4 Steps to Cracking Amazon’s “Hot New Releases” List

By Tina Coleman Bausinger

My book, Cold Coffee and Speed Limits hit #6 on Amazon’s “Hot New Releases” Parenting and Family Humor category. It was released less than a week ago and I don’t have any major publishers or big-time book reviewers backing me. For brief shining moment, my book was in front of Whoopi Goldberg’s and Jim Gaffigan’s books! 

My little geek self is still in awe. I published my first novel through a traditional small press publisher (so yes, someone bought it and I signed an actual contract), but when it was time to put out my second book I decided to do it Indie-style–on my own. I crossed over into Best Sellers (so briefly, so no, Ma, I’m not “rich yet”), as well as the Top Rated book list. It’s week 3 and I’m still on the Hot New Releases list, in two categories.

Here’s what I’ve done–and it’s WORKED.

1. Social Media: USE IT! My favorites are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. This includes tiny teasers on my Facebook posts as well as individual pages just for this book. Because I have Fiction and Books pages on Pinterest, I put it on there as well. I also put it on my Writer’s Café page on Facebook where I’ve accumulated over 1000 followers. It’s free advertising. I chatted it up to my friends, who also chatted it up with their friends. Word of mouth goes a long way!

2. I’ve been blogging my butt off. This has cost me nothing but my time, although I have invested in a nice-looking template and a few other goodies. Blogging has helped establish me as an “expert” in my field as well as given me material for my book. In addition, it helps my “Google-ability” or my social media presence. I don’t blog only about my book—that’s boring and people will dump you like last night’s leftovers. I blog about my family, about writing, about teaching—all of which are organic topics for me.  I’ve also gained readers who are interested in my blog about parenting teens, so naturally many of these same readers are also interested in buying a book about the same topic. If you spend time giving people valuable information (or inspiration, or entertainment), they will come back for more.

3. Don’t try to skip a professional cover. When I was working on my draft, I had a really cute picture of my son and his girlfriend for the temporary cover, then I asked my friend  who’s a pro in graphics and marketing to help me. I paid him in ENCHILADAS, people. I mean, they’re pretty good enchiladas, but I know he was on the losing end of this deal. A professionally designed cover sets you apart and gives you an edge.

4. I asked for help. Not psychological help (but who knows how long that will last), but help editing and promoting my book. In exchange for an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC), readers promised to 1) give me HONEST feedback 2) tell me of any spelling/grammar/continuity issues 3) write a short review and 4) help me promote my book on social media. It’s a cheap price to pay, AND I placed excerpts of the reviews in the beginning of the book so that people who were just checking it out might be motivated to KEEP READING. This cost me nothing but my pride. When my book was released, I asked these ladies (as well as others) to go on Amazon and post a review there. Reviews (even less than 5 stars!) add a legitimacy to your book.

So remember, PLAN AHEAD. You don’t have big bucks for promotion, but you do have to spend some time. It’s all worth it to see your book on the list!

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Tina Coleman Bausinger has a Master’s degree in English and is the author of War Eagle Women, a Southern gothic novel and Cold Coffee and Speed Limits. She’s a contributing writer in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, publishing in two of their books--Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Good Times and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 101 Inspirational Stories of Energy, Endurance, and Endorphins. She writes features, travel pieces and book reviews for IN Magazine, the Tyler Paper, Freelancewriting.com and enjoys blogging at tinabausinger.com . She teaches English Composition at a local junior college. She lives in Tyler, Texas with her husband, three kids, a bully Chihuahua and a German shepherd with anxiety issues. Contact Tina on any of her pages. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tina.bausinger, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Writing About the South (Especially When it’s Not Cool to Write About the South)

By Tina Bausinger

O magnet-south! O glistening perfumed South! My South! — Walt Whitman

As Southerners, we get it.

The South will always have a lot to answer for. All those years of slavery and civil injustice don’t just go away because we wish they would. We’re working on change, and the old axiom that “change is never easy” hardly seems appropriate. The kind of change that’s needed here is the kind that tears and bleeds. It’s slower than we’d like. There aren’t any good excuses.

What does that mean for Southern writers? Are we supposed to ignore this idea, this identity?  Do we let everybody else paint us, or are we allowed to pick up the brush?
The first step to resolving problems is to acknowledge them, and a good place to do that is in writing.  Who knows better the beauty and tragedy of the South than those who have come from here?
But there is a way to write about the South as a setting without reverting to stereotypes.  It has to do with balance.

