All right, moving on then. Let's talk promotion!Specifically, cross promotion.
I have a question for all you readers and authors out there. If there's an author that you love, and have come to expect a certain type of book from, would you want to be notified if they suddenly branched out into a new genre? Say, a military romantic suspense author that suddenly comes out with some erotic romances under a different name? *flutters lashes innocently*
Hey, just sayin'.
I'm trying to figure out how much cross promotion I need to do (or want to do, for that matter) between myself and my...other self. (Writers are totally allowed to have multiple personalities, by the way. No need for anti-psychotic meds.) I know other authors have managed this successfully, but I wanted to get a show of hands here on Writers Gone Wild. Especially in light of the Judy Mays saga, the bias heaped upon erotic romance authors really hit home for me. I've already warned my kids that a career in politics is out for them both :)
Authors: What cross promo does an author need to do for different pen names?
Readers: What would you like to see in terms of promo for an author with various pen names? What do you want to see on their websites? Do you prefer they keep them totally separate?
Really guys, inquiring minds want to know. Tell me what you think!
7 comments:
Congrats on your new sexy alter ego, Kaylea! Personally as a reader I prefer that authors keep their pen names separate, otherwise it seems kind of pointless to use different names in the first place. I wouldn't mind a link to the evil twin's website, though.
Hmmm. As a reader, I have a few authors that write in 2 different genres, but kept their name. Unfortunately, I don't like the other genre/subject, so I usually stay clear of those titles. The good thing is, whenever they have a book coming out, it reminds me of how much I loved their previous books and I reread. For those authors that have alter-egos, I have yet to see them cross promo themselves, unless they've done it without my knowledge. Usually, they find authors that writes similar books and get blurbs, excerpts, etc with those authors. I do absolutely recommend keeping two separate websites, however. Maybe it's the often latent organizational need I have, but even book series, in my opinion, should have a separate website.
I think it depends on why you have another pen name to start with.
I cross promote my other pen names when the pen name is simply for delineation between style and genre so the reader knows what to expect. For instance, Saranna DeWylde is quirky, the lighter side of the dark. Sara Ravencroft *is* the dark. Circe DeWylde is Saranna's "little sister".
But if you want to keep your erotic persona a secret, then you shouldn't cross promote. Which is tough because you've already built a presence and a following, etc. It's a pain in the hoo-ha, I know.
It really comes down to what you want out there.
Yeah, I'm not really comfortable with "coming out" at this point, but I think it's necessary to help drive more sales for my unknown pen name. And maybe for my current one, too!
I thought perhaps I'd send out a newsletter to my mailing list announcing the new pen name, and maybe putting a link on both websites (which still have to be built and customized).
Well, I've yet to draw the line online. I argue with myself on facebook and twitter. Anyone that started with me as Jennifer L Hart and asks about Jenna McCormick will hear exactly what the differences are.
But in my personal life, very few people know about Jenna. Not because I'm ashamed of her (usually) but because I don't want to hear the same old lame ass quips for the rest of my natural life.
First of all, LOVE the title LOL. Regarding cross promotion, that would be a big YES. I tend to buy "the voice." I'll follow favorite writers across genres, no questions ask so long as the voice remains consistent. So promote away! :)
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