Creative Reviews discussion

Hi everyone!

OK, so I have been published since August 19, 2011. First quarter sales went well, but could have been better. Now, it seems as if the steam has run out and people don't seem to be buying my book & short stories.

Does anyone have any advertising tricks they've used that have worked out for them?

Remind people!!!!! LOL. I would suggest running a GR giveaway for a paerback, signed. Let it run a month and that will get people interested. Also offer up some free Ecopies to a buddy read group or a book club that is here on GR that will get people talking. And another big one (yes it costs money - but not too much if you play it right) do some GIVEAWAYS! People go where there is FREE stuff. And hopefully while they are there they will check out your book. LOL.

people like music too, you could offer a soundtrack to your book (downloadable through your website) and maybe giveaway one song a week (you can gift from itunes and it costs less than 2$ for a song) then (hopefully) when the winner hears that song they won they will think of your book.

Hope this helps! Your blog tour will stir up interest too!

Lol thanks Cambria! I just ordered a Jewelry making kit that will arrive in a few days. I plan on making some jewelry that goes along with my book that some of the characters wear etc. etc. I'll have to order more copies from Otherworld LOL. I'm running low on mine. I'll be doing A LOT of giveaways on my tour in February, so hopefully *fingers crossed* that will drive up sales.

Hmm..the music thing is a good idea as well. I have a couple of theme songs that I used for Prince of Darkness that I could probably gift as giveaways during February.

I'm also about to post in the book review section here on Creative Reviews. My short stories need some MAJOR love LOL. (in particular, Moon Spirit).

Out of random curiosity, Cambria, how successful has your blog tour been for your books?

it sounds great!!
I think its been successful. I don't know what my sales are yet. lol.
My raiting on amazon keeps going down so i assume things are good. LOL. i hope they are anyway. ;) I had a great response to the GR giveaway i did (1746 people entered).
Good luck!

oh and feel free to start a thread and put the links fo your shorts up (your book too) and ask people in the group for a review. We have some GREAT reviewers in this group!

It's almost been a year since my books been out and i've generated little sales if any at all..but im going to try my hardest to get the word out before my book signing in March!

There are a million ways - and you never know what's working!! Things don't work the instant you do them - sometimes it takes weeks or months before the effect of advertising, or an interview, or a blog produces sales. So if an author has no idea what's working, they have to keep doing EVERYTHING, all the time. I tell you it's exhausting. But something's working!! Yeah - but what?

Rosanne wrote: "There are a million ways - and you never know what's working!! Things don't work the instant you do them - sometimes it takes weeks or months before the effect of advertising, or an interview, or a..."

I hope your right Rosanne...I hope your right

I must be Justin, because I've just had a bumper December. I have two novels released by a publisher, seven story collections I put out myself (the rights reverted to me, see)and a poetry book. My publishers will be releasing my third novel this year. How can I afford to stop doing anything???

Beth wrote: "Hi everyone!

OK, so I have been published since August 19, 2011. First quarter sales went well, but could have been better. Now, it seems as if the steam has run out and people don't seem to b..."

Write the next book. Readers want to see you can write more, and are not a one-shot novelist. Not sure if you're indie or with a trad pub /big or small), but if you're indie, putting out the next book is the best marketing tool! :-)
Best wishes!

Rosanne wrote: "There are a million ways - and you never know what's working!! Things don't work the instant you do them - sometimes it takes weeks or months before the effect of advertising, or an interview, or a..."
Absolutely right, Rosanne. When I see an abrupt uptick in sales, I start to wonder what it was I did that caused it so that I can do more of whatever that was! You can guess, but you never know...for sure.

Let me know if you get that poetry book selling, thats what my book is, im not saying thats the reason its not selling but it is a factor

Beth wrote: "OK, so I have been published since August 19, 2011. First quarter sales went well, but could have been better. Now, it seems as if the steam has run out and people don't seem to b..."

