My second book (it’s been out for about 7 weeks) hasn’t caught on like I hoped it would. I’ve mostly marketed (if you could call it that) on social media and various message boards (including this one!). The first book didn’t catch on in terms of sales either, but I thought this second one was a lot better and would be much more attractive to potential readers (fantasy-satire and homage to the genre in general and a very popular series in particular).
So I’m a little sad and frustrated. Still writing a third book, though. I resolve to continue to write, even if no one buys my books.
It isn’t easy… I have four books out there, but last I looked the total sales was 16 books. Like you, fantasy genre, but self-publishing is hard. I write because I love it, so if the books don’t sell, oh well, but if they take off someday - YAY! But I’m not really banking on it. It’s just my side hobby.
Good luck and I hope your books do start taking off soon for you! Give us a link!
Problem is that the same thing that enables you to publish with such ease also enables a zillion other people to do the same. So you can get your book published, but it gets drowned out in a cacaphony of other people publishing their own books, and similarly publicizing them on social media and various message boards.
I know it’s crazy in the sense of “give away stuff for free?!” but I’ve heard that putting a short story or short novella on amazon for free will help pique interest in the rest of your books. Readers will have a sample of your work and from there become interested in your other books (which naturally they must pay for). Spend a buck to get a buck, I suppose. But what with everyone being able to self-publish these days, it is a way to get in above a lot of other people competing for the same attention.
Are anthologies for short stories still a thing? That might help get your name out there too. I’ve looked up authors whose short story for an anthology I’ve liked.
For now, it’s a side-hobby with me too. But I hope one day to be an actual professional writer, if I can just get past this “can’t quit my job to write full time until I’m selling lots of books/can’t sell lots of books until I quit my job and write full time” catch-22.
For Amazon, unfortunately you have to sign up for their Kindle Direct, which means I have to remove it from all the other online retailers in order to do one for free. I have done a couple of giveaway contests on Goodreads, with a lot of interest (but I don’t know how much interest turned into sales).
This is probably a good idea – I have a few short story ideas in my head, and at some point I’ll try to get them down on the computer.
I see a bit of guerrilla marketing is allowed here, so I’ll use this topic to shamelessly promote my masterpiece e-book. In return raw data. I’m selling through Smashwords. It says 100 copies sold in Q1. About as expected.
Yep. The first thing I point out to anybody who asks me about self-publishing is that the wall of apathy is astounding.
This is why I’m going with the “writes books in series/serials, make the first one free” approach. Nothing moves a title like “free”. On my KDP Select giveaway days I could easily give away 100 copies of a book a day–sometimes as many as 250. Sales? Not so much.
I have clients who completely give away a first book for free, but then they have followup books already done that are promoted in the free one. They also promote with social media in the ways that make sense, targeting relevant interests and personas, similar authors, etc.
So, if I wanted to do it myself, I would probably write a series of some sort and have it all done, all followup marketing (links to other books, newsletters, social media profiles already fleshed out with followers, etc) setup and then release the 1st one for free and invest in advertising my free book.
Maybe it’s just me, of course, but every time I see this thread it gives me a giggle. I mean an author complaining of poor book sales with the title, “I am disappoint”, that’s kinda funny don’t ya think?
Days pass, no one considers changing/correcting the thread title? That’s even funnier! It makes me giggle a little more each day it remains. I can’t believe no one has come into the thread to ask if they spell checked the book?
Probably just me!
Good Luck with your book sales regardless, hoping you hit the best sellers list!
“I am disappoint” is a silly meme from a few years ago, and my book has a lot of fun with internet fandom and internet humor. I’m glad it gave you some giggles though, even if it was for the wrong reason!
I am!
