My Steps To Self Publishing

The first thing we’ve been told about marketing is to… TELL EVERYONE! And, authors think that’s exactly what they need to do on the internet so that people will know they exist and for people to buy their book. However, think about how much of what you are doing is actually marketing? Are you going everywhere and only speaking about YOUR NOVEL and not participating in the conversation?

BUY MY BOOK!

That’s what you’re screaming every time you mention your book on Facebook, Twitter, Forums, and all other social internet places. Unless someone has specifically asked about wanting to know about your novel via email subscriptions, one really should be careful on how often you mention your novel.

One should be tactful on how and when to mention one’s novel.

Give to receive.

That old saying ALWAYS works. If you become one of the many other voices ASKING for something and not GIVING in return, then your voice will be on bitter, as well as, deaf ears. Don’t be a Bug-A-Boo.

Remember that the virtual world is full. There are many voices all wanting something from someone. Try not to be one of those voices and you will stick out amongst the sea. Use your other talents to find eyes to your work: your humor, your intellect, your creativity, your ideas, your words, your purpose. And they will come.

But always remember: this is a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient and keep writing.


Until Next Time!

Smashwords had a coupon promotion last week were the publisher could offer a discount on their novels anywhere from 25% to 100% making the novel Free! It was from March 4 – 10, 2012.

I jumped on it!

And it was fun watching to see how many novels were going to be “purchased” with the coupons. I set my novel coupons to FREE, of course, except The Made, which I put at a discount. No buys on my discounted book. I then went against my first idea of never making my babe, my very first novel (and very long one at that), free. I made it free the last few hours of the promotion, thinking no one would really see it. I got two (2) buys. It made me smile. Cool!

Overall, I only “sold” a total of 67 books, which had a surprising realization.

Most of the books that were snatched up was my novel, The 9th Symbol. What’s so surprising about that, you ask? Well, it made me look at the purchases for the other two books: Irid and Ruby, Flesh and Heart. Those two books were downloaded previously over a thousand times, during the time that they were set free by me at one time or another months and months ago. So, it appeared to look like that the same people who had those novels were just waiting for when I set my latest novel, The 9th Symbol, free so they could get it.

In a way, that was pretty neat to know. In another way, it let me know that the Smashwords audience might just be there mostly for the coupons and promotions. However, if they really want to buy a novel, I guess they could do that too.

Interesting.

I mean, I may be completely wrong, because, grant it, it’s just li’l ole me and I can’t account for all of the novels out there, but it did make me go… Hmmmmm.

Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that they would tell their friends about my novels. And THAT is what I want. I actually got a review on Goodreads from someone who got my novel free on Smashwords.

And she liked it!! She really liked it!! (Okay. Yeah. A pun from Sally Fields Oscar Award speech)

Just the fact that someone took the time to write a review says something. No. It says EVERYTHING!

So, bottom line, the free thing does help promote. I don’t expect much from my Smashwords promotion week with only 67 books taken up, but I’ll keep doing it whenever there’s a promotional time to do it.

Because….

You just don’t know WHAT might happen. DO EVERYTHING!

Until Next time 🙂

After getting that book novel completed, we research about how to find readers. Then we get into marketing and using the social network. Sometimes, we get hung up and forget the small, itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny thing that … we are writers.

Take a break.

And then go back into writing.

That’s what I’m doing now, but unfortunately for me, it’s a “forced” break meaning recovery time from surgery. This also means, once I can get up to more physical strength, I’ll be getting…MORE WRITING TIME!

I’m expecting to get a lot more writing in, more than normal, since my mental state won’t be, and now isn’t, bogged down with my mental stress of my day job. I’m already feeling the relief of not having to get up at a certain time and having to do that 45 min to 1 hr commute. And then there’s the mental stress of programming, troubleshooting, customer service and the basic IT stuff that goes on every day. That mental stress is ALL GONE.

I read a post at The Writer’s Guide To ePublishing, and it was entertaining regarding the definition the author came up with for those who promote, promote, promote. She called them: Promobots. Prombot. It was pretty funny, and it’s funny because it hurts with truth. We become robots to this marketing and forget all the joy and fun of the creativity. That’s why some authors still choose to go the trade route path instead of self-publishing because they think they don’t have to do anything else but write (which I hear is wrong, but I don’t know. I’ve never been trade published before).

So, it’s Break Time.

It’s good to step away and then you get a better prospective of things. It makes things fresh and new again.

And fresh and new is ALWAYS exciting. Get back into that adventure.

Until Next Time!