My Book Is Free... Please Take One!

Thanks to my awesome publisher, Abingdon Press, you can now get an electronic copy of The Pastor's Wife for free! That's right, 100% free. From now until May 22nd it's available in several different formats. Here are the links:

Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble NOOK
Christian Book Distributors

Some folks have asked me how it benefits the author to give the book away for free. First and foremost, it's great to build exposure. The hope is that if you read the free book, you'll be excited about the release of my next book (The Mother Road, April 2012). You might even want to buy a copy of The Pastor's Wife to give to a friend. In any case, it's a win-win for both reader and author. So here's how you can help me...

• Buy it -  Hey, it's free. Even if you already have the paper version, you may want to read it on the go one day.
• Review it - If you enjoyed it, a review on one (or more) of the sites would be a huge boost. It doesn't have to be long or complicated. Just whatever you have time for. Simple is sweet.
• Tell your friends about it - You don't have to be married to a clergy person to read this book. You don't even have to be a woman. A surprising number of men have read it without having a gun pointed at their backs, and enjoyed the experience. So let all the book lovers in your life know about it... the more the merrier!

The $6 Haircut - Creative Thinking in an Ever-Changing Marketplace

Most TV commercials make my eyes glaze over. But there's a commercial running right now for Office Depot that's not only funny, it's pretty darn perceptive.

"This is Dan," the announcer says. Dan owns a neighborhood barber shop. When a new chain-salon opens across the street offering $6 haircuts, Dan is distressed. He can't compete with that price. But Dan is not a man who gives up. Dan is smart. Dan is innovative. Dan shops at Office Depot, which is where he goes to buy everything he needs to make a banner proclaiming "WE FIX $6 HAIRCUTS." Six months later, the chain is out of business, and Dan is sitting pretty.

While the ad didn't make we want to run out and buy office supplies, it did get me thinking about how business owners react to changing trends. Which in turn got me thinking about how I react. As a writer, I'm really a small business owner. My books are my products, and all around me the publishing industry is changing.

Audio books, e-books, Kindle, iPad, Nook, web sites, book trailers, blog tours, social networking... Mark Twain didn't have to deal with any of this stuff! It can be overwhelming to be sure, but it's also invigorating. Today's Authors have more ways to connect with readers than ever before. The challenge is to grow, adapt, find what works for you and your peeps (or Tweets, if you're into that, as I am).

Here are some of the things I've done in my quest to publicize my new book, The Pastor's Wife (did I mention I have a new book coming out?)

• I put together a blog tour
• I created a book trailer
• I blog (obviously)
• I've got a web site (which isn't really new, but it's updated)
• I did an audio interview on FictionAddict.com (a completely new experience for me)
• I've made myself available for speaking engagements and book club visits

At this point, I feel like I've done everything I can do to promote the book, short of visiting Oprah (and if she call, I'm there!) Now, it's time for the readers to decide. Ultimately, they're the ones in charge of the most powerful marketing tool of all: word of mouth buzz.

Writers, what are you doing to market yourself that you never thought you'd do?
Readers, what was the last book you just had to tell your friends about? What made it so special?

Lightbulb photo - Morguefile.com

"The Pastor's Wife" is Ready to Roll!

It's been a long road, but my new book, The Pastor's Wife, is finally hitting shelves (both virtual and physical) on February 1st! My blog tour starts off a few days earlier and is full of interviews, reviews, and quite a few giveaways. I hope you can stop by a few of these fine blogs and share in the fun.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

January 30 - Dina Sleiman/Inkwell Inspirations - http://inkwellinspirations.blogspot.com/
January 31 - Lisa Richardson/Inspired Adventures - http://lisakaronrichardson.blogspot.com/
February 1 - Camy Tang/Camy's Loft - http://www.camys-loft.blogspot.com/
February 1 - Janalyn Voight/Book Reader's Central - http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/
February 2 - Cathy Bryant/Word Vessel - http://wordvessel.blogspot.com/
February 3 - Rose McCauley - http://rosemccauley.blogspot.com/
February 4 - Rel Mollet/Relz Reviews - http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/
February 6 - Delia Latham/My Book Bag - http://my-book-bag.blogspot.com/
February 6 - Teresa Slack - http://teresaslack.blogspot.com/
February 8 - Trish Perry - http://trishperry.com/
February 9 - Jodie Bailey - http://www.jodiebailey.com/
February 10 - Tiffany Stockton/Amber Stockton - http://www.amberstockton.com/
February 11 - Sarah Varland/Espresso in a Latte World - http://espressoinalatteworld.blogspot.com/ February 12 - Mary Connealy/Seekerville - http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
February 13 - Therese Travis -
February 14 - Brenda Anderson/Spire Reviews - http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/
February 15 - Sherri Ashcraft/The Mother Blog - http://sherrieashcraft.blogspot.com/
February 16 - Christine Cain - http://liztolsma.blogspot.com/
February 17 - D'Ann Mateer/Five Bazillion and One - http://fivebazillionandone.blogspot.com/
February 19 - Miralee Ferrell/Miralee's Desk - http://www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com/
February 20 - Edwina Cowgill/Musings of Edwina - http://musingsofedwina.blogspot.com/
February 22 - Pam Meyers/A Writer’s Journey - http://www.pammeyerswrites.blogspot.com/
February 23 - Debra Vogts/Country at Heart - http://deborahvogts.blogspot.com/
February 24 - Ane Mulligan/Novel Journey - http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/
February 25 - Christa Allan - http://christaallan.com/
February 26 - Peg Phifer/Sips 'n' Cups Cafe - http://www.sipsncupscafe.com/
February 27 - Jeannie Campbell/Where Romance Meets Therapy - http://jeanniecampbell.blogspot.com/
March ? - Tina Dee/The Homestead Heart - http://www.thehomesteadheart.com/

THE PASTOR'S WIFE - Now Available for Pre-Order!

I hope you're not getting sick of hearing me talk about my new book. But... I just have to let you know that it's available for pre-order now through Cokesbury. Even better, it's discounted to a mere $8.39, which is 40 percent off. What a bargain! The release date is February 2010, so if you order it now, you can have it in time for Valentine's Day. How romantic.

And in case this is the first time you've stumbled across my blog and have never heard of The Pastor's Wife, let me share a little about it...

He loves me...
He love me not...

Maura Sullivan never intended to set foot in Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind: a husband who ignored her, a congregation she couldn’t please, and a God who took away everything she ever loved.

Nick Shepherd thought he had put the past behind him, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick finds his feelings for her never died. Now, he must admit the mistakes he made, how he hurt his wife, and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.

As God works in both of their lives, Nick and Maura start to believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has one more secret to tell Nick before they can move forward. It’s what ultimately drove her to leave him three years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they’ve built.