Historical Fictionistas discussion
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How difficult is it to get Historical Fiction published?
Hi, PaulaI found the process of working with agents and putting a book through submission to be extremely disappointing. Personally, I don't recommend it, although other authors have had a wonderful experience publishing HF the traditional way and they would recommend it.
I have been extremely happy with self-publishing my historical fiction, and that path I very heartily do recommend. The same book that was rejected by every major imprint that handles historical fiction, and which two different agents couldn't sell, has as a self-published book sold four times more than the average traditionally-published historical fiction print run, earned me more money than I make at my day job, and has made it possible for me to quit my job and write full-time.
I've now published five books myself -- four of them are historical fiction. I find the community of HF readers to be wonderfully supportive, welcoming, and happy to support a good author whether she's self-published or traditionally published. I think you can't pick a better group of readers to write for than HF fans, no matter which method of publishing you want to pursue.
I think any writer who's sitting on the fence, trying to decide whether to work with a traditional publisher or to publish her work herself, absolutely must read all the reports on this web site: http://authorearnings.com You need to be sure you have considered all the available information before you make such a big decision.
Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!
-Libbie
What L.M. said. I tried to submit Helen's Daughter through traditional channels, with no success. So I did the same thing L.M. did. I find a lot of agents and publishers don't know what they want, or they want what's popular now, when readers might be sick and tired of the current trend.L.M. wrote: "Hi, Paula
I found the process of working with agents and putting a book through submission to be extremely disappointing. Personally, I don't recommend it, although other authors have had a wonde..."
Plus, working with agents was, for me, not all it's cracked up to be for several different reasons. On the whole, it wasn't an experience I'd care to repeat, and I had a much more pleasant time of it than many other authors have.
Hi Paula,I wrote to 35 agents & publishers, starting in Australia, then the UK & finally the US. Nobody was interested although I’d only contacted agents / publishers who advertised that they were looking for new ‘talent' and they were also interested in historical fiction. Because my story is trans Atlantic focused I wasn't surprised that Australian agents / publishers were not interested.
I kept records of each approach – only 45.7% answered. See below
Australia - 3 companies approached - 1 answered - rejected.
Of the other two, one asked for a synopsis & two chapters, which were sent. The agent didn't communicate further.
The other failed to reply to the initial approach..
UK 22 companies approached - 9 answered - all 9 sent personal e-mails - polite, but they were rejections.
Of the thirteen that failed to reply, three sent auto replies that they had received the submission. The other ten failed to reply to the initial approach.
USA 10 companies approached - 6 answered - all 6 sent personal e-mails - polite, but they were rejections.
Of the four that failed to reply, one sent an auto reply, one asked for additional sample chapter & didn't communicate further, the others didn't acknowledge the initial submission.
Because I believed in my work I decided to self publish in paperback format, and a few months later as an e-book.
About a year later the e-book was picked up by a UK publisher that I’d never considered, because they didn't publish fiction - but they do now!
On the 3rd July 2013 my novel was republished in hardback, with a different title and cover. I am now waiting for information about the last six months of sales - if any :-o)
It's tricky.Trad publishing involves long waits, almost acceptances and a constant struggle.
If you know you have a publishable and marketable book - mine had been short listed in novel comps, been assessed by a reputable UK assessor who sent it straight to a great agent. Then if four years of faffing about being nearly accepted is not what you want Indie publishing is the way to go.
However a new writer going Indie on her own is liable to get lost in the ocean of books.
I had pals in the same position and we've formed a writers' pubishing co-operative which acts like a trad publisher in accepting and rejecting etc but is a wonderful support and a great help in lifting standards with each novel.
Think it through carefully. Trad publishers are very commercial these days and want a lot of story changes for commercial reasons.
On your own you will have to learn about marketing and PR and being a personable writer available to your readers as their writer.
