Blog Archives
Happy International Women’s Day! Plus a library talk…
Happy International Women’s Day! 
😀
😘
Who are your favourite female fictional characters?
I love writing about brave, authentic women who become empowered throughtheir challenges to live their best life possible… and after 17 books (15 fiction), it’s hard to choose a favourite, but if I had to I’d say April from April’s Glow…
I love that she speaks her mind without fear, even if it gets her into trouble, and that despite being an amputee she doesn’t let her disability define her, but simply does the best she can within her limitations. I also love that even after promising to stand by her fiance when he develops quadriplegia, and he shuts her out of his life to spare her the difficulty, she moves on with grace and hope towards a new future, starting a fresh life running her own business in Tarrin’s Bay. And then after all she’s been through, and dealing with an alcoholic father, she falls for a recovering alcoholic. She worries he will be just like her dad… but still she gives him a chance, and learns about the healing power of unconditional love and acceptance.
April was an amazing character to write, and when I think of my own challenges I am reminded of those who are dealing with so much more, and I am grateful.
Let’s celebrate the power of amazing female characters in fiction who have the power to remind us of our own strength, as well as giving us an entertaining story.
Books are important. Women are important. And you are too. 
👍
😊
👊
✌️
Thanks to Escape Publishing for publishing APRIL’S GLOW and many other books with strong female characters. READ THE BOOK…
>>> And to celebrate International Women’s Day, I’m giving a library talk this weekend about my writing journey over the past several years!
If you’d like to come and don’t live too far away, it’s at Shellharbour City Library, on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, on Sat March 10 at 1pm.
See flyer below for details and how to book your free seat. You can also register quickly and easily online here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/author-talk-juliet-madison-tickets-43152568494
Release Day! HAUNTED EVER AFTER is here
Today is the official release day for HAUNTED EVER AFTER, my new full length romantic comedy novel with a touch of magic. And over the next two weeks I’m running a special competition to win a beautiful silver bracelet from Mantraband of the winner’s choice (Open Worldwide, free shipping). See below.
HAUNTED EVER AFTER
Mixing romance, humour and a sparkle of magic, Juliet Madison is back with a new full-length novel about a bride-to-be, a mystery and the stripper next door.
When bride-to-be Sally Marsh attends a weekend away with her bridesmaids, the last thing she expects is an uninvited guest: the ghost of her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.
Red is quirky, loud and distracting, and Sally is soon desperate to find the reason behind her presence, so she can rid herself of her embarrassing shadow before the wedding day. Unfortunately, the ghost is reluctant to share the reason for her existence, but very enthusiastic about Ty, the surprise hen’s night stripper who keeps showing up at awkward moments.
Time is running out for Sally, but it’s also running out for Red. By the time all is revealed, Sally will be tested to the limits, and go above and beyond everything she’s ever believed in order to ensure not only her own happy-ever-after – but Red’s as well.
>> BUY NOW from Escape Publishing or via the links below:
Amazon.com / Amazon AU / Amazon UK / iBooks / Kobo / B&N / Google Play / Booktopia / Ebooks.com / JB HiFi / AllRomanceEbooks / Big W Ebooks /
If you enjoyed FAST FORWARD, be sure to check out Haunted Ever After which has lots of funny moments as well as emotional and heartwarming moments. This one also has a touch of mystery, and what romcom novel of mine wouldn’t be complete without a wacky underwear scene? There’s one in here too. Two, in fact. 😉
And to celebrate the release, I’m joining forces with two fellow authors from Escape Publishing who also write Magic Realism Romance; Sarah Belle and Jacquie Underdown, in a fun Facebook party with lots of giveaways! It starts tonight (Sep 1st) and will run for 24 hours (the party – not us, we will hopefully get some sleep at some point). Join the event HERE!
GIVEAWAY!
WIN a beautiful silver inspirational bracelet from Mantraband with your choice of affirmation engraved on it, plus an ebook of your choice written by me (6 to choose from). Open WORLDWIDE and free shipping for the bracelet. The bracelet prize will be delivered as an email gift voucher which you can use to order the bracelet of your choice free of charge. Winner drawn 15th September.
