Author: RJ Crayton

RJ Crayton is a former journalist turned novelist. By day, she writes thrillers with a touch of romance. By night, she practices the art of ninja mom. To learn more about her or her books, visit her website or her Author Central page.

RJ Crayton: Excited to Join IU

rj crayton libraryHello. I’m so glad to be joining the IU team.

I first stumbled upon IU early last year when I decided to self publish my novel. I came from a career as a journalist, so the idea of publishing words–or even seeing my name in print– was not foreign. However, publishing a novel is different from writing for a daily, and not necessarily intuitive. In my quest for some practical answers, I found Indies Unlimited.

There were wonderful posts about simple things that I had no idea were important, like creating an Author Central page and linking all your books to it. I especially loved finding out about different sites like LibraryThing, and learning how to make a video trailer. There’s always a wealth of information. Continue reading “RJ Crayton: Excited to Join IU”

How to Create Book Club Questions for your Novel

rj crayton libraryGuest Post
by RJ Crayton

As authors, we want our books read, and what better place than at book clubs? So, if your book is chosen by a book club, one thing you can do to make it easy for the group (besides writing a great book) is give them questions.

Many books published nowadays come with a series of “Book Club” or “Discussion” questions at the end. So, how do you create these questions for your book? Continue reading “How to Create Book Club Questions for your Novel”

Combatting the Rumors Following Success

Guest post
by R.J. Crayton

OK, so normally, people here blog about writing process, publishing and striving for success. But, what about what happens and you’ve achieved success? Because I’m generally, “the sky is falling” type of person, my dreams of success include strategies for combating the inevitable rumors and falsehoods that will start once my writing career really takes off.

So, today I thought I’d talk strategies for rumor control. The key is to be prepared, and mostly, be honest, if wild rumors come out. Here are some samples of how I might deal with future rumors. Continue reading “Combatting the Rumors Following Success”

Tips: Adding a Banner to Your Website

Guest post
by RJ Crayton

I was recently perusing the web when I ran across an author website with a thin blue banner that said, “Connect with me on Facebook.” When I clicked it, it took me to the author’s Facebook page, which I decided to like.

I thought this was pretty cool and would be a good addition to any author’s page. The bar allows you to put the information you feel is most important for readers up top to see. What’s important could be joining your mailing list, connecting on Facebook, following on Twitter or something else entirely different. With many of these bars, once users have seen it, they can click a button to minimize the bar from view, so it’s not a distraction as they peruse the rest of your site. Continue reading “Tips: Adding a Banner to Your Website”