MARKETING STRATEGIES

Hey folks, it's Monday and
I'm on vacation, actually at the beach, 
but Tara Tyler is here!

She's talking Simulation and Pop Travel 
her writing journey and marketing!

Take it away, Tara!


Thanks so much for the opportunity to be here, Yolanda!

Today I'm going to talk about Marketing Strategies & SIMULATION, she needs some love! And at my own blog, I'm lamenting The Second Book Syndrome.

Can you tell your readers something about why you chose this particular topic to write about? What appealed to you about it? Why do you think it is different, and your approach is unique?

SIMULATION is about clone androids, which are illegal copies of people with android brains that can be controlled and programmed - can you imagine a powerful politician or famous celebrity under control of an evil villain?

The Cooper Chronicles are set in the near future and I love coming up with new technology that could become reality. My approach is to use our current society and tweak it into the future with plausible new gadgets. That's where my sci fi is more realistic and hopefully more appealing to contemporary readers. I know some folks say "I don't read sci fi" but those who say that and try my series are pleasantly surprised. Plus there's LOL humor!

What resources do you use? In general and for this book?

Resources, well Google of course. But I have some technical geniuses in the family whose brains I pick frequently. And when I say Google, I cross reference and check my info on many reliable sites, like technology e-zines, college research, and government .orgs. For people to get into a book, the futuristic technology must be plausible as well as using proper terminology and procedures. I have had one or two criticize the believability of my gadgets and the methods they work, but sci fi also uses a little magic that most of us gloss over - how many people really understand the internet or how a TV works? Technology magic!

How do you handle the marketing required to succeed? Any tips or tricks that you can share here?

Marketing is THE hardest part of being an author. I doubt I'll ever make enough money to give up the day job, but I'll never give up writing either. Here's what I do for marketing:

• Start by inviting family and friends to a LAUNCH PARTY - the scale of each party is smaller for each book, which costs less money for me, so that's okay. I sell a ton of books at these things.
• Organize a BLOG TOUR - these aren't as popular because they're preaching to the choir, so I like to mix it up with informative posts that will draw folks to read them, and not just say, Hey I wrote a book, please buy it! I'm also trying new methods and reaching out to Book Bloggers.
• Solicit REVIEWS - I'm lucky my publisher helps out with this initially. And I hate asking for help in this regard, but it's a necessary task. We need reviews to let readers "try it on" and help them decide to buy the book! It looks so cute on you! Here's a tremendous Book Blogger List.
• Do LIVE BOOK EVENTS - these are my favorite things to do, especially with my writer friends, and I always make new ones when I go. Plus, the more books you have to sell, the more books you DO sell! And don't forget the swag!
• Host GIVEAWAYS - I have found that just giving away books doesn't always draw a crowd, you have to add a gift card to amp up the response... Doing a group giveaway draws more to it as well.
• BOOK TRAILER - I like to have them because I enjoy making them, but I'm not sure if they help yet - it's one of the items I'm reworking...
• INTERVIEWS & GUEST POSTS - after the initial Blog Tour, gotta keep talking about it, and get over the shamelessness of self-promotion
• Have a SALE! Pick a reason, a holiday, a birthday, whatever! And put the book on sale for a limited time
• BOOK SITES - Bookbub, The Fussy Librarian, It's Write Now, Shout my book, etc. There are so many sites to promote a sale or be highlighted, for a fee. They have reach to tons of readers and they fill up quick, so if you're having a sale, get in early!
• Get SOCIAL - don't be obnoxious, but do Tweet and Insta and FB and Pin (Snapchat is for the young and penniless from what I've heard) Things to post - again, NOT just "Buy my book" - post fun pictures, informative articles, as well as sales, sneak peeks, cover reveals, and release news. A Newsletter is a great tool as well.
• KEEP WRITING - I said earlier the more books you have out, the more you sell. And with all this marketing, we need to write to remind ourselves where our passion is rooted.

What's the funniest thing that happened to you on a book tour?

Well, the Sci Fi Cons are the funniest. The last one I went to, I was positioned between two antique/collectible toy sellers. The gentleman on my left wore a shark suit and he was a hoot. More surprising than funny, the group on my right had a little skirmish, an actual fight amongst themselves. There are many characters at the Cons and people-watching is primo!

What's the next step for you? Television, movies, a new genre? Tell us what the future holds - what can your fans expect?

Wouldn't we all love to do TV or a movie? I wrote a screenplay of Pop Travel and submitted it to a couple of contests (and sent it to a couple of agencies). I don't expect returns on a first script, but you never know! And I'm thinking of a TV series for kids that isn't mind-numbing like the ones they have out right now - can't stand them. We'll see. Hopes and dreams keep us going!

PS - To celebrate my book bdays I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY if you'd like to check it out!

Thanks again for having me here, Yolanda!



Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently she has two series, Pop Travel (techno-thriller detective capers) and Broken Branch Falls (fantasy adventures). To squeeze in writing, she economizes her time aka the Lazy Housewife. Make every day an adventure!

Talk to me!

Author Blog ~~ @taratylertalks ~~ Facebook ~~ Housewives Blog

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Thanks Tara!

Well folks, what do you think of time travel? 

If you had the opportunity to travel via teleportation would you?

Do you have a marketing strategy that works?

Please share!