Support for Indie Authors discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archived
>
Getting a book to sell?
date
newest »
newest »
I'm at the same point no matter what I do my sales are dismal at best. I've started contacting book bloggers asking for reviews in hopes that gets the word out.
Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be seen?I've tried to post it out..."
I would start with the basics.
Get a Facebook author page in addition to your private one.
Get Instagram if you want.
Get a website.
Connect with people on social media and Goodreads.
And start telling them about your book. Join the reviewers group at Goodreads and find people willing to read it (and maybe review). Think about promoting it on a website or two.. Just be a tad bit more proactive :)
Now you can do all the above and still maybe not see a rise in sales but you don't really have anything to lose right?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Still there myself. I have several reviewers working on mine, as well as ones already posted. I have done several author interviews with a few more to come. I have also done a giveaway, and ran a freebie on Amazon for a day (got 32 downloads that day but nothing since). I have even created a FB page just for my series, and am trying to learn to blog, as well. No one wants to hear it, but it all takes time. My next attempt is joining Carole P. Roman in her Swag Bag distribution over the next couple of months.
Mod
Personally, I'd focus on working on the next book. Nothing lifts my spirits more than making progress on a new project. Best of luck to you!
Alexis wrote: "Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be seen?I've trie..."
Alexis has created a clear plan and many of her ideas won't cost much except in time. Nathan also brings up an important idea- getting interviews. Look for other authors who need material on their blogs and ask if you can do an interview. Sometimes they will give you a set of questions, other times they want some sort of article- either way it's perfect to generate interest in your book.
If there is anyone out there who needs a place- pm me and I will arrange for you to be on one of three blogs I work with.
Google blogs in your genre and ask if they'll feature your book or do an interview. I do tons of them, and I only pay when it's a blog tour. They can run anywhere from 20 to 200 dollars. Blog tours are another way to get your name out there.
I've heard people complain that they do it and they don't see any changes. It has to be constant. You can't do once and then forget about it. I'm still doing articles that pushes four year old books.
I spent a few hours each day looking for places to mention our books. Now I have a huge resource to pick and choose the best deals that fit what I am doing.
When you do an article- it shouldn't be about your book, but about you. It should make people want to go and buy your book, because something you say is interesting. What was the last book you bought and why did you choose it?
I know just from reading Alexis responses, I can't wait to read her book. (I want to add it's not a genre I usually read, but she is an interesting person). Every book I chose to buy and review on Goodreads, I picked because of something that author said on the threads. It piqued my interests. That's what sells books. We spend so much time writing our blurbs- why- it entices a reader to say I want to know more about that character or that's an interesting idea- how is he going to pull that off. That is the idea of interviews-.
Think about what makes you interesting and go out there and talk about it. I have bought over twenty books, just from the threads- there are some fascinating people here.
Mod
Are you absolutely sold on that cover? It could be what is hurting you the most. When I look at it, I expect it to be a song book for small children, but the rest says "fantasy for YA or adults". Just a suggestion.
Also, I agree with Dan. Focus on the next project. Keep trying to push this one, for sure, but the more work you get out there, the better you will sell.
Such great advice coming out of everyone! It's true....it really is hard work. You have to talk yourself into it every single day hoping that that particular day is going to be the moment that the world finds out you're a dang good writer. Then, alas, you're laying in bed checking your Amazon rank one last, completely OCD moment and....nope. That day will surely have to be tomorrow! :P
Hang in there and be a super proactive fighter. No one is going to believe more strongly in your book than you are. Even traditionally published authors have to do tons and tons of their own marketing work.
I've heard that successful people hate the hard work just as much as the next guy. They just choose to do it anyway. I challenge myself constantly to keep focused. I've even turned down full-time positions twice in the last 2 years that would actually give me (and my family) financial freedom. I wrote my book while working full-time and by the time I entered the editing phase I was blessed with the opportunity to pull back on my hours so I could actually write while the sun was out. I finally released it this summer and most people would say, "You're done. Now go back to work!" But I can't. I know that I need to give everything, every single day, until people know this story. I stick to that one saying, "I'll rest when I die."
