What are you doing online?

[Nik]

Once authors were like half-deity - somewhere on Olympus inaccessible to commoners below. But not indies. Usually having neither publicist nor PR manager nor marketeer they need to pimp their stuff themselves. If they are invisible, their books are invisible. So sitting aloft is not the luxury they can afford -:)
Most agree that 'hey, dude, why don't you buy my book' tactic is a 'no go', so many employ indirect schemes to attract readers' attention: blogging, procuring reviews, desirably from followed reviewers, avail themselves for contacts and Q&As, doing interviews, dancing naked on youtube channels ... err ... maybe I'm already exaggerating-:)
Anyhoo, what's the best ploy for brand-building, books sales, increase of readers' awareness? Do you feel your time online is well spent?

[Michael]

Its hard to know. Ive been slogging away online for 4 months. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook ect. Even had the wife do a audio first chapter and posted it on my site.

Since the pre-sale release on November 1st Ive been able to manage 40 presales. Most in the first week and then the election hit and it died.

The night of the election I was #19 in Historical Fiction Italian and #3 in Hot New Releases Historical Italian Fiction and now Im at #85. Boo...

My book promo pinned Tweet has gotten over 18,000 impressions. Which I guess is pretty good. People talk to me all the time about the book, they just arent buying... lol

But being a new author with 0 following I cannot complain. So Ive been laying low on promo until the actual release date of November 25th. I have quite a few people tell me when the paperback is ready they will order. They dont like eBooks.

Once it is released I have 2-3 beta-readers that are going to promote it for me in a few dozen FB reader groups and I will run some contests as well. And I will probably buy some FB ads.

Right now, everything is an experiment. As I get closer to book #2 (May 2017) I will go KDU and let the first novel go for free to generate readers for book #2.

[Nik]

Does online socializing result in sales?

[Ian]

Nik, I have no idea. In the first instance, and just answer this to yourself, how many who are reading this have bought one of mine? My guess is, not very many. On the other hand, you won't sell any if nobody knows who you are. I have had some sales that can be attributed solely to a consequence of online activity (i.e. they would not have happened otherwise) but I can also say that the return on time invested is fairly deplorable.

[Nik]

Ian wrote: "the return on time invested is fairly deplorable..."

Probably. Much more fun than biz

[Ian]

Not so sure, Nik, if your post about Donnie and Israeli property is anything to go by. They sounded like they were having a jolly good time.

[Nik]

Ian wrote: "Not so sure, Nik, if your post about Donnie and Israeli property is anything to go by. They sounded like they were having a jolly good time."

Jolly - yes, biz - no -:)