Making Connections discussion
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Struggles with promoting
Hey, I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already but it might be worth checking out readersgazette.com. It's a free platform for authors to promote their books. You can include links to buy (Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo); social media links, blog/website links and even your Goodreads profile. I've just been approved for membership so I can't say how successful it is, or if traffic is primarily writers rather than readers (as is often the case), but it's nice to have advertising all in one place. There are also fun little extras to help gain exposure such as games, giveaways, bargains, etc.My page can be found here if anyone wants to get an idea of how it works: http://readersgazette.com/world/morei...
Happy promoting! :-)
Ah!, I forgot to add the following page, which is also very interesting for your marketing work:https://authorsdb.com
Thank-you Raul and Rae. I would really love to know what worked and what didn't. I'm really wary about signing up for anymore sites where only authors visit and post.
Book Talk Radio Club - Giving Self-Published Authors A Voicewww.booktalkradio.info
Authors are saying (so far!)
Richard Wall, author of Fat Man Blues, Hank Williams' Cadillac & more
"Book Talk Radio is a novel approach to book blogging (no pun intended). Claire is a skilled interviewer, who quickly puts her guests at ease and offers intelligent and thought-provoking questions that invite conversation and keeps listeners engaged."
Evadeen Brickwood, Young Adult Sci-Fi & Cosy Mysteries author
"Book Talk Radio is more than just a new marketing service for self publishers. Claire Perkins' genuine interest in her fellow authors and their books is tangible during the interviews. It felt more like chatting to a friend and I would do it again in a heartbeat."
Book Talk Radio Club PartySunday 23 April 2017 9pm (GMT) - 11.30pm
Come along to Book Talk Radio Club's first online event.
*Share your book covers
*Tell us all about your books
* Problems with slow sales?
* Chat about all your writing successes and worries
*Learn how Book Talk Radio Club can give you the self-published author a voice
at Authors Promoting Their Own Books FB Group
https://www.facebook.com/events/23400...
Claire wrote: "Book Talk Radio Club PartySunday 23 April 2017 9pm (GMT) - 11.30pm
Come along to Book Talk Radio Club's first online event.
*Share your book covers
*Tell us all about your books
* Problems with ..."
The facebook link doesn't work.
Justin, did you have a book that was to be spotlighted this Saturday on Eskimama's blog? If so, how did it go? I was to be spotlighted, but for some reason, they lost my information. Oh well.
Justin wrote: "Claire wrote: "Book Talk Radio Club PartySunday 23 April 2017 9pm (GMT) - 11.30pm
Come along to Book Talk Radio Club's first online event.
*Share your book covers
*Tell us all about your books
*..."
Weird, it should do...here try again https://www.facebook.com/events/23400...
My biggest challenge has been finding the correct market for my work. How does one find their ideal reader that wants short fiction? If I could figure out where to find my readers, I'm sure making connections with readers would be far easier.I have sold far more copies of my short story than I ever expected, so I'm not complaining by any means.
I can say that Twitter, while it does have its uses and I do enjoy it, is not a decent tool to advertise fiction.
Michelle wrote: "Authors, whether independently or traditionally published, what has been your biggest challenge when promoting? What's failed, hasn't done much for you, or has actually benefited?"
Speaking as an author who has had numerous short stories in magazines, and a few non-fiction articles, I can tell you that doesn't always translate to sales of short fiction outside of magazines. You can crank out twenty pages of a fantastic story, but there are so many doing the very same thing, the trick is to find YOUR readers (the ones who, at the end of your story, will be wondering where your fiction has been all this time).Find where YOUR readers go to find short fiction. Find them and you have half the battle won.
Of course, I also acknowledge that I'm still looking for mine, but that's my two cents worth.
Michelle wrote: "Jim wrote: "you could always start with short stories. in todays uber busy world, anyone that can crank out a page or two of interesting stuff is more likely to be noticed than long drawn out stori..."
" http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=...
Please visit my blog if you are interested in a free author spotlight.While you are there, check out a good writer, Beth McCue, author of Oceans Ending, who is today's author spotlight. Also, check out the brilliant Russian author who gave a dazzling interview. We are authors supporting authors. http://www.surfsupbookshelves.com
Shelby wrote: "Please visit my blog if you are interested in a free author spotlight.While you are there, check out a good writer, Beth McCue, author of Oceans Ending, who is today's author spotlight. Also, chec..."
