Your Facebook Page May Be Blocking Your Fans

Photo by Zach Klein (flickr cc)

I didn't plan on posting today, but I wanted to do a quick PSA about something I found out today. So on occasion I've had a friend or two say they couldn't reach my Facebook author page. I tried to send a few different versions of links to those people, but no matter what I tried, they couldn't get to it. Even if they searched for me, my name didn't come up.

Then yesterday I did a post on Facebook vs. Twitter: Where The Readers Are and I had more people have the same issue. So I put a call out on Twitter this morning to see who could access the link and who couldn't. Well, turns out, it was blocking anyone from outside the U.S.  Uh-oh.

So I did some research and discovered that Facebook apparently has a setting that defaults to only allowing people in your home country to view your page. It blocks EVERYONE else.  !!!  I was shocked to find this out. I've had this page for at least two years and had no idea. I always wondered why my FB page grew so much more slowly than Twitter. I figured it's because I'm on Twitter more. But now I realize I was unintentionally locking out a whole lot of people. *sigh*

Therefore, I wanted to let everyone know about this setting so that you can check your own page and fix it if you're set on the same default.

To fix this, go to your Facebook PAGE (This is not for profiles but for fan pages.) Click on the Admin Panel, then Manage Permissions. Then make sure there are no countries listed in your "Countries Restrictions" box. And select the button that says "Hide this page from viewers in this country." If you have no countries selected then that will mean it's open to all.

If you need more visual directions, here's another blog post with pics.

Grr. Kind of frustrating that I'm just figuring this out now, but hopefully you can save yourself the trouble.

And for anyone out there who has tried to access my page and had issues, everything should be fixed now. You can follow me here. : )

Am I the only one who wasn't aware of this?

Facebook vs. Twitter: Where The Readers Are

Photo by Ed Yourdon (flickr cc)Facebook or Twitter? It's a question that people seem to have definite feelings on. Most people prefer one strongly and see the other as a pain. In the past, I've made it no secret that I'm a Twitter girl. I like the fast pace and the simple interface. I like that I can follow a bunch of people and get a little nibble of everything. And frankly, I use it as my blog reader now since I never seem to have time to keep up with my Google Reader.

However, over the last two months or so, I decided to put more effort into my Facebook presence. Many established authors swear by Facebook for connecting with readers, and I know that people are way more likely to be on Facebook than Twitter.

So I begin to put focus on FB and not just by copying tweets over there. FB and Twitter are inherently different in the kinds of updates that "fit." I also made the point of keeping FB more reader-focused than writing-focused. Twitter is filled with my fellow writers who don't mind hearing about word counts or craft-related things. But FB seemed to be getting more pure readers, so I didn't want to bore them with the technical side of writing.

And you know what? Yesterday, the difference in "crowd" became noticeable.

I posted a question on both Twitter and Facebook asking what I should put on a stamp I'm going to use when I send out signed bookplates. One option was my tagline "For the Fearless Romantic" and the other was "Greetings from The Ranch."  For those of you who aren't aware, The Ranch is the BDSM resort in my series.

So the results were very telling. Almost every one of my Twitter followers said the Fearless Romantic one. Then on Facebook, every vote was for The Ranch. It was amazing how divided it was.

And then I realized the difference. My writer friends were going for the one that spoke more to "author brand". We've been trained to think that way, to have that marketing hook. But my READERS who are already fans of the books were thrilled at the thought of having "Greetings from The Ranch." One line is meant to "sell" the books to new people. The other serves to entertain people who love the series already.

So, it was an easy decision. Anyone who is asking me for a bookplate is already a fan. Therefore, this needs to be for them. It's not about selling someone new on the book. If this were for promo material at a conference or something, the fearless romantic line would be the better fit. So it was a lesson in knowing who your audience is for something.

BUT, back to the point, this also showed me the clear distinction. Twitter is where my writer friends hang out. Facebook is where more readers are. (At least from my own anecdotal evidence and what I've heard from other authors.)

