Mary E. Merrell - Author

www.maryemerrell.com

@MaryMerrell7

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I've picked 12 marketing tips to work on. My goal is to come up with a doable plan where I spend about an hour or two at the most per day on a plan that will bring me greater sales without making me nuts. I feel I could have used all the tips, and hope that after I get in a routine with these tips, I can add more to my schedule. I plan on having my daily schedule finalized by April 30, 2013.

THE REAL ESTATE PARANORMAL MYSTERY SERIES MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE:

1. Ideal Reader - I didn't even think about this one, but it sounds smart. - By May 6, 2013

My sister-in-law reading House Haunting

Action Step:

Fill out Ideal Reader Worksheet by May 4, 2013
Apply information to blog posts and book descriptions and website by May 6, 2013

2. Book Descriptions-The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series - I have been working on the descriptions for my books. Now with the help of Mark Edwards, I have some direction. Finish all descriptions - By May 11, 2013

House Haunting - Book 1 (New description a work in progress)

Are you afraid of ghosts...wait till you meet Keith Laumer, the things he's says are positively frightening. And not right.

Add testimonials and statements that inspire feelings in potential readers. Add taglines.

When real estate meets the supernatural...it's murder.

There’s no such things as ghosts.

That’s what real estate agent Rosemary Fernandes thought until the day she started hearing them...the voices of lost souls. The dead are drawn to Rosemary. They call to her from their places of death, and Rosemary feels compelled to help them. Is it her innate goodness or the gift? And what happens when the secrets of the dead come back from the past to haunt her?

Vampires are creatures of legend.

Ghosts are drawn to Rosemary like magnets, but does she have to attract all the kooks as well? Marcus Lyons thinks he’s a vampire, and he wants Rosemary to be his personal assistant, his human servant. Rosemary ignores his crazy proposition until Marcus gives her an offer she dare not refuse. When Rosemary meets Cassandra a murdered stripper, she uncovers more than she bargained for. Can she work her business, run errands for the vampire and help Cassandra while staying ahead of a killer out for revenge?

Soul in Present Condition - Book 3 - Release due in May 2013

Divorced. Check.

Ghost whisperer. Check.

Human servant. Check.

Great. Check.

You'll laugh while chills run down your spine as Rosemary Fernandes stumbles through the pitfalls of the real estate business and the world of the supernatural.

Rosemary Fernandes never planned on being divorced. She never expected to be able to communicate with ghosts nor be the human servant to a vampire either. But she is all these things. Rosemary has had to get tough to compete in the cutthroat world of real estate and even tougher as she accepts her life as a human servant to Marcus Lyons and help the lost souls who call to her.

When Rosemary encounters Benito Cruz, the ghost seems like her best chance to keep her Spanish speaking clients from the other agents in the office, but the ghost is hiding something. Can Rosemary help this lost soul find peace in his present condition, deal with the demands of the vampires, and keep her friends and family safe, or will the ghost's past comes back to haunt her?

Action Steps:

Read guest post by Mark Edwards once more
Find testimonials to add to descriptions
Finish descriptions
Put new descriptions on Amazon, website, and media page

3. Author Bio - Mary E. Merrell - Done

Mary E. Merrell writes Paranormal Mysteries and Young Adult Urban Fantasy. She has worked many jobs, but always had stories in her head. It wasn’t until she went into real estate and walked into that old, vacant home that The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series came to life. Fortunately, nothing spooky happened at the furniture store or the first book could have been, “The Haunted Sofa”.

All Mary E. Merrell’s books are slightly scary, humorous and heartwarming. House Haunting, the first book in The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series has received good feed back. One reviewer called it “A good start to a new series.” Her Young Adult series, Affinity is also humorous but deals with very real life themes. A reviewer said, “Love it. So different. A fun read.” Soul in Present Condition, Book 3 of The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series is due out May of 2013.