I love those co-ops...I think they're a great idea! I have been thinking of forming one of my own.It is a tough gig no matter which route you attempt. It's definitely not easy, either way. Both traditional publishing and self-publishing present their own unique challenges. I've found that the online community of successful self-publishers is extremely helpful and eager to share their strategies and results, so at least there are ample resources for learning all the skills you need to succeed. :)
P.d.r. wrote: "I had pals in the same position and we've formed a writers' pubishing co-operative which acts like a trad publisher in accepting and rejecting etc but is a wonderful support and a great help in lifting standards with each novel."We did this, too—we being my writers' group—and for the same reasons: literary agents seem to be overwhelmed with submissions, so they go (I'm guessing) for the "sure sell." Of course, there is no such thing, but the belief that the sure sell exists really works against people who are either very close but not quite there or who just write about times and places that are outside the mainstream.
That said, marketing is hard work; traditional publishing still controls avenues that are out of reach for small-press and self-published books, including coop books. So it helps to take the long view. L.M. has done better than most! But the more books you have and the more contacts you make, the better it gets.
L.M., if you are serious about joining a cooperative, PM me. Historical fiction is a major focus of ours. We'd love to have you in our group.
LM you have certainly done better than most, especially many writers I know in the UK who suffer from what P.d.r. rightly calls 'being lost in the ocean of books'. For one I would love to know how you have so successfully built up your fan base. I assume a lot of us can write a good book and get it out but it is this ability to connect and sell (never mind quit the day job) that LM seems to have succeeded so well at. Any tips would be appreciated ;-)
Whatever way you go, Paula, think hard first then go with all your effort and enthusiasm.With a trad publisher you will need to do PR and be seen to be active in promoting yourself and your book.
As an Indie you need to be a noisy party girl celebrating Indies and Indie writers when ever and where ever you can. We've nabbed March as Indie month in New Zealand and are celebrating all round the country with readings and novel launches, free ebooks, and explanations of why we are not vanity published. Indies are inferior in NZ.
It would be nice to just write but that isn't possible even for a trad pub writer.
A long view is definitely beneficial, and certainly the more books you have the better you tend to fare. Primarily that's because word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool that exists, and part of word of mouth is simple exposure. The more titles you have out, the more people are going to see your name while browsing, the more you'll come up in conversations, etc.I've done well enough (especially for historical fiction, which just doesn't sell as many books as the more popular genres like romance and thriller), but I'm honesty very middling. It's possible for a HF author to do as well or better than I do, and many are, but it's just not a big part of the conversation right now, how well so many indies are doing. We tend to think that only a small handful of outliers ever make any money at this, but recent data have proven that it's just not true. More importantly, recent data have proven that authors make undeniably more money (to the tune of 5.6 times more) when they self-publish compared to pursuing traditional routes.
If you guys haven't already thoroughly read the reports at AuthorEarnings, you must. It's important information that all authors need.
As for how I did it, I expected a long haul, took a very long-term view of this thing, and didn't skimp on the quality aspect. It doesn't matter how good you get at marketing or what kind of luck comes your way: if you're not starting with excellent books, sales won't sustain. However, if you found everything on top-notch writing, great plots, and unique angles on tropes, you can expect sales to grow over time and to keep on growing. It's a slow road, but the payoffs are great. :) Of course, you have to remain reasonable about what's possible within your own genre. A HF author won't ever sell as many books as a romance author...there just isn't a large enough audience to support that kind of income. (And this is why I'm going to be writing some romances this year under a different pen name. :D)
As for what I do/did to promote...almost nothing. I lucked out and happened to have an Egyptian novel all ready to go when there were very, very few available, whether from indies or traditional authors, and at a time when readers were starting to look for new settings beyond what had been popular for a few years. I came along with a good book in a shiny new setting before all the other indie Egyptian books arrived. That was pure luck, to be at the front of that wave...but it did help grease the word of mouth machine for me. Now I'm actively seeking out more underserved niches within HF and trying to be at the front of future waves. Who knows if it'll work. We'll see! Luckily for me, I have genuine interest in lots of areas of historical fiction beyond just Egypt.
I also made friends with lots of influential HF readers/reviewers on Goodreads...but those were genuine internet-friendships because I loved those people's reviews and opinions, and I would have gotten to know them whether I had a book to sell or not. I've never pushed my books on anybody. I just come to Goodreads wearing my Reader Hat, not my Writer Hat, and make friends. Eventually folks who are interested in me as a person find out that I've written books, and check them out. But I don't "sell" on GR. However, certainly getting to know a wide variety of interesting people on GR has helped keep the word of mouth machine well greased.