To enter click the following rafflecopter link:
Good luck! And i hope you enjoy HAUNTED EVER AFTER! 🙂
Books, bling, and buddies – my weekend in Sydney
After dealing with a flooded garage at home due to heavy rain here on the south coast of NSW, I’m finally taking off the gumboots (or galoshes, or rain boots…whatever you like to call them!) to do a quick post about my weekend visit to Sydney! 😉
On Friday I visited the place where all the bookish magic happens – the Harlequin Australia headquarters in North Sydney. They have really nice, red light-shades hanging from the ceiling there. Just sayin’. 😉 Of course, I wasn’t there to inspect their decor (though, as I studied interior decorating in a past life I do tend to notice these things!). I was there to meet with my publishers and discuss present and future books. How exciting! My first visit to a publishing house. 🙂
Escape Publishing is the digital arm of Harlequin Australia and have published my first five books (which you can see here). It was great to meet some of the staff I hadn’t yet met, and chat about marketing and promotional strategies, book titles and plots, the often back-and-forth process of designing the perfect cover, and also some new and exciting things happening later this year which I’ll reveal when I’m allowed! I’m grateful to be with such an innovative and supportive publisher.
On Saturday I attended the Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA) awards dinner. Two years ago I attended the awards dinner as an aspiring author; a little starstruck around these wonderful established authors who were winning awards, and this year I was there as not only an a published author but a finalist in the Favourite New Author category! Though I didn’t win (congrats to Anna Cowan!), I was thrilled to be nominated and I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me. 🙂 You can see the full list of award winners in the different categories HERE. Congrats to everyone! I love seeing fellow writers achieve milestones like this. And thanks to ARRA for putting on a great night and coordinating these awards. if you’re not yet a member, what are you waiting for? It’s not expensive and there are great perks. All the info on joining is HERE.
-
- ARRA awards dinner
-
- Kendall Talbot with moi
-
- Shannon Curtis getting the handcuffs ready for the waiter
-
- moi with Allison Butler
-
- The bling-off (a bit hard to see!)
So it was a weekend of books, bling, and buddies. Books to write and publish, bling at the awards dinner (including a bling-off contest for the person with the best bling), and catching up with writing buddies and meeting new ones. I would add ‘yummy food’ to the mix but it doesn’t start with B. But there was yummy food involved too. 😉
2014 is shaping up to be a great year… so far I’ve had two back-to-back releases to kickstart my new Tarrin’s Bay series of coastal romance/women’s fiction novels; THE JANUARY WISH and FEBRUARY OR FOREVER. I’ve completed a new romagic comedy manuscript (HAUNTED EVER AFTER) and handed it in to my publisher, and was thrilled to have seen my first book FAST FORWARD make the Top 100 on Amazon recently. What’s next? Soon I’ll be starting to write a Christmas novella, and then I’ll move on to writing the third book in my TB series, MIRACLE IN MARCH (tentative title!). I’m looking forward to both, and looking forward to the rest of the year. I LOVE my writing life! Housework and cleaning up flooded garages…not so much 😉
Now, where did I put those gumboots?…
THE WISHING FESTIVAL is on right now!
Over the 4th and 5th January I’m hosting a fun Facebook event, The Wishing Festival, to coincide with the release of my new book THE JANUARY WISH.
At the event you can make a wish for 2014 in the virtual Wishing Fountain, share a wish for your friends, and answer fun questions to go in the draw for prizes! Lots of opportunities to win, and we are having a ball! I’ll be popping in and out throughout the whole weekend, posting questions and pics and giveaways periodically. You can drop in anytime and scroll through the list of posts that have already been made and enter as many of the prize draws as you like. Just remember to confirm your attendance to the event by clicking ‘join’.
Here’s the link to the event and further details, I hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/events/180315825501113/
A New Year, A New Book! THE JANUARY WISH is here… [Plus Giveaway]
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, 2014, here we are! And what better way to kickstart the new year than by relaxing with a good book? Don’t know what to read? Problem solved: my new novel releases today, 1st Jan, THE JANUARY WISH. 🙂
Here’s what the book is about:
From Escape’s queen of ro-magic comedy comes a sweet, emotional contemporary romance about the pleasures of making a wish and seeing it come true.
When Dr Sylvia Greene makes an impromptu wish at the Tarrin’s Bay Wishing Festival, it’s the most out of character action she can think of. Hers is not a life of wishes. Hers is a controlled life of order, plans and preparation…of science and research and diagnosis and treatment. But her past has been weighing on her mind, and decisions made long ago have far-reaching consequences.