If we wax too far nostalgic, we risk a fake, Gone With the Wind mentality that attempts to gloss over the sins of our past and romanticize the way things used to be. Remaining in the past is one issue the South struggles with.

However, if we lean too far to the punishment side of the compass, anything we write will come across as too preachy or politically correct.

I think we just have to remain authentic to our characters, to our history, to ourselves. Honesty and integrity in writing go a long way in appealing to readers and good storytelling.  Perfection is never the answer.
So write your characters Southern if you want to. But color them with different crayons.  Give them both flaws and assets.
Place your setting in the South, but focus on both its beauty as well as its danger.

Write about racism, sexism, or ageism if you wish—but don’t stop there.

Don’t forget the beauty of a Southern sunrise, or the smile of a stranger.

Write about the difficulty a Southern woman encounters when rising up through the ranks, but also portray the charm of a Southern gentleman.  

It’s quite a complex dance.

A perfect example of achieving this balance is Toni Morrison’s work. She doesn’t shirk from the ugly, and somehow she manages to lead you along with her lovely words until you realize your heart is ripped right out of your chest and you’re not even sure when it happens.

That’s how you write about the South.
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Tina Coleman Bausinger has a Master’s degree in English and is the author of War Eagle Women, a Southern gothic novel. She’s a contributing writer in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, publishing in two of their books--Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Good Times and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 101 Inspirational Stories of Energy, Endurance, and Endorphins. She writes features, travel pieces and book reviews for IN Magazine, the Tyler Paper, Freelancewriting.com and enjoys blogging at tinabausinger.com . She teaches English Composition at a local junior college. She lives in Tyler, Texas with her husband, three kids, a bully Chihuahua and a German shepherd with anxiety issues.

Contact Tina on any of her pages. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tina.bausinger, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

How to Write a Believable Southern Character

By Tina Coleman Bausinger

So many times we see Southerners portrayed as backward, drunken, laughable—generally an ignorant, uneducated person with loose morals.

I’m kind of tired of it.

Yes, your character can be Southern (some would argue at least one of them MUST be Southern), but let’s not put any more stereotypes out there for everyone. There’s plenty already. Think I’m exaggerating? It’s not just the “Beverly Hillbillies” or Forrest Gump (yes, I’m showing my age). Think Daryl from “The Walking Dead,” the entire Honey Boo Boo family, and Pennsatucky Doggett from “Orange is the New Black.” I love OITNB, but not how Pennsatucky is drawn.

Even if you haven’t seen any of these shows, you may infer that several typecasts are at play here. Many of the accents that are portrayed are badly done, the characters are meth-heads, and they are a bit slower than the other characters. Years of bad television and Southern characters portrayed by someone who’s never met a Southerner may be to blame. No matter. It’s up to us to fix this.

Here’s some examples of great southern characters penned by Southern authors who actually know what they are doing.

1.      "Scout" Jean Louise Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. She’s smart, plucky, inquisitive…and she’s not racist.

2.      Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series. She does have an accent, but since Charlaine is from Arkansas, it’s authentic. Sookie is also intelligent and brave—plus she can read minds. That would be a handy gift to have.

3.       "M'Lynn" Eatenton from Steel Magnolias. She’s educated (a therapist) and is a solid role model for her entire family.

4.      Evelyn Couch from Fried Green Tomatoes. She’s gentle, caring and learns to stick up for herself and get what she wants. You also can’t go wrong with a good friendship story, ever.

5.      Any Southern woman Jessica Lange portrays. Some great examples include Jessica as Blanche in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Meg Magrath in “Crimes of the Heart.” 

Am I saying our Southerners can’t be flawed? Absolutely not. All characters must have flaws or else they are flat, boring unrelatable people. I would just like to see some different flaws portrayed. Also, consult your local Southerner for dialect lessons if needed.

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Tina Coleman Bausinger has a Master’s degree in English and is the author of War Eagle Women, a Southern gothic novel. She’s a contributing writer in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, publishing in two of their books--Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Good Times and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 101 Inspirational Stories of Energy, Endurance, and Endorphins. She writes features, travel pieces and book reviews for IN Magazine, the Tyler Paper, Freelancewriting.com and enjoys blogging at tinabausinger.com . She teaches English Composition at a local junior college. She lives in Tyler, Texas with her husband, three kids, a bully Chihuahua and a German shepherd with anxiety issues.

Contact Tina on any of her pages.

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tina.bausinger, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.