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How to promote your book with a budget of £0
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I'm fairly new to Goodreads too and have just set up my author profile. There is a wonderful wealth of information in this thread that I will be coming back to. Thanks so much
I know it is obvious, but if you write in a genre, then try to be active on forums and similar, of that genre. Most are very tribal and if you 'Drive-by' you will be known as spam and never find a way back in. Same with blogs,putting in that bit of effort to ensure they read your kind of work.My book is a dark and rude comedy. Bloody hard to find folks with the guts to go with it. But via my blog and web stuff, they filter through.
That's good advice. I'd also say: don't expect immediate success. Gaining a readership is a long game.
Nick wrote: "Ahhh, nothing like cooking the numbers, even when readers have not read the books. Way to go DM Andrews..."
I don't support that kind of attitude, and I hope it doesn't come across in the article to which I linked. Those features can - and should - be used genuinely. The article merely makes it easy for readers to see how they can use the Amazon page to help make their favourite books more visible on Amazon (and thus indirectly share it with others).
Hugh Howey, author of WOOL - one of the big indie success stories of the year (and optioned for a film by Ridley Scott) - picked up the article on his blog:
http://www.hughhowey.com/win-a-hardback/
So writing useful articles (especially with screenshots ;) ) can get you more exposure...
Vannessagrace wrote: "I have to agree with you David when you say there are a lot of people out there making money from us. I can’t find a single reason for any author to pay for a review..."In a lot of cases, this is true. However, if you want libraries to carry your book, you'll need reviews. Because they are on strict budgets, libraries are hesitant to pick up any book without "reputable" reviews (and by reputable, they usually mean the big guys--Kirkus, PW, Booklist...). The problem for Indie and self published authors is that the big reviewers make it VERY hard to get reviewed by them without going through their specifically-Indie reviewing system, which (surprise, surprise) they usually make you pay for. So, it's a balancing game.
I'd recommend skipping the "pro" reviews unless you're planning on marketing to libraries, in which case you're going to need to suck it up and get (and probably pay for) reviews. As far as the "little" reviewers go, I don't know how much benefit they actually get you, besides a boost in confidence if they give you a good review.
Personally, I like to consult the reviews for books as a means to help me decide if I will buy a book or not. However, I don't need the reviews to be by "pros". Usually, I don't even pay attention to the reviewer's name. I would guess that many of the buying public are like me in that regard. While I would guess that a pro review from e.g. Kirkus would definitely put you on the fast track, any good review is still a good review which I believe will influence prospective buyers.
A big publishing exec told me a few years ago that surveys show 90% of book-purchasing decisions are made on the basis of word-of-mouth recommendations from friends (which would now also be via social media). Book reviews, ads, everything else just account for 10% of sales. Which means: they're welcome but not worth paying for.
Paul wrote: "That's good advice. I'd also say: don't expect immediate success. Gaining a readership is a long game."Paul, that's the hardest advice to accept but the truest anyone can be. To your other point, I've always said that the shelf space which sells best is someone's hand. That means get up from the keyboard (twitter, facebook, etc) and go meet readers. Book sales are done one at a time.
Marie-Anne wrote: "Hi there I published my novel on Amazon for Kindle but also on Smashwords and if you go to the Smashwords site you can download Mark Coker's free e-book on marketing on a zero budgethttp://www.sma..."
Marie-Anne: Did you upload to Amazon separately from Smashwords? (Thanks!)
Hi Everyone, This is all very interesting reading - my head is spinning!
Thank you, and I hope to one day have some advice like this for future writers.
:-) CC
David wrote: "there are a lot of people out there making money from us."Yes, the reason your wallet goes in your back pocket is so you can sit on it. :-) I often think about how many books I would need to sell at a couple of dollars royalty to make up what I paid for a review/SEO/blurb rewrite/press release/mailing to an "exclusive list"/etc.
V.K. wrote: "Vannessagrace wrote: "I have to agree with you David when you say there are a lot of people out there making money from us. I can’t find a single reason for any author to pay for a review..."In a..."
I'm sure this is true regarding libraries and reviews. However, I simply walked into our local library and asked the librarian about having a local author's book, i.e. mine, in their collection and they added it. Invited me to come inscribe it for them! I got to blog and Facebook about that and lots of people have checked it out which gave me a big ego boost. I also donated a copy to a library in another city. No, I didn't make any money on that but I'm hoping people who check it out and enjoy it will tell their distant friends about it, and it's another publicity opportunity.
Devorah wrote: "V.K. wrote: "Vannessagrace wrote: "I have to agree with you David when you say there are a lot of people out there making money from us. I can’t find a single reason for any author to pay for a rev..."I did a book talk at my local library and gave them some copies to read in their book club. They are reading it in January. If they like it I'm hoping they'll buy the second one and buy the first one for their various grandchildren etc...
My local library has a copy of both books... I've no idea if anyone ever takes it out though.
