one hit my inbox, I had to give it a shot.

I wasn't disappointed.

I loved Jackson and Becca as characters. They were well rounded with their own faults and foibles. Becca can be a little bitchy, and Jackson a little too accommodating. That's not necessarily a bad thing. To me, those traits humanized both characters. At times they both spent a little too much time in their heads, but I didn't mind that so much. As a couple, the two are hot, hot, hot. Ms. Bonds is great at writing steamy sex scenes. She's also great at humor, which I loved!

I also really appreciate how much work Ms. Bonds put into the details. A lot of authors who write about firefighters do the bare minimum and call it a day. That wasn't the case here. Ms. Bonds offered a not-always-rosy look at what it's like to be a First Responder. It's long, exhausting hours of grueling work. You lose people. You get hurt. It eats at you. I cannot say enough how much I appreciate the details and how those details helped define and shape the relationship between Becca and Jackson.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with Seducing the Fireman. I'll definitely be recommending this one. 4/5 Stars.

 Add SEDUCING THE FIREMAN to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

**10% Of First Month’s Sales Go to the FDNY Foundation**

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!
Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire!
3 Runner-Ups: A FDNY 2016 Calendar & 1 digital backlist title from Jennifer Bonds

Author Bio:

Jennifer Bonds writes sizzling contemporary romance with sassy heroines, sexy heroes, and a whole lot of mischief. When she's not writing or wrangling toddlers, she can be found curled up with a good book and a bottle of wine. Jennifer lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where her overactive imagination and weakness for reality TV keep life interesting. She's lucky enough to live with her own real life hero, two adorable children, and a pair of rambunctious dogs. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, the Winchester brothers, and all things zombie. Sings off-key.

Connect with Jennifer:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Summary

The best way to keep your word is never to give it.

Not long ago, in a chapel in Vegas, I swore to love Karissa for the rest of my days. But nobody's promised an infinite number of tomorrows. Nobody's promised forever. Sometimes, all we have left is today.

Carpe Diem
Seize the day.

It should've been over, we should've been happy, but people are making it hard for me to live in peace. I've got so much blood on my hands they'll never be clean, and somebody out there seems to want me to pay for it. Happily Ever After always comes at a cost, one any real man would be willing to pay. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to roll over and accept these consequences.

Because when it comes to the woman I love? The life I've fought for?

Nobody is safe.

Order Target on our Backs on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01AXNKOHW

Add Target on our Backs to your TBR list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28670916-target-on-our-backs

My Review

Spoiler Alert! Curse Word Alert!

By now, I think we all know how fucking much I love Ignazio Vitale. He's all kinds of messed up. He's far from innocent. He can be a real bastard. He is exactly the kind of guy I always cheer for. What can I say? I love a bad guy gone good almost as much as I love a good guy gone bad.

When J.M. wrote Torture to Her Soul, I was holding out hope for a third book. And then she delivered, and I realized that it was time to say goodbye to Naz. What? No! I wasn't ready, which is why this review has taken so freaking long to write. Like Boys II Men said, it's so hard to say goodbye. 

In all seriousness though, Target on our Backs was everything I've come to expect from Ms. Darhower and more. It's fast paced, and full of drama and intrigue. The sex scenes were on point. Karissa kept me laughing like usual. Plus there is death, mayhem, and fucking explosions. You guys know how much I love it when shit blows up! And let's not forget that scene where Naz goes rogue on the entire fucking mafia.

Not even kidding.

I'm in love with this man. Seriously. I don't know what else to say except that this book killed me in the best ways. I cried at work reading it, because J.M. always makes me freaking cry at work. I ignored all kinds of real-life responsibilities to read, and I regret nothing. Except maybe that we really do have to say goodbye to Naz now.

How fucking depressing. 

If you haven't read this series, do it. Sooner rather than later.

5/5 Stars. 

Today is the start of the #LifeBooksWriting Blog Challenge, where authors from all walks of life and genres share posts about either their lives, books, or writing. You can follow along with the challenge with the #LifeBooksWriting hashtag on social media, or follow the prompt guidelines below to participate!

I have a confession to make.

When my husband and I moved into our house a little over three years ago, we had all of these plans to turn our den (pictured to the left prior to moving in) into an office/library where I could write and he could work from home when needed.

Our den is a massive room with a lot of open space. We were going to repaint, put down big rugs, add comfy furniture, install bookshelves and french doors to keep the minions out, and make it extra cozy so I could write in comfort.

He fell ill not long after we moved in, and the plan got put on hold. When I fractured my hip not long after he recovered, the plan got put on hold again. Fast-forward to now and the plan for the room still hasn't come to fruition.

So it's still this giant, mostly unused room. We have a couch in there and a big-screen television...and that's it. Seriously. There's nothing else in there (except for the shy cat who hides in there when company comes over). We've been so busy with our careers since we both bounced back, we just haven't found the time to finish the room.

Instead, I find myself writing at work a lot. Since I'm there 12 hours a night on nights we're scheduled, I find that I have to do a little writing at work or I'd never get it finished! But a 911 Center is never quiet. Phones are ringing. Deputies are talking on the radio. People are trickling in and out. We're chatting with each other or listening to the news/television. There are a lot of distractions! That makes it hard to concentrate and get a lot done, especially on nights when absolute chaos descends on us in the form of major accidents, shootings, bad weather, etc. I can't put an emergency on hold to finish a scene!

​​As a result, I will often spend my days off curled up in the living room, playing catch up on all the writing and editing I didn't get to finish. We have this crazy comfy couch so all the minions can snuggle up with me. I can also catch up on all the shows waiting on my DVR, or hubby can hang out and play video games while I work. Our living room is the center of the Morgen household. We're in there so much, the dogs actually have their own sofa. But there are plenty of distractions to be found there, too! With three dogs, two cats, and a husband...you can just imagine. :) 

So my goal for this year is to actually renovate the den into a room where I can work without quite so many distractions.

My dream space will have a ton of shelves for books, storage for all of my writing things (like swag, my author banners, etc), a comfy chaise, lots of lighting, and ample floor space for me to pile up pillows to write. I like to be comfortable and have room to spread out to write, so being able to curl up on a sofa or on a pile of pillows in the floor is mandatory! As are doors to keep hubby's cat out, as she likes to tear up paper.

Something like the room below (from Home DecoMastery) is my goal, only with thick rugs over our porcelain tile instead of hardwood floors. :)

Now I just have to decide what to do with the other half of the den...