I agree with reminding people (in an appropriate way, of course). Also with Barbara who said "Write the next book." People don't agree on a lot when it comes to indie publishing, but experts seems to agree that you need four or more books before sales really start to take off. I just released my second indie romantic suspense (after a dozen traditionally published children's books under a different name). I am promoting the first two, but my priority this year is to get two more books published.

And finally, be patient. It takes time to build sales. Your initial sales may have been largely friends and family (though I found it hard to get them to take action in a timely manner as well, so again reminders work). Now you have to reach more widely.

I published my first books in March (Rattled, a romantic suspense under the name Kris Bock, and The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt for ages 9 to 12, written as Chris Eboch) and followed with the writer's guide Advanced Plotting in August. I've seen my sales slowly rise, partly because of the additional books but also partly because I'm selling more of each.

Advanced Plotting has done the best, probably because I have some reputation as a writing teacher and critiquer. I've promoted it regularly on my blog, since I blog about the craft of writing. I also spoke at a couple of writing conferences in the fall and mentioned it in my handouts and put out postcards. I also did eight or 10 guest blog posts, each with a different focus, but many of them writers blogs followed by other writers.

Doing guest blog posts is a cheap way to get the word out, but it does cost time, so try to focus -- you're better off on blogs that have a large number of followers who would also be your readers. When I did a guest post for a site that focused on writing craft, I shared tips from Advanced Plotting. When the blogger was a children's librarian, I focused on my children's books. When the blog focused on romance, I talked about my adult novels.

Also, luck does come into play. I face less competition with Advanced Plotting, since there are fewer books on the craft of writing than there are romantic suspense novels. And $5 for an e-book/$10 for a paperback seems cheap compared to many writing manuals, so I have a higher profit margin than with genre fiction.

I've also been writing children's books for many years and have lots of contacts among other children's book writers, librarians and teachers. It's harder to promote my romantic suspense since I'm writing under a new name and don't have as many contacts there. But if you keep getting the word out, you never know when just the right person might read it and share with their large circle of friends, who will help spread the word... so you can help make your own luck by continuing to cheerfully and appropriately promote.

Good luck!

Thanks for the wise words Chris!

Very sensible words. I have been in this industry since 1985, and I know that keeping your wits about you is most important during times of rapid change... whether you make them, or whether it's the industry that's changing. At the moment, many authors find shifts are coming from all directions.

I'm the last person that should be giving out advertising tricks but I would like to share what I am trying to do and maybe it'll shine some light and help others..

1.Someone on here said to keep writing blogs, a small or large piece, positive or negative, the idea is to write so you let people know what your up to and whats on your mind.

2.Pass out flyers and business cards. I have so many of these lying around my house in a folder and box, I need to get them out, they do you alot better being passed out then on the floor of your room!

3.Get Creative! Try and think of innovative things to add to your book or to catch the attention of people or onto your website. I myself have considered handing out little candles and bookmarks with the book name and picture on it.

4.Listen to your own ideas. I'm giving out these tips but I myself got to do them! So if you have any ideas on advertising no matter how small or big it maybe give it a try, the point is getting yourself out there and until you do you wont know what opportunities you have.

5.Take advantage of Free promoting. Im someone who doesnt feel like spending money on advertising i know i will have to eventually but take advantage of whatever free advertising possibilities you have, after youve done all you can in free world then you look toward spending so dough so people know.

free publicity is posting SIX SENTENCES on six Sentence Sunday (http://www.sixsunday.com/faqs/) - I posted my latest book cover for free on their site in December (see the advertising page: http://www.sixsunday.com/faqs/) or longer excerpts (min.1500words) on IndieBookList (http://www.indiebookslist.com/submiss...) - they're backlogged and might take up to a month to post your excerpt, but it's out there.
As for the question if it brings sales... it hasn't for me yet on neither sites, but at least my stuff is out there! :-) And it's free advertising! ;-)

This is defintely a tough business because so many books are being published right now! I think the main thing is to keep trying and not give up!

Barbara wrote: "free publicity is posting SIX SENTENCES on six Sentence Sunday (http://www.sixsunday.com/faqs/) - I posted my latest book cover for free on their site in December (see the advertising page: http://..."