A week later, the daughter she secretly gave up for adoption at sixteen arrives in Sylvia’s small coastal town with secrets that can’t be shared. Between feelings of guilt, gossip, and a growing attraction to an emotionally unavailable colleague, Sylvia’s well-ordered life is soon thrown into chaos. She is no longer alone, and for the first time she feels as if her world is open to possibilities.
They say be careful what you wish for, but, for Sylvia, the unexpected consequences may be just what the doctor ordered.
THE JANUARY WISH is perfect for fans of Susan Wiggs and Sherryl Woods, and those who like small town books like Susan Mallery’s ‘Fools Gold‘ series. The (then unpublished) manuscript of The January Wish was also a finalist in the Choc Lit Search for an Australian Star contest in 2012. It is the first in the Tarrin’s Bay series, and the second book FEBRUARY OR FOREVER is releasing soon, on 1st Feb 2014.
>>Buy THE JANUARY WISH from all good ebook retailers:
Amazon – Amazon UK – Amazon Aus – iTunes/iBookstore – Kobo – B&N/Nook – GooglePlay – BigW ebooks – Booktopia – JB HiFi – ebooks.com – All Romance ebooks
WIN STUFF! I’m running a giveaway for the whole month of January. You could win:
1. A $25 Amazon Gift Card to spend on anything at Amazon (you can get quite a few ebooks for that!)
2. A beautiful coastal photographic print of the setting of the novel (South Coast of NSW Australia). The print is unframed so you can put it in a frame of your choice, and measures approximately 30 x 21cm (12 x 8 inches). I’ll also throw in some autographed book cover cards for you too. I will send this anywhere in the world.
>>Enter via rafflecopter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are several ways to enter and if you like you can tweet about the giveaway each day and get extra entries, just visit any of the posts during my tour schedule and click the rafflecopter link to ‘tweet about the giveaway’ on as many days in January as you choose. All other entry options in the rafflecopter form are once only. The winner will be drawn on 1st Feb and will be notified via email.
THE JANUARY WISH BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Read more about The January Wish, myself, and my writing life during my blog tour. Here are the blogs and dates in January I’ll be visiting:
1st: ARRA blog.
2nd: Jenn J McLeod’s blog – interview.
3rd: Jennie Jones’ blog – interview.
4th: Special Event: THE WISHING FESTIVAL day 1 – on Facebook. Join now!
5th: Special Event: THE WISHING FESTIVAL day 2 – on Facebook. Join now!
6th: Rachael Johns’ blog – guest post.
8th: The Australian Bookshelf – Author Q&A.
10th: Whitney K-E’s blog – guest post.
11th:
12th:
13th: Juanita Kees’ blog – guest post.
14th: Eva Scott’s blog – interview.
15th: RWA (Romance Writers of Australia) – Author Spotlight.
16th: a) Tea Cooper’s blog – guest post.
b) Aussie Owned & Read – guest post.
17th:
18th: Fiction Dreams – interview.
19th:
20th: Darlene Fredette’s blog – Book spotlight & excerpt.
21st:
22nd: Katherine Givens’ blog – interview.
23rd: Jenny Schwartz’s blog – guest post.
Escape Publishing blog – guest post.
24th:
25th:
26th:
27th: The Neverending Bookshelf – interview.
28th:
29th:
30th: Chick Lit Central – interview.
31st:
>> Join the Tarrin’s Bay Series Readers Group on Facebook here, for fun, discussions, competitions, sneak peeks, photos, and more.
Make a wish… Take part in THE WISHING FESTIVAL!
To celebrate the new year, my new book, and to spread some new year’s cheer around the world (well, Facebook at least), I’m hosting the inaugural Wishing Festival in January! You are all invited, and I hope to see you there (details below).
What is a Wishing Festival? Well, first of all let me tell you about the one in my book, The January Wish, which releases on 1st January. In the story, it’s an annual Tarrin’s Bay event held on the 4th January at the Wishing Fountain in Miracle Park, the popular meeting spot for the town’s locals. People come from far and wide to the small coastal town to take part in the festivities and make a wish in the historic fountain. Legend says that on the day of the fountain’s completed construction, a woman tossed in a coin, walked around the fountain, and later on her missing husband returned safe and sound. Another woman who made a wish was cured of a serious disease. Or so the legend says. Dr Sylvia Greene, sceptic and all round party pooper doesn’t believe in wishes, but on the day of the festival she does her bit for charity and takes part, and what comes next turns her life upside down and inside out…
So instead of going to the trouble of finding a fountain and getting my friends from around the globe to trek all the way to my little part of the world, I’ve created an online version of the event!
