THE Group for Authors! discussion

I recently posted a topic about a facebook ad I ran and the lack of success with sales of my book from it and from a goodreads ad I recently started running. A suggestion was made to sort of link it to other popular books like it. This same suggestion was made to me by someone else when creating tags on Amazon. But here's the problem....my book isn't really like any others. OK, the title means "Island of the Shark" and yes, there is a shark story/legend that provides the backdrop and part of the climax. But it's NOT a shark book. In addition, the most popular "shark books" are about evil sharks that attack and kill people. I don't want my book asssociated with those kinds of themes. I don't want to add fuel to that fire of people being scared of sharks. My book also has a love story to it, but gosh, there are tons of YA love stories out there. How on earth could I link it to every one? However, even if I did, would people look at the cover and title and go "hmm, that's not a love story. It's something to do with sharks and I DON'T want to read THAT!" Thoughts?

books about scientists, Elasmobranchology, YA drama, island legends

I missed the discussion of the facebook ad, but if the topic was lack of sales and possible reasons why, my first thought is the title being in a foreign language.

Unless your target audience actually speaks the language, I'd guess that about 99.9% of potential readers don't even take a closer look. I know I don't look at things that I presume are in a foreign language.

I'd go with a different cover featuring Dylan and Terra if possible, and I'd have the title in English with the Italian below in smaller font - if it really needs to have Italian on the cover.

All I can think of is "An unusual,tender love story - with sharks" and I don't suppose that helps much, but you could maybe try something along those lines. I'm not very good at that sort of thing myself. Sorry, I'm not trying to be facaetious, just throw an idea in the pot for you.

Gee, Loretta, that was so not helpful! :)

Kudos to Amanda for knowing the word elasmobranchology!

Edward, you have no idea how disheartening it is to read that! I had the exact same thought about the title after about a week of it being out. The very first comment I got was "is it in English?" and I had several more like that within that first week. So after some polling of my beta readers and friends who know about the story and people I know in the book biz, I "expanded" the title making it Isola di Squalo: The Delmar Shark Chronicles. Unfortunately, that long of a name doesn't fit in the miniscule ad space people give you. For my FB ad, I wrote "Novel: Isola di Squalo" thinking that if "novel" was in English, people would take a look. However, I did get a lot of "likes" from Spain while my FB ad ran and the title isn't in SPanish! It's Italian! and I was told in the very beginning to never ever translate on the cover. I do love my cover art very much too. i really hate the thought of changing it altogether, but it is possible because I got 1 from my designer that was a beach at sunset with no shark images at all. Sigh. This is way harder than I ever thought it would be!

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But it sounds like you knew as much in the beginning.

Maybe do a test run with an English title and leave the cover the way it is. Then if nothing happens, try a test with the alternate cover, but have the artist add a shark fin sticking up out of the water.

Isn't that a shark tail on the cover already?

But the presence of a shark tail as the only image does suggest that this is a shark book, whatever language the title appears in. The blurb also suggests that the (return of the) shark is paramount. Giving the title as "Isle of the Shark" will just make the shark more prominent, no?

Perhaps the more important step is to decide what your book IS, as distinct from what it is not. If it fits no categories, how will you target an audience or identify it on Amazon.com or elsewhere? Even if the book is cross-genre, one element usually dominates. Perhaps if you focus on that, the shark can find a level on the cover that matches its importance in the story.

A family saga, maybe?

It is a family saga though only 1 story has been written so far. But I've had so much trouble with this one, I wonder if I should even bother with the others.
What my book IS, is hard to summarize, for me anyway. There's romance, action, adventure, yes, sharks, even some ecology.
I've just spent some time going back to all the places I have the book listed and made Isola di Squalo the subtitle to the series title which is The Delmar Shark Chronicles. That way I get to keep the title, but it starts off in English. But I think C.P. is right that keeping the title whether it says Shark or Squalo, what difference would it make if I changed the cover art? The shark is still there. And I really really love the cover art. :)

Heidi, I see it's only been published since March. Hang on in there. It can take a while longer than that to get going. Don't give up, just keep building an audience. Have you tried a giveaway? I don't know what the secret to success is as I haven't cracked it yet either, but if you give up, you'll never get there. Courage mon brave. x

Hosting giveaways are great, some people might be worried to buy but giveaways make them more willing.

