Say Hello to BTS Emag!

The BTS brand began in 2011 with our Book & Trailer Showcase website. Since then we have evolved to offer Book Tours on the booktrailershowcase.com website and our magazine BTS Book Reviews (formally BTSeMag) which now calls the BTSemag.com its home.

On a personal note: My husband retired after 25 years in the Army in May 2012. He thought it would be a good idea for us to start a family business since he likes to keep busy, and it made sense to revolve around writing. I have 14 books published through Ellora's Cave and New Concepts Publishing, and a short story on Kindle. So we started Book & Trailer Showcase to help authors promote their work.

Our first magazine was published in April 2012 as a quarterly. There was so much interest from readers & authors that by September we had decided to publish it every other month. In October Barnes & Noble offered us a partnership to sell the magazine on their digital Newsstand. We then started publishing the magazine every month since that is the "norm" at B&N. You cannot imagine how excited we were that a big giant like Barnes & Noble was interested in our little emag. It's been a long wait to launch, and we have been told by the end of the year. But, we are trying to be patient and hoping that nothing interferes with that schedule. B&N has lots of irons in the fire and we can't wait to share that news.

Since we publish our magazine through Issuu, we count "views" not subscribers, and of course the emag is free until we go on B&N. We are asking readers to subscribe at the website now though so we can send out updates - the button is on right side bar at the top. Our views for each issue average 30,000 to 60,000.

The more the authors in the issue promote, the higher the views are, so we ask everyone to pitch in. Authors who take out ads never truly see their ads die, because readers keep coming back to older issues. Some time ago we checked the views for our September 2012 issue and it was over 247,000!! This is our highest views to date on an issue. 

REVIEWS: Authors who purchase ads get their book(s) considered for review. This is not a bought ad; it is not guaranteed. The charge is for ad space. If chosen the review is published in the magazine, and the reviewer has the option of posting on their blog and Goodreads too. Anyone who is interested in reviewing please write Annette at: annette@btsemag.com.

While I cannot promise that every author will find success with their ads, my own sales have grown tremendously by having one in each issue. Also I have had several authors share that their sales went up, and one author gained name recognition. My books are mainly erotic, one of our successful authors writes dark paranormal and mystery/thrillers, while another author is a Christian novelist. These two authors have been highlighted in our magazine in different ways - one with a cover feature and she is also a columnist for us. The other places ads every issue and was featured inside an issue.

I feel success depends on what the reader is looking for, having a nice cover, an interesting blurb, plus exposure. I don't know that placing an ad one time will be very effective. A well-known marketing saying is that a potential customer must see a product an average of 7 times before buying. While I do think there are ads that grab reader’s attention with less than that number, it is something to consider when purchasing promotions, no matter who you buy it from.

Our magazine content is author features which include an excerpt or interview, reviews, author & publisher ads, a short story and columns. Due to the magazine getting too large, we moved the Writing columns to the website. If you want to get some informative tips on writing please visit the columns.

Articles have also been moved to the website and authors are welcome to submit articles and short stories. Write me for details at: myra@btsemag.com.

The columns remaining in the magazine are Heat Diva by Nikki McCarver (covering some hot reads), Sex & the Single Woman by Nicole Morgan (the series of a romantic relationship), The Lowdown with Laurie (always a super informative column from Laurie of BittenbyParanormalRomance), The Scrying Eye by Kelly Hudson (covering great reads in Fantasy, S/F & Horror), Chic Trends in Romance by Sandra Bunino (covering great reads in romance, with a different theme each month), and the Historical column by Christy English.

NEW: We have a sign up for Media Kits on our menu. Check it out, we have a $25 gift card drawing each month for those signed up and other benefits to bloggers. http://btsemag.com/community/monthly-media-kit-team/. Added just this month we are now conducting interviews.
http://btsemag.com/interviews/

COMING SOON: We will start Blog posts in Oct.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE: We can't wait to go on B&N because they are working on some exciting expansions and we can't wait to share the news. We hope that working with such a big company will mean our little magazine goes big. Next September we were invited to cover the ARC in New Orleans as Press. We're very excited about this event. Heather Graham will be the keynote speaker, and Sherrilyn Kenyon will be there. We have scheduled her as our cover author for October 2014.