So which one should you do? 

Short answer: Both

Longer answer: If you don't have time for both, do which one you enjoy the most because that's the one you'll probably thrive at.

But here are some things to consider and make a good case for cultivating both...

Why Facebook Is Important?

• It's the most likely place fans will look for you besides your website.
• Not everyone is a social media addict (like we writers are). Your every day person may not read blogs, have a google plus profile, a Twitter account, or a Goodreads account. But even the most social media averse person probably has a Facebook page. My grandparents have one, my parents have one, my high school teachers have them. I'm hard pressed to think of someone I know who DOESN'T have one.
• It allows you longer updates because not everything can be said in 140 characters.
• It gives you the chance to put up exclusive content and sneak peeks to give your readers something extra for following you and reading your books.
• You only have to post an update one or two times a day. So there is more opportunity for interaction about one topic.
• It's easy for people to share you with their friends.

Why Twitter Is Important?

• There is an incredible writer community on there. Writing is a solitary business. Hanging out on Twitter is like the office water cooler. You can go there for gossip, encouragement, or just to vent to each other. 
• Some readers do prefer Twitter and that will continue to grow.
• It is a wealth of blog link love. Like I said, it acts as my blog reader these days.
• It's more casual than FB in my opinion. Since you can update throughout the day, each update doesn't have to be super profound. : )
• It's easy to share things via Twitter.
• It doesn't have all the restrictions like FB. And your followers see your updates--you don't have to pay extra to "promote".
• You don't get a crap ton of emails anytime someone comments on something.
• It's less of a commitment for someone to follow you on Twitter. Most people won't "Like" a FB page unless they are a fan already. But many people will follow you on Twitter just to check you out and see what you have to say. So it's easier to introduce yourself and your books to new people.

Each obviously has benefits and drawbacks. But I think if you can manage both, you're going to find you have a more well-rounded online presence. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to find you and connect with you.

So, if you aren't already there and want to hang out with me, you can find me on Twitter AND Facebook. ;)

What do you think? Do you have a preference? To those of you on both platforms, do you find a difference in the "crowd"? As a reader, do you seek out authors on any particular social network?

Read the First Chapter of FALL INTO YOU

Hi everyone, just wanted to let y'all know that FALL INTO YOU's first chapter is now posted. : ) For those who read this in the back of MELT INTO YOU, you'll notice a few slight changes from that version.

Click here to read Chapter One

He’ll do anything for you. But you’d better say please.

When tomboy sports reporter Charli Beaumonde loses a dream TV job because she’s not girly enough for primetime, she’s determined to land a big scoop and prove her boss made a mistake. But when she gets too close to a football scandal and finds her life threatened, Charli accepts an offer from family friend Grant Waters to hide out at his place—even if Grant predicts nothing but trouble from his buddy’s hard-headed, uncompromising, irrepressible, younger sister. There’s one more problem…

Grant’s “place” is The Ranch, a BDSM resort in Texas, and he’s used to being in charge —even if that means trying to keep Charli in line. But much to Grant’s surprise, she’s intrigued—even envious—of his trainees. They’re the epitome of what she’s never been: sexy, beguiling, and totally irresistible to a man. Still, Grant doesn’t believe for a minute that the sharp-tongued Charli has it in her to be anyone’s submissive. But Charli’s already on her knees vying for the chance to prove that even the Master can be wrong sometimes.

Releases January 2013

Available for pre-order from Amazon  and Barnes and Noble!

The Return of the Serial Novel and My New Book Deal!

Hello, all. I know Fridays are usually reserved for my weekly links roundup, but I'm postponing that for a super fantastic announcement. :)

For those of you who get Publisher's Marketplace, you've probably already seen it, but this posted last night:

		Fiction: Women's/Romance		Roni Loren's next story in her LOVING ON THE EDGE series about an innocent vet school student who joins her sexy neighbors at a BDSM ranch for one weekend of freedom before she starts her professional life, to Kate Seaver at Berkley Heat, releasing in serial installments, for publication in 2013, in a nice deal, by Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency (world).