My first book has been out since March and the sequel came out in October. I completely get what you're saying Kristen up until around October or November I saw very little in sales. It wasn't until I got a good review from a book blogger that I saw any jump in sales. It was still very few but I saw another jump when I started becoming more active here on Goodreads. I became a member of a couple reviewer groups here and started offering free copies for review and I jump on it anytime a blogger here posts for promotional posts. Like I said I haven't sold a lot of copies but I am getting my name out there and that's all a part of getting your book out there! :)
Any business takes a long time. I met a woman who was a painter- an artist. She did a beautiful picture and someone asked How long did that take. She said twenty years and ten minutes. Twenty years building her talent and ten minutes to actually do the picture. I was very young and learned that if you want something you have to work for it. Amie- funny comment about the OCD moments. It drives me crazy. I keep checking those ratings until the battery thing turns red.
Oh yeah me too I check probably a hundred times a day! Lol
First things first, helloooo and congrats on your book! Tons of great insight here!!Hmm. I'd say be willing to step outta your comfort zone cuz I imagine if marketing were easy peasey, everyone would do it, eh? Like, if you think, "I just can't do that" or "I just can't talk to so-and-so" I'm willing to bet a poopload of other people are thinking the same thing, ya know?
Oh, and persistence is key, imho. I mean, sometimes I feel like we (the "royal" we of the human race, that is!) give up cuz results don't come fast enough when maybe, just maybe the next blog you submitted to (highly recommend doing this x100!!) or the next reader you worked up the guts to talk with might've been the tipping point. Or we have reverse-success mentality like "I'll make a website when I have X number of readers" or "I'll invest in that when I have Y amount of money" or "I'll create a mailing list when I have Z peeps who'll sign up." Well, how do we get X readers and make Y money and find Z peeps, eh?
Anyhoo, a smart dude once told me, "Set a goal, make a plan, then forget the goal and just work the plan." I'm not really great at this cuz my eyeballs are always superglued to the prize but I think the advice has some merit, nonetheless. Okay, I think that was all sorts of unhelpful hahahaha! Best of luck!!
Hugs,
Ann
P.S. - Psst, Miss Amie! "I'll rest when I die"? I dig this ^_~
Carole wrote: "Any business takes a long time. I met a woman who was a painter- an artist. She did a beautiful picture and someone asked How long did that take. She said twenty years and ten minutes. Twenty years..."Ha Ha! I have a cute pic somewhere on my phone of a cellphone battery image with only a sliver of charge left. The meme says, "Still alive but I'm barely breathing." I love it! It's not only great lyrics from one of my favorite songs from The Script, but it suits how I torture my phone checking my ranking across so many distributors!
As a guy who has yet to receive a single review on Amazon, any Pro Tips I give should be treated with suspicion. Here's what I'm doing to get myself rolling:- Using Author Marketing Club's Review Grabber Tool: Find books similar to yours, scour for email addresses, email people. Don't go overboard: a simple "if you liked X, you may like my novel" should work. I also include my blurb and Amazon link.
- Find book bloggers: pretty straightforward. Ask people to review your book.
- Get on Facebook and Twitter: add everyone you can.
- Remember your beta readers/editors/helpers: I've sent free copies of my novel to my beta readers as thanks for their help. No push for a review, just a simple thank-you email. One of my beta readers has a website set up, and she offered to promote my book on it and her Facebook page. I of course agreed, and asked to interview her to increase exposure for both of us. We'll see if that pans out.
- Which brings me to my next point: give more than you receive. This is one of Joanna Penn's maxims, and I'm already seeing results.
For example, I ordered an indie author's novel on Amazon a few weeks back, then emailed him because I had questions about the work. He responded, and was helpful. After I finished his novel, I put a detailed, honest review on Amazon. This wasn't some slapdash, two-sentence review; I'd actually taken notes as I read so my review would be high quality.
Just after I posted my review, the author contacted me, thanks me for the review, and offered to have a Skype conversation so he could give me advice on my self-publishing journey.
Why would he help me, a nobody? Because I'd worked hard to promote his work via a review, while at the same time providing honest feedback.
There's this thing about reciprocity - people don't like to be in debt to others. If you bust your tail for folks, they feel obligated to do at least a little something for you.
In this group, for example, I'm going to try and help with as many blurbs as I can. I give it my best effort - if analyzing one blurb takes an hour, so be it.
Of course, I've only been an indie author for like five days, so I have no smashing success to back up my bluster. But give it time. I'm not going to get burned out - I'm unmarried, single, and childless. I've got all the time in the world.
Matt,I love the unmarried, single, childless mindset. I am the opposite. I'm married, 3 kids under 6 and work full time. For me, I really have to carve out time to market, promote, write, and research ways to market and promote.