BookBub is an excellent tool and well worth the expense, but I've only done one ad there, and only well after I'd established an audience just via GR interaction and the novelty of having a "fresh setting" for my books. BookBub is worth it in spades (and keep an eye on EbookSoda, too...similar service, brand new, but looks like it'll shape up to be a real contender with BB) but BB is also not necessary to develop an audience, either. It's just "icing on the cake" type stuff.
Also, start a mailing list.
Hi LMThanks for this. You really seem to have a well grounded view. I'm new to this whole thing having thought about writing my own novels for years and now having (finally) the courage to have a go. It's inspiring to know that there are real people 'out there' who have succeeded. Please can I ask you what advice would you offer to someone new to the boards and the whole self publishing world?
I hope you don't mind my asking - you just seem so in control of the whole experience!
Paula
Martine wrote: "I have been discussing this with another new member when one of the mods directed it here.Can you tell me more about how you got your book to publication. Have you written many novels?
Thanks
Pau..."
Wow Martine - you certainly seem to have been very inventive in the way you have pursued your writing career - I am really encouraged by what you say about the genre and the commercial aspects of successful novels currently. I think I'm on the right track as I've tried to make the characters the primary focal point of the novel - I think they are all strong in their own way - and I have tried to use the historical aspect as a means to challenging the characters and presenting them with what I think are compelling choices. Add to that I've included a political conspiracy as a sub plot and maybe I've got all the elements you have highlighted!!!!! Let's hope anyway.
I think my big challenge is being ruthless enough with the writing to cut out the elements that are maybe less essential to plot movement - but it's so difficult when your characters assume a life of their own!! That's maybe when an editorial / objective influence would be useful.
I'm here for the long haul! so hopefully I can learn and improve as I go!
Thank you so much for all your input so far
x
Paula
Geoff wrote: "Hi Paula,I wrote to 35 agents & publishers, starting in Australia, then the UK & finally the US. Nobody was interested although I’d only contacted agents / publishers who advertised that they we..."
Hi Geoff
That is so inspiring! Well Done - what is your book called? I'd love to follow up.
Paula
P.d.r. wrote: "Whatever way you go, Paula, think hard first then go with all your effort and enthusiasm.With a trad publisher you will need to do PR and be seen to be active in promoting yourself and your book...."
Hiya
P.d.r. - do you think that a clear cut choice has to be made? The experience of Geoff above seems to be that you can fuse the two?
I'm up for the PR bit - just don't know how to go about it yet!!!!
L.M. wrote: "I love those co-ops...I think they're a great idea! I have been thinking of forming one of my own.It is a tough gig no matter which route you attempt. It's definitely not easy, either way. Bot..."
Hi LM
If you are going to go this route I'd be happy to get involved.
x
P
Paula wrote: "Thanks for this. You really seem to have a well grounded view. I'm new to this whole thing having thought about writing my own novels for years and now having (finally) the courage to have a go. It's inspiring to know that there are real people 'out there' who have succeeded. Please can I ask you what advice would you offer to someone new to the boards and the whole self publishing world?I hope you don't mind my asking - you just seem so in control of the whole experience!"
First off, congratulations on taking the plunge! That's really exciting.
My best advice is to stay in touch with blogs and other news outlets that will keep you well informed of exactly what's happening in the publishing world right now. Constantly inform yourself...become an expert in publishing industry news. Some of the best resources to stay well informed are: The Passive Voice, Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog, Kboards Writers' Cafe (this place is full of indie authors with a huge variety of experience, ranging from the top of the industry like Hugh Howey, Elle Casey, H.M. Ward, etc. all the way down through total newbies, and everybody there is fantastic and helpful!), and Joe Konrath's blog, but be prepared for a heavy degree of snark there. :)
Most of all, be realistic about what can and can't be expected from pursuing a career as a writer (even a part-time one.) Honestly, authors have been fed a line of bull for many decades about what they can reasonably expect from traditional publishers...particularly the ones affiliated with the Big Five companies. The reality does not align with the publisher-fueled expectation in 99% of cases. Don't allow yourself to be taken for a ride. Be skeptical and careful; trust your own judgment; arm yourself with information and as much real data as you can get your hands on. Then you'll be able to make a wise decision for yourself without falling prey to the mind games that have been sprung on hopeful writers since 1978. :)
Hit me up wit ha private message (or a post here) any time you'd like more information! One of the things that's so nice about the indie movement is how much we all help each other out.
