Why I Founded MFRW and What It Is

MFRW Logo

Who are you?
I'm Kayelle Allen, founder of Romance Lives Forever, a popular Yahoo group where authors can share promos, meet readers, and hang out with each other. I'm the author of Surrender Love, the 2010 EPIC winner in Erotic Science Fiction Romance, and one of the authors in a 2008 EPPIE Finalist in Fantasy anthology. I have seven published books, several of which have won awards. I'm also the founder of MFRW.


Okay, so what's MFRW?
It stands for Marketing for Romance Writers. We're a group focused solely on learning marketing and publicity tips, tricks, and best practices.

We discuss ways to advance our writing and careers, brainstorm new ventures and ideas, get feedback, and find others who are interested in mutual promotion. Marketing-related material that asks a question, offers a promo idea, or is a request for help/advice or opinions are welcome. We share new opportunities to promote and join others in their promo efforts.

Who are your members?

• authors (published or not)
• publishers
• literary agents
• editors
• author promo groups
• promo assistants
• cover artists
• graphic designers
• web designers
• we are your support group
• we are your co-workers when you need help or advice. 

You can let your hair down here and ask for help! Need to buy pens, pins, or promo goodies? Found a great place to do that? Please share. We are open to all fiction and non-fiction genres without limit regarding levels of sensuality or gender orientation of characters or authors. Our writing per se is not under discussion here; we focus on creating a marketable image and how to use it effectively.

Why'd you start this?

In  2006, I had three books out, and I started getting emails from other authors asking me how I managed to be "all over the net." Well, no one can be, obviously. ;) I just happened to be in some visible spots. I'd studied marketing because I wanted to learn, and I was fortunate enough to have wonderful mentors (such as the late Barbara Karmazin). When someone asks for my help or opinion, I do my best to give it to them. Pretty soon, there were about a dozen authors who were communicating with me all the time. I noticed several asked the same questions. I was at the point where I was wishing I could stick them all in one room and answer them all at once, when it hit me that I could do that on a Yahoo group.

I created MFRW and invited them. I thought this would be such an easier way to help my friends. Of course, each of them had friends who had friends who had... and presto! Instant network. Today, there are over 900 members. We're getting ready to create a blog, a pro Facebook page, and several other things.

The MFRW Rose

The two co-owners who work with me are authors Marty Rayne, and Jeanne Barrack. Author Rochelle Weber creates our highly professional monthly newsletter to announce new books, and we have a bulletin with calls for submission and all sorts of other opportunities. Our doors are open to all authors (published or not), publishers, literary agents, editors, author promo groups, promo assistants, and artists. It's become a mentoring group, and a Q&A group where you can ask for opinions or advice. We never charge for workshops because new, struggling authors often can't afford them, and we believe everyone should have a chance to learn.

 

If you want to join, you're simply asked to say why. Tell us what you do, mention you heard about us on the TRS Blog, or say you talked to me. We get a few spammers for whom "marketing" means an entirely different thing, and asking this question helps us avoid them.

Our monthly bulletin's logo

Our motto is "Seek, teach, share, learn, succeed." If that sounds good to you, come over and join us. We'd love to have you. Oh, and bring your questions. Somebody on this group surely knows at least one answer or where to find it. Maybe you'll have the answer to one of ours. You're welcome to share this info with author groups, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you like. We are wide open.