Author Rules and Guidelines
After out first cross-promo event, we have come to the conclusion that there needs to be a few rules and guidelines. These rules are not meant to be bent or broken. We need them in place so we don’t get emails from angry customers, and so you get as many sales and/or downloads as possible. Please respect these rules.
Promo Rules
Manually set your prices to 99c for all regions. We cannot police you on this overmuch, so I will take your word for it. But remember: We don’t want any angry readers. We want everyone to have a great time and get some great deals. We also want all regions to be able to participate.
Also make sure your price is live on the promotion date. Our advice is to manually set it 2-3 days before the event. If your price is not 99c or free by the time the event starts, your listing will be deleted. And remember that you can do your own promotion leading up to the scheduled cross-promo, so take advantage of the extra days if Amazon gives them to you.
However, we aren’t heartless. If your price didn’t go live in time, but the price drops to where it is supposed to be during the promotion, we may re-add your book to the landing page for the rest of the scheduled promotion if you ask nicely.
It is your responsibility, and everyone else’s, to drive traffic to the landing page. Everyone should be posting in groups, on pages, anywhere you are allowed to post promos. Ask your author friends if you can post in their groups. Ask blogs if they’ll run a story about the promo with the landing page link. There are so many things you can do, and you need to do them every day of the promotion to maximize your chances at a higher sell rate. Here are the mandatory things:
Don’t be that person who mooches off of everyone else’s hard work. See rule 2.2.1 through 2.2.7. You must comply with as many as you can.
You must promote the landing page every day of the event.
You must post the promo in your newsletter. (If you don’t have one, that’s okay. Just let us know, and we’ll help you set one up so you can start getting subscribers with this promotion if you want a newsletter.)
You must post it to your Facebook page (if you have one).
You must post in your Facebook group (if you have one).
You must post promos in Facebook MM Promo groups.
If you have a Twitter, you must tweet about it, or retweet MM Book Buzz’s promo posts.
If you have Instagram, it would be appreciated if you posted about the promo with the landing page link there, too.
Consider asking friends to share and retweet your posts on Facebook and Twitter.
When posting in groups, scroll down a ways to make sure no one posted in that group yet or do a few searches. If someone did post in that group, comment on their post to bump it up and move on to the next group on your list. Bumping a post is just as effective, or more effective, as posting a new post.
When posting in groups, ensure you check their about and featured sections to see if they allow promotions, what days they allow promotions and other pertinent information. Groups are to be safe spaces, so if they don’t allow promotions or have rules in place, it is for a reason, and you should respect that.
Yes, your PA/VA is allowed to do everything for you. But make sure they, or you, post on your profile and page, as well as theirs if they’re comfortable with that. They also must still adhere to rule #2.
What the admins say goes. If we say no to something, arguing with us will get you banned from all present and future promotions. Suggestions are okay, and even welcome. Just don’t go off the deep end if we tell you that your book doesn’t fit the genre requirements. We respect your position, but we are the promo organizers. You won’t win against us. You’ll get banned.
We will put you in a Facebook Group chat if we can find you. Please do not leave the chat during the promotion, even if your PA is handling your part in the promo. The reason for the group chat, other than fun shenanigans, is to communicate what everyone is doing in regards to posting in Facebook groups, Twitter, etc. As well as to talk about any problems that may arise on either the admin’s end or yours.
Yes, you can contact Devon directly through Facebook Messenger if you are uncomfortable posting in group chat, or if what you have to share or ask is of a sensitive nature. But please still join the group chat. You don’t have to post there, but keep up with reading the chat so you don’t miss anything important.
DO post your sales, downloads, and newsletter subscribers that you gain during the promotion! This helps us to judge whether the promo is doing its job or not, and helps let us know if we need to step up our game in regards to promo text, promo images, and other factors.
DO offer suggestions on ad text, images, and posting frequency.
DO let everyone know what time block (in EST) you are posting to groups in (morning, evening, 3pm, etc.). This way we can space out our promotion efforts instead of spamming groups.
Guidelines
Yes, we accept MMF so long as there are at least some scenes that are just MM without the F. And it MUST end with just the two men in a relationship with each other, without the F. An example of this is Just a Bit Obsessed by Alessandra Hazard.
Yes, we accept trans men as one of those Ms. Trans men are men. Period. We just ask that you make it clear in the blurb that one of the main characters is trans.
Yes, we accept erotic romance so long as it’s made prominent in the blurb or there is a disclaimer after the blurb so readers know what they are getting. It must also fit the genre requirements.
No, we do not accept erotica. Your book must have a solid plot.
Yes, we accept MM books that only have romantic elements, and not a full romance plot so long as there is an HEA or HFN for the couple and for the plot. MM Fantasy, for example, can have romantic elements so long as each book ends with a HFN, and the series ends with a HEA for the love interests.
No, we currently do not accept MM books that do not have a HEA or HFN except in specific promotions. If your book is not a romance, please state so in the interest form. An example of this is where there is no HEA to the romantic plot points at the end of the series/book.
A book with no HEA/HFN is where the Hero(s) die (permanently, no resurrection or reincarnation), are unable to be together at the end of the book/series, or other sad endings where the romance ends instead of continuing on. These types of books are called tragic love stories, and can be triggering for some romance readers.