However, we still all want the same result and I like your ideas! Your post was so enthusiastic I want to see what you write.
Good luck on the indie adventure!
G.M.
Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months...This is reality for 95% of the books on the market. But as Dan said, there are MANY threads that have covered this topic. The bottom line is, there is no magic bullet. What works for one person may not work for another, however, I will note that "just keep writing," while sounding trite, is the best advice anyone can listen to.
I've moved this post into the marketing and promo folder. I suggest exploring past posts here and taking all advice with a grain of salt.
G.M. wrote: "Matt,I love the unmarried, single, childless mindset. I am the opposite. I'm married, 3 kids under 6 and work full time. For me, I really have to carve out time to market, promote, write, and rese..."
I've done my best to avoid the married with kids route - which has worked out well, since no female has ever wanted to change her last name to Cowper. :)
Yes, I'm sure it's difficult to find time with three young'uns running around. I don't know how you folks do it - I'd be wiped out.
Good luck to you also!
Mod
This thread was really helpful for me when I was getting started Sales and Marketing . It's 11 pages long but packed with great advice about getting your book seen. Good luck :).I just noticed your book is also available in paperback. Have you tried goodreads giveaways yet? Nice way to get exposure :).
There are several million books on Amazon. A few thousand are selling in appreciable numbers. A book with a sales ranking batter than 100,000 is selling close to a book a day (KU loans included), so a couple of dozen books a month or so. So, based on that, no one "should" be selling more than a copy every few months. I'll echo what Christina says: that there is no magic bullet. At the risk of sounding a note that some may view as depressing, for most authors, there is no "bullet" (yet). Of the millions of books written by thousands of authors that are selling a scant number of copies, some are doing a lot of marketing, some are doing no marketing, and some are trying this and that. Yet they are all achieving the roughly the same result.
The same can be said of authors who sell an appreciable number of books: some market a lot, some ignore marketing entirely. They also achieve roughly the same result. The difference here it that an author who has a readership in the tens of thousands (or even thousands) can employ methods that are ineffective for an author with a readership in the hundreds. And an author with many books out can do things an author with 1 or 2 books (even 3) cannot.
The bottom line is that if there was a solution for selling books, especially fiction (a magic bullet, if you will), it would have been discovered long ago, and writing and selling books would be like producing and selling a commodity like a car or a microwave. But no one has, because it's not.
Now we can try things. As has been pointed out, there are many threads offering a full range of suggestions. Some might help to some degree. (On the other hand, some books sell in spite of marketing attempts, not because of them.) It all depends on how much time we have and our inclinations.
I second that "just keep writing" -- which does sound trite to some -- is the best advice. Except maybe this: have fun. If you're not enjoying what you're doing -- marketing or whatever -- don't. Don't risk dimming the joy of something you love by doing something you don't. In the end, it's just not worth it.
Carole wrote: "Alexis wrote: "Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be s..."Carole has an excellent point. I've always loved connecting with my favorite authors through their personal post. I also notice when I comment and retweet other authors social media I get more requests. Instagram and Twitter wont work if you keep blaring adds and book promotions but if people are interested in how you live your life and the kind of person you that generates a lot more attention your way and therefor towards your book. I notice my personal tweets and Instagram pics get far more likes and views than blurbs about my book. I also notice when I connect with fans of authors I also love that can get more people to want to read mine. Like minds and all that. Connecting with the audience you want can take you a lot farther than marketing blasts.
Also if your book is struggling consider the cover. Don't judge a book by it's cover is a great way to live your life, unfortunately that doesn't apply to book sales. Ironic right. A poorly made cover can have potential readers glancing over your book without even thinking about it. I paid over $100 for my book cover because I know how I am. I'll admit it. I'm judgmental when it comes to book covers. I can skim through hundreds of books and not even read what they are about because I didn't like the cover. I know this and I assume a lot more people are. The cover is worth the investment. I get tones of compliments on my cover and I personally love it. It's a book I would read if it wasn't my own. I looked at dozens of covers online and considered designing my own but I found so many on thebookcoverdesigner.com that I wanted to read even though I knew they weren't books yet. I've kept my eye out for the ones purchased that I loved but didn't match my novels. I want to know what the author wrote that made them want that cover.
I have gotten more sales from posting essays and thoughts on sites like wattpad and scriggler. If they love what you give away for free they'll be dying to know how good the ebooks are.
