authors doing self-promotion

So my friend Susan (who has an awesome blog: WestofMars) is letting me borrow JA Konrath's first two Jack Daniels books, Whiskey Sour and Bloody Mary, so I can take part in the Great Jack Daniels Blog Experiment. The books are on their way so expect to see some reviews here as soon as I find the time because I definitely want to get a signed copy of the new book! (ETA: so I'm a big doofus and the contest is over... don't mind me...)

If you've never heard of Konrath before, you should definitely check him and his work out (here are some links to his website and his blog). He seems to be a self-promotion genius.

Another self-promotion pioneer is M.J. Rose. She's running a "Summer Buzz Promotion" for her latest book, The Venus Fix (the 3rd in the Butterfield Institute series, which includes The Halo Effect and The Delilah Complex). I haven't read any of these books yet, but they sound good.

Anyway, because I am a sucker for a contest (even though I rarely win anything) and I love to see an author taking things into their own hands (and donating to charity while she's at it!), I'm going to try to help generate some buzz for her this summer...
If you want to know more about The Venus Fix, pop over to VidLit to see a trailer. If you want to know more about Rose and her books, pop over to her website.

I should also point out that it was Susan who told me about both these contests in the first place... I'm looking forward to the time when I'll be shamelessly plugging her own books. ;)