Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Hello!

I'd love to hear from both authors and readers on this one.

Yesterday, my 3rd novel, 'The Other Side' came out. My first one, 'You Wish' has sold extremely well, and has lots of good reviews on Amazon. My second one, 'Nobody's Fault' has done well, too, but not quite so well; most people say it's actually a better novel, but I don't think its subject matter is quite as 'catchy', and the cover isn't very good. However, this, too, has lots of good reviews, four of which are on here

Now, my problem is this! How do I get all those people who've read and enjoyed the other two to know that my new one exists, without actually sending them a message on here and saying, oy, did you know I've written another one? Readers, would you consider it off-putting to receive a message like that? I think I would!

I know my stuff on Twitter; I know all the people to tweet it to, all the hashtags, I have a good reciprocal RT thing going, etc etc. But still, today, I have sold twice as many copies of "You Wish" as I have the 3rd one. 'You Wish' has been as high as no. 24 in the UK Top 100 for all books - do you think that, therefore, it's getting more exposure on Amazon in the 'customers who bought this also bought' bit?

Does anyone have any advice on making all those unknown people who've read my first two books actually aware that there is a new one out? Or do you think it will just happen of its own accord, as time goes on? I don't want to do the free promotion thing for months yet; I think it's a bit of a cheek to suddenly put it on for free when people have just paid for it. Yes, and I tweet and use Facebook every day.....

I'd love to hear how readers feel about being sold to...!

Oh, by the way, here's the Amazon link to 'The Other side' !!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Other-Sid...

I don't think you will ever get a solid answer to this, it's often just one of those things.

You always hear about surprise hits for films, books, games, music, etc. and no-one can really explain them.

Michael wrote: "I don't think you will ever get a solid answer to this, it's often just one of those things.

You always hear about surprise hits for films, books, games, music, etc. and no-one can really explain ..."

Yes, I think you're probably right. I'll just hang in there! Mind you, it'd be doing a lot worse if you hadn't put the cover on for me! :D

Ha ha, I had forgotten about that!

I'm struggling to get my own books noticed. The advice I've been given is that it's hit and miss, and largely at the whim of the reader. Some just "take" better than others. Keep pushing, keep seeking reviews and publicity spots on guest blogs, etc and keep writing. One thing I've heard is that the more you have out there, the easier it is to get noticed. That's why I keep at it. And love of writing, of course.

I published my first in January and I've only managed to get three reviews on Amazon. I'm finding a lot of people are willing to take advantage of "FREE" eBooks but they aren't willing to help an author they like sell the book.

:I

Here it is on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Novel-The...

And I've just released it through Smashwords for all formats. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

It's really slow going. I've managed to get a few copies into my local bookstore and into a store in Colorado that specializes in indie books. But the fact of the matter is, people don't buy from people they don't know.

The best way to keep people aware of new releases is to have a kindle authors page and a goodreads author page and to use those page web addresses in your books and on your twitter and facebook profiles.

That way anyone who has read your books and likes them enough to remember you - they can visit your page which will always be updated with the latest releases.

I'm not convinced free ebooks are particularly good for increasing your readership. LOTS of people will download them - but a huge proportion will never even open the download to read it.

Paid books are a better bet - because at least if someone spends money on something they usually start reading and then you have the chance to hook them with your brilliant story,writing,characters etc.

It takes a long time for a good book with no advertising budget to gather momentum. It could take years. Keep it out there, keep writing and eventually it should all gel.

P.S. Make the most of those author pages for maximum impact
Here's my uk page to give you an idea of what you can pack into it - such as videos
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michele-Brent...
You can get even more onto the US page - videos and blog posts.
http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Brenton...

If you have contact details for people who have bought your previous books, why not ask if they would like to be put on a mailing list for news of future releases? That's assuming you don't do this already...!

Steph wrote: "If you have contact details for people who have bought your previous books, why not ask if they would like to be put on a mailing list for news of future releases? That's assuming you don't do this..."