Mary E. Merrell lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband, two dogs, and four cats. She has two grown sons. When she’s not writing, she’s gardening or playing soccer. Please visit her website to see what she’s working on next at www.maryemerrell.com. Or contact her through Facebook or Twitter, @MaryMerrell7.

Action Steps:

Add new bio to website, media page(already on Author Central) by May 11, 2013

4. Media Page - Add Media page to website - By May 18, 2013

Include on Media Page;

Author bio
Book description
Headshot
Book cover image
Pics of book
Links to retailers
Links to social networks
Contact info

Action Steps:

Make media page on website - www. maryemerrell.com

5. Tweak Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Mary-E.-Merrell/e/B00CF66HS6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 I didn't even know what Author Central was, so I set up my author profile using my new bio. - finish by May 11, 2013.

Action Steps:

Add pictures with captions to Author Central
Add links to Author Central
Add new descriptions when finished by May 11, 2013

6. Reviews - This has been a problem for me. I need reviews and it's hard to get my friends who liked the book to do them for me. - 5/31/13 - I think this is going to be an ongoing endeavor.

Ways of doing this:

Tell my readers why this is so important
make it easy, give readers a link and a polite request
Goodreads, Library Thing, I just joined She Writes(need a daily and weekly schedule of working Goodreads and SheWrites, so I don't get frustrated and overwhelmed.
Ask blog hosts to cross post
Find reviewers using the Resource Pack week 1

Actions Steps:

Check out resource pack
Goodreads giveaway, check out She Writes for ways of connecting with readers and getting reviews.
Contact people who have read my books and request a review.

7. Guest Posting - Start Small, Grow Big - Start May 31, 2013 for Soul in Present Condition Release in June 2013.

Target right blogs. Their audience = Your audience
Use Pitch Technique
Find Blogs by using drafting technique - Google search
Find Blogs by using alltop.com referred to me by Ernest.

Action Steps:

Watch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-vo0n_UljBzc
Research sights
Pitch blog owners with titles and concrete idea for a blog post with article written and titled if needed for blog post for release of Soul in Present Condition in June 2013.

8. Taglines - By May 18, 2013

If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, you'll find a kindred spirit with Rosemary Fernandes.

Make them:

memorable
describes mission
catches attention

Action Steps:

Brainstorm more taglines
Focus group taglines to see which one attracts attention
Put on website, social networks, author central and email signature

9. Twitter - @MaryMerrell7 I have been tweeting, but not consistently. My goal is to tweet every day and not just to promote myself but promote my fellow authors and connect with them. Start Immediately

Put on my daily calendar and mark off numbers as I complete them.

Two tweets daily to promote my fellow authors blog or books with comments and reviews.

Two tweets daily to promote my own books with taglines or announcing giveaway and reviews.

Two tweets daily to connect with other people just for the fun of it.

Action Step:

Set up schedule on calendar by April 29, 2013
Tweet Now! April 26, 2013

10. Easy Tips - By 5/11/2013

Action Steps:

Add URL to email signature
Website URL on all social media profiles, author central, pinterest, everything
Make sure it is easy on my website to contact me.
Make sure there are plenty of buy buttons on website.

11. Follow Successful Authors(Stalking Authors) - I've started following authors' blogs and bloggers that I really enjoy. I get a lot of emails for new posts daily. My goal is to pick a post or two per day I want to read. If I like the post, I leave a comment, tweet and facebook the post. If the the post is a guest post from an author with a book I connect with, I leave a comment for the author, check out her website and friend her on goodreads and twitter and like her facebook page. Start Immediately

I2. Start discusion on Goodreads. I really liked this suggestion by Octavia, I believe.

Action Steps

Contact Octavia - April 30th
Start Discusion on Goodreads - May 6th

12. New Profile Picture - My profile picture is very old, I need a new one but don't feel it is an immediate necessity. Taking my own picture hasn't proven satisfactory. By June 30, 2013

The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series Marketing Plan - image 7 - student project

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