M. E. Wood

PROMOBEATS INTERVIEW

Shelia Goss

Please join me in a big Word Museum and PromoBeats welcome to Shelia Goss.

Moe: Please tell us what name(s) you write under, the name of your book(s), the genre of your book(s), and the formats.

Shelia Goss: My name is Shelia Goss. I'm the author of two novels. My first book was published in 2003 - Roses are Thorns, Violets are True. It's a paperback and can be categorized as Women’s Fiction. My second novel, My Invisible Husband, was released at the end of September of 2004. It's also a paperback and categorized as Women’s Fiction.

Moe: What do you do to promote your book(s)?

Shelia Goss: I cross-promote with other authors. For example, we send each other promotional materials to provide to our readers. We hand them out at booksignings, events or
when we receive direct orders from readers. We also hold joint contests and add links to each other's websites.

I also use the internet and print magazines such as Booking Matters Magazine to promote my books. I get exposure by writing articles for BellaOnline.com Women in Music. I participate in different events online and offline (i.e., writing workshops) whenever possible.

Buying ads in magazines and banners on websites have been helpful. As well as having book reviews appear in various places.

Moe: What method or methods of promotion have you used which work well?

Shelia Goss: #1 Internet – thankfully promoting on the internet has given me exposure to readers who may not have known about either one of my books.

#2 Print Magazine – Some people still like to see hard copies of information, so this is a great way to reach this audience.

Moe: What method or methods of promotion have you used that have not worked well?

Shelia Goss: Sometimes paying for promotions on websites that I’m not familiar with. If promoting on other websites, just make sure you’ve heard of it long before you fork out any funds.

Moe: Where did you learn how to promote your books? Is there a special place or places where you find good promotion information?

Shelia Goss: I learned a lot about promoting by taking the Guerilla Marketing Class by Author Linda Dominique Grosvenor. In her online class, I learned how and where to send press kits, various marketing tips, which distributors to use and how to get my books in all the major bookstores, etc. The class is offerred several times a year.

Moe: Do you like to promote? Or do you find it frustrating?

Shelia Goss: I love promoting. I enjoy coming up with new ideas and ways to capture other people’s attention. One way I've done this is making sure that my online newsletter offer something different than others. The first unique thing I did was have a SIGNATURE. If you go to my website, you'll see an example of my signature. Now there are others who use signatures, but I was one of the firsts.

A fellow author, Cherlyn Michaels, gave me the next idea. I interviewed the character Nicolette Montana and sent it out to various locations. It pulled in some readers because it made the character real to them.

I try to have at least one contest per quarter and sometimes more often. For instance, I've been able to have a contest once a month since July. My current contest only requires the person to be a member of my email mailing list and they will be eligible for a drawing to win a basket of Temple Bath and Body Products(which is the same products that the main character, Nicolette Montana, in My Invisible Husband uses). One of the contests that ended in August, the winner won a Louis Vuitton back pack because the character, Nicolette Montana had one in the book.

Moe: Have you been interviewed as an author? By which mediums?

Shelia Goss: I’ve been interviewed by several book clubs and online websites. For example, http://flavahreviewers.homestead.com/Interviews/SheliaMGossB_Interview.html

I've also appeared in Booking Matters Magazine. One of my most recent interviews appeared in a special October issue of Writer’s Digest.

Moe: Do you have any good promotion tips for your fellow authors that you would like to share?

Shelia Goss: Yes. The best advice I can give you is to find something unique to your story or character and play off it. For example, the character Rose from my first book Roses are thorns, Violets are True is a movie star, so I had a contest giving away movie tickets and blockbuster gift certificates.

Moe: Please add anything else here you'd like to say.

Shelia Goss: One thing to remember after writing your masterpiece, the work is not done. You have to get the word out about your book, so promote, promote, promote.

I like to keep open communication with readers, so I send out a monthly newsletter. I try to keep it interesting by adding other information in addition to what’s
going on with me and my books.

Moe: Please add a short bio.

Shelia Goss: Dallas Morning News Best-Selling Author Shelia M. Goss is the recipient of three 2003 Shades of Romance Magazine Reader’s Choice Multi-Cultural Awards for her debut novel, ROSES are Thorns, VIOLETS are True.Her poetry has appeared in National Magazines such as Black Romance Magazine. Besides writing fiction, she is a book reviewer and writes for the BellaOnline Women in Music section. Her current novel, My Invisible Husband, was released in the Fall of 2004 to rave reviews. Visit her website.

06/03