Whitney Awards: Eligible Novels

by Rebecca Talley

Some of our blog team members have books that are eligible for a Whitney Award. The following books are eligible for nominations:

Blank Slate by Heather Justesen

Adrianna Mueller may be a world-renowned concert pianist, but when she wakes from her coma after a serious car accident, her ability to perform has disappeared as completely as her lost memory. As she recovers from her injuries, she struggles with the expectations of everyone—her family, friends, and fiancé, Brock—who all want everything to go back to the way it was.

Everyone except Gavin, Adrianna’s brother’s business partner, who finds himself drawn to the woman she is now. But he has his own problems. As he tries to get a handle on a former employee’s embezzlement, he fights his growing feelings for Adrianna.

And then a trip to the emergency room shakes everything up, leaving her to stumble as she tries to regain her footing all over again.

 

Minor Adjustments by Rachael Renee Anderson

Chicago businessman and bachelor Devon Pierce doesn't want to be appointed guardian of Australian four-year-old Ryan Caldwell - but Ryan's solicitor, Stella Walker, won't take no for an answer.

Little does Devon know that this "minor" adjustment will grant him a future he never expected to have.

Told in a fast-paced, poignant, and witty style, Minor Adjustments will take you on a journey filled with humor, growth, romance, and love.

The Upside of Down by Rebecca Talley

"Hmmm," the doctor muttered.
Natalie wrinkled her forehead, almost afraid to ask, and said, "What does that mean?"
"You do know you're pregnant, right?"
Her breath caught in her throat. "Excuse me?"
"You're pregnant."
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. "I'm what?"

Natalie Drake certainly has her hands full raising a large family, dealing with her difficult mother, and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenager. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, she finds out another unexpected surprise--she's going to have a baby. Faced with so many challenges, Natalie must learn to trust in a plan that isn't what she imagined and discover that every situation has an upside.

Rebecca Talley carefully creates this touching and heartfelt story that is sure to inspire you. With true-to-life characters and situations, The Upside of Down will reignite your faith and remind you of the importance of family.

 

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend by Elodia Strain

Jesse is looking for the "right guy." When she bumps into Ethan, a despairing writer who she inspires, she thinks she's found him. But only moments later she meets Troy, a successful advertising executive who makes almost every moment romantic.

Both seem perfect, but things are not always what they seem. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a fun romance that blends warm sincerity with fresh storytelling.

If you've read any of these novels and would like to nominate them for a Whitney Award, please go here.

If you've read other novels by LDS authors published in 2011 and would like to nominate them, please go here.

You can learn more about the Whitney Awards here. Please spread the word!

Thanks!

Goodreads Giveaways

by Rebecca Talley

My first book, Heaven Scent, was published in 2008. It was automatically added to Goodreads. I'd never heard of Goodreads and had no idea what to do with it. Since that time 137 people have added it to their to-read shelf.

My second book, Altared Plans, was published in 2009. Again, it was automatically added to Goodreads and with this book I became aware of Goodreads Giveaways so I initiated one giveaway contest in which 669 people entered to win a copy. As of today, 191 people have added it to their to-read shelf.

My third book, The Upside of Down, was published in January 2011 and was added to Goodreads. Since I was aware of the giveaway contest that Goodreads sponsors I decided to do one about the time the book was released. 1230 people entered that contest. I held it for one month. A few months later, I did another giveaway for about a week or so and 979 people entered. I decided to do another giveaway for the month of June and 1368 people entered. As of today, 638 people have added this book to their to-read shelf--quite a jump from how many people have added my other two books.

I share these stats with you to show you that doing a Goodreads giveaway helps expose your book to many people. As you can see, many more people added The Upside of Down and I think it's a direct result of the giveaways I held.

Doing a Goodreads Giveaway contest is simple. Go to the page that lists your book, click on the "list a giveaway" icon in the upper right and then follow the directions. You can decide how many copies you want to give away and to what countries. Goodreads advertises the  giveaway, determines the winner, and then sends you the address(es) of the winner(s). Your only responsibility is to mail off the copy, or copies, of your book soon after the contest ends. Easy, easy, easy. For the price of a copy of your book, an envelope, and postage you can get your book in front of hundreds of people. Seems like a great deal, eh?

I try to respond to those who rate and review my books on Goodreads. In doing so, I met a woman who loved The Upside of Down. She was not LDS, my target market, but she really enjoyed it. When I asked how she'd heard about it, she said she'd entered the giveaway contest and when she didn't win she bought the book anyway. Hopefully, she'll now recommend it to her friends. Of course, it's impossible to determine exact sales from a marketing effort, but at least one person bought my book as a result of that contest.

As authors we want to write, we don't want to waste time marketing. But, that's a very important part of our job if we want our book to be successful. After doing Facebook ads, Goodreads ads, display ads, sending out postcards, emails, doing signings, holding my own contests on my blog, and doing blog hops, I'd say that doing a Goodreads Giveaway is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your book.

Outside the Box

by Rebecca Talley

Sometimes, I think we box ourselves in when we determine that what we've written is just for the LDS market. We tend to think that only those who read LDS literature will enjoy our books. Perhaps, it's time to think outside that box.

It's true that sometimes what we write may be harder for others outside the LDS culture to understand, but that doesn't mean they won't enjoy it or learn from it.