The Wishing Festival will take place on the designated Facebook event page on the weekend of 4th and 5th January. There’ll be fun and prizes galore, and who knows, your wish may even come true. 😉
Why take part? Here’s why you should come! You will get to…
1. Make a wish – toss a virtual coin into the virtual fountain and make your wish! In other words; post your wish to the event page, or in the comment thread of the wishing fountain picture and the ‘make a wish’ post that I’ll put up there on the day. *If you have a private wish, you can simply post: ‘I have made my wish.’ Let’s all support each other’s wishes and some may just come true!
2. Pay a wish forward by sharing the event logo on your Facebook wall, page, group, or on a friend’s wall. (The event logo can be seen on the event page now, but on the day I’ll post it again officially and let you know when it’s time to start the share-fest!). When you share the picture, include a message for your friend or all your friends in general, and tell them what you wish for them in the new year. For example: In 2014 I wish for you…an abundance of success in your career, or ...optimal health and happiness, or anything you think your friend/s might appreciate. You may also like to encourage them to share the logo and a wish to their own friends as well.
3. Win prizes! Throughout the whole weekend you could win a heap of different prizes, from books to gift cards to writing critiques to jewellery and other goodies (I’m currently collating some great prizes. If you would like to donate anything please do so via this link).
Here are the ways you can win:
- Simply register for the event by clicking ‘Join‘. All registered attendees will be automatically put in the draw for a prize, even if they can’t take part in the fun (though I hope they will)!
- Share the event logo and a wish for your friends over 4th and 5th January.
- Post your wish on the event page or (preferably) the official ‘make a wish’ post over the weekend.
- Leave a comment on any of my posts during the event. I’ll let you know in each post which prize is up for grabs so you can enter all or just the ones you really want!
4. Have fun! Get sneak peek excerpts from The January Wish novel (and maybe even the next book in the series which doesn’t release till Feb!), meet the characters, answer trivia questions and scavenger hunt questions to win prizes, ask me questions, chat with other attendees, mingle with surprise guests, and enjoy gourmet virtual food and drinks all served by the gorgeous Jonah from Tarrin’s Bay’s most popular cafe: Cafe Lagoon (Jonah is a character in the book).
So before the mayhem of Christmas and New year’s takes over, head over to the event page now and click ‘Join’, and invite a few friends too if you like. Here’s the link.
I look forward to seeing you there! And if you wish to read the novel before the event (not required but there might be some extra rewards for those that do!), you can preorder here. I might include some trivia questions that need a copy of the book to be answered 😉
Would you like to donate a prize for the event? Click here. Donations close 19th Dec.
Make a wish … Pay it forward … Win a prize! Join THE WISHING FESTIVAL!
I Dream of Johnny, & Johnny, & Johnny [3 Wishes Blog Blitz!]
WELCOME to the official post for the Three Wishes Blog Blitz to celebrate the release of I Dream of Johnny, my new novella out now with Escape Publishing!
From 2nd to 6th September you’ll have the chance to win some awesome prizes at all the blogs participating in the blitz, including mine. All you have to do is follow my instructions below for winning the prizes I have on offer, and click on the links of any or all of the other blogs taking part (list is below) to enter their giveaways as well. How cool is that? Why is it called the Three Wishes Blog Blitz? My new romantic comedy release, I Dream of Johnny, is about three wishes, a high-tech genie in a lamp, and one very unfortunate typo that proves magic isn’t all it cracked up to be…
Three Awesome Johnny’s:
Do you have a favourite Johnny, real or fictional? Here are my top three…
1. Johnny Depp: Okay, he’s in Captain Jack Sparrow mode here, but it’s such a great picture. How can you not love good ol’ Johnny? My first memories of him were when he was in 21 Jump Street and Nightmare on Elm street, in his pin-up-boy days. Such a great actor who’s made a great career for himself doing things his own way.
2. Johnny Castle (played by Patrick Swayze): Ahh, probably my favourite movie of all time: Dirty Dancing. I love the forbidden romance between Baby, an upper-class good girl, and Johnny, a guy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to make a living as a resort dance instructor. Patrick Swayze was great in this movie (R.I.P.), his character Johnny saying one of the most popular lines in movie history: “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”
3. Jon Bon Jovi: My first celebrity crush, I was so excited when I bought my first poster of him for my bedroom wall. And I must know how to pick ‘em, because this Johnny has stood the test of time. Still rockin’ and rollin’ as we speak, and I still love Bon Jovi’s music.