Cheers
MTM
I've enjoyed reading this thread. And I am now a Booksie member. And I agree that it is terribly difficult to stand out with zero budgeting. However, I try to utilize the free sites and, most importantly, contact bloggers. They are my most important sources for reaching an audience. But I have advertized on Goodreads and enjoyed the outcome. While I saw little rise in sales, my books were added to many 'to read' lists, which is good because others will see those lists.
I plan to have some bookmarks and postcards printed to help promote before the holidays. But I agree that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, though the tallest wall in front of an indie author.
Good luck to you all! If I discover anything completely wonderful, I will definitely share it here.
C.C. wrote: "Marie-Anne wrote: "Hi there I published my novel on Amazon for Kindle but also on Smashwords and if you go to the Smashwords site you can download Mark Coker's free e-book on marketing on a zero bu..."Sorry for the delay in replying. Yes, I did it separately. So far I would say sales (low as they are!) have been split pretty evenly between the two. I think with my next book I would try KDP Select first as I didn't try it at all with this one, but I would still go on to publish at Smashwords too because I think it's vital to support independent publishers.
I'm not sure where this question should go. This looked to be as good a thread as any. My book The Lost King has a fan. A serious fan, who wrote a 3660 word-long piece of fan fiction and gave it to me to do with as I please. Not only is this validating and flattering beyond belief, it's an entertaining bit of writing in its own right. I know this could be a promotional bonanza. I'd welcome your ideas about how best to use it. Thanks.
Wow, Devorah, that's awesome - as long as he doesn't become a stalker! I'd say put it up on your website with credits - maybe a "fan fic" page?
K.A. wrote: "Wow, Devorah, that's awesome - as long as he doesn't become a stalker! I'd say put it up on your website with credits - maybe a "fan fic" page?"I was thinking of doing that, or putting it on Scribd or smashwords. There's actually a whole Web site devoted to fan fic; I was thinking of starting a thread there...
@Charles who originally started a thread from a reader (not an author), a free way to get your book out there on goodreads is to add it to your personal shelves (in your case I'd add a custom shelf called "biography," "biographies," or "memoirs"). Three goodreads members shelving as "biography" were sufficient so that at right of your book page it says that is in biography genre. Genre and Top Shelves feed into several goodies on goodreads. (With just 3 people so far shelving, don't get too excited because most of the goodies display by popularity (number of members shelving) so the biography genre is headed by Anne Frank with nearly a million members shelving and goes on for thousands of pages before your book is shown.)
By goodies I mean -
Recommendations. Members can click to see recommendations for particular shelves and genres. So goodreads itself with no promotional fee could be sending members recommendations to read your book.
Groups and book of the month discussions. Again, a lot of groups look at shelves and genres to pick nominations. (Group rules on author participation vary, so always check or pm the moderator before doing things like nominating your own book.)
Odder group things. Some of the really large member groups have games, challenges, penpals, buddy reads, etc. that use specific shelves.
Members browsing. Browsing shelves, genres or just your book's page. If they land on your book page and aren't sure what it's about just glancing at title and description (in this book's case description clearly is for a biography; but not always clear. For example, a book with a ghost on cover or in description–is it horror, childrens, paranormal, humor, etc.) the genre and shelves showing on the book page can help.
That last could just be me. I don't like horror but do read a lot of SF and fantasy stuff that can cross over and some book pages aren't clear.
I apologize if this is a bit off topic but none of the other discussions seemed appropriate. I've run into a curious problem. I know for a fact that four print copies of my novel have recently been purchased but none of my "distribution channels" report those sales. The vendors had to get them from somewhere (I know it wasn't Baker&Taylor, Ingram or some other wholesaler/distributor) and I ought to be getting paid. Has anyone experienced anything like this and what did you do about it? I don't even know where to start to look into it so your comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Devorah, Do you know when and where the purchases were made? CreateSpace can take several days to record a sale made on Amazon.com, and Kindle Direct Publishing sometimes records sales oddly: for example, two of my sales, listed as 12/1/12, are included under November.But they do get synced after a week or so.
If the issue involves Smashwords, I have heard that they are very slow. But I do not use Smashwords (hate the Meat Grinder), so I can't speak from personal experience.
Thanks, C.P. I'm finding out that's exactly what happened. These were Expanded Distribution sales which apparently take weeks to appear in reports, and payment lags even further behind that. These were bookstore sales and it turns out the retailers did get the book from Ingram. These were print books so it's not a smashwords issue.
Ah. Yes, Expanded Distribution does take about 6 weeks to register anything, I think, and the returns are really low. :-(Better than nothing, though, and at east you are getting your name out there!