One of the best ways to market outside our LDS market is through Goodreads. Goodreads now offers advertisements for a low cost but I've found that giveaways are even better. I've done two giveaways with over 2000 entries between the two. Since I do visit Goodreads, I saw a review pop up. This review was very positive so I thanked the reviewer. Turns out, she'd seen my book advertised for the giveaway and when she didn't win, she decided to buy it herself. She really enjoyed it even though she is baptist.

Several others who have reviewed my book, The Upside of Down, on Goodreads are not LDS but have still enjoyed it. Some have even changed their perspective about Down syndrome after reading my book--yay!! Two of the reviews came from winners of the giveaways. I probably would never have reached those readers if I had not done a giveaway.

I have also handed out bookmarks to people in my "circle" who are not LDS. My son's speech therapist bought my book on Kindle. She's not LDS and didn't understand a few of the references but really liked learning more about the LDS faith. And, she got a message from the book that surprised me. She said that she'd learned she should reach out and serve more. That wasn't an intentional theme, but I'm glad she got that from the book.

We write our books to reach out to others and share something that's important to us. It may be a message or it may be to lift up, entertain, or comfort. Heavenly Father has blessed us with the talent to write and I believe sometimes we shortchange ourselves, and others, by only seeing inside a box. We need to reach outside that box. As we write about LDS characters and the LDS life we can serve to breakdown barriers and educate others outside our faith about what we truly believe.

At a time when inaccurate, disrespectful, crude musicals bent on tearing down our faith flourish on Broadway, it's even more important that we reach beyond our box and share our LDS literature with the world around us.

Super Fantastic Book Signing THIS Saturday

Did I get your attention with that title? I hope so. I wanted to announce a Super Fantastic Book Signing. That's right, it's going to be awesome.

Tristi Pinkston, Daron Fraley, Don Carey, and I are all going to be signing books THIS Saturday. I'm celebrating the launch of my book, The Upside of Down. Both Tristi and Don have January releases as well. Bumpy Landings by Don Carey is now available as is Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston. Daron Fraley will be signing his book, The Thorn. Isn't that exciting? We think it is and we'd love to have you join us for our book signings. (You know, I keep wanting to type book "singings"--maybe that'd be fun, you could come and hear us sing about our books . . . . Or not.)

Here are the details:

We'll be in Logan from 11:00-1:00 at The Book Table, 29 South Main Street. Then we'll head over to Ogden and be there from 3:00-5:00 at Wisebird Bookery, 4850 Harrison Blvd # 5. If you are going to be in the Logan or Ogden area this Saturday, January 15th, please stop by to see us. And, if you can keep your fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate and allow me to travel, that'd be awesome.

Hope to see you there!!

Pre-Order Contest: The Upside of Down

by Rebecca Talley

My new book, The Upside of Down, went press last week. Woo hoo!! In celebration, I'm going holding a contest for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon. I've never done a pre-order contest before, but my goal is . . . 1000 copies pre-ordered in 10 days. That's 100 pre-orders each day. I'm so excited! With your help, I know we can do it!

In case you haven't seen the cover or read the blurb:

“Hmmm,” the doctor muttered.
Natalie wrinkled her forehead, almost afraid to ask, and said, “What does that mean?”
“You do know you’re pregnant, right?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “I’m what?”

Natalie Drake certainly has her hands full raising a large family, dealing with her difficult mother, and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenager. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, she finds out another unexpected surprise—she’s going to have a baby. Faced with so many challenges, Natalie must learn to trust in a plan that isn’t what she imagined and discover that every situation has an upside.

Beloved author Rebecca Talley carefully creates this touching and heartfelt story that is sure to inspire you. With true-to-life characters and situations, The Upside of Down will reignite your faith and remind you of the importance of family.

Here are the rules:

1. Pre-order my book at Amazon here.
2. Send me a copy or your receipt or other proof of purchase for the pre-order at rebecca(AT)rebeccatalley(DOT)com to be entered into the drawing. Each pre-order gets one entry into the contest--if you purchase two, or ten :), as gifts each one garners an entry

3. The contest runs from Monday November 8, 2010 until midnight on Thursday, November 18, 2010. You must send me proof of purchase during these dates to qualify.

4. The winner will be chosen at random and posted on Friday, November 19, 2010 on my blog http://www.rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com/.

5. The winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate to Amazon--just in time to use for Christmas!

The books should be available for shipping in late December or early January.

You can read the prologue here.

I broke up the first chapter into segments, but you can now read the whole thing on my blog.

Tell all your friends! Thank you!!!!

The Upside of Down

I'm happy to announce that my new book, The Upside of Down, will go to press next week and will be officially released in January.

What do you think of the cover? Would you pick up the book based on the cover? Does the back cover blurb intrigue you?

From the back cover:

“Hmmm,” the doctor muttered.
Natalie wrinkled her forehead, almost afraid to ask, and said, “What does that mean?”
“You do know you’re pregnant, right?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “I’m what?”

Natalie Drake certainly has her hands full raising a large family, dealing with her difficult mother, and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenager. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, she finds out another unexpected surprise—she’s going to have a baby. Faced with so many challenges, Natalie must learn to trust in a plan that isn’t what she imagined and discover that every situation has an upside.

Beloved author Rebecca Talley carefully creates this touching and heartfelt story that is sure to inspire you. With true-to-life characters and situations, The Upside of Down will reignite your faith and remind you of the importance of family.

The Upside of Down Book Trailer Teaser

by Rebecca Talley



What do you think?

How do you feel about book trailers? Have you seen some amazing ones? Do you watch them? Do they influence your book buying habits?