The Team: Publicist Roxanne Rhoads – Entangled In Romance

We cannot believe how fast time is flying! We’re just a little over two months away from our official launch and release of our first 10 novels, and boy, oh boy, do we have an amazing list of books to bring into the world.

Entangled Publishing believes in team work, and part of our team is publicist Roxanne Rhoads. Here she is giving a little insight about her experience with Entangled Publishing…

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1. One thing that sets Entangled Publishing apart is the fact that every author is assigned a publicist. Tell us what an author can do to promote him/herself.

I think one of the best ways an author can promote themselves is to have a great online presence- more than just having a good website or blog but it is necessary to have good social media interaction as well.

Twitter and Facebook are great ways to promote online but it has to be balanced- it can’t be all promo.

It’s all about cultivating relationships with readers, book bloggers, other authors, and people in the publishing field. You never know who might be in a position to advance your career or which blogger may have a huge following that can increase your readership.

I think the biggest thing is not to be afraid to promote yourself and your work. Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean readers will flock to it, they have to know the book exists and that only happens through promotional efforts. And the best, easiest, cheapest way to do it without ever leaving your home is by promoting online. You can reach people all around the world at any time of day- and it’s always there.

2. Tell us about yourself! What do you, as a publicist for EP, bring to the table?

I am a reader and writer. I am convinced I was born with a pen and notebook in one hand and a novel in the other. As an only child books and the stories I made up were what kept me busy. I was first published when I was 11. I began to focus on writing and the publishing world as a career in 2005 and since then I’ve been an editor, a freelance writer, an erotic romance author, a columnist, a poet, a book blogger, a reviewer, and the owner of an online book tour company- and now officially, a book publicist.

So I’ve seen the publishing world from many different angles and I use that knowledge to work with the authors, readers, and book bloggers to make promotion as easy and painless as possible. I try to give the bloggers and reviewers what they are looking for while helping the authors get the best promotion possible.

3. How do you see an author/publicist relationship working?

It is definitely a partnership- neither of us can really be successful by going it alone. The publicist has to be willing to go the extra mile to find the right fit for authors , the perfect places, events, and blogs to promote their type of book and the author has to be willing to stay in contact with the publicist keep them informed of schedules and possible conflicts and the author has to be willing to promote themself.

Publicists can’t be everywhere at once holding the author’s hand. If an author goes out somewhere they have to be willing to say “Yes I am an author, this is my book and this is what it is about.”

These next tidbits of advice, I can’t claim as my own, but from personal experience I know they work.

1) Always carry a copy of your newest book with you, keep several in your car. You never know when someone you just talked about your book to will say “do you have one with you, can I buy it now?”

2) Carry some kind of promo item with you always – be sure it has the very basics (your name, email and web address) on it-whether it is a business card, bookmark, or the new thing, Romance Trading Cards, just make sure the important info is on your materials so that the reader can find you or your book later.