Reaching New Readers Part 1-Strategies and Practices

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You’ve published your book (maybe two or three). You’ve used best practices. You’ve done everything you can to get off to a good start. Now your sales have stalled. How do you go about reaching beyond your existing audience and reaching new readers? 

Visibility is the key.

• A reader can’t buy your books if (s)he doesn’t know it exists.
• Even with Amazon, which is better than its competitors in terms of providing visibility, you won’t get much attention if your books aren’t selling.

How to get visible?

• Write multiple books in the same genre (readers don’t tend to cross over), preferably in the same series. The more titles you have, the greater the chance someone will discover your work.
• Make sure each book links to the next in your series.
• Offer your first book at a discount or free.
• Price pulsing- strategic, short-term price changes as a way of gaining visibility on bestseller lists or moving up on also-bought lists.
• Be sure to spread the word when you do this.
• Write a prequel and give that away for free (a short story could work in this case.)
• Put a “call to action” right after “The End.” (Try my next book, join my mailing list.)
• Write Kindle World stories for other authors in your genre.
• Don’t need permission
• Gets your name in front of readers in your genre
• You can make a little money.

Social media

• Facebook
• Images perform better than just text.
• Posts with hyperlinks are suppressed.
• The more engagements (likes and comments) the more likely it will appear in others' feeds.
• Twitter
• Use an image.
• Search out appropriate hashtags. 
• Separate links for different stores, use their handle and hashtag.

Cross-promotion with other authors in your genre.

• Announce one another’s new releases or special sales/giveaways.
• Newsletter "swaps."
• Boxed sets of your own books
• Good for short-term promos.
• Always have something at full price- don’t put everything in the set.
• Boxed sets with other authors (not short story collections.)
• Mutual promotional efforts
• If you curate it, have a plan in place before you approach other authors.
• Bundle Rabbit

Giveaways

• Insta-Freebie- give away free ebooks, bring in new subscribers to newsletter, gain new readers. Free or paid options.
• Goodreads giveaway- don’t give away more than a copy or two. Limited effectiveness.
• Amazon giveaways- jury is out.
• Wattpad- probably not much potential here, but some authors have had modest success, especially in YA/NA.

Next time- Paid Advertising

Indie Publishing Success- Best Practices

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This post is going to be very beginner-oriented, but hopefully vets will find something of value.

If you spend time on indie publishing forums or in author/publisher groups, you'll likely hear the term "best practices." While there's no hard-and-fast definition, "best practices" are the things indie authors can do that are generally a good idea, and have often proved effective for commercially successful authors. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but it's my belief that emulating the best practices of successful authors improves your odds of success greatly. Here are a few:

Produce a Quality Product 

Pay Attention to Craft 
 We covered this topic in detail here
*Attending to craft includes, but is not limited to things like:
*Writing Workshops
*Critique partners
*Reading widely

Identify and Study Your Genre/Subgenre 
*Make sure your work fits the tropes
*Study the bestseller lists and learn from the successful indies.
*Figure out what's selling and what isn't. Mass market readers don't necessarily want "unique," "new and different," or subversion of tropes. Most of the time, they want "more of the same."

Have a Good Book Cover
This should go without saying, but it doesn't. Take a look at Lousy Book Covers.
*Emulate the bestselling indies in your subgenre.
*Remember, the book cover is a sales tool, not an artistic reflection of the contents of your book. The cover needs to entice the reader and capture the general spirit of your book and subgenre. Don't pass up an amazing book cover because the cover model's hair is too short, etc...
*Don't clutter your book with a bunch of images from your book.
*If you can't afford a custom book cover, look for premade book covers. Lots of professional designers are making high-quality covers for a very reasonable price, and the price is only going to get lower as more and more artists offer premades. (I won't list sites here. A simple Google search will turn up plenty of results.)

Product Description
Some people call this the "blurb," "synopsis," or "back cover copy." In short, this is the description/summary of your book that will appear on your book's Amazon (or Nook, iBooks, Kobo...). There are many things that could be said about this, but in general:
*It's an ad, not a summary.
*Open with a hook. A couple of examples:
-A lost world has been found again... and no one is getting out alive. (The Valley by William Meikle.)
-Sometimes, the legends are true.(Primordial by yours truly and Alan Baxter.)
*Keep the description snappy and not overlong.
*Focus on what the story is about and what the character will face.
*This is not the place to load up on back-story. Don't tell us the history of your fantasy world, your character's life-story, etc...