I back everything L.M. said, from the personal view on the independent publishing and its wonderful possibilities through the necessity to be very professional on all levels (which many indies sadly tend to neglect, the mistake I did ion the beginning of my way, too), to the luck of finding a unique niche, to the marketing issues (yes, I use Bookbub as well, and I claim that they worth the expense, but should be used only when you are well established). Like in L.M. case, my unique niche was a liability when I struggled to break through the traditional publishing barriers. They don't take chances with barely known history, they prefer (or preferred) the well explored Tudors, Romans, shining Regency balls.
Well, apparently the readers out there are quite interested in other historical times and places as well. Surprise, surprise ;)
I agree with L.M. that it is not an easy road, and there will be no immediate fruits to see, but in the end, if one is patient and prepared to work hard - really hard :) - it pays off.
I was able to earn my living from my writing alone through the last year and I'm still excited about it like a little girl. Not that my husband was able to quit his day job as he is dreaming to do as yet, but at least I earn a wage I would be earning out there if not busy writing (or editing and re-editing, or marketing) day and night.
Something I would not have been able to do if I was traditionally published with the same amount of books out there.
Not to mention that traditionally I would not be able to publish so many books in a relatively short period of time. As an Indie you don't have to face all the bureaucracy, as your editor and proofreader and cover artist are most likely are freelance people who are prepared to work as hard as you are, pushing as madly and working at nights, taking care of their private business and not just working for someone punching the clock. It's a pleasure to work with other Indies in the related fields, as those people know how to work hard :)
All in all, it's not an easy road but I think it's more satisfying one :-)
Paula wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Hi Paula,I wrote to 35 agents & publishers, starting in Australia, then the UK & finally the US. Nobody was interested although I’d only contacted agents / publishers who advertise..."
Good morning Paula,
The original title was 'Ice King' when I self published in paperback & e-book formats. It is still available as an e-book under Ice King.
The hardback edition is called Triangle Trade (under this title it has not yet been issued as an e-book).
Check Amazon UK & US because Ice King readers have been very kind with their comments - only one person has reviewed it under its new title. It is also listed on Smashwords as Ice King.
cheers
Geoff
Zoe and L.M. both say BookBub is worth the expense. Just checked them out. They would have to be!!
That's awesome that you're full time now, Zoe! I've seen your list of titles grow like crazy over the past year...you are so prolific! And yes, so many HF readers are hungry for "new" settings and experiences, but traditional publishers are not inclined to take a chance on them. There's a lot of opportunity for authors in indie HF!Ian -- yes, BookBub is certainly pricey! Yikes! When I did my ad I got 25,000 downloads in 48 hours, doubled the size of my mailing list in the same mount of time, hit #7 in the entire Kindle store, and launched my next book (came out about six weeks after the ad) with the strongest numbers I've ever had for a release, before or since...so it paid off, but it is certainly an investment!
Wow! That's a great response. Mmm, will have to give it another think.Thanks, L.M.
Paula, you ask if you can't have both Trad and Indie. I think if you try to have a foot in both camps you'll end up sitting in between with nothing.Of course you can have both trad and Indie published books but if you decide to go Indie then you should put heart and soul into chatting to readers in places like here on GR, linking up with history buffs and experts, chatting to other hist writers, blogging, networking which ever way you do it, and growing a mailing list. You can't do this and cope with letters to agents and waiting times.
If you go Indie and polish your manuscript, then work with a pro copy editor, story editor, cover designer and book designer (design you can do yourself to see what is the best way to present your book) then you can have a book out for sale in months.
