Tag Archives: promotion

The Importance of Website Updates by Lucy Felthouse

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Firstly, I want to give huge thanks to K D Grace for having me here to blog about websites and why they should be kept updated. I’m writing with both my author and publicist hats on, but the information is relevant to any website.

So, why should your author website be kept updated? I’ll try not to waffle on for too long, but here goes…

Because it’s good for search engine ranking. If Google, for example, index your website (which they do periodically) and find that it’s not had any changes made to it in a while, it’ll lose popularity with them, making it less likely for people to be able to find you when they search. The search engines love fresh, relevant content.

Because it’s good for your readers. If they land on your website and find out the last time you made changes was two years ago, they’re going to get the wrong impression. Perhaps they’ll think you’ve stopped writing and not bother to look for any more of your books. Maybe they’ll think that you just don’t care about keeping your site updated – which will make them wonder how much care you’re taking in your writing, how committed you are. This is why it’s a good thing to have your blog integrated into your website, as per this very site. It means that even if you’re between book releases and have no more information to add on that front at the moment, you can still add new content to your website. Whether it be your new blurb, a cover reveal, excerpt, a post about your work in progress or what’s coming next for you, or even a guest blog. As long as the content is fresh and relevant, your readers will remain interested in your website.

Because it’s good for the industry. You never know who is looking at your website. Aside from other authors and readers, agents, publishers, journalists and many more people may be browsing around your pages. Your publishers will like to see that you’re keeping on top of updates and that you’re promoting your books. Agents may read excerpts and take a liking to your work. Journalists may arrive and see what you’re all about and contact you in order to feature you in an article or interview. You just never know.

Because it’s good for you. More visitors to your website means more exposure, and in turn, more sales. Happier readers, publishers and potential contacts from agents, journalists and more. What’s not to like?

If you’re not technically-minded, then why not hand off your website upkeep to someone else? As well as looking after my own websites (four so far!), I take care of updates and technical for several of my clients, including K D Grace! Visit the contact page on http://www.writermarketing.co.uk to get in touch.

Thanks for reading!

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Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman. As well as writing and editing, she also runs her own promotions company, Writer Marketing Services. You can find out more about the services she offers, along with pricing at http://www.writermarketing.co.uk

Eight Great Ways to Promote your Books by Lucy Felthouse

Once a book is out there in the big wide world, it’s always a challenge to know how to promote it and make sure people are aware of it.  I’m very happy to welcome the Promo Queen and founder and head of Writer Marketing Services; a fab author in her own right, Lucy Felthouse, to share a few key tips with you.

In no particular order, here are eight great ways to promote your books:

  1. Facebook – as much as I dislike it, a great deal of my website traffic comes from Facebook, so it’s hard to ignore it. I have a fan page, which has all my blog posts automatically fed to it, and I post on there manually, too, with various snippets and updates.
  2. Twitter – a great place to find readers and other writers, this also drives a lot of traffic to my website. My blog posts are fed here automatically, and I engage with people on here frequently, as opposed to just posting links and asking people to buy my books.
  3. Triberr – this is linked in with Twitter. Triberr is a website where people become members of a ‘tribe’ and all their posts are fed into Triberr. When another person logs in, they have the option to approve your post. If they do, it will then be automatically Tweeted on their account. If you times this by the amount of people in your tribe, and the amount of followers they have, this is a great way to increase the reach of your blog posts, and it definitely increases traffic.
  4. Pinterest – add your books to Pinterest using the direct page link on your website. That way, whenever someone clicks on your book cover, they’ll be sent directly to the relevant page on your website. Hopefully they’ll buy it while they’re there!
  5. Goodreads – there are several areas of Goodreads which I am still getting to grips with – lists, for example. But it’s essential to make sure all of your books are on the site so people can add them to their shelves, read and review them. These reviews will then be seen by their friends, and so on, so this is a great way of increasing visibility by letting other people do the work, rather than you.
  6. Guest blogs and interviews – spread the word by guest blogging on someone’s site, or having them interview you. You’ll have the benefit of being in front of that particular site’s audience, who may never have heard of you. It’s great exposure, and a great way to promote your books. Club these together into consecutive days and do a blog tour – increasing your exposure further.
  7. Paid advertising – The Romance Reviews, The Romance Studio and Erotica For All are three examples of high traffic sites that offer free and paid advertising. Take advantage of the free options, and consider spending some money on adverts and track whether you get increased sales as a result.
  8. Hire me! I do all this stuff for a living, so if you just can’t get your head around marketing, can’t be bothered with all the organisation or don’t have the contacts, then consider using my business to help you out – http://www.writermarketing.co.uk. There’s more information and pricing on there, as well as a portfolio and testimonials. If you have any questions, just drop me a line.

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The Perfect DomFour kinky and erotic BDSM tales from the smutty pen of Lucy Felthouse.

Balancing the Books

Philip’s a well off man, and doesn’t need a job. But when he sees the gorgeous owner of his local bookshop, he applies for the role that’s being advertised there immediately. He’s totally stricken by the stunning Giovanna, and when it turns out she wants to boss him around in a sexual sense as well as an employment sense, he has no intention of refusing.

Feeling the Heat

Taylor and Maisie’s car has broken down. Luckily, Taylor’s handy with engines and is working hard to get them back on the road. Unfortunately, Maisie is getting annoyed at the amount of time he’s spending in the garage and confronts him. Instead of arguing back, though, Taylor comes up with an ingenious plan to keep Maisie quiet.

The Perfect Dom

Part of Mia’s nightwear is a pair of hotpants with SPANK ME emblazoned across the arse. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but when she forgets that she has a houseguest and heads to the kitchen for a drink, she’s shocked to find Alex in her living room. Immediately spotting what he sees as an invitation written across Mia’s bottom, Alex makes an offer and Mia soon discovers that he is, in fact, the perfect dom.

Meet Me at the Spanish Steps

Darby is working at a holiday camp on the outskirts of Rome and is getting along just fine, with the exception of her sex life. For various reasons, she’s not getting what she wants in the bedroom, and her tastes are very particular. She turns to the Internet to get what she needs, and when she discovers William, it seems that he’s more than willing—and capable—of scratching that particular itch.

More info, excerpt and buy links: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/the-perfect-dom/

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Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women’s Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9