*Learn from bestselling indie books in your subgenre.

Proofreading and Editing
*There are many editors professional content editors and proofreaders doing freelance work nowadays. Many are working both freelance for indies and traditional publishers. If you can afford it, it's possible to get trad-pub quality editing for your work.
*If you can't afford the best editors and proofreaders (yet), take steps to make your manuscript as clean as possible:
*Before making your final pass over the manuscript, change the font and font size. Some authors find this helps put them in different headspace and helps them catch errors.
*Read the book aloud to yourself.
*Read the book page-by-page beginning with the back page. This prevents you from focusing on the plot.
*Use a text-to-speech program to read the manuscript back to you.
*Use a program like Grammarly to help check for errors. (Note- a program like Grammarly will identify possible errors, but you will still have to be the judge of whether or not what you've written is incorrect. It will be of little help if you don't understand the rules of grammar and punctuation.)
*Get as many eyes on your manuscript as you can. Perhaps you can find people among your street team who are skilled editors.
*Network with other indies to find affordable editors and proofreaders. Check the Kboards Yellow Pages.

None of the above is intended to suggest you shouldn't hire an editor or proofer. I simply recognize that, for some people, it might be years before they can afford those services. I believe that if your book is well-written and you make it as clean as possible, readers will forgive a few mistakes. My first books had many mistakes and I've had them re-edited and proofed. It's not ideal, and I might have lost a few readers along the way, but that's my journey and it's turned out all right. I do encourage you to engage the services of good editors and proofers as soon as you can afford them.

Models/Mentors 
*Learn from the indie authors who are enjoying success in your subgenre. Look at how they go about their business. See if they've written blog posts or articles, or have given interviews in which they talk about their best practices. Understand and emulate those practices. (Please, do not contact authors and ask them to be your mentor. The successful authors are almost certainly too busy to take on a mentee and they'll feel guilty about saying "no.")
*Listen to podcasts like The Creative Penn, Self-Publishing Formula,  and Sci-Fi Fantasy Marketing Podcast for info and advice on the business and shows like Writing Excuses or The Roundtable Podcast for advice on the craft.

Be Careful About the Advice You Take
*Give greater consideration to those who are where you want to be in terms of commercial success. especially those who are succeeding in your genre.
*Does the person giving advice share your goals? If your goal is commercial success, the person whose focus is elsewhere might not be the best person to offer guidance.
*When it comes to business decisions, take the advice of indies who have "made it on their own" rather than "name" authors whose brand identity can overcome their publisher's bad marketing decisions. Also, if an author whose small-to-midsize publisher has cultivated a solid niche audience, beware when that author tells you "I don't worry about branding or marketing." In short, look for apples-to-apples publishing circumstances.
*Before handing money over to advice-givers, check to see if they're actually making a living selling fiction, or if they're actually making their living selling advice to authors in the form of workshops, books, etc... (It's a red flag if they say- "I make all my fiction money through my super-secret pen names.)
*Don't believe every indie conspiracy theory you read, especially about Amazon/algorithms.
*It's not all about luck. This could open a can of worms, so I'll cut to the chase: the harder I work, and the smarter I work, the luckier I get. Focus on what's within your control. Using best practices and learning from successful indies is no guarantee of success, but it gives you your best chance.

Publishing/Writing Considerations
*Be productive! Producing regular content is essential
*The longer you go between new releases, the sharper the sales decline.
*Writing novellas is a great way to keep a series going and produce regular content. My novellas sell almost as well as my full-length books, and the occasional "this is too short" review doesn't hurt sales.
*Short stories have their uses, but aren't particularly effective as tools for generating new sales/keeping momentum in the sales rankings.

*Writing a series tends to be much more effective than writing a variety of disconnected works.
*Putting out a new book in a series tends to lift the sales rankings of previous books in the series.
*Don't believe the old publishing "truism" that an author's books compete with one another. The opposite is actually true. Some indies have even found they can put out a book a month without detrimental effects on their catalog.

Consider Your Own Consumer Behavior
*Before spending money (or time) on a given strategy, ask yourself: has this particular strategy ever led me to buy a book? If so, how often?

*Here are some things that have never persuaded me to buy a book:
-Bookmarks
-SWAG (stuff we all get) bags
-Book Trailers
-Author TV/Radio appearances
-A Facebook ad proclaiming a given author as "better than..." This is an automatic "no" for me.

