Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Wednesday Promo - Jess Michaels

Today we have a blog from a fellow chapter member of the Hearts Through History online RWA chapter. She has wonderful stories and is a great person.

What An Author Wants
Jenna Petersen

Hi everyone and thanks to Paty for having me here today on her blog! Today is the day after release day for me. Yes, yesterday my 13th published book hits stores. TABOO is an erotic historical romance published under my Jess Michaels name by Avon’s Red line. AND just three weeks ago another of my books was published, HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT under my Jenna Petersen name by Avon.

I’ve never had two books out in the same month. Back to back before, but never right at the same time. It’s very exciting, but it definitely gives me extra things to worry about. You see, authors tend to freak out about releases. It doesn’t seem to matter how calm and steady a person you are, the week your book comes out, you lose your mind.

But there are a few things that readers can do (that are free) to help their favorite authors:

1. Buy the book. Okay this one is not free, but if you love an author, you’re probably doing it anyway. And I know times are tough, but the more often you can buy an author new, the better it is for them (any books bought used don’t get reported to our publishers so they don’t see them as sales). So maybe rotate what you buy used each month or buy just one extra book new. Every little bit helps!

2. Pick it up early. The first couple weeks of a book’s sales are often the most closely watched so even if you aren’t going to read a book instantly, if you can pick it up close to its release date, it can make a big difference to contract renewals and positioning to your favorite author.

3. Talk about the book. Lots of people buy books purely through word of mouth from friends and fellow readers. So if you read a book you love, talk about it. If you post on message boards regularly, bring it up. Or post it on your blog. Sometimes we’ll even stumble upon these things online and there is nothing better than finding someone chatting about your book.

4. Write a review. Even if you don’t like the book, that’s okay! Pop up a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble and it plays into the “buzz” factor.

5. Friend the author on MySpace/Facebook/wherever. And visit their website! Not only is this a great way to find out new info about your favorite author, but it’s a fun way to connect.

6. Email the author. As a reader you may not know how much a kind email can make an author’s day. This is a lonely profession, filled with disappointment as well as wonderful surprises. Every time I get a reader email, it makes my day a bit brighter and I know I’m not alone in that.

And most of all… keep being a reader! We love you and you keep our genre alive!

12 comments:

Becky said...

I enjoyed reading your post. This gave me some more ideas on how to let an author know how much I enjoyed their book. I have emailed a couple authors about their book and they were happy to hear from me about their book. I have created a blog, but haven't really added anything to it, now I know what I can post. I normally buy all of my books new, but I will have to try and remember to buy closer to the release date.

Helen Hardt said...

Hi Jenna/Jess -- how fun to see you here at Paty's! I'm a huge fan of your work, and your Passionate Pen website has been invaluable to me. Congratulations on the release of Taboo -- I can't wait to read it!

Helen

JennaPetersen said...

Good morning everyone! I'm happy to be here today! And I'll be answering questions and comments so if you have something pressing you've just always wanted to know... LOL

JennaP

Carol Burge said...

Excellent tips, Jenna - thanks for sharing! Best of luck with your double releases, too!

~Carol

Jeanmarie Hamilton said...

Hi Jess/Jenna!
I've enjoyed your books so much. Glad to see another one out so soon. I'll be looking for it. Thanks for the tips and suggestions!

Jeanmarie

Emma Lai said...

Love your books! It's great to know you just released some new ones. Now I'm going to have to go buy them!

JennaPetersen said...

Thanks everyone! You know a great way to keep up with my releases is my newsletter (which was another thing I should have mentioned). It goes out once a month and is so pretty (we just changed systems this year). If you'd like to join, you can email me at jenna@jennapetersen.com . I'm actually sending out my May newsletter next week, so it's the perfect time to climb aboard! :)

Lora Darling said...

Hi Jenna!
Great post and congratulations on your two new releases. I look forward to reading them!!
cheers!
Lora

Susan Macatee said...

Hi, Jenna! Congrats on your new releases! And great advice. I try to buy as many new books as I can afford and supplement my reading hobby with used books others give me. But for my author friends, I always try to buy as soon as their new books release. I have two release dates of my own coming up in July and August, so I guess I'll be going bonkers in a few months myself. LOL.

JennaPetersen said...

Thanks for coming by today everyone! I'm off for a bike ride and then dinner with my husband, but I'll check back in before I go to bed. :)

Nicole McCaffrey said...

Great interview Paty and Jenna!

Congratulations on the new releases!

Jennie Marsland said...

Amen, Jess. I've been a reader forever, but I never thought about how much feedback means to an author until I became one. My first book is coming out next month. I've become a lot more conscious of supporting authors whose work I enjoy. We all need encouragement and support.