Myra Nour
BTS CEO
www.btsemag.com
www.booktrailershowcase.com

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Just Enough

Traveler through Darkness available HERE

By Fierce Dolan 

Short stories are an under-appreciated art in post-postmodern literature. It isn't that we don't know how to write them well; rather, we don't know how to honor their brevity. Ironic in a drive-through microwave culture, that, as I often hear readers say they don't enjoy short stories because they aren't long enough. It isn't that they aren't compelling, aren't as well-developed as their longhaul cohorts, or don't accomplish as much in significantly less pages. Short fiction often loses out because we want more.

Enjoying something so much as to want an extra scoop is a great problem to have. I'm curious, though, is it that short stories are too brief, or is there a deeper, more provocative reason that they get under our skin?

I think a well-written short story pushes us to actively participate more in the plot progression, to engage more emotionally and psychologically than most novels do. Without flowery prose to gently seduce us, starkness forces us bare, raw, and receptive to bring more of ourselves to the table, without preamble, without presupposition. As well, they end with us breathless, panting, craving more--because every encounter that truly sates instills deeper want.That's part of what makes them so powerful.

Literarily speaking, with short stories, we have to be ready for the good stuff--juicy, unabashed movement--from the hook, on. Posthaste we get down and dirty, rubbing against exactly what we need right there, between the words, among the undercurrents. For that reason, short stories require faith in the moment, without fretting what comes next. We have to be willing to give ourselves over to that momentum and trust wherever it takes us.

I love short stories. To me they are poetry's deep sigh. I love them so much that throughout my college writing curriculum, I was devoted to perfecting them as my form of choice. That's why I enjoy Decadent's The Edge series. For one, they are sexy as hell, and they bring it, every time.

So yes, the short form requires more of a commitment, a leap of faith. Risk it. Dive into the fling, knowing the foreplay and after-cuddling are on you to provide. 

Comment on your favorite short story to win a copy of Traveler Through Darkness!

Midnight Madness

M/M/F

Buy Links HERE

I got my first e-reader the other day, a shiny Kindle Fire. I know what you’re thinking ‘Uh, WELCOME TO THE 21^st CENTURY, O. Good to see you finally.’ I hadn’t taken the plunge because, for one, I’m not very tech savvy (as in I break pricey electronic stuff) and second, I feared making the leap from the tactile pleasure of holding a book. What could possibly compare to the sensation of turning crisp book pages, or that wonderful well-read book aroma?

Honestly, nothing, but I made the delightful discovery of FREE BOOKS!

BLOODY HELL!!!! Classics, contemporary, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal—good god it’s a pleasure palace of free reads! Enough to make a bibliophile fall on the ground in the throes of ecstasy—we’ll call it a bookgasm. And I’m gobbling them up one after another, all the while neglecting the literally boxes and stacks of books all over my home. Yup, I’ve a new way of hoarding books. Books I really don’t have much time to read. At least doing so via Kindle won’t land me on reality TV, buried alive in my biblio-addiction.

Olivia Starke

BLURB

 Maddie takes a weekend camping trip to forget her two timing ex-boyfriend. Instead of peace and quiet, she stumbles upon two hunks who put the wild in wilderness. And they have plans of their own—to heat up her sexless life. An evening of rowdy lovin’ is just what she needs to get over her broken heart.

When she joins them in a trio that leaves her satisfied and exhausted, they have one more surprise in store called Midnight Madness....

EXCERPT

  Who the hell has an orgy in the middle of the wilderness?

  Reported random animal attacks had been Maddie’s concern, not the harassing sounds of sex.     She needed peace and quiet to lick her wounds and sort out her life. Not the lusty grunts of some overzealous man giving it to his lady. For the past two hours.

Seriously, two flippin’ hours? She charged through the woods, ready to rain on someone’s parade. They’d just have to find someplace else to have an obscenely loud lovefest.

  "God, the nerve of some people.”