Thanks Steph - alas, not really, they're just several thousand anonymous Amazon downloads...!! Even the reviews on Amazon are pretty much anonymous, as you can't contact the reviewer, can you? Apart from to leave a contact on the review, which is a bit naff...! I think I might message the people who've added or reviewed the books on here.

Thanks for the advice xx

Michele wrote: "The best way to keep people aware of new releases is to have a kindle authors page and a goodreads author page and to use those page web addresses in your books and on your twitter and facebook pro..."

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Michele - I've got a Facebook author page, and Amazon author page, a Goodreads author page, all of which I visit daily and keep up to date.... I know there's a lot of controversy over free promotions but the last one I did was what eventually got me noticed. I had to work really hard at it and got to number one in the UK free downloads, so that was sufficient to get me 'out there' - I don't know that they are as successful as they used to be, though; a lot of people think their power is coming to an end.

HOWEVER - can I just reiterate to Benjamin and Sherri that the free promotion did work? Give it a go. You need to do a lot of preparation for it, though, and be prepared to sit at the computer ALL WEEKEND! Before I did mine, my highest chart position was about 20,000 - the week after, both books got into the top 100. Try it!

I'm constantly tweeting my other links! But STILL I sold four times as many of the first book as I did the new book, yesterday - but yes, you're right - it takes time, it's a long term project. it's just so frustrating because I know my 3rd book is the best so far - mind you, in that case it's probably best if they read the other ones first, isn't it!

I know, silly me, I just had a moment of impatience, I think! The new one will probably start to 'take' once it's got some reviews - it's only been out for 4 days!

Thank you all very much for taking the trouble to read my question and give your advice and opinions - very much appreciated, and I hope you all have good weekends, whether accompanied by good book sales or not!

Terry x

Huh, what about press release? Associating both novels? There are plenty of sites free or with low cost to help with that...

Claude Dancourt

ATLAS: A Novel

By 2066, the classes have split. U.S. cities have decayed into centers of violence and poverty while suburban communities have become encapsulated paradises for the wealthy elites.

Phillip Doe is head of ASM, the privatized security and government body responsible for keeping peace in the exclusive covenant community known as Atlantis.

When a violent double homicide claims the lives of both a prominent ASM Scientist and her San Francisco Public Prosecutor Paramour, Doe finds himself implicated in the crimes and under suspicion for murder. SFPD Inspector Victoria Rhodes finds herself assigned as liaison to the ASM investigation, suddenly delving deep into the mysterious origins of the man the International eMedia are fond of calling Atlas, discovering a violent past eerily similar to her own.

http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Novel-The...

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Reviews:

***** "Atlas is a wonderful blend of the classic murder mystery and futurism, with a gritty reality of desperation countered by man's amazing capacity to advance. The lead characters bridge the social disparity between the Ultra-Haves and those who would aspire just to be a Have Not. Ultimately the characters find their common humanness, even those who have to have it downloaded. Excellent read and I found myself backing up often and re-reading large sections for a second taste. Well done Mr. Smith!"

***** "A striking vision of the future. A well thought out thriller set in the near future, with a clear picture of what my lie ahead. The social-economic upheaval the authors writes about is scary and believable. Well developed characters and a surprising plot, I really enjoyed this book."

I just finished my fourth novel and it goes on sale June 6th and I was wondering about this, too. Good thread. I'll let you know (if I remember) what helped or didn't help the sales. So far, the bulk of my sales are coming from Amazon's ranking system because I don't advertise much so I can't imagine that people are getting to the titles any other way.

And because I'm always in a mood to help other writers, I must say that the individual three posts above (Benjamin) is going about promotions all wrong. Drop in on a discussion that is not intended to be an advertisement and you're almost certain to not only get zero sales from that page, but it may put a bad taste in the mouths of the people that came here for information. There are plenty of sites/pages/groups available for promoting your book. My 2.

*Dr S wrote: "I believe there is something we call too much promotion. So as you suggested, one way is to let people know at their own pace.

But your new novel should be listed with the old one. So whenever you..."

Yeah, that's all done, Dr S, on my Amazon page and everywhere else, thanks!

