You are all cordially invited to join me on the Literary Showcase Jan, 27th with your host The Master Communicator Sharon Jenkins. We are celebrating urban fiction!!! I will be sharing trade secrets, what I have learned on my literary journey and from helping fellow writers. I am looking forward to seeing everyone there!!!!
The interview will be from 8:30 pm to 9:15 anyone with a Google+ or YouTube account can participate. Thanks in advance.
For everyone who didn’t catch my article on 5 Reasons you need a Book Publicist I have decided to interview one of the publicity firms that I wrote about which was Makeda Smith with Jazzmyne PR
Q: When reading your bio I was extremely impressed with you and your desire to fight the odds. Being a woman and a single mother what caused you to start your own PR firm?
Thank you ~ I initially started my own agency for two reasons – the first being my father was self-employed and he instilled within me to ‘always work for yourself – be your own boss.’ The second reason is at the time – my oldest daughter ( now 31 ) was five or six years old – and I wanted to spend more quality time with her and be home with her more.
Q: Your business started at home and is about to celebrate over 20 years of being a successful home based Public Relations Firm. What would you attribute your success too?
We are actually celebrating 25 years now! I attribute the longevity to my tenacity, perseverance and faith. I also follow the rule of giving clients more than what they pay for!
Q: What would you say to authors looking for marketing solutions or a good publicist but think its outside of their reach?
Well my first thought is to change your mindset – nothing is outside of your reach these days! With that in mind, Google is one of the greatest resources on the planet – start there and do your research! Many of my clients have found me via a Google search!
Q: What types of services does Jazzmyne Public Relations offer?
Our agency specializes in generating publicity – which is creating media exposure on the client’s behalf. Publicity is important for long-term branding.
Q: What big name celebrities have you worked with?
In the realm of 25 years it’s been many – our roster has included Jamie Foxx, Mo’Nique and Dorien Wilson, Kevin Eubanks, Michael Baisden, Laila Ali, Raven Symone, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Vivica Foxx, J. Anthony Brown, Anna Nicole and the list goes on and on …..
Q: Does your PR firm work with authors?
Yes! We love our independent authors as well! We assist them with getting ‘the word’ out about their new publications and create a media voice for them.
Q: Where is your business going in the near future?
It has been 25 long years and I am extremely grateful for them. For the future, I’m just looking to continue to provide excellent and affordable pr services to those in need of them.
Q: How can authors and companies looking for quality public relations service find you.
Our website is www.jazzmynepr.com. A sampling of our work with authors can be found at http://jazzmynepr.com/category/popular-posts/publishing/ .
We are also on Facebook at Jazzmyne Public Relations and Twitter @makedaqueen. They can also email us at jazzmynepr@gmail.com.
Thank you so much to Urban Fiction News for the interview! Blessings ~
Q: You were at one point a teacher which is very different from being the owner of a well-known publishing company. What made you change your career path?
I sort of fell into publishing. I was pregnant at one point during my teaching career and received news that I had to be put on bed rest. That took me by surprise, especially when they said, “Six months!” A family member suggested that I spend my time wisely, by writing a book. I took a stab at it and penned my first novel, “A Life to Remember,” while on bed rest. I had just finished my Masters in Education so it was a bitter-sweet moment when I decided not to go back to the classroom. I created Life Changing Books (LCB) and sold 5,000 copies of my novel so quickly through my distribution channels that I knew, I had embarked on a new career.
Q: You’re not only the owner but also a successful writer with titles that has gained you much attention. Which of your titles are you most proud of or count as your best work?
My novel ‘Bruised’ is closest to my heart. It’s based on a true story and always makes me feel like I’m watching a Lifetime Movie when I discuss it. It’s gritty yet informative. It’s also a piece of work that doesn’t put me in a box. People of all ages can relate. My most successful title in terms of sales has been “Daddy’s House”. People love sex, drama, and craziness, so I guess it hit the spot. LOL
Q: Life Changing Books has shaken the urban fiction publishing world with some of the hottest titles around. Did you always know you wanted to own a publishing company?
I never wanted to be a writer or own a publishing company. I’ve always been an entrepreneur even while teaching, so I knew I would always run companies, but not at this level. LCB became successful rather quickly and became my passion even quicker. I began meeting motivated authors like Tiphani , who penned The Millionaire Mistress Series and J. Tremble wrote Secrets of a Housewife early in the company’s history. From there, the company skyrocketed because my authors really wanted to become successful.