Photo by Robb North (flickr cc)Yay! So for those of you who are closely following my series, you may be wondering whose book this will be. Well, this is going to be Ian Foster's (from STILL INTO YOU) and Cela Medina's (Andre's little sister) story. Originally, it was only going to be the novella, NOT UNTIL YOU. But things have changed and now Ian and Cela get their own full story!

AND it's going to be released in the new (or very old depending on how you look at it) format of the e-serial. This means it will be released in sections. We haven't decided how many segments yet. Most likely 6-8, but we're going to determine where the natural breaks in the story occur before we nail that down. Each segment will be released once a week.

I am so excited about this project and about this format. I wasn't sure at first when I heard about the e-serial because I'm a person to devour books all in one sitting. But then I gave Beth Kery's serial Because You Are Mine a try and am finding that I'm really enjoying this kind of reading. Because the segments are brief, I'm able to finish one in two nights of sitting by the bathtub while my son bathes. It's kind of nice to feel like I completed something each time. And it keeps me immersed in the story longer. Sometimes I read so fast that I'm sad the story is already over. So this kind of makes it more of an experience when it's stretched out piece by delicious piece over time. 

So I was won over to the format. Then my editor contacted me wanting to discuss the possibility of turning Ian's story into a serial. I couldn't have been happier. Ian's story (who is going to be called by his last name Foster now--since by coincidence, Beth Kery's hero is named Ian too, lol) is different from my others. I haven't written a heroine this young and inexperienced before (though she's no pushover, Andre is her brother after all). It was a new challenge and a whole lot of fun. 

Dates are still floating around but this will release after FALL INTO YOU in late Spring or Early Summer.

And be on the look out for more people releasing books this way. The e-serial thing was starting to buzz in a lot of places already, but now that Amazon has released their Kindle Serials, expect to hear even more about it.

Here are just a few places that have tackled the topic lately:

The Revival of the Serial - Dear Author

Books on the Installment Plan via The Kill Zone

Ebooks anf the Return of the Serial Novel via SeattlePi

Beth Kery on Writing the Serialized Novel via USA Today's Happily Ever After

So that's my news. : )  

How do you feel about the return of the serial? Do you think it's a format you'll enjoy? (It seems people either love it or hate it, lol.)

Book Hangover and The Book That Gave It To Me

Photo by Nanny Snowflake (flickr cc)So you know that feeling when you get caught up in a book and you can't put it down so you shirk all other responsibilities and consume the thing like it's the last box of chocolate before the apocalypse?

Yeah, then you finish it and you look up, blinking to take in your surroundings, vaguely remembering where you are. And the rest of the day you're kind of still half in the book and half in real life? It's disorienting. It's awesome. it's the sign of a fantastic book. (Or a serious illness.)

That's what I call book hangover. And I had it this weekend with More Like Her by Liza Palmer. I don't usually read women's fiction/chick lit (if we're still calling it that). I don't have anything against the genre. I just tend to gravitate toward more straight up romance. Plus, the women's fiction I've read in the past has always left me hanging with those darn fade to black love scenes, lol. Yes, personal preference, but when a story builds up all that sexual tension, I want to see the payoff. Just sayin'. But anyway, I digress. This book did have a fade to black, but the scene was so sweetly sexy and poignant in the lead up that I didn't feel short-changed.

So I'm so glad I gave the book a try. And if you're wondering how I ended up picking the book up at all since it's not my preferred genre (because I'm always curious about how readers find a book), here's how it went: Sierra Godfrey, who I met through blogging, mentioned how much she liked Liza Palmer's blog and her writing. So I went to the blog and really enjoyed her voice (and her 80s references) and thought "Hmm, if her blog is this funny, maybe I'd like her books." This was a passing thought. Not a purchasing decision.

