How to Promote YOUR book on Amazon discussion

Two years ago, after amicably parting ways with my literary agent of four years, I decide to take destiny into my own hands and publish my books in eformat. I had a huge collection of completed and professionally edited novels and decided that publishing one every three months seemed feasible. So, that’s what I did.
Little did I know I was on the cusp of an indie publishing revolution. My books were available at the right time, for the right audience, and at the right price. Kindles and Nooks were the new “it” device to have, and readers who were once against reading a story electronically, suddenly realized the ease in which they could purchase and carry along their favorite books. My sales went through the roof.
I’m not saying I was a bestselling author, but my books all ranked in the low thousands for a time. Then something strange happened, my sales started to drop. I wasn’t doing anything different than before. I still spent an average of two hours a day marketing my titles, on top of the two hours a day I spent writing new material. Yet, my rankings kept slipping.
I decided to look deeper into this new age of publishing and what I discovered is frightening.
It seems anyone who’s ever written anything is now publishing it on the internet. Last year, Amazon reported about 20,000 new titles being published a month. This December it was over 80,000. That’s a lot of competition! And these new publishing folks are savvy marketers even if they’re not great writers. They’re using Utube, and audio conversions, and video’s, and social media, and a thousand other techno resources to peddle their stories to the masses.
So, where does that leave the introvert, artist, novelist who cares about his books as if they were his children?
As I get older and more experienced in my writing, I’ve come to realize that it is the story that is most important. It is eternal once written. To create something that effects people, or entertains, or changes their perspective about life, is what any real writer hopes to achieve. Sure, there are gimmicks and tricks, and social media, and threads to artificially raise awareness of your book, but if it was written as a piece of merchandise just to have out there, chances are it will fail.
Last month, I researched much of the latest trends in marketing (seo optimization, book trailers, keywords) and it made my head spin. Whatever happened to a good story selling itself? It’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the world.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com

I hear you. But... I think the good story will win out. The chaff will float away... won't it? I firmly believe that the best marketing plan is writing the next best book you can write. How many books have I sold? Double digits... but Im not worried about that. I'm writing EVERY DAY and trying to improve my craft. Working with an editor, sending out beta copies to people willing to give me feedback. I want my books to ROCK! If they sell? Well, yeah, that'd be awfully nice... but I am focussing on the writing. I have bought an awful lot of CRAP indie novels, and I dont want mine to be one of them. I have faith in the readers... they may not buy my book today, but they might tomorrow, and it better be the best book they can buy.
That said... I'm not quitting the day job! But Im getting up at 5am every day and writing like my life depends on it... because I think it does.
That's gotta be a good thing... dont it?
Happy writing Neil... link me to your novels. :)

http://libbybroadbent.com/2013/01/25/...

So many people now wax nostalgic about the early days of the web. Remember? It took five minutes of buzzing and beeps just to get online.
This story, "The Tiki Heads" is about that era. With grunge rock and the Christian Right thrown in there too. Check out the first few chapters free: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tiki-Heads-...

Here is the synopsis: It's the early 90s when grunge rock reigns supreme, the Internet is the next big thing and the Christian Right is very unhappy about the new occupant of the White House.
Hayden Frisby works in the mailroom of Empire Records in Hollywood and it seems like life is going nowhere fast for him. The only way to get out of the mailroom and advance his career is to sign a band to a record contract.
Through a co-worker, Hayden discovers The Tiki Heads, a grunge rock group with issues.
The 'suits' upstairs show little interest in this band but Hayden Frisby has a plan involving the Internet and a fanatical televangelist. It is a last desperate gamble and the result is a cataclysmic event which shakes the music industry to its very core.

Check it out and have a good laugh on me!

I always write for my fans--my first and foremost goal is to entertain, and that means writing a well-plotted story that will keep readers turning the pages. I think authors owe this to their audience!

Brian January