GUEST BLOGGER SUSAN REICHERT: E-HELP FOR WRITERS (and GIVEAWAYS!!)

E-gads!!  Julie here, and in this world of e-mail, e-blasts, e-books, e-newspapers, e-checks, e-tickets, and e-zines, a person can go e-crazy if they aren’t up on the best e-whatever out there.

So, to save you time and research into what the best Christian e-magazine (and also in print) is for Christian writers, look no further. Today’s special guest is at the helm of what I consider to be, hands-down, one of the BEST Christian e-magazines for writers (or readers) on the market — Southern Writers Magazine — offering authors a unique forum in which to share secrets of success in building reader networks and name recognition, instructional articles, success stories, marketing, and inspiration. Please give a warm welcome to today's guest, Susan Reichert, editor-in-chief of Southern Writers Magazine.

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Think of Southern Writers Magazine as your virtual promotional assistant. Instead of you handling all your promotion work, we are going to do some for you.

We provide the venues that generate avenues for your readers to come, see, and hear your work. It is a known fact that when readers hear an author read from their book it automatically creates a relationship between the reader and the author. Odds are greater readers will buy your books after hearing you read excerpts — it will be your voice they hear in their heads.

As I’ve told many authors before, hearing an author read from his/her book is about as close as most readers are going to get to an author. You create a relationship with the reader which is great because they will buy your books, but it goes a step beyond … they become a part of your marketing team. They will talk you up as an author to their family, friends, people they work with. They will tell everyone who will listen about your book they just finished. They will take this enthusiasm and information and spread it out on the social media highway. Their followers are interested in what they have to say, so through this, you will gain a new audience as well as new followers and book buyers.

As all authors know, the more places your name and books appear, the greater your exposure. However, authors have a great deal to do in today’s realm. They aren’t able to spend the required amount of time it takes to market every day. Authors have to write, get their work published, spend some time on the social media highway, maintain and keep records, blog and keep website up-to-date. However, this isn’t all … writers also have family duties and responsibilities.

To make it easier, Southern Writers Magazine created Take Five, where authors come and upload their audio — a reading from their books. We'll be happy to provide a customized button promoting your appearance, which you can put on your website, blog and social media, and even email out to family, friends and co-workers. People can click on the button and hear your reading. It does the marketing and promoting for you. It’s easy for an author to do several readings from their books … then that can go out on your social media and blog. You don't even have to write new words, you just take what you've already written and upload and excerpt to Take Five.  It’s a great way to save you time and energy, allowing you more time to write.

In addition, to promote the author’s books we created Mic Nite. This is for authors to upload their book covers, perfect for when an author has a new book coming out and you want to showcase that book. You can list book signings, contests, and use either text or audio giving them a 150-word description of the book. This promotional venue is great to put different book covers on throughout the year, enticing your readers to buy other books you have.

Book trailers are here to stay. And quite frankly I love to watch them. It gives me just enough to whet my appetite, making me want to get the book immediately.  Must Read TV was created for author’s book trailers.  If you have a video trailer on YouTube, Must Read TV is the perfect place to submit it to be seen by an audience of avid readers. Southern Writers Magazine subscribers post on Take Five, Mic Nite, and Must Read TV for free.

We also created Suite T, the author’s blog, for authors to be able to come together to share information on writing with each other. They discuss techniques and tips on writing success — what works for them. This is the information we as writers want to know. We want a community we can come and talk with each other.

Southern Writers Magazine was created for authors.  It is our mission to help authors promote their books and get their names out into the mainstream. We are all about Southern hospitality. We offer writers a unique forum to share and learn secrets of success.

Our magazine, online and in print, is full of successful authors, such as Julie Lessman in our November/December 2012 issue, who share their beginnings and their secrets of success. They give information that will help other writers.

We hope you will visit Southern Writers Magazine.

GIVEAWAYS: (magazine subscriptions and winner's choice of my books)
 
Southern Writers Magazine has graciously offered everyone who reads this post on Seekerville a gift of the November/December online issue to see Julie Lessman’s article and read what she shared with the writing world.  I encourage you to check out the link to this issue for great articles all around and to give you a taste of "Southern Living." The link is: http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/novdec.

In addition, Southern Writers Magazine is also offering FIVE 1-year online subscriptions, a $30 value, so leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing. GOOD LUCK!!

FINALLY ... because I believe SO strongly in the quality and mission of Southern Writers Magazine, when you check the magazine out for yourself at the link above and let me know that you did so in your comment,  I will toss your name in the hat for winner's choice of any of my books, including a printed edition of A Light in the Window or my upcoming release Love at Any Cost. It's a GREAT magazine, so GOOD LUCK!!

PLEASE NOTE: You do not have to be a “Southern” writer to take advantage of Southern Writers Magazine—it’s open to all Christian writers.


SUSAN REICHERT'S BIO:
Susan Reichert is the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Writers Magazine, a magazine for authors.

Susan Reichert discovered one of her life’s purposes when she began to write. First, it was short stories as a child. Some Saturday afternoons you could find Susan and friends acting out the stories. After the fourth grade however, her writing took a back seat to doing what kids do. After marriage and a child, she began writing her feelings and life in general in journals.

After her second child was born, Susan’s writing moved into writing ads for her company, resumes for executives, and speeches. Later in life, realizing how much writing meant to her and how much she like to help others succeed, she created a small women’s executive magazine highlighting women who were successful in overcoming obstacles and succeeding in their business endeavors. She wrote articles about management styles, how to hone executive skills while doing seminars, and working with companies in training their employees.

When Susan retired, she went back to writing in journals and began writing prayers and the lessons she was learning through studying the bible. She began a writers group, CC Writers, and within a few months saw the need for a magazine for authors; one that would help promote authors and their books. She found her other life’s purpose – Southern Writers Magazine was born. She and select writer friends joined forces and created not just the magazine – online and in print – but created three promotional venues for authors, an online radio show, an online bookstore, and an author’s blog.

Susan Reichert writes every day for the magazine, interviewing authors. Occasionally, when she grabs some time, she will write for her own purposes. She lives in Tennessee with her husband.