Jaq wrote: "As Mark Coker says, let the readers come to you. If they enjoyed the first two that much, they will check for new releases. Keep your website up to date!

Yes, I would be put off if an author wrote..."

Thanks, Jaq. It's taking now, slowly - but my first one is still selling 5 times as many, BUT that means it's still getting reviews, so I hope that they'll all come to the new one! And re messaging those who've already read it, I think it depends how you do it. I sent a message to about 4 of them and started it by apologising for shameless self promotion! Well, it is, so you might as well be honest about it! And the reaction to that was good. But on the whole, yes, I'm reluctant to go down that route.

Kevin wrote: "And because I'm always in a mood to help other writers, I must say that the individual three posts above (Benjamin) is going about promotions all wrong. Drop in on a discussion that is not intende..."

Precisely. Shows a complete lack of interest in what the thread or discussion was about, and makes it clear that the person isn't even interested enough to read the other people's posts. Benjamin - okay, one oversight is fine, but don't do it again!!

Kevin, I've been tweeting it to @BookYrNextRead who are marvellously helpful, and others - and also promoting my books as a whole; the three of them. I think the good reviews on the existing one are more likely to make people think, I'll have a look at that one, too!

Know what you mean re ratings, My first one doesn't actually need promoting as it just sells anyway. Yes, I'd be interested in hearing anything you find works!

Jaq -I don't actually know what steampunk is! Happy to be enlightened :) I know what you mean about fantasy, though; I'm always glad I'm not a fantasy author as there seems to be so much competition out there.

Contacting people out of the blue is generally a no-no. If it's unsolicited, and a sales pitch then it's spam.

Instead, contact them out of the blue and GIVE them a free short story. No charge at all. No-one minds a quick messages saying 'Dear John, thank you for reading my ebooks x. As a small thank you I'd like to offer you a free short stories via smashwords called Y, normally price at Z. It's about A. If you'd like a free coupon, let me know and I'll create one in smashwords.'

Re sales of onward titles - make sure you tag them all with your name to link them. The also boughts should cross sell them anyway - but it takes time as you need sufficient sales. Interest builds very slowly on any ebook that hasn't got exogenous shock going for it (see my latest blog post on the long tail).

A free day might work - you reached these people once, and it resulted in higher positioning. Presumably you can reach them again, and you know they like your stuff. I'd get one or two reviews first though as that helps convince people to 'buy the freebie'. With 500 + free ebooks a day, less than 20% have 5+ reviews. Less than half of those have a decent 4*+ average. Get your early reviews - hit it with a freebie, and watch sales shoot up (Plus it'll cross sell the earlier stuff).

There are two other points I'd make - one is that you've got to be careful to market to readers (a lot of your social media stuff involves other authors, which is fine but it isn't going to get you the sales you want) and the second I'm going to message privately in a moment.

Sean wrote: "Contacting people out of the blue is generally a no-no. If it's unsolicited, and a sales pitch then it's spam.

Instead, contact them out of the blue and GIVE them a free short story. No charge at ..."

I haven't written a short story since 1996 and I've never been on Smashwords. I have already made the decision not to do the free promo on this book for at least 2 months, probably 3. I want to get the holiday read market before i do that. it's a considered decision based on the sales of others and the free promotions I've done before and the feedback on them. I think to do it so soon would be taking the piss out of the people who have paid for it. The reviews will come - it's been out less than a week. I also understand that one has to market to readers, not other authors, and I do a fair bit of this - I use Facebook for this, as well as other stuff. The people who I contacted were people I had already thanked for their review and had a little interaction with.

I do appreciate your help but I think you're presuming that i know nothing.

I'm not presuming you know nothing at all - and I'm sorry if my post came across that way. It's probably simply a case of 'Give it time'. My suggestions were just one way you could get it in the hands of readers sooner.

I agree that marketing your books is a long time job. I've been at it since December and sales are slow. I've put out my second book and that seems to have helped to garner some attention. I'm hoping to get my third book out this summer. I'm finding bloggers and reviewers so willing to help. They are great for author support. I'm not going the free route either.