These are good ideas. I'll definitely check them out. Also ereadernews.com opened its "book of the day" for 2012 today. It costs $50 to have your kindle book featured (it has to be priced under $2.99), but writers say sales soar. I requested to be listed, but it may take a few days to find out if I was successful.

Great suggestion Harriet!! I haven't heard of this before!
Can books that are 2.99 be featured as well or only under 2.99?

I'll have to check that out.

its a great idea!

Happy to help...although I gave the WRONG link above.Sorry.

This is the correct link to all the info:
http://ereadernewstoday.com/authors-p...

Great ideas! Thanks so much for the tips, I'll be following up!

The promotional part is definitely the hardest part of being a writer. There are some really great ideas and tips on how best to get yourself noticed.

I have had some decent sales by being on Twitter, Facebook, participating in groups like Goodreads and blogging. The most important thing is to just keep putting out information and making contacts.

Once you get some people to start reading your work, you hope they are eager to pass it along to their reading friends, etc.

Thanks for the link Harriwet!

Dale wrote: "Thanks for the link Harriwet!"

You're welcome, Dale. I've seen a lot of various spellings of my name, but "Harriwet" is a first! Aren't typos fun?

I think one problem with publicity is that writers are usually focused on places where other writers hang out. Then writers take over those places (like the Kindle Boards) and other readers flee from all the publicity. Yes, most writers are also readers, but the trick is to reach beyond that circle. That means figuring out who else might like your work.

My first published book is a middle grade novel set in ninth century Mayan Guatemala, called The Well of Sacrifice. It came out in 1999, so I haven't really been publicizing it lately, but it's been picked up by a lot of school districts when they teach the Maya in fourth or fifth grade, so it's still in print and I get royalties.

This weekend a friend told me I should be pushing that book big this year, to take advantage of all the interest in the Mayan prophecy. Now that's a twist that might interest people who wouldn't otherwise find the book! I'm planning to write a blog post about what we can really learn from the Maya, and then I'll have to spread the word about that.


The Well of Sacrifice

I also just released my second novel for adults, Whispers in the Dark. My romantic suspense novels are set in the Southwest (New Mexico and the Four Corners area) and involve a lot of outdoor adventures in wilderness scenery. So I'm thinking I need to target people who enjoy travel, especially in the Southwest, and outdoor activities like hiking and camping. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to do that yet, but at least I have a goal.


Whispers in the Dark

A few ideas, gleaned over the last two or three months online.

1. Have at least three books in the bag before you publish, so that you can afford to give one away free on smashwords. List it on other sites first, then put it up on Smashwords a week later for free. The other sites will soon switch their price to free, to match Smashwords, and many more people are willing to sample a free book.

BUT this only benefits you if you have one or more books that you charge for as well. People who love the first will buy the second.

2. Contact people who review and like your books and get to know them. They dig it, you dig it, and you can build a client mailing list while making new friends.

3. Know the market to which you're writing and get to know those people on twitter and other sites. Every book has at least two key demographics: genre and subject. Then identify who is likely to read that material and market to that sector in your social networking. If you're writing a book about the mysterious death of a blue chip basketball prospect, you might tweet that to #finalfour, or #ncaa or #hoopdreams or any number of related hashtags, along with #mysteries #detectives

etc etc

4) Have a pro cover. If you're not using a professional artist or graphic designer, it will cost you. Cover pickup is everything. Just read review bloggers and see how many qualify their interest with "this looks great!"

5) Be patient. I've had a chance to chat online with some of the folk who are doing well as middle market best-sellers (100 thousand books a year or more) and they all say, to a person, that it took more than three years to build a decent following and for that following to disseminate their work enough for it to go "viral" for a period.

6) Consider your own work. If it's not selling, hit some of the sites like AgentQueryConnect that have critique sections and see if, perhaps, the material needs reworking.

7) Prayer never hurt.