I haven't paid for twitter promoters because I follow a lot of them myself and never click on any of the books they promote. Simply because they blow up my feed. I get more annoyed than interested. I start blowing past their post and eventually start hiding them from my wall. I also suspect most of their followers are clients and not readers. Authors like myself following them just because they want their own books promoted not because they are looking for a great new read. Consider that before you pay for promotional social media groups. There are hundreds of these twitter pages that will post your book and yes it will blast an image of your cover all over the place but how many paying customers are they actually reaching. Many rank success based on how many likes and retweets they get not how many sales you get. If I'm not even interested as an author, a potential client and user what are the odds consumers are. Also another thing to consider, these groups have hundreds of promotors so yes, there are going to be a lot of post about your book from multiple promoters. Most of them follow each other. Many get paid commission and they build up each other post to up their sales not yours. A good percentage of likes and shares exchanged are between the people you paid to advertise. Seems rather reduntant to me. It does increase likes but doesn't increase the number of people reached. Not all promotional groups work this way so before you put your own money into it do your research.
When we first published I invested in Twitter, paying celebrities to tweet. It was a waste of money- expensive and while we got three or four tweets from a b list celebrity with a vast following, it didn't sell books. Personally, I didn't like using Twitter for all the reasons Norma listed. My son does use it and has connected with A listed actors and producers when he's acknowledged THEIR achievements,rather than his books, but it has added to his Twitter feed or whatever you call it. I have a college student who works with me- she gets credit, I get her very useful social media skills. She uses Twitter in conjunction with Amazon giveaways that always see an uptake in sales. We may give away one or two kindles or books, but I always see that much or more selling, with the added bonus of moving up Amazon's rating. I have learned to be subtle (hard to believe- but true) when I do the blog posts. Norma quite gets the whole rhythm of the thing. Authors can become your best friend. I can name at least five who kept me company in my darkest moments with their thoughtful arrangement of words called a book. So, when I read something interesting about an author, unrelated to their books, it makes me want to go out and buy their novel.
Carole and many others having stated some great tips on book marketing already. I guess these ones will also be helpful.1. Ensure you know the audience you are targeting with your book and use right categories and keywords to reach them.
2. Ensure your book is good.
3. Be social media active.
4. Consider having an author website and mailing list.
Thanks for all the advise everyone :) I've got lots of new ideas reading this. Today I redid the tags on my book. Maybe that will help too
It is so time consuming and it can be irritating but keeping an online presence is so important. I notice that when I lag on keeping up with my readers and aren't active my sales go down significantly. I may not get a lot of sales for all the work but not doing any work results in no sales at all. It is worth the effort. Getting shares and likes is an exponential process. It starts out small but it does start to grow and it will grow faster but you have to be consistent.
Kristin wrote: "Thanks for all the advise everyone :) I've got lots of new ideas reading this. Today I redid the tags on my book. Maybe that will help too"So true! And honestly, I've met some pretty loyal friends through the process. So it's not all work, there's some play, too.
I started using the free version of CrowdFire though. It was getting pretty darn hard to determine who was actively engaging and who wasn't. It helps to make space by taking away accounts that went dormant for a couple of months or people who simply don't follow back EVER. My biggest gripe is all the non human profiles that follow every day. Especially if I hold a giveaway! But yeah, I enjoy Twitter.
I don't do the auto messaging and whatnot that Crowdfire suggests and I certainly don't put a stamp of approval on everything they suggest to me. (There's some pretty shady stuff out there disguised as Jane Austen quotes, LOL.) Oh, and I only post content that I find for myself. But otherwise, it's pretty time-saving. They send me a "prescription" every day.
Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be seen?I've tried to post it out..."
I'm crying with you. I just did a big sale/promotion for my trad book and I got like 10 sales. Then I did a tiny promotion on my self-pubbed book (spent no money) and got 7 sales. IDEK. I'm asking friends to review the books and well, they're not reviewers. I actually joined a review group here on Goodreads to hopefully get a few more reviews. I hate the idea of paying a company to hold my book to give away free for people so they will review it. But I'm not selling enough to garner reviews naturally.
Anyway, the one event that got my self-pubbed book some action was a genre specific promotional weekend. I got in with other authors of my genre and someone did all the work... though it was mainly just a blog post and we boosted it. If someone did that and put more effort/time/exposure it could be really good.
This has been a good thread with good information and good support. (lots of goods.)