If you are dangling the same book in front of agents you will be waiting years for publication. And if you self publish as you are tempting agents some of them will be very cross!
The only thing that matters is how good your story is. If it is publishable and marketable and you get professional editing and cover design then you have a book which will sell.It takes a long while for word of mouth to work but it does. And if you produce quality books each year then your readers are happy and sales grow.
BookBub and such like places can come later. First perfect your novel. Secondly make up your mind. Perhaps you can - being young - allow yourself three years to break into trad publishing then go Indie.
Those of us who put off serious full time pro writing until our children had grown and retirement loomed don't have that time. And at that age agents and trad pubs can be very negative. You mightn't live long enough to supply them with enough books for them to make money.
And as far as money goes Indie is best!
I agree that if income is your primary concern, indie is the smartest move. There are still advantages to working with a traditional publisher...primarily that's distribution to bookstores, for the publishers who do still offer that. However, with Barnes & Noble on the verge of folding, we must all ask ourselves how much longer bookstore distribution will remain an asset, and also keep in mind that it's probably better for one's ebook to show up in AlsoBought algorithms on Amazon than to sit spine-out in a small section of a bookstore for three months. More eyeballs tend to fall on the ebooks than the bookstore books these days...
Now, for the authors who have been able to secure a portion of a publisher's promotional budget and who have gained the support of the publishing staff, they can have fantastic experiences with publishers. It would be wonderful to get that! Just bear in mind that it happens for very, very few people who sell their books to publishers...and far fewer people who query publishers or agents.
Some of the many things I love about indie publishing, which DO make a VERY HUGE impact on how much money I'm able to earn, are the following:
-Ability to write and publish as many darn books as I please in a year's time (publishers' contracts usually include non-compete clauses which restrict how many books you may write/publish per year, and how and where you may publish them.)
-Ability to change my covers, blurbs, keywords, and categories at the drop of a hat (this does have an immediate impact on whether an author's books can catch a "popularity wave" or not...it can be the difference between earning $100 in a month and earning $2000 in a month.)
-Ability to constantly update my "Calls to Action" in the back of my ebooks, directing readers to the newest books I have available...this keeps readers filtering through layers of new material and gives them new stuff to find from me and from fellow authors I'm helping promote all the time, instead of just leaving them at a brick wall at the end of reading my book...that brick wall with nowhere to go next makes authors forgettable and hurts future sales!
-Ability to respond rapidly to emerging trends in my genre. Traditional publishing typically takes 18 months to two years to bring a book from signing the contract to the book first appearing in bookstores. That is a VERY long time in terms of trends and fads, and in a trend-dependent genre like historical fiction, it can be a career-killer. What sells today may not be what readers are hungry for in 18 months. As an indie, I can see those trends coming around the bend, to some degree, and write a book in anywhere between one month and six months to supply the demand for that trendy setting/era. I am much, much faster and far more adaptable and market-responsive as an indie than I ever could be as a traditional author.
All important things to keep in mind! These things do have a very large bearing on how well authors fare in the current publishing world.
C.P. wrote: "P.d.r. wrote: "I had pals in the same position and we've formed a writers' pubishing co-operative which acts like a trad publisher in accepting and rejecting etc but is a wonderful support and a gr..."I too, have co-founded an Author Collective, for all these above reasons. It's been over two years now, and the support, encouragement and team-work has been so fabulous, that I don't regret my decision to go Indie for a minute. If anybody is interested in any further information, you might like to read the "blogversation" between C.P. and I, about author collectives: http://triskelebooks.blogspot.fr/2013... What is the name of your collective, P.d.r? I'm always interested in seeing how others function.
Yes, we coops have to stick together. We'll be happy to give yours a few shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter, P.D.R., once we know the name. Won't we, Liza?
That's really appreciated. Blooming marvellous in fact. We can all link and cheer each other.I could spit with vexation though. Right now there's some kind of gremlin in our website. It's down for fixing 'cos our techy person says someone put something nasty in it. Being non-tech I don't understand a word,just recognise a blank screen.
But I will launch full details at you when we have been fixed in a couple of days. And Thank you from all of us.
