Thank you so much for the mention. I was reading along so invested in what you were explaining that I read write over Micromance and was like, "wait, what?" Lol ... What you said means a lot, especially coming from someone of your caliber of writing with the publishing experience (and expertise) that you have... It made me a little 🥹... As I was reading about the marketing challenges that some face, I was nodding along and thinking that, not to toot my own horn, but I do believe that is part of what has made MM so popular - I don't have any degrees or instruction in advertising or marketing, but I have been surrounded by entrepreneurs my entire life (parents, family friends, working for independent family-owned businesses, etc) and have that entrepreneurial spirit and, combined with my creativity, that has been the force behind MM... And I have a lot of experience in writing ad copy, both print and for radio, and with designing ads/billboards, etc., that I feel I may do a bit better (not to sound superior) or put a bit more effort into promoting MM than some other lit mags may do... Of course, being in romance, I know it's a distinct audience for both writers and readers and I know how competitive it is - so, unlike some other lit mags, I have to put that extra effort in... But I love it! I am still new to publishing and trying to choose the proper keywords for the KissMet Quarterly anthologies has been a challenge, but I think I'm getting the hang of it! The main thing is, it takes a lot of time to promote and, unfortunately, a lot of people don't have that time or want to part with it. Especially, as you said, those writers who are used to editors and publishers doing everything for them... It has to be a difficult transition. This really was an article worth reading - thank you for the info. And again, thanks for the shout out! I really appreciate it..
It validates a lot of what I hoped to achieve when I started MM... 😊
This article was amazing, Mina. So informative and insightful. I love being a part of the romance community. I love that we are all evolving and growing, supporting each other. I agree with Gail, it's the personal touch that wins. I come from an entrepreneurial family, my father owned a car dealership. So I am always dipping into the word of mouth style of marketing that made his business really successful. I'm still trying to find my right style and groove with publishing. But I love the romance community so much. Thank you to you both. You and Gail are leading the charge. I am merely shadowing, gathering breadcrumbs, and aiming to find my place. But you two continue to give me hope and confidence. Thank you both for being such amazing role models. We are all watching and learning from the best... XO ❤️💕❤️
From what I remember when I was thinking about going the traditional route in late 90s-early 00s, I remember hearing that if you weren't well-known or a previous bestseller, or even a celebrity, the marketing onus was on the author. So, when you said this - "For decades, romance authors could focus purely on their craft. They wrote their books, turned them in to their editors, and trusted the machinery of traditional publishing to handle everything else"-- I was like, "When? When was this happening?" LOL Apparently, it was way back in the Publishing Day, before my time, when the publishing world was completely dominated by The Big 5 and indie publishing was a sparkle in someone's eye. LOL
Oh, definitely. That time when authors could just focus on writing while publishers handled everything else feels like a whole different world now. I think it was back in the '80s (when I first started reading romance). I wish I could remember where I read that, because like you, I was thinking, "Wait… what?!" Big publishers took care of all the marketing, distribution, and promo. Authors didn’t have to juggle social media or build their own platforms. They’d write the book, hand it over, and voilà! I know it wasn’t that simple, and they worked hard on those novels, but by the late '90s and early 2000s, the landscape started shifting, and authors began taking on more of the marketing themselves, especially if they weren’t already a big name. Talk about a huge change.
Thank you so much for the mention. I was reading along so invested in what you were explaining that I read write over Micromance and was like, "wait, what?" Lol ... What you said means a lot, especially coming from someone of your caliber of writing with the publishing experience (and expertise) that you have... It made me a little 🥹... As I was reading about the marketing challenges that some face, I was nodding along and thinking that, not to toot my own horn, but I do believe that is part of what has made MM so popular - I don't have any degrees or instruction in advertising or marketing, but I have been surrounded by entrepreneurs my entire life (parents, family friends, working for independent family-owned businesses, etc) and have that entrepreneurial spirit and, combined with my creativity, that has been the force behind MM... And I have a lot of experience in writing ad copy, both print and for radio, and with designing ads/billboards, etc., that I feel I may do a bit better (not to sound superior) or put a bit more effort into promoting MM than some other lit mags may do... Of course, being in romance, I know it's a distinct audience for both writers and readers and I know how competitive it is - so, unlike some other lit mags, I have to put that extra effort in... But I love it! I am still new to publishing and trying to choose the proper keywords for the KissMet Quarterly anthologies has been a challenge, but I think I'm getting the hang of it! The main thing is, it takes a lot of time to promote and, unfortunately, a lot of people don't have that time or want to part with it. Especially, as you said, those writers who are used to editors and publishers doing everything for them... It has to be a difficult transition. This really was an article worth reading - thank you for the info. And again, thanks for the shout out! I really appreciate it..
It validates a lot of what I hoped to achieve when I started MM... 😊
You're very welcome! Whatever you're doing, keep it up. I love Micromance Magazine and the stories you publish there. ☺️
This article was amazing, Mina. So informative and insightful. I love being a part of the romance community. I love that we are all evolving and growing, supporting each other. I agree with Gail, it's the personal touch that wins. I come from an entrepreneurial family, my father owned a car dealership. So I am always dipping into the word of mouth style of marketing that made his business really successful. I'm still trying to find my right style and groove with publishing. But I love the romance community so much. Thank you to you both. You and Gail are leading the charge. I am merely shadowing, gathering breadcrumbs, and aiming to find my place. But you two continue to give me hope and confidence. Thank you both for being such amazing role models. We are all watching and learning from the best... XO ❤️💕❤️
I'm happy you liked it. ☺️
OMG! This comment...🥹..thank you so much, Laura! I don't know what else to say...for once, In speechless...😄
I've been writing women's fiction wanting to be Kristin Hannah. I am becoming the romance monster y'all have created...lol XO 💕😎
From what I remember when I was thinking about going the traditional route in late 90s-early 00s, I remember hearing that if you weren't well-known or a previous bestseller, or even a celebrity, the marketing onus was on the author. So, when you said this - "For decades, romance authors could focus purely on their craft. They wrote their books, turned them in to their editors, and trusted the machinery of traditional publishing to handle everything else"-- I was like, "When? When was this happening?" LOL Apparently, it was way back in the Publishing Day, before my time, when the publishing world was completely dominated by The Big 5 and indie publishing was a sparkle in someone's eye. LOL
Oh, definitely. That time when authors could just focus on writing while publishers handled everything else feels like a whole different world now. I think it was back in the '80s (when I first started reading romance). I wish I could remember where I read that, because like you, I was thinking, "Wait… what?!" Big publishers took care of all the marketing, distribution, and promo. Authors didn’t have to juggle social media or build their own platforms. They’d write the book, hand it over, and voilà! I know it wasn’t that simple, and they worked hard on those novels, but by the late '90s and early 2000s, the landscape started shifting, and authors began taking on more of the marketing themselves, especially if they weren’t already a big name. Talk about a huge change.