Carole’s
Comments
(group member since Oct 19, 2016)
Carole’s
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from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.
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thanks Dale
Well said. Alex
We all feel that way- and sometimes the reviewers criticize just to entertain their audience. They confuse constructive comments with mean-spirited attacks. When I review I don't always like what I'm reading, but I take into account that another reader might enjoy it. I try to point out what wasn't for me, in the same way, I point out what I loved about a book. As a reviewer, I am not there to rip someone apart, but inform people with similar tastes why they should or shouldn't pick up a book. Social media has given everybody a voice, which is a wonderful thing but failed to stress or teach the responsibility of someone's actions. If you are powerful enough to influence people, then you have to accept the responsibility and the possible consequences it might bring. I think both my son and I have grown as writers by reading the reviews. We've discovered our audiences, who likes our style and where we should direct our advertising, and who doesn't appreciate what we do. When the cruel appraisals do appear, we never respond, but understand, this person was the wrong fit for our product.
People never look at one review. I know for me, when I read a negative review, I like to read the book and see if the reviewer was correct. Sometimes books with a slew of bad reviews do very well. Don't take it to heart.
YAY!!!!!- congrats!
That's what nights are for. lol
hahah
It's all about the time. It's hard when you've got so much going on in your life. I know.(sigh). It's like squeezing ten pounds of crap into a one-pound bag.
Good, Alex.
Not sure if it's our new Facebook page-(Indie Author's Collective) but I sold 53 paperbacks yesterday ( All my culture and history books- with no advertising on other sites). That's a good day. Please post your books, share the others with your social media, and I will share yours on my social media and other sites. I want to add, that my combined pages add up to a lot of followers. You are missing a free opportunity!
If you can't make an ad- Put a link to your best review with the cover.
I just got this email from her and it's timely for what we've been talking about. I'm not pushing- just sharing info.Amy here... Just a quick note to let you know I feel your pain.
For the first time I didn't launch a book at 99c (book 10 of my best series...I'm a slow learner), like a drug addict, I loved the high of selling ALL THOSE 99c BOOKS!! But making about 30c per book doesn't add up very fast. So, this time I launched at $2.99 and made a lot more money. Imagine that. MAKING money. What a novel idea. (ha!)
I still hit high in the top ten on Amazon of my category (can never get ahead of the people who got Bookbubs, dang it) and it gave me an idea for a new package doing all the things I did for myself, for you!
ULTIMATE BOOK LAUNCH PACKAGE
Specialized package created for you -- I put real thought into what will work best for you during your launch week! Especially great for books that launch at $2.99+ because it's hard to find sites that promote books over 99c, but you still need to get the word out!!
Daily Deal Newsletter Inclusion
Special Request for Reviews to the Elite Reviewers AND Genre Groups
Newsletter Swap Club inclusion
Spotlight Mailing- newsletter featuring your new book/series
Facebook Video Ad + Management of a Facebook Ad Campaign for Launch Week (doesn't include click thru costs - budget to be deterimined.)
Interested in adding other options like Bookbub ads, Amazon Ads, etc? Just ask!
You can find this under the "Book Launch Marketing" section of SELL MORE BOOKS on the site.
So if you're struggling with launching "regular priced" books (or 99c books for that matter) just let me know! Always available for custom packages.
One of the ways to build that list is to use blog tours that will supply you with a list at the end of the tour. Amy Van Sant at http://authorsxp.com/spotlight/bulwar...If you have a budget to advertise, even a small one- it pays to use her service. Many of her readers are dedicated reviewers. I have received multiple mailing lists that have over the years built mine to over 6000.
The other thing I want to recommend is, don't always make your newsletters about your books. I have highlighted and given away Kindle copies of other author's books in my newsletters. If you keep bombarding them with just your books, they will stop opening them.
Mailchimp or those other engines are a great device to stay in touch with readers and promote both yours and other authors books.
Aw Alexis, you just made me cry. You are so sweet and talented. You didn't need me. You just had to find your voice. BTW 64087 is a great amount of words. I can't wait to read it!
Thanks, Magnus! The more the merrier.
You're right, Net Galley can be very expensive, but there are ways to get your book on for a shorter time that is affordable. Brittney, my assistant has done projects with me like that. I'd have to look it up, but there are ways to do it for a short burst at a fraction of the price.Valerie is totally correct. Sometimes I read a book and I'm midway before I realize it's a genre I don't usually like.
Many of the Millenials who are well into their thirties and forties in my office prefer YA. I test my books on them, and when I gave them Dayna Dalton's story (which had more - what I thought was adult content) I was surprised by their reaction. I realized they prefer romance with a little steamy stuff more than anything. I think you're going to do very well, Alexis!
So proud of you!!!!
A lot of it comes just from reading the reviews about your book. When we started writing, my son and I looked for places to sell the book. We thought his audience would be adults and straight-up horror. As reviews came in, he was able to find out who actually read his books. Reviews tell you a lot of who likes your stories. Many times they identify the genre. Turns out, most reviewers find him to be YA or NA.The same happened to me. Books I thought would appeal to one audience, actually found another. A good way to gauge this is by using Net Galley.
When you put a book on Net Galley, you get a wide variety of librarians, teachers and avid readers (many of them superstars on Goodreads) who will read your book and give it an almost professional review. You will see who it appeals to and get a good idea of where to target your marketing.
One of Michael's books which we thought was traditional horror, I learned from the sometimes caustic reviews of Net Galley is really a cozy romance. Had we known that we probably would have gone for a different cover. Many complained that the cover was misleading to the content.
You'd be surprised at the amount of YA romance books out there. Nicola Yoon, Jenny Han, and John Green come to mind. I'm so happy for you, Alexis!
Love it. I have a cover for you!
Come join us on our new Facebook Page indie Authors collective.It's a page where you put posts about your book and hopefully, each person on there is sharing it to their social media, so more eyes see it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/23903...