P.d.r. wrote: "That's really appreciated. Blooming marvellous in fact. We can all link and cheer each other.I could spit with vexation though. Right now there's some kind of gremlin in our website. It's down fo..."
Yes, P.d.r., C.P. and I would only be too happy to give you a shout out. Let me know when the website problem is resolved...
On the face of it, you might expect it to be easier to succeed with historical fiction than 'ordinary' fiction because it should appeal to a wider readership - those interested in reading novels and also those interested in the particular period or people portrayed. I've now got to the stage where I feel guilty about reading any fiction that isn't going to teach me something in this way. This doesn't mean that it has to be historical. It can be, for example, a book which delves into unusual psychologies - just as long as I'm learning something or being prodded into thinking about the subject.
Great and informative thread. Thanks much. Here's a link to a traditionally published author's take. Traditional deals and good sales require great heaps of luck. We, Indie publishers, are able to make more of our own luck. http://www.salon.com/2014/02/27/what_...
Tech miracles achieved. Find us at www.writerschoice.org.3 active members with novels qualified to be published and other members quietly beavering away.
Going one year and earned a 1st historical fiction prize and an Amazon top 100 listing. Feel it is hard work but worth it as our books were agented but turned down by publishers as too difficult to sell!
P.d.r. wrote: "Tech miracles achieved. Find us at www.writerschoice.org.3 active members with novels qualified to be published and other members quietly beavering away.
Going one year and earned a 1st historica..."
Great achievements P.d.r! Going to have a look at writerschoice.
I self-published [that is I formed my own indie press] the first volume of Rashi's Daughters: Joheved in 2005, after an agent was unable to find a buyer. I KNEW there was an audience for historical fiction that featured a Jewish heroine, and I was right. I sold 26,000 copies in 18 months before Penguin bought the rights to the sequels.More on how I did that from an article I wrote for IPBA here - http://www.rashisdaughters.com/Sales.pdf. Anyone even thinking of going indie should join this fine organization.
With experience as both an indie and traditionally published author, I'm well aware of the good and bad with each when it comes to control and money. But no way am I able to do the research and write a new historical novel more often than once a year, and I'd have even less time if I were the publisher as well.
If one is solely interested in e-books, then going indie may be a good option. But for print books, it's another story.
Maggie Anton
That's great, Maggie! I love stories like that. :DI think print can certainly be done as an indie, but all the little tasks associated with publishing yourself do add up and take up a chunk of time. The trade-off for earning more money is having less free time. The eternal quandary, I guess. ;)
P.d.r. wrote: "Tech miracles achieved. Find us at www.writerschoice.org.3 active members with novels qualified to be published and other members quietly beavering away."
Great. Thanks for the link. Your books look interesting. Will post about the site tomorrow (unless Liza gets there first, in which case I will share her link).
Maggie, what an inspiring story. Glad that Penguin eventually saw the light!
Yet, I have friends trad published who spend as much time as I do marketing and networking and PR-ing because they don't get much marketing from their big name publishers.I think you can do print and ebook if you manage your time tightly and spread the PR load with your colleagues.
L.M. wrote: "That's great, Maggie! I love stories like that. :DI think print can certainly be done as an indie, but all the little tasks associated with publishing yourself do add up and take up a chunk of ti..."
You have to remember though that it's not just a question of time. Some people enjoy the marketing and publicising element of publishing, or at least are naturally good at it. It's difficult for those who don't fall into this category. But as has already been pointed out, whether or not you have a traditional publisher doesn't make much difference to what is required of you in this department.
C.P. wrote: "P.d.r. wrote: "Tech miracles achieved. Find us at www.writerschoice.org.3 active members with novels qualified to be published and other members quietly beavering away."
Great. Thanks for the lin..."
C. P. I have organised to do a "Blogversation" with Pdr, much the same as we did together. Please, go ahead and shout out about Writer's Choice now though, and send me the link so I can share too.
L.M. wrote: "I agree that if income is your primary concern, indie is the smartest move. There are still advantages to working with a traditional publisher...primarily that's distribution to bookstores, for th..."Again I can't agree more! (lol, will I ever come up with something original in this thread?)