Q: Many writers are interested in learning what it takes to be selected by a reputable publishing company. What are you usually looking for in a writer?
We want unique stories. It seems that every book on the shelf is similar to the masses. Also, at LCB we normally look for writers who have researched the industry and know how to do the basics; have a properly formatted manuscript, have a pre-mature marketing plan, and come with the passion to become a best seller.
Q: How many titles has Life Changing Books Publishing Company published so far?
To date, we’ve published 86 titles; 10 of which are National Bestsellers and 1 New York Times Best Seller (Game Over by Winter Ramos).
Q: What’s next for your company and its league of writers?
We’re super excited over here at LCB. Some projects we can’t discuss at the moment but will eventually blow your mind. Let’s just say, we haven’t stopped at producing books. We have one book series that is headed for TV. In addition, a few books have been turned into scripts. There’s so much more. Check out the behind the scenes here.
Q: Where can fans, readers and writers alike find out more about you and your company?
LCB is everywhere! We love our readers wholeheartedly. Contact us at www.lifechangingbooks.net
@lcbooks
Facebook- LCB
IG- @Lcbooks
Kisses!
Azarel
If you’re like me you’ve asked yourself how to get more traffic to your website a thousand times already. I think I may have a solution to our problem or at least enough information to lead us in the right direction. So I’ve spent a lot of time talking about self-publishing your urban fiction and fiction in general. This post is going to discuss one of the most important components in an authors marketing campaign. If you want to be known as an author you MUST have a website for your readers to come to. This is so important if you want to sell books in today’s market.
On a side note please don’t accept or throw together a free or poorly done website for the sake of having one. This can actually work against you in sales. A poorly done website equates to poorly written work in the minds of your audience. Once you have an incredible website set up to take book orders you can then start working on getting traffic to that website. By now we all know that the key to increased online sales is web traffic. I found a few really good free web traffic generating sites because exposure means more sales potential. I’m starting with search engine rankings as they are the most important for now.
Google Search Engine Ranking
I’m not sure about you but I’ve heard that being on the first page of Google and other major search engines will generate more traffic. That sounds good but for a long time I simply thought publishing my online content would automatically land me a spot in the search engines. That is not necessarily true. For your website or even your blog (another book marketing strategy) to even begin ranking it must first be submitted to search engines. You can google search engine submission for a listing of the major search engines and their individual submission requirements. After your site is submitted it is then important to start creating content relevant to your book. occasionally use keywords in your content to help boost your ranking in the search engine. Remember it’s a numbers game, if you out rank a competitor your book gets more exposure. If no one can find your website then you will remain an unknown in the literary world.
Social Bookmarking Sites
Social bookmarking provides the world with a constant stream of information. It gives well-known and unknown authors an equal opportunity to reach their target audience. Some of the most popular social bookmarking sites include Digg, stumbleupon,delicious,Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These are pretty good platforms if you know how to use them. A few of the increasingly popular sites for content based information is Technorati, However, to take it a step further article submission is another great way to generate more traffic to your website. The more articles submitted to search engines and article directories with back links to your website the more hits you receive.
Alexa Ranking
I never realized how important Alexa ranking was until I started my blog. Ranking high on Alexa means more popularity and Google pays attention. Sites that reach the top 100,000 page views on Alexa are able to leverage their website for more income streams like advertising. In a nut shell you want to rank high on Alexa because it provides legitimacy to your website and your product which is your book. There are a few places that promise to increase your ranking but for a fee. One of the best no charge ranking services I’ve found is http://members.upmyrank.com/refer.php?rid=21453 I’ve been using it for a while now and find that it helps drive more traffic to your website.
Traffic Exchanges
In my search for more website traffic I’ve come across a few traffic exchange programs. This form of web traffic allows its members to visit other members websites in exchange for them visiting yours. The site that drives traffic instantly to your website is http://traffup.net/free/?rf=415494458 I will be posting a complete list of the sites that I use in a later post. Not only do you get more traffic but you also run across a few more websites that can help you on your journey or even some pretty good content and music as well as products you may have never gotten the time to see before.
No matter what your sales goals are learning how to get more traffic to your website will help you in your quest to being a best-selling fiction author.
Urban Fiction News 