Mary Manners: Showcase Your Hero

Mary Manners

You’ve written a great story and fallen in love with your hero. Now you want everyone else to fall in love with him, as well. The big question is…how do you make that happen?

Any writer worth her salt knows the perfect hero can make or break any romance. Whether strong and athletic or analytical and creative—or any combination thereof—the success of your book sales, in part, depends on the manner

in which your readers connect with your hero. So, from a marketing aspect, what are some of the many ways to make your hero shine?

Begin by scheduling a blog tour. I don’t mean your typical tour in which you as the author or the book itself are the main focus. I’m talking about a character tour in which your hero—your special guy—is the center of attention. Think of each blog visit as a different talk show from various channels. Serious or quirky and full of humor, give your hero a grand entrance and seat him beneath bright stage lights and in front of an adoring crowd. Imagine fans have waited for weeks to meet him, their anticipation flourishing with each breath. The crowd is excited and restless. What would they most like to know?

Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Focus on your hero’s deepest, darkest secrets, his quirks and everything that makes him come to life on the page. Sample questions are usually provided by the blog host or hostess, but adding a few of your own, tailor-made to showcase your hero’s special features and aspects of his motivation, fears, and longings throughout the story should also be included. Six to ten appearances over a two to four week period surrounding your hero’s debut into the marketplace are a good number to aim for. Mix up the interview questions and reveal a fresh tidbit of information with each interview to keep the material vibrant and readers intrigued and coming back for more. Most importantly, be sure to banter during the interviews, just as your character would in real life. Think conversation…and fun.

Between blog visits and throughout the character tour, spice things up with a sprinkle of book quotes from the story. Book quotes are a quick, simple, and effective means of breathing life into your hero and sharing him with others. When selecting quotes, consider the lines your hero uses that grab a reader’s attention and make her senses tingle. Here’s an example:

Also consider which lines provide a greater insight into what makes your hero tick:

Post your quotes to social networks such as Facebook and Pinterest, as well as your website, across the book’s launch period. Be sure to include a buy link wherever possible that takes readers straight to the purchase site. Also, book quotes make great Facebook banners. Create several and rotate them every day or so to pique interest.

Good luck. You know what they say…I need a hero…

About Mary:

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus.

Mary’s debut novel, Mended Heart, was nominated Best Inspirational Romance 2010, and was finalist for the Bookseller’s Best Award and her follow-up, Tender Mercies, was awarded an outstanding 4 ½ star rating from The Romantic Times Book Reviews and was also a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Buried Treasures, her third novel, was named Book of the Year by The Wordsmith Journal. Light the Fire, her fourth novel, took top honors for the 2012 Inspirational Readers Choice Award while her fifth, Wisdom Tree, continues to garner top ratings. Mary was named Author of the Year by Book and Trailer Showcase. She writes romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com and at her author pages at www.PelicanBookGroup.com and www.Amazon.com