Hi Kristen,It's a great question. I'd recommend making your book free on Amazon and other online book marketplaces in order to get visibility to your book. While your book is free, you can post about it on Facebook, and even "boost" your FB post once it's live. I actually just wrote a blog post outlining a handful of tips you can try to get free downloads. You can check it out here: http://www.authorstackk.com/book-mark...
Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be seen?
I've tried to post it out..."
This is an interesting discussion. I hope you all find value in what I have been doing... Everything! I have a blog that I started 2 years before my book's release in Oct, FB, Twitter, Instagram, a FB book page with a "Shop Now" button, and I create ads to post and boost on that page (still not sure of the ROI) since Amazon doesn't give analytics. I have been fortunate to have friends host readings/signings at their homes which has brought sales and future engagements. I've done an Internet radio interview to be aired in January. I individually text, email, message friends and connections on my social media accounts while watching TV (it's a passive activity), and I blab my mouth about my book reviews everywhere I go. This is hard @&& work...
PS... and I use a Pinterest board to highlight people who have bought my book as well as milestones and reviews
C. wrote: "This is an interesting discussion. I hope you all find value in what I have been doing... Everything! I have a blog that I started 2 years before my book's release in Oct, FB, Twitter, Instagram, a..."I do a lot of my social work while watching TV too. In fact, I keep my phone by me in the kitchen while I'm cooking dinner and look for people with similar interests. (I did learn the hard way though that trying to tweet and follow people while unloading my dishwasher is not productive business!)
I try not to be on there too much, but I never like to leave an opportunity just sitting there. And then I feel like I can put my phone away and ignore it when our family is spending real time together.
I agree with some of the writers, you have to establish a social media page for being an author. Next build your audience by inviting people to like the page, do facebook live videos with book excerpt and share graphics. Remember it's about building a relationship which in return becomes profitable. Although we want to sell more books, we have to share a piece of us and make it relevant to them. Kristin wrote: "Okay, so I'm pretty sure when you're selling an e-book, you should be selling more than a copy every few months. My question is how are you supposed to get it to be seen?
I've tried to post it out..."
Nothing I've tried seems to work. I've resorted to prayer and hoping that someday, my discovery will come. Still, I try. I focus mostly on getting reviews now, because that's what they say are selling books. Unfortunately, that's a needle in a haystack. I saw a slight uptick when Progenitor got honorable mention in the 2016 Library Journal Ebook Awards, but even then I had to scream it out across social media and use it as a 'selling point' to entice reviews. It's a hard job.
Mod
Not to mention, with a backlog, once someone does start to find your books and enjoy them, there are others for them to enjoy as well!
Riley wrote: "Your best bet for selling books is still going to be writing another book. Seriously, the first 90 days after a release Amazon does a lot of pushing for you.Not to mention, with a backlog, once so..."
Yes, I'm taking Mark Dawson's Self Publishing 101 course right now and he's very firm that the first book is just to get people to like your writing. But to make money you have to give it away, get the emails from people who liked it, and then publish more books and let them know.
I have learned that getting even a minimum amount of book-sales takes a fair degree of work. It takes more than individual work. Recently, I was fortunate to meet an established writer who voluntarily did a review of my book. I did take the first step in "liking" the person's face-book page. It might not be some writer who is well-published nationally. It could be a local writer from your state or province. This has generated much interest in my book. May be it will lead to more sales.
Keep on being positive, even though it might be hard.
I have found that my sales drop off about a month after I've run a promo. Running a free promo for 1-2 days every 2-3 months will boost sales, but it's something you have to do regularly.Simply setting your books as free for 1-2 days isn't enough, though. It's important to shout it out in as many places as you can. (No, I don't mean bookwhacking on Goodreads.)
There are sites which are specifically designed to advertise free and discounted books. Many of them have a free option to place your books, though your book placement isn't guaranteed unless you pay. Some of them are free and guaranteed. A good place to start is http://authormarketingclub.com/member...
Please be careful on that site. There are many paid options, but if you scroll to the bottom of the page I linked to, you'll see a group of sites which accept free submissions for promos. These aren't the only sites which offer free submissions. There are quite a few out there, but that's a good start. Honestly, promoting takes up a lot of time. I've spent about 6 hours the past two days submitting my promo for next weekend to as many sites as I could. It also involves a lot of trial and error. If you're patient with the process, you'll learn a lot! Good luck!
Hi Missy, how was the response in the free sites that accepted your free submission for promo? Was it good?
