So, Jenny Elliott and I were talking about marketing stuff and she said that another author had complimented our tactics. Said the only thing that could be made better was the price. I love even numbers and have been doing everything at an even price. Apparently that is a bit of a bad thing.
So I went back and fixed the ebook price by a penny… for everything. And in doing it…Word Play got “republished” on draft2digital. Which means that they decided to review it. And it was written back in the all Amazon days. So I have to go back and fix it. The manuscript has several mentions in it of Amazon. Which causes d2d fits. It means I have to get it done before I can get that one available for Kobo and Apple books. Grrrr. Yeah I will get it done, but I’m annoyed because I thought I was done with it.
I’m also annoyed because I am fairly certain that I created the problem myself. And adding to my own workload is just assine.
So Jenny Elliott – Friend, Intern, all around I cannot live without her in my life type person…asked me what the list was for the anthology publication. (The To-do List that is)
I told her it is the same for each book…and I sat and thought about what that means for the anthologies, for my books, and for each book I work with.
I need a front and rear cover to work with.
I need a clean formatted and edited manuscript to work with.
I need a blurb, and an author list.
I need a Release date.
I often am the designer for the covers my company publishes. That makes having them easier. There are a couple of authors that provide their own covers but most just go with the ones I make.
The authors often just send me the written stories. I put in the formatting and edit it as I go. Many of them have the writing edited before I see it, but not all. Formatting is putting in order – Title page, a copyright page, Contents, Chapters, About the Author, About the Publisher.
Some authors write their blurbs, some expect me to write it. Either way, It is not as difficult as writing the entire story. The author list is an obvious thing…
The release date is based on how many others I have in the calendar at a time. The limitation is mostly me. I can only do so many of these at a time.
Okay I have the manuscript…now what? I use Draft2digital, Amazon, Google Play Books all for Ebooks. D2d has the best expanded Distribution. Amazon has the best reach in general. Google….well…why not? I do Not Like D2d’s Print. So for print I use Amazon and Barnes and Nobles press.
Then I have to deal with Marketing. I try to do the same type of images for every book. Do I always manage it? No, not really. I have way too much going on…and often this is where I drop balls. Ideally, I want for each book to do a cover reveal image set. I want to do 3 teaser images. I also want to share an about the author image for each book. Now the last one can be made once and often reshared for multiple books. An Author does not often change their bio. Mine has changed perhaps once a year. Mostly because I have changed where I am focused. Some authors never need to change theirs. I also like to occasionally do “Coming Soon” images…for example….
It’s simple and really only gives the link and the cover. This gives people the urge to go check it out. Then once you have them…spread those images everywhere.
Hello there. Today is a green tea sort of day for me. This year has been a strange one, time passes either on fast forward or in slow motion. I am looking forward to the release of both preorder books (Through the Sunshine, and Poetic Reminders.)
There is a deadline coming up for two of Fae Corps calls for submissions in June. Nightmare Whispers and Fae Dreams. There is going to be a call for submissions put out in August for a new anthology as well.
I have been updating keywords on my books… And it was brought to my attention that a few of my covers needed work. It feels like I do this yearly… But I have been updating covers again as well.
The original The updated coverOriginal coverUpdated cover
The person who made the suggestion is a poet of considerable talents. I had approached her for marketing advice, and what she said was basically that some of my covers lacked the personality of my poems… I immediately understood. There was some of the covers I liked better than others. I started with the covers that I liked least.
Please don’t get me wrong… That does not mean the covers are bad… Or even in need of replacement. It just means that I could see her point. I was not happy with those covers because they did not suit me. I had something similar happen with a logo I had been using… Someone stopped me and said that it did not suit me. When I asked why she simply replied that it was just not colorful enough… It seems that I have a lot of personality and it shows up in my work.
For me these books are my art. Yes I could pay for the “perfect ” cover… I would likely sell more… But it would not be mine… Does that make any sense? I don’t write for the money. I write because it is part of who I am, who I always have been.
As an artist and book cover designer or as a poet. If you want me to create something for you email me to get a price. (Mine are really reasonable.) Patti.Mouse@gmail.com
Today I am going to touch on something that I have trouble with… Marketing. This is a little bit of common sense, a little bit of psychology, and a whole lot of courage.
My mom once told me that anyone can be a top notch salesman, all that is needed is a true belief in what you are selling. That is where I falter in my marketing. I am not as confident in my art as I should be.
So I will tell you some simple things to assist with the marketing of your writing or art.
First thing… Think about how you feel when you see ads. What do you like when you are reading book ads? Do you tend to pay attention more to just the text posts with blurbs and links, or the ones that have pictures? Most people prefer pictures. Keep in mind that the pictures only snag the attention. The blurb and title have to be good enough to keep the attention. The blurb is your call to action.
You want it to capture both the attention of your reader and the essence of your story. You don’t want to give too much, but it has to give at least some idea of what the story is about.
Next thing if all that you do is market your books people will stop following you. Nobody likes seeing only ads. Mix it up. Give teasers, jokes, or just something fun. Yes you have to share links to get people to buy, but it cannot be all of what you share. You are more than just what you are trying to sell. Use your spark to engage conversation, then after you have their attention… Say btw I have this that you may be interested in.
Lastly, you are not just your sales. So if you do not make good sales to start with, it is not a sign that you will not ever. You will have good and bad weeks. You will get bad reviews. Those people are not your readers. Your readers will love the words you write. Love yourself enough that you can deal with the backlash from the ones that are not your readers.
Pattimouse 