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone mention in-person sales. Whenever I hold a reading and book signing, I usually sell 8-10 copies, for about two hours of work. There's a bit of work involved in booking readings, but they're well worth the effort.

great advice Gabriel. What timws of places have you done this in? Have you ever done this in a place besides a bookstore?

Cambria wrote: "great advice Gabriel. What timws of places have you done this in? Have you ever done this in a place besides a bookstore?"

I've only done a few, but coffee shops (moreso local-owned shops, rather than chains like Starbucks) are usually open to the idea, and I've had some success at local universities -- it's usually not too hard to get someone to let you use a spare student lounge or auditorium. Libraries are another place to look -- many libraries are looking for events to help get people in the door.

Finally, depending on the genre of your book, you could probably pick up some neat unorthodox gigs -- if you write historical fiction set in the Middle Ages or Renaissance, you might be able to hook up with a local SCA chapter. A military themed book might go over well with a veteran's organization.

Gabriel wrote: "Finally, depending on the genre of your book, you could probably pick up some neat unorthodox gigs -- if you write historical fiction set in the Middle Ages or Renaissance, you might be able to hook up with a local SCA chapter."

Or even just local historical societies. That's a great idea, Gabriel.

L.H. wrote: "Or even just local historical societies. That's a great idea, Gabriel."

Yes, exactly. By thinking outside the box, you can pick up a lot of opportunities to give a reading and book signing that others might miss.

I love all the ideas here.

Thanks for sharing everyone! Even HarriWet!

Maybe I have a typing lisp.

What great information! Chris, I'm going to tweet info about your Mayan book. I like to update folks on books with Latino themes whenever possible, which I hope will lead to some sales of my own Latina-themed novel (When I Am Singing to You). I also try to write reviews of as many Latino/a-themed books as I can get around to reading and post these on Amazon and Goodreads. I don't know that it attracts sales, necessarily, but it makes me feel good to spread the word about other good books in my category--ever hopeful of good karma, I guess! Creating and nurturing readers for work in your niche can't be bad.

Your friend is right that the time is ripe to push the Mayan button! Your other book sounds good, too; I just got back from NM and plan to read everything I can get my hands on about that beautiful, multicultural state. Reading my first Tony Hillerman mystery right now, heh.

L.H. wrote: "A few ideas, gleaned over the last two or three months online.

1. Have at least three books in the bag before you publish, so that you can afford to give one away free on smashwords. List it on ot..."

What excellent advice! Thanks!

Rebecca wrote: "What great information! Chris, I'm going to tweet info about your Mayan book. I like to update folks on books with Latino themes whenever possible, which I hope will lead to some sales of my own La..."

Thanks, Rebecca! It sounds like you're "building your brand" already. Hopefully that will help you make a splash when you release your book.

As for writing reviews, I think they do help. Sites like Amazon and GoodReads may use algorithms where they are more likely to recommend a book that has more positive reviews. Plus, they can help convince readers to try the book. So thanks for supporting your fellow authors!

I have been thinking of doing some kind of giveaway promotion. When you do these, how do you pick the winner so everyone knows it is fair? Draw a number out of a hat? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Comes the Dragon

Cindy wrote: "I have been thinking of doing some kind of giveaway promotion. When you do these, how do you pick the winner so everyone knows it is fair? Draw a number out of a hat? Any suggestions would be ap..."

you can go on random.org it generates a random number on any number of entries...

Barbara wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I have been thinking of doing some kind of giveaway promotion. When you do these, how do you pick the winner so everyone knows it is fair? Draw a number out of a hat? Any suggestio..."

Thanks Barbara!

Cindy wrote: "I have been thinking of doing some kind of giveaway promotion. When you do these, how do you pick the winner so everyone knows it is fair? Draw a number out of a hat? Any suggestions would be ap..."

Cindy, rafflecopter.com makes giveaways SO easy. It will even randomly choose the winner for you. I started using rafflecopter on my blog and I love it.

Jennifer wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I have been thinking of doing some kind of giveaway promotion. When you do these, how do you pick the winner so everyone knows it is fair? Draw a number out of a hat? Any suggestio..."

