My First Happy Ending

I hope you'll forgive the blatant promotion about to commence in this blog post. (Yes, I know it's my blog, but still…) My first book, SOMETHING ABOUT HER, releases on Friday the 10th and since this blog is dedicated to the pursuit of writers chasing the dream of publication, I thought I should share this part of the journey and the excitement, as well. 

Reviewing the Promo Side of Things

Since I did my promo plan in a month at the end of 2008, I thought I'd just go over quickly how things progressed and what I've done since then.  

On print ads, I chose to spend the money to place a New Author Spotlight ad in RT BOOKReviews magazine, which also got me a good review — so I consider that money well spent.  I also placed an ad in the RWR Magazine, but due to a glitch, that won't be coming out until the August issue.  Things happen sometimes and even though I wasn't very happy about learning about the glitch, I knew that I had secured enough other ad spots that I felt well-covered. 

So I suppose something to learn from that is an old cliche: Don't put your eggs in one basket.   Let's say that I'd chosen to spend all my money on the ad placement in one magazine in April.  If that ad wasn't going to show until August (and things DO happen, you can't control that), it would have been too late and I would have lost my marketing budget in the most important month: release month. However, I also have ads at online places, guest blog spots secured and a wonderful spot as Author of the Month on The Girls On Books for April.  I am prepared. 

I finished my bookmarks. I finished the book trailer (finally).  Here it is in case you'd like to see it:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGOYdgKqH8Q

I've also added a new contest to my site that directly connects to the era of my book: 

The Regency Collection

• The Jane Austen Collection from BBC Video, including Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility

• A beautiful Regency Brummel Victorian Ascot Tie Cravat by Gentleman Jabot in brilliant red dupioni silk AND a beautiful rose cravat pin. 

• A beautiful bracelet styled by 2Dy4 (Art by a Drama Queen) with text from a vintage romance novel from the 1940s that says "She loved him down to her pink toes and back up again."

• Novels from a few of my favorite regency era writers and other goodies!

(And if any of this appeals to you, be sure to enter!) So far, it's done a good job of drawing people to my site and there is an option that allows them to subscribe to my newsletter, so I can capture those names. I'll be sending my newsletter out on Friday, the day the book comes out.

The Excitement

All the "work" stuff aside, every day that gets closer, I get more anxious.  Happy anxious, excited, nervous, amazed… you name the adjective, and I've probably felt it. 🙂 Like with any of us, this truly is a dream come true. I've thought about it since I was a little girl, so it's my "first happy ending" in more ways that one — it's the first romance book I've published, but it's also the beginning of my happy ending for that little six year old girl who declared to her parents that she WOULD be a writer.

I hope you will celebrate with me on April 10th — I'll be hanging out at MamaWriters talking about how parents can give their children the best gift of all, and being interviewed by Betty at The Girls On Books . 

————–

www.jeannieruesch.com