Thank you Shelby. I will check it out and get back to you.
Marie Silk wrote: "I posted this to another thread https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (lots of pages to read but worth it imo if you are serious about marketing):Here are the re..."
Thanks for sharing the stats. Very useful!
Let me tell you this. Promoting totally sucks! LOL I have tried many things like YouTube Ads, Twitter, Facebook Ads, Fiverr, etc. While people click on the ads, it doesn't translate into sales. I'm open to the idea that people may think that my book may not be good enough...yet I always remind myself that I received a testimonial from the CEO of one of the top ten global brands in the world that my book is a source of new knowledge and inspiration, which is fantastic.
My fellow authors, keep on trying. This is a hard game, but one way or the other we have to win it. We have busted our asses to write our books...lots of research, lots of long nights, lots of sacrifices taking time away from family and friends. Keep on pushing and I will do the same!
Manos wrote: "Let me tell you this. Promoting totally sucks! LOL I have tried many things like YouTube Ads, Twitter, Facebook Ads, Fiverr, etc. While people click on the ads, it doesn't translate into sales. I..."
Well said, Manos!
Hear! Hear! Manos.It sucks! Let's not forget the ones who promises reviews, but once they get the free book, you never hear from them. It can be so stressful and frustrating at times, but you have to keep trudging through the difficulties of being an author.
All the best to all hard-working authors.
I've just looked into Social Butterfly PR, but they specialise in NA, and contemporary romance. Does anyone know of a reputable (and reasonably priced) online PR company which specialises in dark thrillers? My new book is very much a dark thriller, which has created a buzz with those who have read it, so I need to ensure a PR company targets the correct audience, and not an unsuspecting romance reader!Keep positive, everyone! 😊
I'm just editing my pagan vampire duology, so will be running the gauntlet again soon.I'm planning to use an array of book promo sites so will post my success rates with them.
Not looking forward to that bit :-/
T.L. wrote: "I'm just editing my pagan vampire duology, so will be running the gauntlet again soon.I'm planning to use an array of book promo sites so will post my success rates with them.
Not looking forwar..."
I look forward to seeing how it goes, T.L. I need to find out which sites work, and which ones are a waste of money:)
I did a Bargain Booksy deal because a lot of authors swear by it. And guess what? It works! I didn't recoup all of my $50, but I sold some units. That's better than not selling anything, and just giving them away. It's a start, it's exposure, and it's word-of-mouth. I'm going to do another one.Has anyone else tried Bargain Booksy?
Groovy wrote: "I did a Bargain Booksy deal because a lot of authors swear by it. And guess what? It works! I didn't recoup all of my $50, but I sold some units. That's better than not selling anything, and just g..."I haven't. How exactly does it work?
Go to Bargainbooksy.com, click on "Authors" tab, and you go from there. They have a long list of genres that you have to choose where to put your book. Some are a bit pricey, some are just $25, but I think whatever price, it's worth it. I have to wait a month before doing it again, but I'm definitely going to:)
Free promotion idea:I am to be featured in an Author Case Study in the Publishing 101 Digest's 29th August 2017 edition, along with my book. The digest currently has approx. 30,000 subscribers.
The chance to feature in the digest is only open to indie authors who use The Book Designer templates to create a book interior. (They ask for a testimonial).
To be considered for a feature, head over to publishing101.com (type this directly into your address bar, else you'll get the wrong digest!) and subscribe to their free, weekly digest, and then follow the simple instructions when it hits your inbox (every Tuesday).
I had a 'yes' response the next day!
***UPDATE***I have an author friend who just did a Bargain Booksy promotion, and he tripled his sales. So, I highly recommend this site.
L.J., I would really like to know how this turns out for you.
Groovy wrote: L.J., I would really like to know how this turns out for ..."
Hi Groovy, I'll definitely let you know how well the Author Case Study works out.
Also, I've just sold 5 ebooks in one go, using Amazon Marketing Services, so I'm hopeful that my ad campaign there will work out too. Only just started, so I'm on a steep learning curve, but it's a promising start.
