It's been just over three weeks since I released my e-book (All About Archie:
Bringing Up A Puppy) on Amazon. I mentioned in a previous post that I was
following a marketing strategy. I'm sure many of my fellow writers will agree
that writing a book is easier than promoting it! I struggle with marketing, and
whilst it would be lovely to pay someone to help me, my budget won't stretch to
that at the moment.
When I released my novelettes, I did do some promo, but not all that much
mainly because I didn't know what to do beyond making my novelettes free, or
posting about them on my blog and on Twitter, or writing the odd guest blog
post. I also lacked confidence, but somehow with a non-fiction book I feel
more confident.
This time around I was determined to seek out more promotional opportunities
and I came across this article. For me it's been very
helpful. Although I am not making $100 a day (as per the title of the article)
from my new e-book, the article has given me some interesting ideas, some of
which I am still working on.
Depending upon how far on you are with your book, you might not need the
first part of the article. I'd already written my book, had it edited, designed
the cover, and formatted the text for Kindle, so I jumped to step 15. I
followed the pricing strategy, joined Kindle Select and made my book free
for the first five days. I had 57 downloads during that time. After the free
promotion I priced the book at £0.99, and so far I have had one sale, so I have
not yet moved to the next step pricing-wise (I am planning to raise the price to
£1.99 eventually).
I was a bit disappointed in that prior to releasing the book I did as the
article suggested and sent out free PDF copies of the book in exchange for a
review. I sent out over 20 copies and so far have received five reviews. I am hoping some
more will come through. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the reviews I have
had, and the feedback is all positive, but the more reviews you get on Amazon,
the more noticeable your book becomes.
Other things I did included: Listed my book on free e-book sites; posted on
relevant Facebook groups, approached companies (doggy related of course); contacted blogs and magazines; looked into producing a print version of the
book; made notes for the follow-up; posted on Instagram; sent out press releases; signed up for affiliate
marketing.
Facebook helped me reach more people. Of the companies I approached, one
got back to me to say 'no thanks', another has said 'maybe', so watch this space!
Regarding blogs and magazines, two articles I've written have been published,
one by Anxiety UK, the other by Lothian
Life. A press release is due to appear in the August edition of MK Pulse, a
magazine I used to write for when I lived in Buckinghamshire.
So it's been a busy time. I started off feeling very excited, but at the moment
I have to confess to feeling a bit despondent, which I am trying to rise above. It's a waiting game and I need to be patient. I also need to remember that I started out with the intention of helping first-time puppy parents who are struggling, and judging by the feedback
I have received, I have done just that. If I'm meant to reach more people, it will happen. 😊
Essay over!!!
H x