*Here are some things that have often persuaded me to buy a book:
-Recommendation from a friend who shares my reading interests.
-A sharp-looking book cover
-Finding the book in the also-boughts of my favorite authors.
-Finding the book in the besteller lists of my favorite genres.

Whew! This was a lengthy post. If you've made it to the end, thanks for reading and I hope you've found something useful. 

Indie Publishing Success- Street Teams

Listen to the companion podcast episode

Today, let's talk about "Street Teams" or "ARC Groups."

An ARC Group is a group of dedicated readers who receive advance review copies (ARCs) of your books in exchange for an honest review when your book is released.

I like the term "street team" because an effective group does more than just review your book; they "take to the streets" upon release and spread the word about your book, and talk you and your work up in general. They're your grassroots marketers. They help provide the essential "word of mouth" buzz that helps you reach new readers. 

What are the advantages of a street team?

 -Your book has reviews right out of the gate. Because your team will be comprised of people who enjoy your work, the reviews will likely tend toward the positive. Don't buy into all the "algorithm voodoo" you hear claiming that "after your book gets ____ reviews, Amazon's recommendations kick in." While confirmed purchase reviews play a part in recommendations, the greatest factor by far (and I mean far) is sales. What reviews give you is social proof. A book with a decent number of reviews and a good average rating is going to have a lot more appeal to a potential buyer than a book with no reviews.

-Word of mouth advertising. As mentioned above, having your Street Team members spread the word about your book to other readers is invaluable. And if you treat them well, they'll likely spread the word about you in general, not just when you have a new release. Some will blog about your books, others will post on social media, still others will talk you up on book clubs.

-An added layer of editorial feedback. Some of my team members love catching typos. Some have specialized knowledge and will catch factual errors. Others will give you general feedback about the story. Your team shouldn't take the place of editors and proofreaders, but their help is invaluable none the less.

-Cultivating relationships with readers. We've discussed the importance of this before. Ideally, your  team becomes your "insiders." I've gotten to know some of my best readers much better through my street team and have met some truly delightful people in the process!

When am I ready to form a street team?

Ultimately, you'll have to trust your instincts. It's not something I'd recommend doing right off the bat, but you can take it in steps from the outset. Begin by asking your beta readers to leave reviews. As your Facebook author page grows, you can give away a limited number of review copies upon release, and eventually work up to a full-blown street team.

How do I set up my street team?

Start by creating a signup form on your website.
-Clearly state your expectations. Make it clear the subscriber must read and review all the books you send.
-Ask for a link to where the person currently leaves reviews. (Amazon or Goodreads profile, Audible listener profile, blog...)
-Ask why the person believes (s)he would be a good member.
-You might want to make it clear that you are only sharing advance ebooks, and that the reader must know how to side-load or open the ebook file on their device.

Decide how you will send out advance reader copies. Some authors keep a list of email addresses, and simply send out a mass email (be sure to put the team members' addresses in the "blind copy" section.) Others use an automated system like you might use for a newsletter.

Create a "special access" point for your team. Your team deserves more than the occasional $3 ebook in thanks for what they do. I have created a secret Facebook group for my street team. They get direct access to me, I can bounce ideas off of them, we can interact, but also the group gives me an opportunity to give them special treatment by sharing things like news, previews, and book cover reveals.

Decide how to recruit your first members. Since I started out by giving away review copies in my Facebook author group, that was the natural spot for me to begin. Once I reached a target number, I deleted the post, stopped actively seeking new members, but left the signup form on my site for a while. Once I reached the next benchmark, I removed the form from my site. I'll re-post it from time to time to add new team members. Some authors like to start small, then let it be known that new members will be added in X months, and acceptance will be based on the applicants' review history.

Other tips, questions, and concerns

Is there a limit to how many readers I should have on my team? That's your call. The number of reviewers you accept will likely be a reflection of how well your books sell. Some highly successful authors have ARC lists of over 1,000 while others cap the number at a much, much lower total. Do what's comfortable for you.

Should I periodically  cull my list of readers who aren't reviewing? Again, your call. Some authors aren't worried about it, others check from time-to-time. One effective tool is simply to send out a group email, BCC'ing those who haven't been reviewing, and asking if they still wish to be on the list. Sometimes life legitimately gets away, so you might wish to take that into consideration.

Should I worry about people scamming me? It's something to at least be aware of. Definitely beware of people who want paperbacks, people who tell you all the reasons they "can't afford" your $3 ebook, people who get on as many ARC lists as possible just to get the free books... I'm not suggesting that many of those who are interested in being on your team are grifters, but it's a reality in the industry. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, but keep it in mind.

