It's The Writing, Stupid

...or not.

Maybe it's everything BUT the writing.

That's how I feel these days as I figure out how to run a contest from my web site, join even MORE Yahoo groups, and...well...exhaust every method available to pimp myself, er, my upcoming book release.

Take last night, for example. Another couple hours spent learning more about the wonderful world of Myspace. For you old fogies out there, Myspace is the equivalent to the party line when we were kids. I guess. Anyway, it's how (cough) younger folks "network" these days. Gotta have a Myspace page.

As it turns out, it's also a hip new way to market books, too. That is, if anyone's reading anymore.

Once you have your site set up, one idea is to search the database for members who list "reading romance novels" among their interests. Then you send them an "invite" to be your "friend." If they accept, their little avatar icon doo-hinkey shows up on your site and your "linked" forever. Now, anytime you send a bulletin (for example, announcing the release of your book), it automatically goes out to all those romance reading "friends" you've hooked up. I know of one author who accumulated 7,000 potential readers that way. Talk about casting a wide net, huh?

So, last night I worked on "pimping" my site again--yep, that's the lingo. When I first created it, I went wacko with this complicated scrolling background consisting of puffy white clouds. That's gone. I've gone the more austere route, albeit with a kinda shocking pink text. Oh, and I added a Lara Fabian song. Bonus! (When you're finished with this post, go check it out HERE...and, by all means, if you're a Myspace member, be sure to invite me to be your friend--I promise never to gossip behind your back or ask to borrow money.)

Okay, that's it for now. I'm off to troll for more friends.

Yep, it's all about the writing.