- The pre-orders option is great, but Amazon counts the sale right then in their rankings and not the day of the release. This is a bummer. My pre-order sales showing all on the same day would have boosted my book higher on their best sellers lists.
- People don’t write reviews. If every person who pre-ordered only reviewed The Last Order I would be well over my first month’s goal of twenty reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. So if you haven’t left a review. Please leave a brief sentence or two.
Credit: spring.org.uk
- Blog tours don’t sell books. Blog tours get your name out and help with exposure, but don’t expect to sell many books if any from a blog tour.
- Social Media is exhausting. Keeping up with groups I’m in, chatting with others, keeping people informed about The Last Order, retweeting others *passes out* Even I can’t be this energetic all the time.
- Don’t just sell e-books. To make your money back so you can publish more books you need to order paperback copies and sell them. Start with family and friends then move to other venues. (blog post coming soon)
- I still don’t know what works for marketing. I’m trying out a press release this week. I’m a little late, but I will tell you how it goes. A press release is one of many ways I am still attempting to get the word out about The Last Order.
- Giveaways don’t sell books. I still loved making the bracelets and bracers and I plan on doing more contests for fun and exposure.
Handcrafted Leather Bracers
- Pirates are real. Yesterday, The Last Order was discovered by a friend on a website for free. After talking to a few other authors it saddened my heart to learn these sites were so numerous is was daunting to some.
- It takes more than one month for people to even know you have a book out. Yesterday a follower asked me if I wrote books.
- Family and Friends will always be there. Books and other projects will come and go, but supportive family and friends are priceless.
So, if you like medieval things, female knights, fast-passed reads or know someone who does check out The Last Order!
I reblogged/pressed this to http://blog.freebookpromotions.com
I thought this was a very informative post from the perspective of a new author selling, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing it, plus I loved the snippets, very apt.
Pingback: Top 5 surprising things I learned my first month as an indie author! | Angela M Caldwell
I agree with almost all of these, although I have never tried a blog tour. True success the way society would define it seems like a shot in the dark but I’ve come to the decision that I just love to write. I’m going to keep writing and writing whether I have five readers or five million. I can always give 100% and I will, but ultimately my actions are the only actions I can control. Unless magic is real and we can do a spell – which I could totally be persuaded to try. 🙂 Good luck, Angela!
Keep writing!
Thank you, Angela, for you sage advice.