The ability to regulate your own work and it's tempo, the ability to respond to the changing trends of the market, the ability to "play" with your promos and discounts... I appreciate this freedom of action very much.
Btw, Lavender, The Sekhmet Bed and its sequels are doing amazingly well, in my opinion! I was so pleased to see that :)
The readers are definitely into good ancient history, when it's written well and engaging :)
Maggie wrote: "...But no way am I able to do the research and write a new historical novel more often than once a year ..."
Unless you write more than one book on the same times and cultures. For example, to cover more than 60 years of the turbulent Mesoamerican history I could not get away with one epic novel, even if I wanted to (which I didn't, as I believe in splitting history into series works better, and not only for the marketing purposes but for the modern reader's ability, or inability, to concentrate for a long enough period of time;)). So while working on the continues historical events you can write as fast as you like, or as your daily life allows you ;-)
Thanks, Zoe! Though sales have flagged lately a little...that's to be expected, since I don't really do much promotion. The last time I did anything was a BookBub ad back in June. I am in the process of getting The Sekhmet Bed set to perma-free right now, so hopefully that will beef things back up a little.Readers are all over good ancient history (I noticed you have a loyal following, too, which is awesome!) I'm surprised publishers aren't paying attention to that and acquiring more ancient settings.
Though Stephanie Thornton has Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt coming out in May...but that's the only upcoming release in ancient fiction that I'm aware of. I haven't seen any announcements about sales of ancient HF recently, either. :(
Well, more for us! ;)
Liza wrote: "C. P. I have organised to do a "Blogversation" with Pdr, much the same as we did together. Please, go ahead and shout out about Writer's Choice now though, and send me the link so I can share too."Great! Post the link when you have it. I'd love to read that and cross-post it.
Today completely got away from me. Sorry about that. I'll try to do the shout-out tomorrow.
L.M. wrote: "Thanks, Zoe! Though sales have flagged lately a little...that's to be expected, since I don't really do much promotion. The last time I did anything was a BookBub ad back in June. I am in the pro..."Perma-free? Why?
The Sekhmet Bed is not a novella, or a prequel, to be offered for free. It's a full time novel and a great one. I wouldn't like to see it free, not only out of greediness (lol, that too :D), but mainly because free books do have a certain odium, sometimes. People tend to take them less seriously, sometimes, well, some people. It's bad enough that we have to do it for limited amount of time to the first books as it's still a great way to promote the entire series :) I don't know. Somehow it's difficult for me to imagine The Sekhmet as a permanent freebie.
Why not to make another shot with Bookbub? You can do it every six months and it still works, even though logically all their listed hist-fic fans were supposed to get the book for the first time. Well, apparently they don't. From experience. I grew addicted to BB, lol, and I count very diligently those six months between each of the promoted books. Some I did even three times over the last year and a half, and still each time the downloads are about the same - very high (btw, I never was as successful as you are, I'm happy when I'm shot to the first 10 in the free, being the tenth, but even the first 20 works ok and returns the invested money plus some cream (well, anyway it is done mostly for the sequels' sake ;)). The Sekhmet did amazingly great that I would only dream to do, but even if this time you'll get only, say, 12K downloads, you'll still see a great boost for your entire series for a month or two).
lol, does it look as though I'm working for BB now? :D
L.M. wrote: "Thanks, Zoe! Though sales have flagged lately a little...that's to be expected, since I don't really do much promotion. The last time I did anything was a BookBub ad back in June. I am in the pro..."Knossos is also coming out this spring.
@Zoe – I’ve heard really good thing about using perma-free with novels from many indie authors. Recently some authors have seen the second novels in their series get up onto the Top 100 All-Store after setting the first novel free, but I’d take getting onto the first page of the All Historical Fiction category.So basically, I want to experiment with it and see if it can expand my audience. Sales are slowing down now (after nearly two years of growth) so that’s a good sign that it’s time to look for ways to tap a new audience. With 175 reviews and 4.4 average on Amazon, I don’t think I risk it developing a bad reputation just from free-ness. Plus, “perma”free doesn’t have to mean forever. It just means it’s outside the five-day limit imposed by Select. I plan to give it the rest of March and see what it does for sales of the rest of my books, and then decide whether to continue with it or not.
