Put the FIRE in your MARKETING!

As an author, have you really thought about how you can use the E-reader to network with your true reader?

I'm lucky in the fact that I have a Nook, Ipad, Iphone, Kindle and Kindle Fire. But the Kindle Fire has an amazing feature that allows you to connect straight to your target audience. . .your READERS!! The actual people who bought your novel!!

Yes!!

The THOUGHT feature allows you to not only see what readers have to say, but to schedule an author chat! How cool would it be if you were on the THOUGHT feature of your favorite book, and the author got on and responded back?

NOW THAT'S PRETTY COOL!

How does the feature work?

Open your book in the FIRE and tap on the screen. The menu bar will come up at the bottom. You will see the symbol of a house, notes, and a bubble (plus more).
Tap the bubble.
It magically takes you into your book.
The title is SHARED NOTES AND QUOTES.
You can also share your THOUGHTS with Twitter and Facebook by clicking the boxes.

Before I decided to host a FIRE BOOK CLUB, I wanted a few answers from Amazon. Why? Because I put the invite out to a lot of random people:


Book club meeting for A CHARMING CRIME!! Tonight at 9-10 pm EST on the Kindle Fire!! It's for everyone ♥ AND some surprises too! Hope to see you there!


When I asked Amazon the question about etiquette issues, they sent me this link to refer to. It's the same link that has their rules for reviews. Another question I had was how long does the THOUGHTS stay connected to the book and if the THOUGHTS can be downloaded.

Amazon informed me that the chat is there for the lifetime of the book or if the owner of the THOUGHT decided to delete it, they could delete by going into the chat and clicking on the X by their THOUGHT. Unfortunately, it can not be downloaded.

I looked around at some of my favorite books to see if anyone had any THOUGHTS, and was pleasantly surprised to notice that they had. I hadn't seen it used as a review site for the books, but a way to share a passage you might love or quotes. I'm sure there are negative THOUGHTS out there, but I think if an author interacts using the cool THOUGHT feature, it will help negate those negative people.

Readers can simply type a THOUGHT  or go into the book and share one of their highlights by clicking the share button after you highlight the passage.

Anyways.....
I decided to host a BOOK CLUB CHAT with my STREET TEAM members and Facebook friends. It was great getting "my friends" feedback when I first announced that I wanted to do this.

Why did I do this?

First and foremost it has everything to do with me connecting to my reader on a more personal level, and making them comfortable alongside other readers.

I wanted it to run just like a book club chat. When someone came into the chat, I welcomed them for that personal touch. Once everyone said hello, it started.
I asked them a few questions about the book, the plot, and where they saw the series going.
It was great! They were enthusiastic about the series and told me some things they like to see as the series progress.

At the end of the very quick hour, this is what I found out:
1) Everything I typed was seen on Twitter and Facebook because I didn't uncheck their boxes.
2) Every time I wrote a THOUGHT, I had to refresh the page to see what everyone else said.
3) I have some FREAKIN' GREAT readers!!!

All in all, it was a learning curve. I found it to be a great way for readers to connect with a favorite author and vice-versa. I also think it's a great tool to put in your toolbox if you are in introvert! It made me wonder if this was the new book signing..... Go on and look in my book! Open up A CHARMING CRIME and hit the bubble. Read through our chat and see how to interact effectively using your FIRE!

What about you? Is this a new way to be involved in book clubs? Or the new way to connect with your readers?