Like Loretta said it can take time.

I know, I know. I'm just VERY impatient! I know I'm supposed to do a giveaway during the first 90 days on Amazon, but so far it's only been about 30. I'm not sure when would be a good placement for a giveaway. But it's been probably 2 weeks or more since i've had a single sale.

Giveaways help sister.

I sometimes go weeks without a sale. I sold some damaged books cheaply recently, and that gave me a boost. It is one thing writing the book and another thing entirely marketing it. I used to think it was so simple. Get a following on twitter and facebook, publish the book and hey presto! Wrong! I read, when I started, about some blokes who knocked on 5 doors a day for 3 years selling I can't remember what, and one day they knocked on the right door and boom! Sales took off. It's a true story. Keep knocking on doors. Believe in your book and never give up.

Also post sections from your book on your blogs and pages. Reading snippets might leave people wanting to read more. I post entire poems from my books to try to tempt people. Woo them, lol. Find some of your most thrilling, or tender, or exciting passages and post just enough to give people an idea, and make them want more.

I actually like the shark on the cover. It's kind of cool. My point was only that you can't put a shark on the cover, call the book "Isle of the Shark," and name the series The Delmar Shark Chronicles, then expect people not to think of it as a shark tale.

If you want to get away from the "Jaws" kind of shark, maybe market the book to people who like tales about selkies, water horses, dragons, and the like. As well as the family saga types.

But the big thing is that I agree with the others. It takes a long time for a self-pubbed book to find its audience. Giveaways do help, not in terms of generating sales or reviews so much as increasing a book's visibility. Facebook ads may not be a good buy (have you ever clicked on a Facebook ad? I haven't).

Goodreads ads are at least targeted at readers, but wary readers inundated by ads from self-promoting authors—not all of whom have produced high-quality work. The rollovers may just be people moving their mice over the ad to get someplace else.

So if you want to succeed, you do need to ensure, first and foremost, that you have a good book. Then think about who your likely readers are and what will appeal to them, come up with a marketing plan that will reach them, and invest in it for the long haul. Even under the best circumstances, it can take a year or two for a book to establish itself.

Not what you wanted to hear, I suspect. But at least no one is standing there ready to pulp your book after six months because it didn't sell.

C.P. wrote: "I actually like the shark on the cover. It's kind of cool. My point was only that you can't put a shark on the cover, call the book "Isle of the Shark," and name the series The Delmar Shark Chronic..."

C.P. - great comment, and great advice!

C.P. I agree with your marketing ideas that targeting your market is crucial. For example, my book (asogofafrica.org) is an historical novel set in Nigeria. The other day I targeted an ad on Facebook to Nigeria, and the response has been greater than with past ads targeting those interested in Africa. I am still getting a strong response. Of course, every fifth person in Africa lives in Nigeria.

I try to take every opportunity to talk about my book but it hasn't been out very long. I have found that it is difficult to get it out there in front of my audience without spending a nice bit of cash. I too give hints and excerpts on my blog from my first book and the one I am working on now. I have found that writing for a specific audience makes it easier to market the book and building hype about the book prior to publishing seems to get people interested. I have a few people who are now in a hurry for me to finish my next book. I am hoping the crowd grows in numbers and I develop fans. The only thing is that I think my book is a good book and I have a couple good reviews, but... Who knows, maybe it will take off. I heard that by the time you publish about five books things start taking off and books start selling if you have a good marketing plan. I just don't know what exactly that would be.

Jennifer wrote: "Giveaways help sister."

re knocking on doors: The trick is knowing when a door is really a door and when it's a brick wall. You never know where the breaks are, so just keep stirring the pot, moving in the right circles, and be ready when you see a door standing in front of you.