Getting a book noticed is extremely hard. I have about 7 books out all available on Amazon and no one really knows they exist. I tweet, FaceBook, have joined sites like Goodreads. I do what I can to promote without spamming. I have a book that's been out for a year and have only had a few sales despite all of the marketing.

But here is a link to my author page for all who are interested. http://www.amazon.com/Janet-McNulty/e...

http://www.amazon.com/Nova-Rose/e/B00...


And I wish you all luck in your promotions. And I feel your pain about getting rviews. I have handed away a lot of free copies of my eBooks with the agreement that the person was to give me a review. Only a handful followed through.

Terry wrote:Now, my problem is this! How do I get all those people who've read and enjoyed the other two to know that my new one exists, without actually sending them a message on here and saying, oy, did you know I've written another one? ..."

Have you tagged all of your books with the titles of your other books? This may help readers find them, and might help link them in Amazon's book recommendations.

You might want to include a phrase like "from the author of (better selling title) in the book description.

If the books are related to each other through shared characters or storyline, you might want to refresh your book submissions, not changing the files or descriptions, but only to indicate on your KDP submission page that the earlier books are part of a series that includes the later book as well. Obviously, if the books aren't really that closely related, you wouldn't do this.

I hope some of this helps.

If your Goodreads readers are "fans" or "friends", and you didn't uncheck the box about sharing this in your update feed, they all just got a chance to read it about it for themselves in your posting history.

Something I'm planning to do that might also help you is do a short giveaway period of my first book to celebrate the release of the 2nd. You can advertise your other novels while giving people a chance to read the first for free.

I.E. - Blood Heavy will be free for 7 days because Blood Heavy: Ascension has just been released. :)

Terry wrote: "Michele wrote: "The best way to keep people aware of new releases is to have a kindle authors page and a goodreads author page and to use those page web addresses in your books and on your twitter ..."

I've just released a cheapo Kindle parody of Fifty Shades and I'm gratified to see that since I did that, sales of my more 'sensibly' priced poetry books have rocketed and I've been in various poetry bestseller's paid lists ever since.

I'm wondering whether a freebie promotion would be worth doing in a month or so or whether I should grit my teeth and keep on plugging it as a cheapo so it stays in the paid charts.

Once it becomes a freebie does it lose its paid charts position immediately do you know?

The balancing act is whether to keep riding the wave of paid 'success' I've seen over the first week - and hope it snowballs or should I use that momentum and hope a freebie promotion will bring me more buyers for my lengthier works?

Then again I feel bad about bringing out a freebie offer when people have spent the 99c

You can tell I didn't get much sleep last night LOL I was up till nearly four in the morning editing someone else's book and now my brain is fried. :º

Some really great advice on here. I'm in the same boat, so I don't really have anything to add... just wanted to pop in and say "thanks" to everyone... as I've been lurking this thread and gleaning some great tips! :)

Michele wrote: "I'm not convinced free ebooks are particularly good for increasing your readership. LOTS of people will download them - but a huge proportion will never even open the download to read it."

This, Michele, is rather discouraging news. I decided to bite the bullet and do a freebie promotion at Amazon-U.S. this weekend...then came home to find that not only my novel and memoir, but also my two collections of short stories had done remarkably well. However, "well" is quite relative. If no one's going to read any of those freebies and offer a review, I fear it will all have been for naught.

Russell
Trompe-l'oeil
Letters to My Children
Stories in the Key of C. Minor

Russell wrote: "Michele wrote: "I'm not convinced free ebooks are particularly good for increasing your readership. LOTS of people will download them - but a huge proportion will never even open the download to r..."

I think it all depends Russell. For some people and some bodies of work it does wonders and for others it doesn't. I suspect the crucial factors are the quality of the freebie combined with how and why the many downloaders download the book.

Lots of authors make a huge song and dance on their facebook, twitter and other communities and end up getting all the usual suspects to download to 'help' even if they don't ever intend to read.

That can start a snowball so genuine readers spot the book and then download and then the real fun begins. But sometimes it doesn't.

If you have loads of downloads from strangers and not from pals then the likelihood is there is more chance of the books being read and then mentioned to others for the viral marketing to get a chance of kicking off.