Hi authors, Outpublish is a team of tech people and writers who are looking to build tools for authors to help them with self promotion. You can visit our website and signup for exclusive access to our tools when we launch. One of our tools is already being used by authors - It is a free 3D cover generator using which you can turn your normal book covers into amazing 3D designscheck it out here: https://outpublish.com/book-cover-gen... . You can also suggest what sort of self promotion tools you want us to build and we will get on it right away based on the demand!
I tried using the 3D cover generator and while it showed my covers in 3D on the screen, it never downloaded them to my computer. Instead it kept taking me to Facebook to access my Facebook information and create a post about Outpublish. I understand that Outpublish wants to get something out of giving authors a service, but when that service isn't even delivered . . . well . . . that's just free advertising for a service that doesn't work. And what's the point of that?
Something that might help with marketing: I've purchased a promotion slot for my book, Snatch Girl, with Bargain Booksy, via freebooksy.com. It cost $50 for a package for one day (mine is 8th July). The promo is dependent on 2 things: your book must be on sale for $5.00 or less (0.99c minimum), and the book must be at least 50 pages long. The genre dictates the cost. Thrillers like mine are $50 for a one day promo, but some genres are $25, and some are $70.
They say the ad puts your book in front of 120,000 subscribers!
I thought I'd give it a go, and see what happens. I'll let you all know how it goes.
I use Bargain Booksy a lot now. The prices are worth it. I get sales every time, even though I could write my blurbs a lot better. I think you're going to like it too, L.J. I highly recommend it to everyone!
Groovy wrote: "I use Bargain Booksy a lot now. The prices are worth it... I think you're going to like it too, L.J. I highly recommend it to..."I had some success with Bargain Booksy, with sales and downloads (page reads on KU), so I'll use them again. My book was priced at $2.58 wile other books advertised on the same day were .99c and I still made sales. Might try .99c next time for more sales.
I was just given this list of sites that do book promotion and advertising. The lower the ranking, the more exposure for your work. I hope it helps.Also, I'm doing a readingdeals.com promotion, it ends today. I'll let you know how it went.
https://www.tckpublishing.com/top-kin...
Groovy wrote: "I was just given this list of sites that do book promotion and advertising. The lower the ranking, the more exposure for your work. I hope it helps..."That's great, thanks for the link Groovy! I'll have a look at them all.
I've had 2 promos with Bargain Booksy now, and the second was even more successful than the first, so I will do a monthly promo with them. I hope you had success with readingdeals.com Groovy.
Thank you for sharing the link, Groovy!
You're welcome, Robin. I hope you have success with them:)Well, I had to get a refund from readingdeals. It was just a mix up. I'll try them again.
Shelby wrote: "Please visit my blog if you are interested in a free author spotlight.While you are there, check out a good writer, Beth McCue, author of Oceans Ending, who is today's author spotlight. Also, chec..."
Hi
I am looking for interviews exchange. Drop me a mail -
prakash2484@gmail.com
I looked at the BargainBooksy site. So authors are supposed to sign up for a specific date. How do people choose them? Some seem more popular than others.
Barbara, if I'm correct, BargainBooksy sends out their newsletters everyday to their subscribers. So, any day is a good day. I've done a promotion with them twice on different days, and have had good results--especially if you price your book at 99c.Also, longandshortreviews.com will list your book for reviewers that would like to read it and leave a review for free. If anyone has had any experience with them, your experience would be appreciated.
There were no sales from the Awesomegang promotion, so I'm crossing that from my list. That was $10.00 I could have kept to promote on the ones I know that work. And I think he's the same guy that has the bookreadermazagine site where I also received no sales. So, I'm going to check the sister sites of Awesomegang (pretty-hot.com, bookgoodies.com, bookasaurus.com) and if his name are on those sites, I won't bother.
But other authors may have had better results. His sites just doesn't work for me.
**UPDATE** My pagan vampires launched 27th Aug.
On the 25th I had an ad with LoveBooksDaily - cost £20, went out 19:00 UK time, but is based in USA. I achieved approx 4 sales :-/
On 26th I had $25 ad with RedRosesRomance.
I got...5 sales. :-(
This was on the run-up to launch.
There's probably a reason the big sites stipulate a plethora of reviews first, but I was hoping with a 99c (& free on KU) book people would take a chance. Nope!
I have a couple of reviews now.
