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How do you launch a new ebook?
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Jim wrote: "A lot of people didn't seem to think they ought to be allowed on the chatty threads."They/we shouldn't be if all we do is self-promotion - in exactly the same way we shouldn't go up to a person at a party whom we've never met, and say, "Buy my book." At a party, we'd be considered horribly rude. Why should it be any different in online conversations?
If something comes up, unprompted, I see no harm in a tiny mention - if really appropriate.
Like all forms of social interaction, some people are better at it than others. And get the desired response more often.
There are millions of books out there - you can't force people to like yours. And it's easy to annoy readers - can you blame us?
Graeme wrote: "Hi B.Y. A Serialised Novel in a smaller format - I would assume that there is a market for that structure - especially with easy electronic payment systems..."Well so long as the Sherlock Holmes stories are still selling, I too believe the format is a valid one. In fact, it is something I am having a lot of fun with trying out presently. Personally I don't see why, in the current climate with serialized TV being more or less the rage (GoT, Daredevil etc.), the written word cannot work to those same aspirations.
Perhaps we are waiting for the right story to legitimize such a format in the eyes of the reading public. And if I can be forgiven for bowing to my own ego for a moment, I nominate myself as this herald (ha! if it were only so easy...)
And then there's the very real fact that with a serialized story, you'd have an even harder time to convince a traditional publisher to take a look at the thing, so self-publishing tends to be the only way to go.
In any case, I'm having an absolute ball with it.
B.Y. wrote: "Graeme wrote: "Hi B.Y. A Serialised Novel in a smaller format - I would assume that there is a market for that structure - especially with easy electronic payment systems..."Well so long as the S..."
A cat with a ball provides a certain mental image...
If your having an absolute ball - your motivation is fully empowered.
Hi, Highland Yearning just launched on July 20th. I used Bewitching Book Tours because it is a Highland time travel romance. They are a group out of the US and they did a very nice job. I gave them five e-books free for readers and they are using rafflecopter for the give aways. (It's until July 25th) So, even though I did the Release Day package, most of the blog sites (20 in all) still have my information up because the contest is still running. I was very happy with this company and I ended up with some reviews. It is a lot of work to do a blog tour. I did several interviews and wrote several blogs, but I can use those for promotion in the future. So, all in all, a good experience.
Gillian wrote: "I also do a soft launch for reviews, then a hard launch using free days. I put details on goodreads and Amazon forums, plus some free book websites listed on the author's marketing club. I've done..."
Hi Gillian,
Just an FYI. When you have more books you might want to submit one to Bookbub for a reduced price to readers. My publisher offered my first book for free for five days and I received a lot of sales on my other books. Just a suggestion.
Some really interesting info here. As a 'virgin' on e - publishing matters it's always reassuring to read others experiences.
I cheat. I have a list of beta/a.r.c. readers and I send them the books I write free in return for a review. Then I publish the books for a knock down price two days before the official launch date. The beta folks can then buy it to 'verify' their reviews if they like.Then, I send the mailing list a heads up and tell them there's a free copy of another ebook, or maybe a prize draw with a kindle cover featuring artwork from my books (of the winner's choice) or some such if they send me the trigger word at the end of Chapter 41 or enter a giveaway using a link at the end by the end of the first week. Something to make them buy quickly.
Then I hope that one day there will be enough people on my mailing list for that to get my new release visible in the sci fi bestseller charts ... so long as it doesn't become a subgenre of romance the way fantasy has.
It does work a bit. 65 people bought my last book on release day as opposed to 14 the two releases before that. The big question will be whether I get any more takers for my next one - the K'Barthan Box Set - which is out on 18th November.
Cheers
MTM
Just an added thought. Once you get your list to 1000 people you can approach other authors whose work you like and explain that you'd like to tell your mailing list about their stuff. Sometimes they'll donate a free short or something others they'll look at your books and then, if they like them, recommend your stuff to their list. All this can net you new readers and new sales as they all discover your book.
I've managed to ditch paid promotions now and by doing this, promos etc, I am selling about 60 books a month. It's not exactly a massive living, but it's better than before and the more books I write, in theory, the more books I will sell... although this isn't quite working out as they seem to loathe my latest. So much so that I'm thinking of making it free and changing the book I have that's perma free to paid!
I believe some people run Facebook events, where they use the event page to post questions and giveaways.
Rosen wrote: "I believe some people run Facebook events, where they use the event page to post questions and giveaways."I did that for my last book. Generated lots of rattle & gave away loads of stuff (both mine and guest authors), but it did squat for sales.
Yeah, conversions are a real b*****, aren't they?
Rosen wrote: "Yeah, conversions are a real b*****, aren't they?"I've tended to go down the blog tour route, building up connections.
Certainly I've found that releasing one of the Port Naain intelligencer stories every four months does give me peaks of sales in other books as well
I saw this earlier today so went bac..."
This is precisely where I find myself. My first book is a tick over 84K words and ends on the end of an Act, which has sufficient dramatic weight to carry the book's ending, but only being an Act it leaves a lot open to the next book.
I think that there are a lot of serialised works out there that are legitimate for the reader, it's just that each instalment needs to be "value" in itself.
At the end of the day, I write to please readers, if I don't please the reader I will have failed, so if I was to write something and then artificially cut it up into smaller portions purely as a marketing tactic I would feel ashamed.