I don't think it is ever for naught - even one genuine reader who then goes on to read/buy your books is a step in the right direction.

My impression is that the long game is the key rather than the sudden flash in the pan - Fifty Shades of Grey is the exception that proves the rule.

Sort of on-topic... how does one go about setting up an "author page" here on goodreads? I keep seeing it mentioned, but so far have not been able to figure out where to go to do that...

Michele wrote: "My impression is that the long game is the key rather than the sudden flash in the pan - Fifty Shades of Grey is the exception that proves the rule."

Michele,

Thanks for taking note and piping up.

I agree wholeheartedly with your last assessment, by the way. I only wish I didn't have to eat -- and pay the rent and Child Support -- in the meantime. Those requirements render the waiting game a shade less than scintillating, if you know what I mean.

Russell

Jenelle,

I, too, find Goodreads difficult to navigate around in. The Author Page is there...trust me. And while you may eventually find it, don't forget to leave a trail of crumbs (or you'll never find your way back out or to it again).

Russell

Jenelle wrote: "Sort of on-topic... how does one go about setting up an "author page" here on goodreads? I keep seeing it mentioned, but so far have not been able to figure out where to go to do that..."

http://www.goodreads.com/author/program - here's the link to a FAQ type page where you can find out how to do it. They hide it right at the bottom of the Goodreads pages in the pale grey/gray small navigation strip near the copyright marker :)

Michele wrote: "Russell wrote: "Michele wrote: "I'm not convinced free ebooks are particularly good for increasing your readership. LOTS of people will download them - but a huge proportion will never even open t..."

I made my latest title free on Kindle for 2 days to take in the Natiuonal Flash Fiction Day in May. Because the Day was mainly a UK one, but Amazon operates on US time, I made it a 2-day giveaway to ensure the full 24 hours for UK readers. I didn't promote it being available until the (second) NFF day itself. And yet on that 1st day the book wad downloaded 150 times across the US & UK. Now those must have been people who just trawl for free books, because as I say there was no promotion of it at all on that day. I believe these people do it all the time and agree that they read very few of what they hoover up. I haven't had a single review from those 150 'purchasers'. The freemium and cheap kindle price model I think has run out of steam. It is going to revert to being about the entertainment and quality of the book, so long as the author doesn't overprice it

Marc wrote: "It is going to revert to being about the entertainment and quality of the book, so long as the author doesn't overprice it."

Yes, Marc, and tell that to E. L. James ... who's laughing herself silly all the way to the bank.

Russell

Russell wrote: "Marc wrote: "It is going to revert to being about the entertainment and quality of the book, so long as the author doesn't overprice it."

Yes, Marc, and tell that to E. L. James ... who's laughin..."

Like it or not, her books have been found entertaining... What it says about the state of society I have no idea (I think I do actually, just not prepared to be hauled over the coals for having strong views).

I blogged on the free giveaway on KDP Select

"Something For Nothing" http://self-publishinguser.blogspot.c...

Russell wrote: "Jenelle,

I, too, find Goodreads difficult to navigate around in. The Author Page is there...trust me. And while you may eventually find it, don't forget to leave a trail of crumbs (or you'll nev..."

hahaha, excellent tip! Thanks!

Michele wrote: "Jenelle wrote: "Sort of on-topic... how does one go about setting up an "author page" here on goodreads? I keep seeing it mentioned, but so far have not been able to figure out where to go to do th..."

Found it, awesome!! Thanks!

Marc wrote: "Russell wrote: "Marc wrote: "It is going to revert to being about the entertainment and quality of the book, so long as the author doesn't overprice it."

Yes, Marc, and tell that to E. L. James ...."

Sex sells. Take the sex out of the FSOG books and there is no story there. It's bad writing, no plot and crappy characters, but sex and hype are enough to super-charge a books popularity apprently.

It is what it is. I'm not bothered about its success or its "literary merits". It's a world removed from what I write, both in style and market.

Sex may or may not sell. But the readers have spoken and we cannot dismiss their judgements out of hand.