  She batted at a fly buzzing around her head. So what if she hadn’t had an orgasm in four months—thanks to her selfish ex-boyfriend—well, not one that wasn’t self-induced. And who cared if sex had been nonexistent while the relationship had suffered a slow, painful death.

  "Men suck. Certainly no marathon lovemaking for me anytime soon.” She yanked at a limb and flinched when it lashed back against her face, knocking her glasses off. Unreasonable anger boiled over.

  “Son-of-a-bitch, piece of….” She kicked out at nothing in particular, giving in to the long overdue temper tantrum. Brambles hooked around her foot and she did a face plant on the leaf-covered forest floor. My utter lack of grace strikes again. Rolling onto her back, she spit out dirt and stuck a scraped finger into her mouth. The wound smarted, distracting her from her fury. She stared at the blue sky through the budding tree limbs, sweat breaking out on her brow. The unseasonably warm spring had driven her to seek a peaceful weekend camping retreat. Maybe she should’ve opted for a hotel with air-conditioning instead. And a six pack of beer, give or take another twelve pack.

  “Oh God, yes! More, more, more….” The deep, male voice echoed through the hollow.

  Maddie pummeled the ground with her fists. “You oversexed freak!” Her words were drowned out by the man’s grunts.

More of the Edge…

My third Decadent Publishing short, Jack,Jewels, and Junior is now available, and I’ve decided to tempt you all with a little Edge Erotica. So please enjoy exploring naughty nights, some scorching hot lovin’, and have your significant other close by for an unforgettable night of your own because it all started with, No Strings Attached…

No Strings Attached (M/F)

  Julie Saunders and Gunnery Sergeant, Ryan Hawke have both hit a rough patch in life. Demanding jobs ensure there aren’t enough hours in the day to get out there and meet people. Tired of feeling lonely and in need of attention, they turn to the personals for a no-strings-attached encounter.
  When Ryan sees Julie’s response to his ad for a hook up, he’s relieved he’s found a sane one in the bunch. She’s beautiful, they share the same goals, and she’s got a hell of an adventurous side–just what he needs.
  Can reality live up to expectations or will a no-strings hook-up leave them craving more?

~ This is an easy one to recommend. Strong, handsome Marine, beautiful young nurse, and incredibly hot sex. No Strings Attached is a title one has to pick up~ 4.5 STARS @ LASR Reviews

BUY LINKS:

Decadent Publishing||Amazon

Then came Friends with Benefits (M/M)

  Collin Harrison is loving life as a bachelor, but can’t convince his meddling mother to back off. To make matters worse, he’s confused by his attraction to his new neighbor, Devin. But Collin has never been with a man before.

  Devin Hardy is no stranger to fulfilling his intimate desires—desires which include his hot neighbor. Good things come to those who wait, but Devin is getting tired of waiting to turn their friendship into one with scorching hot benefits.

~ "Friends With Benefits" by Jennifer Labelle is the perfect M/M sex experience that anyone could hope for. In this very short and sexy story I got to know the characters on a personal and sexual level.~ 4 STARS @ Night Owl Reviews

BUY LINKS:  Decadent Publishing||ARe

And last but not least, is my latest Edge Erotica…

Jack, Jewels, and Junior (M/F/M)

  After six months with the man she adores, Angel Martinez has a sexy anniversary night planned. If everything goes her way, their bedroom fantasies will be played out with the help of Jack, Jewels, and Junior, new toys she bought just for the occasion.

  Brody Cahill comes home from work expecting an empty apartment and a date with a TV dinner. Instead he’s greeted to the delightful sight of his girlfriend waiting for him, and in the buff no less. Forget dinner, Angel is on his menu! The night takes a delectable twist, “J” becomes his favorite letter of the alphabet, and Brody gives her a special anniversary surprise of his own. This is one naughty night they won’t forget…and hope to repeat!

BUY LINKS:

Decadent Publishing||ARe

Thank you all for stopping by!

Best wishes,

~Author Jennifer Labelle~

http://www.jenniferlabelle.com

http://labellebooks.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Jennifer-Labelle/168414043184292

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649930.Jennifer_Labelle

https://twitter.com/#!/1JenniferLabell