kathimacias - Author Home - Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Bible study, devotionals, study guides, christian, Inspirational, Non-fiction

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
As we transition from 2008 to 2009, why not take a moment to leave a comment here, and you'll automatically be entered into a monthly drawing for a free book? Looking forward to hearing from you!
Posted on 12/23/2008
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Win a free book!
One of the most effective ways to get people onboard with a new book is to offer a contest. I have an ongoing contest on my other website (www.kathimacias.com) in which I draw a winning name each month from those who sign my guestbook. This time I've started something a little different. I have a blog specifically for my next book, HOW CAN I RUN A TIGHT SHIP WHEN I'M SURROUNDED BY LOOSE CANNONS? I'm currently running a contest, inviting people to stop by the blog and leave a comment with their own loose cannon story (we all have at least one, don't we?) and as a result have a chance to win a free copy when the book releases in Febuary.With that in mind, you might consider running a contest for your own book(s), and also stopping by my blog (http://tightship.wordpress.com/) and leaving a comment so you too can have a chance to win my new book.Blessings!
Posted on 11/14/2008
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Generating Excitement Through Contests
More about Contests and Giveaways Kathi Macias here, checking in this Friday beautiful morning to talk about contests and giveaways. I know there have been several posts on the topic before, but each time I see how well this sort of thing works as a simple and inexpensive means of promotion, I feel the need to mention it again. So here we go! I returned Sunday afternoon from a lovely weekend in Santa Barbara, CA, where I keynoted and taught a couple of workshops at the Christian writers' conference at Westmont College, an absolutely gorgeous campus in the hills of Montecito. One of the things I noticed was that by giving away a couple of books at the beginning of my first keynote presentation, interest in that book (and my others!) immediately escalated.Most of you know how these venues go. You arrive a bit early to set up the book table and get the "lay of the land," so to speak. You do a bit of meeting and greeting, and thank God for any assistance He may have provided (in this case, a lovely lady named Rose Marie, whom I met at the San Diego conference last month and who offered to help in any way necessary at this one). But pre-conference sales were minimal. And then I was introduced and got up to give the first of two keynote addresses.Before getting into my presentation, I held up a couple of books and asked a key question that brought an appropriate response. The first two who responded received copies of the book. Not only did that help to establish a rapport with the audience, but it generated a higher rate of enthusiasm for buying my books (which nearly sold out, by the way).I also find it's helpful to offer book giveaways on other people's websites and blogs. This is beneficial to the hosting sites, as well as in gaining new readers for my own sites.Finally, I keep an ongoing book giveaway contest going on my website. Anyone who takes the time to sign my guestbook is automatically entered into the once-a-month drawing, which has often resulted in the recipient's promotion of the book to friends and relatives, as well as an ordering of my other books.And, of course, the minimal cost of this type of promotion (author's discounted book price and shipping) is all tax deductible. Word-of-mouth is still the best type of marketing I've found, and contests and giveaways are a great way to generate it!
Posted on 10/24/2008
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Local Marketing Opportunities
Don't Overlook Local Venues! Kathi Macias here, checking in before leaving to speak at the beautiful Christian liberal arts college of Westmont, nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara, CA, overlooking the majestic Pacific. (Sound like a travel ad?) Seriously, this has to be one of the loveliest speaking venues I've ever had the privilege to attend, let alone be the keynote speaker, so I'm looking forward to the "beyond me writing" weekend! I have spoken at quite a few writers' conferences over the years/decades, and one of the things I've learned is that all speakers at these events sell more books than non-speakers. However, it's the keynote speaker who sells the most, so I'm praying for lots of sales this weekend.Most of us, however, can't be keynote speakers at well attended events in gorgeous venues every weekend--or even every month--so what can we do in the meantime? We can, of course, encourage our publicist to nudge radio hosts (particularly of large programs) to re-run our previously recorded interviews. That happened for me this week, with Moody's Prime Time America re-running an interview I did earlier this year and causing my Amazon ratings to go through the roof. Unfortunately, what goes up usually goes down, and after an initial flurry of activity, that's what happened to me.On a more positive note, I had some local opportunities drop in my lap--and I grabbed them. One in particular came as a result of a small group of book lovers who meet monthly to talk about--you got it!--books. These people love books, read books, talk about books, and above all, BUY books. They bought quite a few of mine when I drove the few miles to their meeting place and talked to them about my writing journey. Then, yesterday, one of them--who is on the board for the local friends-of-the-library type group--invited me to be their guest author at an upcoming library open house. This is a twice-yearly event that consistently has a big draw from the community, meaning a full-house venue of people who might not normally come to one of my book-signings. And according to the lady who invited me, every author they've ever featured has sold out of books by the end of the day.It's a no-brainer, isn't it? I drive a few miles, have a chance to meet and chat with the locals, sip some punch, and sell lots of books. And I don't doubt for a moment that other invitations will come from it, as lots of local pastors, women's ministry leaders, and members of other book clubs and friends-of-the-library groups from surrounding towns and cities will be in attendance. With the economy the way it is, it's always a plus to get as many local venues as possible, so this library open house is an excellent way to become better established and known in the area.So consider reaching out to those local book clubs and libraries. Donate a book or two, drop off some one-sheets and bookmarks, and see what happens. You just might be pleasantly surprised!
Posted on 10/17/2008
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Winding up My Blog Tour
Kathi Macias here, on the last day of my blog tour for my newest release, BEYOND ME: LIVING A YOU-FIRST LIFE IN A ME-FIRST WORLD. I announced the blog tour when it began in early August, and now here is the promised wrap-up and analysis on how it went.First, let me be completely honest and say that there is no way of accurately measuring (at least not yet) how effective it was, at least regarding actual sales numbers. But I can definitely report a huge upswing in "beyond me" Internet sightings and responses. My website hits have tripled, and my weekly mailing list has gone up significantly. I can't help but think that's going to transfer into sales at some point along the way.And if it doesn't? I can tell you this much for certain--it's been a fantastically fun month! I've met people I would never have met otherwise, and my networking circles have grown cosiderably. And it hasn't just been in Christian venues, which is another perk. I'm finding that one of the results of this blog tour is a ripple effect into the secular reading community. Yes, even non-Christians are excited about expanding their lives beyond themselves--though my hope is that they will read the book and discover they can't effectively do so without Christ at the center.I hope to give you all a clearer picture of my blog tour results somewhere down the road, but for now let me say that I have found it to be a very effective means of marketing--and without expending much time or money on my part. Definitely worth checking into, ladies and gentlemen--and definitely one I will use again with the three books I have scheduled for release in 2009!
Posted on 8/29/2008
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