My big BargainBooksy moment is this Sunday.
Wish me luck!!
(others turned me down; they don't seem to like launch posts. They want tried and tested, discounted/free books).
I'm also running my own giveaway.
I have my own book candles (awesome!) which I'm giving away to x5 people who post a pic on Insta of them reading book 1 (which they can obtain for free).
Genius plan. I await results of my creativity ;-)
Thanks for the update T.L. Don't forget to do a giveaway on Goodreads - it may not result in many sales but it will give you quite good exposure. Book candles? You mean, your book cover printed on a candle? Where did you get that done?
Good luck with your creativity on Insta.
Groovy wrote: "There were no sales from the Awesomegang promotion, so I'm crossing that from my list. That was $10.00 I could have kept to promote on the ones I know that work. And I think he's the same guy that ..."Yes, they have 5-6 sites. The owner is the same.
Thank-you, Prakash. This information will help a lot of authors decide whether or not to take a chance with those sites. T.L., I know how it feels to not at least make a small profit on promotions, but 4 and 5 sales are better than 0, right? :) Congratulations!!!!! And to add to Rita's comment, Amazon giveaways are free, easy, and fun. So, try them, too. I think you'll like Bargainbooksy. You'll definitely get some sales. Let us know how it went.
Rita wrote: "Thanks for the update T.L. Don't forget to do a giveaway on Goodreads - it may not result in many sales but it will give you quite good exposure. Book candles? You mean, your book cover printed o..."
Sorry, I thought I'd included an image. I actually took the photo myself. Here...
I found a company in the UK who created these for me.
It was amazing; I said which scents the candles should have and gave them the names etc.
Goodreads Giveaways sadly only seem to allow hard copy books, and my new ones aren't in paperback (yet). I wanted to guage how many people buy the ebook before plunging into that minefield.
This is because I release one of my ebooks as a paperback a year ago and have sold just one copy of it :-/
I'll pop back after the BargainBooksy has run xx
Hi Groovy, Rita, T.L.I have joined many fb book promo groups but no sales while if I post on Goodreads, I definitely get sales.
I never tried any paid site but getting around 20- 35 books sale every month. I am not concerned about money but I promote occasionally to reach my global readers. I have my presence in approx 27 countries through my blog. I will make a blog post soon on "Effective Use Of Social Media".
One of the most important things I've been told in marketing is to grow your email list. Facebook keeps changing its algorithms, so the people you think you're connected to one day can change the next. I started using Instafreebie and My Book Cave to grow my email list as a way of growing fans. There's a free Instafreebie option if you want to try them out (but you won't get the emails of individuals) and it's free to upload your books to My Book Cave. The great part is that both Instafreebie and My Book Cave have Facebook groups which have people who run promos which are free to join. (This is why I choose the paid option for Instafreebie, so I can collect the emails of the promos I join). Herea are the sites: https://www.instafreebie.com/https://mybookcave.com/
Here is the My Book Cave Facebook promo group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbcSu...
Instafreebie has a Forum board where you can join promos as well as Facebook groups.
Good luck!
T.L., use Amazon giveaways for your ebooks. I think you'll like it.Prakash, that's impressive. I hardly make any sales on Goodreads. And if you're averaging 35 sales a month, you're doing something right. Can't wait to read your blog.
Robin, thank-you for the links.
Groovy!Sold 6 copies in last 2 days.
Will update that article by tomorrow. Thanks for waiting and inspiring.
Groovy wrote: "T.L., use Amazon giveaways for your ebooks. I think you'll like it..."I haven't tried this yet, Groovy. How many ebooks do we have to giveaway? I guess we have to pay for the ebooks and Amazon sends them out?
Making Connections
Books mentioned in this topic
Snatch Girl (other topics)Living in Cyprus: 2014 (other topics)
Living in Cyprus: 2014 (other topics)
At any case, since the target is to help others, i am sharing hereunder some promo pages that are interesting for your marketing efforts - you can submit your book Free, create/edit your author profile, etc - independently that they may have other paid promos:
https://www.iauthor.uk.com
http://www.philipsmith.eu
https://www.bookworks.com
http://www.readersintheknow.com
https://www.theliterarynet.com
http://indiebooklounge.com
Hope you find them helpful for you - and I hope to build up some Karma points as well!