Parting thoughts-

-Know your expectations at the start and stick with them.
-Some authors suggest that reviewers not  use language like "I received an ARC for an honest review" in their Amazon/Goodreads reviews, or else Amazon will remove the review. Use something like, 'I voluntarily read an early copy of this title.'
-Don't fret that giving away a few books will cost you money. A well-managed team will more than pay for itself through reviews, promo, and positive reader relationships. Some will still purchase the book when it comes out as a way of supporting you.
-Don't feel bad about cutting a member loose if you feel it's warranted.
-Remember, the above is simply an example of a "starter" team. Some authors take it to the next level, with point systems, rewards, and challenges. Remain open to ideas and possibilities.
-Don't be afraid to ask your team for help, but never miss an opportunity to thank them and tell them how awesome they are!

Indie Publishing Success- Facebook Pages for Indie Authors

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Facebook author pages is a subject that is frequently discussed in author circles. Publishing houses

often push their authors to establish a dedicated author page, yet the author doesn't know how to best utilize it. Meanwhile, many indie authors are questioning the value of these pages due to decreased engagement with their posts. I believe these pages are still of great value for a few reasons:

The Value of Facebook to Authors

Opportunities for genuine interaction with readers.
Comment threads can develop into conversations, which allows the author to build connections with her or his readership in a way that a newsletter, tweet, or blog post does not.

Easy sharing of information.
Word of mouth (yes, virtual/cyber word of mouth counts) is critical in book marketing. When a dedicated reader shares your post about your latest release, that implicit endorsement carries weight with her/his Facebook friends who are also readers, particularly if they read in your genre. If these readers are not familiar with your work, there's a good chance they'd never have heard about your book if your announcement was limited to your website and newsletter.

It's more active than a website.
Active marketing strategies are critical. It's the rare author who can rely exclusively on passive strategies, like putting up a post on her/his website and waiting for the sales to roll in. Yes, a non-sponsored Facebook post is still a passive post, but for people reading it, the opportunity is there to share it, thus putting it in front of new and different readers. That sharing of information makes it active, and it gets you and your work out in front of new people.

Building a support network.
Some of the nicest people I know are people I've met through my author presence on Facebook. Some are readers who love my work, seem to like me, and are always happy to go the extra mile to help me out in a variety of ways. Some became the core of my "street team" (which is a topic for another day). I've also developed friendships and professional relationships with authors, editors, cover designers, and audiobook narrators. I don't know where I'd be without those connections.

Facebook is huge.
Despite its shortcomings, Facebook is still the big dog in social media. (Or, at least 'a' big dog). Not having a presence there is a missed opportunity.

How Should I Utilize My Author Page?

Don't just advertise your works for sale.
You can't, and shouldn't, keep up an active Facebook author presence if all you do is post new release announcements, "buy" links, and news of sales and giveaways. You need more, and it needs to be interesting. Some of the things I include:

-Snippets from my work in progress. (Preferably something funny. If a character makes me laugh while I'm writing him/her, there's a good chance my readers will get a chuckle out of it too.)
- Interesting things I learn during my research.
- Photographs from my research trips.
- Other interesting photos, for example, if I meet up with a fellow author or another industry professional.
- Cover reveals
- Updates on my writing progress.
- Celebrations
- Freebies
 -Content to draw readers to my website

Remember it's "Social" Media
Try to be interactive. Reply to their comments. Be open to questions. Solicit their opinions and suggestions. Always remember to say thank-you. Without readers, we don't have a career.

Newsletter Signup and Other Features
Facebook's author page makes it easy to set up a newsletter signup form on your author page. Use it. Visitors to my page also see things like: "Author App", which provides cover images, synopses, and links to my books for sale; a link to Authorgraph, an app which allows authors to e-sign Kindle books; a link to my website, and info about me. All of it is very easy to set up.

Pay Attention to the "Insights" Tab
"Insights"will give you information on views and interactions with your posts, so you can see what is most interesting to your page visitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Facebook changed the way they handle news feeds, and now my post views are low. Can I do anything about it?

