Eldon’s Comments (group member since May 30, 2016)

Eldon’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

Tomas wrote: "Keep in mind that trying to promote a book that has very few reviews may be similar to banging your head against a wall... which definitely makes it hard for people just starting out."

Good advice Tomas!

Helen wrote: "I thought BookBub was just for discounted books.

I'll definitely check out FB click per ads. Thank you!"

BookBub has an ads platform for books of any price. However, their readers are highly price sensitive and the platform can be tricky to learn. Good luck!

Helen wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Social media and Amazon ads have been most effective for me. Also, try to meet other writers of your genre. I've been to Historical Novel Society conferences and it's been great! You..."

Facebook and BookBub offer CPC advertising.

Helen wrote: "Hi,
Yes, I have several books. Two historical novels and one children's book. My newest novel came out in June and it's going well, but I need to market it more."

In that case, you could use services like Freebooksy, ENT, or if you can land them, BookBub. These email services can really drive sales. Be sure to include a sign-up link to your own newsletter in your book to capture those readers. Obviously then, you need to have a newsletter. This, more than anywhere else, is where you will control your audience. Providers like MailerLite or ConvertKit can get you started here.

Before you dive into all that though, be sure your covers match your genre. You don't want to pollute your also boughts on Amazon with readers who thought they were getting something else.

Helen wrote: "What are your best tips for marketing your novel, other than social media and amazon ads?
Grateful for tips."

Hello Helen!

Marketing can be a very tricky concept for sure. I'd first ask a couple of questions. Do you have more than one book? And what are your goals you hope to achieve by marketing? How you proceed will be largely dependent on the answers to those questions.

The best tip I have would be to tell you to keep writing. A wise man once said, nothing sells a book better than the next one :)

Julie wrote: "Watch out for those red flags! The Alliance of Indie Authors is an excellent resource and place to find out about scam publishers. They have a list of hybrid publishers and their rankings. Below is..."

Sorry Julie, no links :(

Just noticed the link Philip. I'm super appreciative for you posting the blurb they wrote, but need to delete the link as per group rules.

Once again, though - thank you!!

Thank you Philip!!

So, I have a favour to ask of anyone in the group who is located in the United States. I'm running a BookBub featured deal for the US only, and so cannot see the copy they wrote for my book, Phantom Echo. Would it be possible for someone who can see it to send it to me??

Pretty please :)

Gail wrote: "I was told that as long as your paperback is published on Amazon, you can still receive reviews even though the ebook is pre-order. Does anyone know if that is true?"

Reviewers would be able to leave reviews on the paperback edition.

Mark wrote: "Harry said: "I'm pondering on doing an ebook give away on Goodreads." ... I see there are two price categories to choice from $199 and $599...

I recently completed a kindle giveaway (I believe it..."

Hi Mark! Given the anti-spam rules out there I'm surprised GR gives you a list of winners. Unless, you're responsible for sending them the prize. Otherwise, I can't see a reason for having the list.

Harry wrote: "I'm pondering on doing an ebook give away on Goodreads. I see there are two price categories to choice from $199 and $599 does anyone have any experience with either of these? Please share. Also, i..."

Hey Harry! I think you've gotten your answer, but I'll just add that the Goodreads giveaway program is pretty much less than useless. Even when it was free, it rarely resulted in anything. Certainly not worth paying for.

Xanxa wrote: "Interesting points being made here. Most of it I already knew.

I wanted to mention that in the last week, I've seen examples of Amazon allowing an author to review their own books. I think said au..."

Hi Xanxa! I agree, rules should be applied consistently. However, consider the sheer size of Amazon. They don't have an actual person perusing every single review posted. If you feel the review is false, I believe you can flag it for them to review.

Ian wrote: "It is really easy to find the faults, but much more difficult to find fixes for them."

Well said Ian!

Geoff wrote: "Is this an issue that could, would, should be taken up by The Authors Guild? As with every segment of American life, the power of large, ubiquitous corporations seem to be gaining an unfair advanta..."

Hi Geoff! Not a bad idea, but I believe membership in the Author's Guild costs $$ and if an indie author isn't making much on sales, the additional expense may not be worth the complaint they want to make :)

B.A. wrote: "Amazon is NOT indie friendly any longer. They got what they wanted -to be the biggest online store and now we are second rate citizens. Sure, they still court us so they can make money off us. Like..."

I think we might be getting off topic here, B.A.

I can appreciate your concerns surrounding Amazon, but at the end of the day, no one forces any author to use their services. If you don't like the deal, you don't have to take it. I understand a lot of authors share your frustration with them, but I'm not sure how constructive it is to be bashing them on a site they own.

B.A. wrote: "they buy in advance but the sale isn't credited until the book goes live. The ARCs are good if you have a large contingent of fans who will read it and then put in that review when the book goes li..."

I think we need to realize that Amazon is a business. And like any business, they aren't perfect. But they do a lot for us. Where would indie publishing be without Amazon? Sure they have rules we don't understand, or like, but it's important to view them as the cost of doing business. No one says you must sell on Amazon. But, if you do, you need to follow the rules they've made. They own the platform after all.

Vince wrote: "So interesting to read this thread. Nobody is reviewing my book on Goodreads. (I have 9 total) but I have 43 on Amazon."

Which is where you want them :) Awesome!

B.A. wrote: "Easy, if someone returns a book or audiobook, they take back your royalties. Nice, huh? The person buys it, reads it, then returns it, no questions asked and you lose money."

Returns should only be possible before a certain percentage is reached. Seems an easy fix for Amazon, but nothing we can really do to force it.

B.A. wrote: "I'm waiting for them to tick off all the big publishers with their messing around with the royalty payments."

I'm curious, how have they messed around with royalty payments?