So who is the Johnny in my book? I don’t want to give anything away, so here’s the blurb instead 😉
I DREAM OF JOHNNY…
Getting three wishes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when an unfortunate spelling error in Mandy’s high-tech magic lamp changes her wish for a Greek God into a Geek God. His fashion IQ is in the negatives, he’s clingier than cling wrap, and he has a penchant for breaking into song at inappropriate moments. Before Mandy can request a replacement wish, she has to put up with him for twenty four hours, and the timing couldn’t be worse – – it’s her friend’s wedding day, her ex will be there, and the God of Geeks insists on coming along for the ride.
Buy the book via any of the following retailers: Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, B&N/Nook, Kobo, Google Play, JB Hi-Fi, Booktopia, ebooks.com, Escape Publishing.
Want to win some awesome prizes? Here’s how…
1. Simply leave a comment below and tell me which of the above three Johnny’s you’d love to have dinner with (yes I know we unfortunately don’t have Patrick Swayze/Johnny Castle with us anymore, but this is all about making wishes ;)), or perhaps there’s another Johnny/John/Jonathan you’d like to share a meal with instead?
2. Also, let me know whether you’re from Australia or International so I know which prize you’re eligible for.
Since this is all about 3 wishes, I have 3 prize packs! You could win:
1. AUSTRALIA ONLY PRIZE: just for the Aussie’s…
Gift box containing a selection of paperbacks, including: The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern, The Perfect Hero by Victoria Connelly, That Gallagher Girl by Kate Thomson, and Mounting Desire by Nina Killham.
Plus, handmade earrings from an artist in my local area.
Plus, an organic skin care pack containing body buff, body balm, and hand cream.
Plus, three postcard-sized magnets of my book covers – Fast Forward, I Dream of Johnny, and Starstruck in Seattle.
Am I generous or what? 😉
2. OUTSIDE-AUSTRALIA PRIZE: Sorry Aussie’s, this one’s for the overseas entrants only…
Two large paperbacks from Australian authors, including the very popular Man Drought by Rachael Johns & A Duchess to Remember by Christina Brooke.
Plus, three signed postcards of my book covers – Fast Forward, I Dream of Johnny, and Starstruck in Seattle.
Plus, winner’s choice of 3 ebooks from Escape Publishing.
3. WORLDWIDE PRIZE: Anyone could win!
Winner’s choice of 3 ebooks from Escape Publishing.
Plus, winner’s choice of either a 5 page critique of a sample of your writing, or have a character named after you or your pet in one of my future books (don’t worry, if you choose the pet option, I will name a pet character after it, not a human, although… you never know 😉
>>Enter now by leaving a comment below and telling me which Johnny you’d like to have dinner with and whether you’re in Australia or International. Winners will be chosen after midday on 6th Sept and must respond to the notification email within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.
>> PLUS, if you want a bonus entry into the draw, buy I Dream of Johnny and forward your receipt to me before 12pm 6th Sept at jtmauthor(at)gmail(dot)com with BONUS ENTRY in the subject line.
Once you’ve entered my giveaway, visit any or all of the other participating blogs listed below to enter more prize draws. You could potentially win a whole heap of prizes! Good luck! 🙂 Competitions close midday Sydney time on 6th Sept.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING BLOGS– WIN MORE PRIZES! Click the links below to see what other bloggers have written using the ‘three wishes’ theme, and see what prizes they have to give away!
1. Tahlia Newland, reader, writer & reviewer.
2. Jennifer Scoullar – Rural Author.
3. Iris B.
6. Ever On Word ~ The blog of author Danielle E. Shipley.
7. Georgina Troy.
8. Amber A. Bardan.
9. Téa Time Treat.
11. Cate Ellink.
13. S.E. Gilchrist.
14. Jennifer Joyce.
15. Words, Windmmills and Plot Wrinkles.
16. The Ecstasy Files.
18. Between The Lines.
19. Coleen Kwan.
20. My Written Romance.
21. Monique McDonell.
22. Becky on Books.
23. Sarah Belle.
24. Eva Scott.
25. Lily Malone – Contemporary Romance Author.
26. Writing Under Fire.
27. Flying Pony.
28. Nora Snowdon – writer of elegant smut.
29. Kerrie Paterson.
30. Zee Monodee – Author’s Corner.
32. Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of your Company.