Devorah wrote: "I apologize if this is a bit off topic but none of the other discussions seemed appropriate. I've run into a curious problem. I know for a fact that four print copies of my novel have recently been..."I know that a number of copies of my book, Healing Personal Psychology was sold. Amazon, keeps replenishing the stock. I see the stock change on European and other country sites. Ingram, the only distributor, didn't seem to have a record of sales. I have yet to receive a dime from Ingram, in a year. I don't know what to do about that either.
Jasenn wrote: "Devorah wrote: "I apologize if this is a bit off topic but none of the other discussions seemed appropriate. I've run into a curious problem. I know for a fact that four print copies of my novel ha..."Hmmm...this Ingram thing bears looking into. I will start investigating...
Devorah wrote: "Jasenn wrote: "Devorah wrote: "I apologize if this is a bit off topic but none of the other discussions seemed appropriate. I've run into a curious problem. I know for a fact that four print copies..."Here's one discussion that I found regarding Ingram, POD publishers and sales reports: "If you're a POD author, and if your POD publisher uses Lightning (owned by Ingram), Ingram will pay your publisher for any sales around four to five months after Ingram sells those copies. However, Ingram reports sales monthly to your POD publisher. When a bookstore orders your book, that sale should show up on your publisher's monthly report from Ingram around the first week of the following month."
Yeh, I'm getting paid now for sales in July... luckily because that was my bumper month and it's handy to have a bit of cash right now (it's only £20 but it all helps). Cheers
MTM
Devorah wrote: "V.K. wrote: "Vannessagrace wrote: "I have to agree with you David when you say there are a lot of people out there making money from us. I can’t find a single reason for any author to pay for a rev..."Vannessagrace wrote: "David wrote: "Be very wary of SEO sites. Many charge but only provide links to other sites that offer 30 day free trials. There's a plethora of SEO gurus offering free get rich schemes, but then ch..."
Devorah wrote: "V.K. wrote: "Vannessagrace wrote: "I have to agree with you David when you say there are a lot of people out there making money from us. I can’t find a single reason for any author to pay for a rev..."Hi, everyone, I'm new to the site. Been on for a while, just don't have time to be actively involved in blogging. There is a lot of valuable info here, and I must remind myself to come back often. I love your idea about posting the availability of your book on Facebook. I gave my books to the library too, but never thought about mentioning it on FB. Brilliant!
@Pat, when you do blog something -- make sure it gets posted here on goodreads (can just link your blog to the author profile if you want automatically), facebook, twitter, and keep a followup contact list for any bloggers that have mentioned your books in the past in case they are interested or if it might be an update to add to their blog mention about your book.
GOOD MORNING ALL! I AM NEW TO GOODREADS, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST THREADS I HAVE COME ACROSS! WHAT A WEALTH OF INFORMATION FOR US INDIE AUTHORS!! MY NAME IS MUFFIN. I AM AN AUTHOR FROM PHILADELPHIA. THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT IN THIS GROUP IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, AND THE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED ARE ONES THAT I MYSELF NEEDED ANSWERS TO!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR EXTENDING YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO THE NEXT AUTHOR!!!! IT IS SO APPRECIATED!
Stop shouting at us... Turn your cap lock off...
HI MUFFIN!! GLAD TO HAVE YOU!However, I like lower case better myself. There is a lot of wisdom and experience here to share. You'll like it.
Vannessagrace wrote: "David wrote: "Be very wary of SEO sites. Many charge but only provide links to other sites that offer 30 day free trials. There's a plethora of SEO gurus offering free get rich schemes, but then ch..."Thanks for this - very useful
What a great thread; thanks to everyone who has posted so far. As someone who has only been a published author for two months, I have little to add. In my limited experience, there seem to be no short cuts. Reputations need to be built slowly and over time. Amazon reviews certainly help and in terms of social media, the important thing is to make personal connections with people. The sort of aggressive over-promotion that happens on Twitter is off-putting and unlikely to persuade anyone to buy.
Charles wrote: "Hi AllI'm new to GoodReads and this group and would really value the experience of others. I self-published in 2008 with no idea how to promote the book and no budget and it did ...ok. I'm republi..."
The three things which have gotten me more coverage than anything else I have done
Given the book away for free via KDP Select
Run an ad on The Romance Reviews (if you add their banner to your website front page you get free ad credits)
Blog until your fingers bleed
Devorah wrote: "Jasenn wrote: "Devorah wrote: "I apologize if this is a bit off topic but none of the other discussions seemed appropriate. I've run into a curious problem. I know for a fact that four print copies..."As a result of this and other issues, I withdrew my hardback from Ingram and will publish an edited version through Amazon as a soft cover and ebook...that is my solution. Will do so after my first sci fi novel will soon be published.
Regarding the various bloggers mentioned above (or new ones since this thread was started), does anyone have recommended blogs who specialize in children's books?
I wish I had the magic formula for that. Self-publishing is like shooting blindfolded, whether you have nothing to lose or have already put some of your own money in the book, you don't really know how is it going to work ultimately.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2245Y8
let me know.