My First Review, Promotions, & Trust
Yesterday I received notice that my first review for The Shadow Over Lone Oak was available for me to read. I was nervous. Was I about to look down the barrel of a gun poised to blow my work apart? Or would I leave the review floating on clouds, my head swelled with pride? Whatever the case, I plunged into the uncharted waters.
I’m pleased to say that my first review was both positive and honest. It was brief but effectively presented the case for my novel while offering understandable criticism. The reviewer enjoyed the plot, the twists and turns, but found the ending a bit frustrating. She gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. I think that’s a commendable start for my first-ever novel.
I’m still waiting for the review to be posted on the product page, but I’m glad that the content itself was neither overly gushing nor condemning of my work. Of course, even if it had been a negative 1 star “would not recommend” I still would have found value in it. As a writer, I am a firm believer that I can always improve. Criticism is the most effective means for dispersing that kind of knowledge.
On the sales front, things have been slow. I’ve sold a small number of e-books and briefly broke into the top #70,000 rank, but haven’t maintained that level since. Amazon doesn’t report paperback sales until they ship, so as far as I know only the six copies I bought and the ten that Wendy purchased have been sold. But I’m sure that will clear up soon with the holidays behind us and other copies shipping to their purchasers.
What have I been doing for promotion? I’m currently running a Goodreads ad with little success. Only three clicks so far. Cost of $.30 on my part. I may have to alter or pause it in the near future.
Tomorrow I will be featured in kboards book discovery promotion. I will, of course, be making a Facebook post about it. With luck, more sales and reviews will begin to pour in. If you’ve already bought the book and read it, I’m certainly looking forward to reading what you have to say, good or bad. Just leave a review on Amazon if possible and let me know. Thanks.
If you’re a Facebook friend, you probably read my post yesterday about a FREE promotion running until January 5th. For that period of time, as I said, the short story collection Tales From Lone Oak – The Lives & Lies of a Small Town will be available to download on your tablet absolutely FREE. At that price and with my generic/cheesy advertising, how can you say no?