Then I went to RWA and she was at one of the free signings. So even though I had my stack of books with shirtless mancandy covers already (score), I thought, "Hey, look. I thought I might like her books. Maybe I'll give this one a try." (Yes, I still go to the free signings at RWA. I know this is probably considered tacky by some once you're published and all, but yanno, me + books + free = an inevitable conclusion. My will is not iron. Sue me--or don't, I've already had enough of that this year. ;) )

So that's how I found my way to this book. And now I will pay for future books because I'm a fan and know that I'll probably like her others since I enjoyed this one so much.

So anyway, the book is fantastic. Read it. Laugh. Cry. Picture Sam naked.

More Like Her  by Liza Palmer

Genre: Women's Fiction/Chick Lit

Summary (from Amazon):

What really goes on behind those perfect white picket fences?

In Frances’s mind, beautiful, successful, ecstatically married Emma Dunham is the height of female perfection. Frances, recently dumped with spectacular drama by her boyfriend, aspires to be just like Emma. So do her close friends and fellow teachers, Lisa and Jill. But Lisa’s too career-focused to find time for a family. And Jill’s recent unexpected pregnancy could have devastating consequences for her less-than-perfect marriage.

Yet sometimes the golden dream you fervently wish for turns out to be not at all what it seems—like Emma’s enviable suburban postcard life, which is about to be brutally cut short by a perfect husband turned killer. And in the shocking aftermath, three devastated friends are going to have to come to terms with their own secrets . . . and somehow learn to move forward after their dream is exposed as a lie.

---

And I've been on a bit of a reading binge in between my writing binges lately, so here are two others I've read and loved recently:

Defying the Odds (Battered Hearts) by Kele Moon

Genre: Erotic Contemporary
Summary (from Amazon):

When struggling waitress Melody Dylan gives a handsome, lonely stranger a simple gift she has no clue her life is about to take a drastic turn.

The stranger ends up being Clay Powers, a famous UFC heavyweight fighter. Clay’s large build and dangerous fists have always intimidated. People in his hometown keep their distance and Clay is fine with that. Everything changes when a new waitress at the local diner buys him a piece of pie on Thanksgiving. Touched by the gesture when it’s obvious she can barely afford to survive, her warm smile and lush body churn up powerful feelings that leave Clay wanting more from her than pie.

Melody is running from her past and the small, country town of Garnet is the perfect hiding place. With an ex-husband after her and scars from her abusive marriage etched deep, the last thing she expects is to fall for a man who makes a living with his fists, but she can’t resist Clay or the tender connection they share.

Finding love in the most unlikely of places, the passion is undeniable, but Clay and Melody know their haunted pasts and unpredictable futures leave the odds stacked against them.

My take: Sexy and sweet. I devoured this one in a day. I haven't read anything by Kele Moon that I haven't liked.

Wife for Hire  by Christine Bell

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary (from Amazon):

He needs a wife for three weeks…

Owen Phipps is out for revenge. His mission? To expose the man who stole his sister’s money and dignity. All he needs is a “wife” who can play along. Too bad his last best hope is an actress who tries to mace him with perfume when he offers her the role of a lifetime.

Lindy Knight is a real sap. She loves too hard, feels too deep, and often finds herself saying yes when she should be saying “Let me think about it.” She can’t believe her good fortune when Owen offers her more than enough money to hold off foreclosure until she can find a job. Three weeks at a resort, money she desperately needs, and she gets to help bring a criminal to justice? Score.

It seems easy enough until a couples bonding game turns intimate, and they realize how dangerous their mutual attraction could be. Can they keep their hands to themselves long enough to find the evidence Owen needs? Or are the close quarters more temptation than they can handle?

My take: Funny and sweet and just an all around enjoyable romp. Full disclosure, I know Christine. But I don't pimp books I don't love. Truly. You'll never hear me singing some book's praises just to be nice to someone. (If I don't like it, I just say nothing at all, lol.)

So anyone else get book hangover? What great books have you read lately? And what gets you to pick up a book that's outside your normal genre preferences?