33. Book Babe.
34. A Slice of Tart.
35. The Official Website of Nicole Murphy.
36. Imogene Nix.
37. Lisa Swallow.
38. Lauren K McKellar.
39. J’aimee Brooker.
40. Wise Words – Book Blogger.
PLUS, my fabulous publisher has jumped in with a special blog post about three out-of-this-world book related wishes! A must-read, check it out here.
And remember to leave a comment below and enter the prize draw!
Occasional Marketing for Authors – what is it? [Marketing Mondays]
Today for my Marketing Mondays post for authors, I’m talking about Occasional Marketing. No, this isn’t promoting your books occasionally as in here and there, sometimes, when you feel like it…etc, it is about using special occasions to help market your books to potential readers, or linking your book to an occasion that matches the themes or feel of the story.
Do you have a book about babies or royalty? Then I hope you took advantage of the recent birth of the royal baby and did a spot of promo relating to it! This is what I’m talking about… taking something in the media, or using an established special occasion or event to ride on the hype and make your marketing more targeted and relevant. For example, if you did happen to have a book about babies or royalty, then on twitter you could tweet something about your book in relation to the royal baby and add the hashtag #royalbaby – this means anyone clicking on or searching for this hashtag can see your tweet, along with all the others who have tweeted using the same hashtag. (For more on hashtags and using twitter, see this post). See what hashtags are trending on twitter in the side menu… do any of them relate to your book? Most of the time probably not, but get used to keeping an eye on the trends and if they do, tweet!
Apart from royal babies, what other occasions can you link to in your marketing? Here are some ideas:
- The popular occasions that occur on specific dates like Christmas, Easter, Valentines’ Day, Australia Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve/Day, Queen’s birthday…etc.
- Other occasions and events like political elections, celebrity romances, The Oscars, The Emmy Awards, The Golden Globes, media scandals, and certain news stories in the media (be tactful and appropriate though, and choose these carefully). If your book is wedding themed, keep up to date with celebrity weddings and engagements and get in on the fun with social media.
- Even seasons of the year, months of the year, days of the week…etc if they relate to your book. Eg: my book The January Wish is releasing in—you guessed it—January. 😉
- If your book has medical themes you can even utilise certain awareness days for health conditions that are held throughout the year, and maybe link to charities or helpful advice as well, so you are being useful and not just promoting your book.
- Have a book about a reality show? Promote (especially using twitter) during the time a related reality show airs, and tap into the crowd of people already discussing it. Use the official twitter hashtag of the show, but remember; interact as well, don’t just think about promoting. Get some discussions happening.
- What about popular conferences and conventions? If they relate to your book and you’re not attending, look at ways you can still make use of the power of occasional marketing.
Here are some ideas on how to make use of occasional marketing:
- Blog posts – create an interesting title to catch people’s attention and discuss something relating to the special occasion, and filter in bits and pieces about your book.
- Share short excerpts of your book at regular intervals throughout the day on facebook, during the day of a particular event or occasion (eg: New year’s, The Oscars…etc).
- Post pictures relating to the event on your facebook page and encourage sharing.
- Find & share pictures on Pinterest for the occasion, including your book, and put everyone who repins your pictures into a draw for a prize.
- Hold a contest (blogs are good for this) relating to the occasion and your book. Eg: In hindsight, a good contest revolving around the royal baby would have been to get people to guess either the sex of the baby and put all correct answers into a draw for a prize, or guess the name of the baby, and whoever guesses correctly wins a copy of one of your books, or a gift card, or another prize of your choosing. What about a contest to guess which movie will win best picture in the Oscars? Think about the various special occasions on throughout the year and how you could make it fun for people. You don’t have to have giveaways, it can just be for fun, but giveaways do attract more people.
- Tweet with related hashtags during events and think up interesting, funny, or helpful tweets that help promote your book or your blog posts or attract new followers…etc. Not sure what hashtags to use? Search for a few variations and see which ones get the most action.
- Hold a facebook event. This could be a virtual way to enjoy an event that you can’t attend live, along with other likeminded people, and give exposure to you and your books at the same time, especially if you have a giveaway for all participating attendees.
- You could even hold a reader appreciation event in your local area with the theme of the special occasion and have your books available for signing, swag to give away, do a reading…etc.