Normen, I think in my last promo I submitted to about 20 different sites and was actually advertised by about 8 or 9 of them. It's difficult to attribute any download numbers to any one site, because I also had an ENT feature. But I had download numbers in the hundreds for a 2nd in the series book, which I was very happy with, and I had some spillover sales and a nice boost to my KENP. I got to #2 in my main category and I was in the top 100 in overall free for my rankings.
Hi,My novel is due for amazon pre order launch. How can I share my book cover page here? Please advise.
Thanks
Anuj Sabharwal
Anuj wrote: "Hi,My novel is due for amazon pre order launch. How can I share my book cover page here? Please advise.
Thanks
Anuj Sabharwal"
Hi Anuj. This group is for offering support and advice to fellow indie authors and therefore doesn't permit advertising to its members. You're welcome to join the SIA Showcase and make a thread for yourself in the Member Showcase if you'd like to share about upcoming releases and exciting news regarding your own work. Please make sure you follow the rules as posted in that group. Thanks.
I am trying to think outside the box when it comes to promotion. As a television news producer I get a lot of emails every day who want to be on tv. I simply don't have time to read them all and make calls, etc. knowing that, I started thinking there are people who don't get a lot of emails. My book is called Jon Keys and the Unlockable Door. Keys are a big theme in my work, so I've sent messages to companies and people who work with keys and locks. It's a stretch, but I've received responses. I also created a tshirt with my cover on it. Great conversation starter. I also do the traditional things, but it can't hurt being creative in marketing. In the end though, be proud of yourself. You had the discipline to sit down and write a book. That's pretty amazing as you deal with your day job, kids, and the rigors of every day life!
Amie wrote: "Such great advice coming out of everyone! It's true....it really is hard work. You have to talk yourself into it every single day hoping that that particular day is going to be the moment that th..."
lol... this sounds like my life! Thanks Amie for the reality check :)
One thing that I've focused on recently is good metadata. Your title, blurb, proper category placement, and keywords are vital to passive marketing. If you focus on associated topics and ensure that this is in your metadata your book will come up more often in both Google and Amazon searches.It can take a long time for rich cards and other structured data to be indexed on Google, but it's great to see my book's thumbnail and info come up all alone on the right hand side when I type in certain phrases.
More importantly, when you're not actively marketing a book, the book will still be visible. I can't say for certain how many books I've sold this way but I do know that it comes up in both Amazon and Google searches when certain associated keywords are entered.
I briefly had a survey on my website that asked readers how they discovered my book. I didn't run it for long and had very few respondents, but they all said "browsing on Amazon". I now average around 6-7 Kindle sales in the UK per day and I think it's safe to say that the majority of these people must be finding my book through browsing on Amazon or by looking at the "also bought" items on Amazon.I think the best way to present the product page on Amazon probably depends on what genre your book is, but I saw an improvement in sales when I started really looking at other books similar to mine (psychological thrillers), and how my book looked alongside them. The first problem was that my cover didn't really sit very well with the covers of similar books so I changed it to be more like a typical psychological thriller cover. Another thing I did which increased sales overnight was adding a subtitle, as it seems like having something like "a gripping psychological thriller" after your book title is pretty much the norm for this genre.
I look at my product page regularly on different devices e.g. Kindle, phone, computer and think about what can be improved. On my Kindle, for example, clicking on my book only brings up the first sentence of my blurb and to read any more you have to click "show more". I changed my blurb to try and make the first sentence as appealing and representative of my book as I could to encourage people to read on.
These sound like small things, but I think they definitely made a difference for me and helped my book get more interest during promotions like Kindle countdown deals so that it has gradually gained more momentum.
Phew! I wish O had better answers for you.Author me is almost 4 years old, with x5 books out there.
I've tried requesting reviews (several lists of bloggers online).
I've paid for gr/fb/Twitter ads.
I've done free & 99p sales, & clubbed in with a romance group on a big event.
Joined a rt group.
I've got a blog, Amazon author page, Twitter accnt, couple of videos on YouTube...
I write under a pseudonym so book signings aren't really feasible for me (alas).
There are no shortcuts.
You just have to keep up your online presence (as others have said) & keep plugging away.
Every little helps.
One author recommended leaving business cards in prominent positions in public. I cannot condone such behaviour but it's a thought ;-)
L.K. - That is excellent advice! Thanks for sharing!
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
I've tried to post it out on Twitter, but that didn't work. My Facebook is just for family, and I don't have instagram.