What I have learnt about Indie book promotion... part 2

 What have I learnt? Obviously not enough. Think I might as well watch the cricket.

What I have learnt about Indie book promotion...

While I am busy pecking away at the second novel in the Skid Chronicles series I have also been looking at how to widen my readership for the first book in the series and make my fortune. Yeah right. Making a living at this would be great but I am not about to give up my day job.

I've tried quite a few things to sell copies of my first novel and get a few good reviews on Amazon as that is the key it seems to me-good 5 star reviews. I have twisted people's arms and basically told them to buy my $0.99 novel and write me a good review. This tack has had limited success even when I have offered to give people a dollar as there are far more people that have said to my face that they will download the Kindle version or buy the hard copy than have actually done so. Amazon has pretty good reporting. Clearly I haven't twisted enough arms hard enough.

I have also tried Google Adwords and Facebook adds to no avail, admittedly I can only send people to the Amazon pages via my still dirtbike themed website. Note to self....spend some time on developing a new page. It might help.

All I can say is that I am pleased I tried this avenue but didn't spend too much money in this area. I did spend  a chunk of cash on 't' shirts that I mostly gave away that apart from my wife to be I don't believe anyone actually wears. If you want one drop me line.

I've created a Twitter account along with all those other people who create accounts to self promote their product or service. But Twitter is a bit like Facebook, just because you have 'friends' doesn't mean they are going to read your posts and even if they do, it doesn't mean this is going to translate into any sales.

My latest scheme as per all the reading I have done is to generate a media release for the book. Now I just need to find out where to send it. I have never felt comfortable with self promotion and rejection but my skin is getting thicker so maybe I will just send it too as many people as possible. The good old shotgun approach.

Finally all the good blogs and websites say that all I have to do is create is a community of interest and I'll become an instant online best seller and make my fortune.

So if anyone actually reads this blog and wants to become part of my community you can join me on Facebook or Twitter-I promise not to twist your arm. But in case you have forgotten here is the link to the book......amazon.com/Skid-Tasting-plant-ebook/dp/B009FIAMXS

Actually mostly what I have learnt is that there is plenty of good reading out there and at the end of the day nothing much has changed in the world of publishing. While we can do a lot of things to promote our masterpieces and be successfull at it (in an ideal world successfull for me would be making my living out of writing) at the end of the day luck and being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with it.





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Published at last

I have long been a frustrated author. Being a writer is something that I have always wanted to do. There is a literary bent in the family so I guess this isn't all that unusual.

If I was being honest with myself the reason that I have never really pursued writing as a career option is a lack of confidence and drive. The started  with being dissuaded from a potential career as a journalist by well a well meaning but in hindsight incompetent careers advisor at school. She suggested I start an apprenticeship as a typesetter instead. Continued with family and friends telling me that I needed a real job, rejection and my own lack of confidence.

This isn't to say that I haven't written, submitted work to publishers or even had a go at self publishing. When I might have given this a real go the realities of earning a living, mortgages and a need for some kind of financial security got in the way.

Latterly I have been interested in playing with helmet cams and writing or even thinking about it hasn't been high on my list of priorities.

Cue a life changing event, the end of a relationship that I thought was the real deal, a new relationship and the gift of a Kindle.

Among other things the Kindle reinvigorated my interest in reading. I have been at times a voracious reader and have often probably withdrawn from the real world and into the world of  print more often that I should have. Latterly I have become much more picky in my reading and loathe to spend money on books from authors that weren't on my personal safe list.

The Kindle has changed all this and while I still buy from mainstream authors there are huge numbers of free or very cheap tittles available that I have entertained myself with. As I have sampled the good, bad and barely readable I came to the realisation that my work is at least as good if not better than some of the titles I was reading and in many cases paying for.

Over the last several months I  have dusted off, reviewed and honed one of my masterpieces and in the last week or so published it on Amazon.

I know there are other platforms to use and maybe I will review them in time but Amazon is the industry standard for self publishing and once I had sorted out the formatting issues the process is painless.

So read the book if you have the time and interest and if you do keep an eye out for the sequel that i am busy polishing and updating.

Kindle version or Buy a hard copy version

Brrrp - now I need to check the bike out because I haven't ridden it in months.......