Yes, many of your posts will have low views, but not if they're interesting. For example, I have a little over 700 likes on my Facebook author page. Some only get 20% engagement, but some do very well. I posted a link to a free audio short story, and it has over 1,400 views. I did a cover reveal for a forthcoming book and it has about 1,300 views. So, it is possible to get solid engagement. Things to consider:


-Likes tend to snowball on Facebook. The more people who "like" your post right away, the more likely it is to turn up  in other feeds. Thus, if there's something you really want people to see, you might want to post it at a time that most of your audience is likely to be on Facebook. For me, it's after 5:00 US Eastern time.

-Posts with a picture or video tend to get better engagement than a post without.

-Be interesting. Post things on your author page that are exclusive to that page. 

I've tried that and I'm still getting a low percentage of engagement. Should I keep my author page?
-Yes. Stop thinking about who isn't viewing your posts and focus on who is. Every person who engages with you on your author page is someone you might not have reached otherwise. Consider them your foundation and look for ways to build up rather than excuses to tear down. Also, it's a good look to have a professional Facebook presence independent of your personal page, and, as mentioned above, it's something many prospective agents and publishers look for.

How can I get more "likes" on my Facebook page?
The most engaged segment of your audience will probably be the readers who like your books and then seek out your Facebook page. Be sure to put the Facebook link in a place on your website that's easy to find. Also, most mailing list templates have spots for quick links to social media. You can use your author bio (in your books and ebooks, on your Amazon page, on your website) to invite people to connect with you on Facebook. Finally, you can use a Facebook ad targeted at readers in your genre to bring new readers to your page.

How else can I use Facebook?
We'll elaborate in future podcasts, but Facebook ads, parties, and launch events can be effective ways to market your works and your brand.


As always, feel free to comment or contact me with question, thoughts, added info, or disagreements.

Indie Publishing Success- Engaging with Readers

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Someone recently posed the question, "If you were starting over in your indie publishing career, what do you know/do now that you wish you'd known/done back then?"

For me the answer was easy. I wish I had known the value of authentic engagement with my readership and taken positive steps from the get-go to do that. In fairness, options were limited then compared to now. Facebook, Twitter, and other current popular forms of social media weren't a "thing" yet (If memory serves, Xanga was just catching on. I'm old.) nor were automated newsletter services like MailChimp. Nevertheless, there were plenty of things I could have done or done better.

We'll discuss the "hows" of audience engagement in subsequent posts, but today we'll discuss the "whys".

Your Readership is Your Lifeblood

This one is obvious.

-Writing for writing's sake has its rewards, but if no one is reading your work, your book is the proverbial tree falling in a forest with no one around to hear it.

- If no one is buying your books, you can't make a living with your writing.

-Word of mouth is essential. Readers are often more than happy to spread the word if they enjoy your work and have had positive interactions with you.

Direct Access to Your Readership Lets You Build Advance Interest in Your Forthcoming Works

- Teaser snippets, preview chapters, cover reveals, and release date announcements are great ways to get readers excited about your work.

- In today's market, with so many great books being published, it's easy to be forgotten. Direct connections with readers helps keep you and your work in their minds.

You Can Do Your Own Promotion

 

- We can't always count on Amazon, for example, to send out notices of our new releases. Having reliable ways of reaching your audience allows you to get out the word on book launches, which will help you gain visibility in the stores, as well as keep readers abreast of sales and other things you'd like them to know.

A Dedicated Core Readership is Essential for Indie Success

 

- Reaching a wide audience can be a challenge for an indie, but the nature of indie royalties being what they are, you need only a modest core audience to support yourself and your work.

- Let's do some quick math. Suppose you have an audience of 5,000 readers who will buy your new book within the first six months of publication,  and you publish your books at $3.99. Depending on the vendor, you'll earn about $2.75 per ebook sold. Three books a year, and you'll earn $41,250. Two books a year, $27,500. Not amazing, but more than a lot of midlist traditionally-published authors are earning from much wider audiences. Of course, those books will continue to earn over time, so you can add your backlist income to income from your new releases. Also, assuming readers enjoy your books, your audience will grow.

- Not everyone will be able to produce that quickly, especially those of us who are working another job, are in school, or have other obligations. That's another reason why we should work on engaging with readers while we're progressing toward our goal.

 It Keeps You Motivated

- It wasn't that long ago that the only ways to interact with an author were to meet her/him at a book signing or write a letter and hoped it reached the addressee. Now readers can reach us in a variety of ways. There's nothing like receiving a tangible reminder that someone out there loves your work, especially on the days the words don't want to flow.


That's it for today. Next time we'll move into the nuts and bolts of engagement. Talk to you then!