As for why not BookBub again, it’s $700 for historical fiction ads right now, and I simply don’t have the money. Free ads in HF are a little cheaper – more like $400 – but I’d have to be in Select again to be able to pinpoint-control the date my book went free for a BookBub free run, and I’m never joining Select again. Their poor customer service nearly destroyed my income in June, and again in December…the whole thing led to such a huge mess that I had to email Jeff Bezos directly to get a resolution. Amazon is not getting exclusivity from me ever again, under any circumstances. So if I want to play with free, I have to do it via price-matching or not at all.
I wouldn’t mind running another BookBub ad on a sale book, when I have the disposable income. It’s not in the cards right now, though. Bummer. I totally love BB – the results I got were insane. But back when I did it, a free ad was $160 for HF. Now that I can’t precisely control when my books go free, my only choice for BB is a sale ad, which is so much more expensive. It's worth every penny, but if we can't afford it, we can't afford it.
Maybe in a few months! My husband might be taking a job soon as an estate caretaker, and we won’t have rent to pay if he gets it, so that will free up all the BB ad money I could ever hope for! Haha…cross your fingers for us. ;)
Oh, wait... DERP. Just re-read the BB submission guidelines. It's only sales that are required to be occasional. They will actually take Permafree submissions on BB. Yay!! And it's only $230 for a free ad in HF (by the way, so cool to see that HF has climbed their subscriber list to the #3 position! Go HF readers!!)Okay, I submitted for another BB ad. I hope I get it! $230 is definitely in the range of do-able right now.
Still, I can't believe how high the prices have climbed for the sale ads, in just the nine months since I ran my ad there! It's insane!
lol, yes, I was just about to rear in horror :D I would never manage to pay for even their 99c promos. Only freebies. And yes, a year and a half ago free HF went for 115$, now it gradually climbed to 230$ *sigh* ;-)
But yes, yes, do them!
Btw, there is another trick now that you have 4 books in the series, but I guess I better message you. We turned this thread into something too technical, didn't we? :D
Also if you did a free book with them, they would not agree to do another promo for higher pricing. I tried once and was told politely that they can't offer their readers a book for a higher price than they already offered once.So free book it is :D
That's fine with me, because I happen to think free is a much better promo strategy anyway! :D Looking forward to your PM. ;) I submitted my app for a promo...now we wait.
C.P. wrote: "Will post about the site tomorrow (unless Liza gets there first, in which case I will share her link)."Just posted on Five Directions Press (on Facebook) and then shared it as Catriona Lesley, my FB self. Liza and anyone else, please pick up the post and pass it along.
L.M., Catriona just sent you a friend request on FB, in case you are wondering who that is. P.D.R., I searched for you but didn't find you. Are you on Facebook?
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (other topics)Joheved (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Wesley (other topics)Maggie Anton (other topics)
Can you tell me more about how you got your book to publication. Have you written many novels?
Thanks
Paula
Hi Paula (and everyone),
I'm afraid my route to publication in the UK was long and hard. I've been writing for years and wrote at least two other literary novels that got agents but were always 'nearly' published. So I started to write non-fiction just to get published. I've also done a lot of courses including the excellent Arvon in the UK and local creative writing courses. In the end, not having the desire or money to do a Creative Writing MA I 'designed my own' - I read and analysed quality books, got a mentor and shared my work in a dedicated feedback group. I also decided to go more popular and though I've written about travel and historic food in An Appetite for Violets I made it into a mystery novel too. By then I knew some agents and got signed up, and after about a year of re-writes and cuts it went out to publishers and was sold. When I write all this down it sounds like a real slog, and it was, but if you enjoy it you hope to see progress all the time.
Good luck, I think that reading a lot and writing what you would like to read is a brilliant start. Historical fiction is on a real come-back now so in my humble opinion it's worth taking a ruthless look at what really sells(dramatic stories, strong heroes and heroines, crime/mystery element)and matching your own ambitions to those.
All the best
Martine