Category: Indie-author-tips

Five mistakes to avoid when marketing your book

8/8/2015

1-You don’t know your genre. “It’s a weird book” tells me you did not do your research. Read, read, read

2-You don’t know your market. If you write young adult it’s perfectly fine to publish an e-book as most young adults (about 70%) read on kindles, phones, i-pads and similar devices, but if you are writing thrillers most of your audience buys books. Ergo, you won’t sell an e-book

3-You half-ass your cover. Truth is…most people don’t even read the books they buy (I am not talking to you, bibliophile soulmates, devourers of the written word). The first reason why you grab a book is the cover, then you read the blurb and might decide to buy

4-You publish a book full of typos and incongruences. Some typos might not kill you, but readers paid for your book. Be professional. If you’re a bad editor hire one

5-You think that your book will sell itself. You have to spend hours per day researching, marketing, and networking. If your reaction is “my job is writing” then hire someone to do the marketing for you

So, what are you waiting for! Get to work! ^_^

GBA

Ten mistakes independent authors should avoid at all cost

7/14/2015

1-Don’t quit your day job to be a writer. To write you need inspiration and inspiration dies the minute you have to write to pay the bills. Most writers spend nights, weekends and lunch breaks on their projects. Once you become a bestselling author, then you quit your job.

2-Don’t release your book too soon. You think your book is done, you’re excited and want to share it with the world. You can’t bear to reread it anymore. Well, let it sit for a month, then read it again. See all those typos? Those extra characters? TAKE YOUR TIME! If you send a mediocre work out, you’re through. 90% of self-published books are garbage. Make sure your work is the best it can be. How?

-Go to writers’ groups

-Get beta readers

3-Don’t reject criticism. I know it hurts, but freaking listen already! It will make your work better!

4-Get beta readers! Some people don’t because they don’t want to give away their book away for free. This is a huge mistake. Beta readers are AWESOME (thank you guys!) they provide a safe environment where you can learn if your book sucks before you send it out in the world. Also, if your book is good, there’s a good chance they will buy it anyway, in fact even multiple copies for friends (I always buy books I loved for my friends!)

5-Don’t underprice or overprice your book. You know how many hours went into your book. Some people think that giving away their book for free will help them get it out there, but the truth is that most cheap books (not all, but most) are really not that great. If your book is good readers will pay a fair price. But don’t overprice your book. You’re not a bestseller, so stay reasonable! Average size paperbacks are priced $14-18. Young adult tend to be a bit less. I am thinking to price my first book around $9 (paperback). E-books should be lower (I’m thinking $4-5). Audiobook are expensive and depend on length. What are your thoughts on pricing?

6-Invest in your book! The worst thing you can do is to think “I wanna make money on this, not blow them!” Well, you need to invest into your project to give your book a chance. This is your dream. Especially if this is your first book, plan on investing in advertising and professional help when needed (editing, cover design, etc…). Don’t make debt, ever, save for it like you would save for a pair of shoes you like. Our biggest mistake is to think that we are not worth it, when we have no problem throwing money on a dinner out, clothes or even somebody else’s book. Invest in yourself, give your dream its best chance!

And…don’t count on making money out of your books, hope that you will.There are about 300,000 books published per year in the US alone. Only 100 make the best seller list and the big bucks…Write because you have to and want to say something, not to make money.

7-Don’t underestimate cover design. Design a mind blowing cover! If you can’t, pay someone to.

8-Don’t think that your book it’s going to sell itself. Even if it’s the best book to have ever seen the light on planet earth, readers need to know it’s out there. The average author (with a publisher!) sells 400 copies per book (sadness). You need to spend time doing research and marketing(see post on marketing).

9-Don’t think “I’m a writer, it’s not my job to…” It is. If you are an independent author, it is your job to edit, design, market, engage readers, travel the world…do whatever it takes to get your book out there or pay someone to that for you.

10-Don’t start marketing your book once it’s out. They say it takes three years to build a decent networking/marketing system. I don’t know about that, but start as soon as you can!

Happy marketing!

GBA

Five mistakes to avoid when marketing your book

The 3 things you need to turn your book into a bestseller

Ten mistakes independent authors should avoid at all cost

Categories

Archives