Thank you!

Just want to thank everyone for such great suggestions. Going to check out sixsundays and love the idea of a soundtrack. Reading this thread is much better than hyperventilating.

Hey everyone, Like Beth who started this thread, I am at the point where I am looking to generate interest in my book. It took off slightly but I am really looking for that big jump to get interests and sales going. If anyone has any idea i'd love to hear em. (Note, I am unable to get copies of my book but could giveaway other things). Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

Why are unable to get copies of your own book?...just curious...

Cindy wrote: "Why are unable to get copies of your own book?...just curious..."

Because I have a shit publishing company that charges me.

I don't know how I didn't stumble across this thread sooner! Better late than never!

Back January, Chris offered these wise observations (amongst many others): "I think one problem with publicity is that writers are usually focused on places where other writers hang out. Then writers take over those places (like the Kindle Boards) and other readers flee from all the publicity."

Too, too true, Chris!! I'm not sure why writers are always marketing to other writers, as though we're trying to share (or steal) each other's readers? Why aren't we going where the readers ARE? And promoting through a hard-sell is the last thing a reader wants--is it really what YOU (general "you" not you, specifically, Chris ;-))) want when you go somewhere to discuss a book?

When a reader gets excited about a book, they'll talk about it to everyone they know. I work a day job in a crap wage work environment. I don't bother mentioning my writing to most of the people at work because most of them don't use computers, let alone read on them and my books are Indie published as eBooks only. But I mentioned my book to one person (who has since quit the job and gone onto better horizons) and just this past week, someone new said to me they've been reading my book (free chapters on my blog) and can't wait for the book to come out. I barely know this gal and never told her I was a writer. The person who LEFT told her about my book in such exuberant terms that she went off and found it and read it and sought me out to ask when the whole thing would be released.

THAT is how you promo a book. Translation? You don't. Your readers do. You need to be out there, you need to be discoverable (as Mark Coker of Smashwords says) and you need to be working on the NEXT book, no matter what. You need to write a GREAT book and then write another one.

A lot of failed or stalled Indie Authors are stalling out because they think they can or should only write or focus on one book at a time. I wish I could write 5 at once!!! I have ideas for 5 at once ((grin))

If you aren't overflowing with ideas for new books to write, you aren't reading enough. If you want to figure out where to find readers, start reading yourself. Start asking people wherever you go for reading suggestions. See what the public is reading. See what your friends are reading. Read something totally new and different. Stimulate your brain! If you turn yourself into a reader again, you'll suddenly KNOW how to sell your books--by getting others to read them and be as excited about YOUR books as you are/were about the last one (not your own) that YOU read.

Oh and I have to totally second Jennifer's mention of Rafflecopter.com and Barb's mention of Random.org Both are FABULOUS tools!!

But you have to have money to have a giveaway. I cannot afford to put my long books into paper print to produce a paperback (even with CreateSpace--especially with CreateSpace?) so I can't give away a book here on Goodreads. Wish they wouldn't preclude eBooks. Soon they'll get off that hangup but for now, paper only books to give away means you cannot participate in giveaways unless you have money to pay for something to give away. I dont' have money for food every week so I definitely cannot pay to make a book to give away for free. I wish!

-Friday

Justin, I've read about your woes with your publisher on this book on other threads.

Cannot stress this enough, write the next book. Your contract cannot possibly preclude you from writing and selling another book ON YOUR OWN as an Indie Author. It's not hard to do. Smashwords distributes it for you. All you have to do is get the word out and if you OWN the book (next time) you can do all that stuff you keep wanting to do with this book they're holding prisoner.

Stop dwelling on what you cannot control. Move on, write another book, sell it like crazy and then stick out your tongue at the stupid publisher who tried to stop you from succeeding. Learn from the mistake and move on.

NEVER pay to publish your own book.

-Friday

Friday- You commented to Justin and said "Smashwords distributes for you"....does Smashwords do anything differently than Createspace?