Are your marketing juices flowing? To take action and utilise the power of occasional marketing, create an ‘occasion calendar’ and jot down different strategies you could employ around the time of each occasion. What occasions suit the themes of your book? Maybe brainstorm with some friends and help each other come up with ideas. Also, keep your eye out for popular topics in the media and be ready to pounce! (in a totally helpful, useful, ethical and appropriate way of course!).
Remember, occasional marketing is a way to connect with people who are more likely to be interested in your book, as opposed to more general one-size-fits-all marketing.
Have I missed mentioning any popular occasions? Let me know in the comments, and tell me your ideas for your own occasional marketing, or if you’re stumped, mention your book and the themes in it, and I (or another blog visitor) might be able to help. 🙂
Tweet this post by copying & pasting any of the following into a tweet:
What does the #royalbaby have to do with book marketing? @Juliet_Madison explains: http://wp.me/p1jJti-j9
What is Occasional Marketing? Advice for #authors via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-j9
How special occasions can help you sell more books, via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-j9 #writers
Marketing idea for authors at @Juliet_Madison’s blog: http://wp.me/p1jJti-j9 #bookmarketing #authors #marketing
Authors, stuck for blog post ideas? Here’s some, via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-j9 #blogging
Have you heard about the Three Wishes Blog Blitz?
On 2nd September at 12pm (Sydney Aus time) I’ll be hosting the Three Wishes Blog Blitz, and over 40 blogs will be participating in a whole lot of fun and giveaways! The blitz will run from 2nd-6th September 2013, and you have a chance to win some fab prizes at each of the participating blogs, as well as mine.
On the day I’ll post a link to all blogs taking part so you can not only enter my giveaway but enter theirs as well, so you could potentially win a heap of prizes! (and discover some great new authors and blogs too).
The blog blitz is to celebrate the release of my new novella, I Dream of Johnny, released 1st September, and yes, it is a story about three wishes 😉
Here are just a few of the awesome bloggers and authors that have registered to take part so far (and if you’ve registered, you’ll be receiving an email from me very shortly with all the details, so let me know if you don’t hear from me!):
Daystarz books, Nicola Moriarty, Coleen Kwan, Kate Belle/The Ecstasy Files, Jennifer Scoullar, S.E. Gilchrist, Monique McDonell, Mochas Mysteries & More, Tea Cooper, Lily Malone, Nicole Murphy, Alissa Callen, and more!
>>If you have a blog and would like to participate, it’s not too late! Fill out the registration form here. And you can read the details of what’s involved in taking part here.
If you’re not taking part as a blog but would like to enjoy the blog blitz and win prizes, make sure you come back here on 2nd Sept. You might wish (ha!) to subscribe to the blog via email on the right hand menu in order to be notified on the day so as to not miss out!
See you back here in 7 weeks, and remember… be careful what you wish for! 😉
Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s off to conference I go…
Can you believe how fast the year is flying by? It seems only yesterday I was at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference in Melbourne, and now I’m getting ready to go to the 2012 conference on the Gold Coast!
Wow, what a year! In the time since last conference, I have written two more novels, a few short stories, worked with a freelance editor, continued revising a manuscript, found a fabulous critique partner, made new friends in the writing community, and learned so much more about the craft of writing. I am loving this journey, and each day I grow more passionate about the business of storytelling. I think about my stories when I wake up in the morning, and when I go to sleep at night. My mind is always creating stories and characters, and sometimes my fingers itch to write them down as quickly as possible!
I am looking forward to spending several days away at the RWA conference, engrossed in all things writing related. I’m looking forward to seeing friends, meeting new friends, and learning from other authors and publishing professionals. This year I’ll be helping out with one of the workshops, and also handling the facebook posts for RWA so we can keep non-attendees updated with the goings-on and awards at the conference (If you see me at the awards dinner frantically jabbing at my iphone, I’m not being rude, I’m just doing my job, okay?!).
The other thing I’m looking forward to is wearing a dress and heels. Yep, I don’t get out to fancy events much so this makes a nice change from the usual jeans I wear all the time! (Well, not all the time, I do wash them ;))
If you want to keep updated with the conference, follow the official tweets on twitter @RWAusConf2012 and the hashtag #RWaus12, and join the RWA facebook group and like the facebook page.
To see what happened at last year’s conference, read this post.
Okay, time to get organised… Conference 2012 – Bring It On!!
JULIET MADISON 