Promotional Interview with Vina St. Fran

You have been invited to share your promotional experience with others.

Your Name: Vina St. Fran

1. Where you are from and where are you now? I am from Detroit and currently reside in the Midwest.

2. How did you get started writing? I have been writing since I was 7 years old. I started off with poetry. By the time I got into junior high and high school, I started writing short stories and plays.

3. What do you do when you are not writing? Well, when I am not writing, I am busy with other projects such as working on my PhD in Organizational Management. I also spend lots of time with friends and family, which keeps me grounded.

4. What would readers like to know about you? My readers should know I am totally committed to bringing them storylines that will be inspirational and entertaining at the same time. I think it is important to entertain your audience as well as enlighten them as well.

5. What inspired your first book? I must say my background of growing up in one of the most diverse, upper middle-class suburban city outside of Detroit, Southfield Michigan truly inspired me. We worked together, played together, went to school together, which is something you don’t see hear about often in a number of communities across the country. The point I want to make here is we all got along very well despite our ethnicity and there is much to be said about this. Yet when I pick up a novel of fiction of any genre, I felt there was a story lacking here that needed its voice to be heard.

6. How many books have you written? “One Foot Outside The Door” is my first novel written. However, I am in the final stages of my second book that has not been titled yet. This book is the follow-up to “One Foot Outside The Door”.

7. What are the titles of your books and what genres are they? ”One Foot Outside The Door is a multicultural fiction novel.

8. How do you decide on that topic or genre? I really don’t know until I start the project.

9. How do you manage to keep yourself focused and on track? I set a realistic deadline for myself that is not too constraining. I do find I work best under pressure, however, I don’t like the stress that accompanies it. Therefore, I try to give myself a timeframe that makes sense for all parties involved.

10. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing? I love to write without question. Money is great too, but I was born to do this, and I cannot put a monetary value on the joy it brings me delivering a story of substance.

11. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used? I have done the in-store book promotions, Internet advertising, things of that nature.

12. What are some unique methods of marketing you have used? I have utilized my friends a lot in helping me market my book. I have a marketing background and I have done things that are untraditional such as partnering with radio stations to help me promote my book locally without having to pay for airtime.

13. Do you sell through a website? If so, what’s the address? If not, why not? I am currently in the process of selling my books directly through Zam Publishing’s web site, which will take place shortly this summer.

14. Where can people order your books? My books are available at Barnes&Noble.com, Amazon. Com and other major online and retailers across the country.

15. What format are your books – e-book, print, audio etc? My book is a paperback book, in print.

16. Will you write more books? Definitely!

17. What do you have in the works now? I am finishing up on part two of the trilogy for “One Foot Outside The Door” which will be released in 2009.

18. What does the future hold for you and your books? A very promising one!

19. What was the most successful thing you did to promote your books? Utilizing the Internet as much as possible.

20. What was the least successful thing you did to promote your books? Grassroots offline marketing that took lots of time but wasn’t conducive at all.

This interview was done in conjunction with Nikki Leigh, author of the Book Promo 101 series. For more information, visit – www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm.