Last week (September 23-27), I ran a five-day free promo on Amazon for my contemporary romance, Inner Moonlight. Of my four books that are currently available for purchase, this particular novel is my favorite. You can imagine my frustration with my fairly abysmal sales. So I decided to pull it off of Smashwords, put it in Kindle Select, and run a free promo.
In the beginning of the month, I sent email notifications to a number of websites, asking them to advertise my book. These include:
http://bookgoodies.com
http://www.freebooksy.com
http://fkbooksandtips.com
http://awesomegang.com
http://ereadernewstoday.com
http://bargainebookhunter.com
http://www.ereaderperks.com
http://wantonreads.com
http://pretty-hot.com
http://authormarketingclub.com
On the day of the promo, I released notifications on multiple group message boards on Goodreads and also sent a couple of tweets and Facebook updates. In general, I did the exact same promotional emails that I had done for all of my previous promos. For these previous promos, I'm averaging around 1500 free downloads for a two- or three-day promo.
After five days, I had 19,960 free downloads! Ten-thousand of those took place on Monday alone. I cannot be sure why my numbers surged. I'd like to think that I'm establishing a bit of a fan base, but more than likely, someone ran my promo and inflated my sales. And to that organization, I offer my sincere gratitude.
I wish that I had had the good sense to check these websites to see who ran an ad, but to be honest, I was so busy checking my KDP reports with childlike glee that I forgot that marketing analysis component. Oops. Regardless of how or why it happened, it has been a particularly exciting event. I actually made it all the way to #9 in all of the Kindle Free selections. And I hung out at #3 for free contemporary romances for a little while. It was a tad bit unbelievable.
In other fun news, I'm making progress on the third and final book of The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy. In addition to writing, I'm also in the final stages of the cover design with my graphic designer, Laura Gordon. I've said it before, but she is such a joy to work with.
Within another week, I plan to release an excerpt and the cover for Triple Threat. It is the romance of Teddie Archer, a young woman with more power than the other women in her family, and more challenges given the savage world in which she lives. And while the storyline initially seemed on the verge of declaring war on me, it has turned out to be a surprising pleasure.
More on Triple Threat very soon!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Inner Moonlight is free on Amazon THIS WEEK!
Clearly, some part of me wishes it were still August. On a not entirely unrelated note, when you are promoting a free promotion, it is usually helpful to identify the correct dates.
So INNER MOONLIGHT is free on Amazon from September 23-27.
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Inner Moonlight is FREE on Amazon - August 23-27
After playing the role of the perfect wife for sixteen years, Elena Mazur is devastated by the death of her husband. She struggles with the relief she finds in her new freedom and the guilt she feels over his accident. She finds comfort in the arms of J.P., her husband's cousin and a man who has craved her since they were teenagers. And if she can stop blaming herself for her husband’s death, she might just fall in love with the man she’s always wanted.
Get Inner Moonlight, a contemporary romance, for free on Amazon today!
http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Moonlight-ebook/dp/B00CKIFEHO
Monday, September 16, 2013
The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy...an Update
I released Second Sight only a month ago yesterday, and I have witnessed some outstanding sales. I am not sure why my sales began to balloon, but I have heard rumors that Amazon sent an email suggestion for Second Sight. This email, I hear, was received by people who have purchased at least one of my books. I cannot be sure that this is what happened, but I can assure you that short of the free promo for the first book in the series, I really did almost no social networking about the release.
The amazing news is that sales are up.
The other really good news is that my sales are really pushing me to move faster on the third book in the trilogy. It is a busy time of year for me, and I find myself back to balancing life's responsibilities, but I have definitely been moving forward a bit on TRIPLE THREAT.
And I am still aiming for an October 31 release date.
It is the most challenging book I've ever written, but I am definitely enjoying it. When I get a bit further and have the ability to get some editing done, I will release an exerpt.
In the meantime, thank you so much for your support!
Carrigan
The amazing news is that sales are up.
The other really good news is that my sales are really pushing me to move faster on the third book in the trilogy. It is a busy time of year for me, and I find myself back to balancing life's responsibilities, but I have definitely been moving forward a bit on TRIPLE THREAT.
And I am still aiming for an October 31 release date.
It is the most challenging book I've ever written, but I am definitely enjoying it. When I get a bit further and have the ability to get some editing done, I will release an exerpt.
In the meantime, thank you so much for your support!
Carrigan
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Indie Book Sales for August
I am up early this morning to celebrate the completion of my August sales. (And considering how much I dislike mornings--as a general rule--that really is something.)
I do want to provide a bit of background. In March, I released my first book through Kindle Direct Publishing. Unsure of an appropriate avenue for advertising, I scoured the internet and examined various writers' blogs. I then began my own blog in hopes of assisting other future indie writers. I created my own website, Facebook account, and Twitter account. I posted excerpts and promos.
By the beginning of May, I had released my second book and had discovered Laura Gordon (my cover designer) and Goodreads. I found almost immediately that Goodreads is a vastly superior social networking site for the marketing of indie authors. You also have the ability to network with other authors. Every day, I check my book sales, my email, and my Goodreads account. I only use Facebook to announce new releases and Twitter to promote free book promotions through Kindle Select. On Goodreads, I belong to groups where I can announce new releases and free promos to thousands of people. And since the Goodreads members are all readers and writers, your audience is much better suited than the wide world of Twitter and Facebook.
For a couple of months, I published my second book on both Amazon and Smashwords. Although I did get some sales on Smashwords, they only started coming in after I ran a 4-day free promo. And even once the sales came in, they were still only a fraction of the sales I was experiencing on Kindle with my books that were enrolled in the Kindle Select program. After four months, I pulled this book off of Smashwords and enrolled in Kindle Select.
It was around this same time that I began crunching numbers and came to the conclusion that the $0.99 book simply does not pay. It's great for new indie authors. Between the low price and the free promos, I was able to release nearly 5,000 copies of my first book. But most of the downloads were free and I was making almost nothing. After much consideration, I decided to price all of my books at $2.99. This allowed me to collect a greater percentage of profits, as well (70% on Amazon compared to the 35%.)
In June, I released my first book in my first trilogy. Given that it was my third book, I do believe that I had a bit of a readers' base built in. It also, however, was my first paranormal romantic suspense. These days, it seems the popularity of the paranormal and fantasy genres almost guarantee an increase in sales. In July, I saw my best month in royalties, doubling my record month.
In the middle of August, I released my second book in my trilogy. This was huge! For the first time, I could see directly that the free promos were paying off. I actually outsold my first book in the trilogy, which seemed to suggest that some of the people who had picked up a free download then paid for the second book. I tripled the volume of my best month and saw my royalties multiplied five times the amount I made in July (my record month)!
So after six months, I've drawn the following conclusions:
1. Keep all books enrolled exclusively in Kindle Select.
2. Price books at $2.99. (I may increase these to $3.99 after the first year. It depends largely on the cost of ebooks overall, which do seem to be on the rise.)
3. Use Goodreads for primary marketing and networking purposes. (For free promos, there are a number of other websites that advertise. You should contact them two weeks before your promo. And for a list of sites, you can check out the Author Marketing Club.)
4. Trilogies pay off. (Just make sure that you are actually writing three complete books rather than splitting a single book into three parts that requires your readers purchase all three to get the complete story. This seems to be an emerging trend among indie writers, and I can't help but think that if a traditional publisher pulled this stunt, they would face severe criticism.)
5. And lastly, be patient but continue writing, editing, and releasing. Clearly, the more books you have under your name, the more you build your reader base and your sales.
Happy writing!
Carrigan
I do want to provide a bit of background. In March, I released my first book through Kindle Direct Publishing. Unsure of an appropriate avenue for advertising, I scoured the internet and examined various writers' blogs. I then began my own blog in hopes of assisting other future indie writers. I created my own website, Facebook account, and Twitter account. I posted excerpts and promos.
By the beginning of May, I had released my second book and had discovered Laura Gordon (my cover designer) and Goodreads. I found almost immediately that Goodreads is a vastly superior social networking site for the marketing of indie authors. You also have the ability to network with other authors. Every day, I check my book sales, my email, and my Goodreads account. I only use Facebook to announce new releases and Twitter to promote free book promotions through Kindle Select. On Goodreads, I belong to groups where I can announce new releases and free promos to thousands of people. And since the Goodreads members are all readers and writers, your audience is much better suited than the wide world of Twitter and Facebook.
For a couple of months, I published my second book on both Amazon and Smashwords. Although I did get some sales on Smashwords, they only started coming in after I ran a 4-day free promo. And even once the sales came in, they were still only a fraction of the sales I was experiencing on Kindle with my books that were enrolled in the Kindle Select program. After four months, I pulled this book off of Smashwords and enrolled in Kindle Select.
It was around this same time that I began crunching numbers and came to the conclusion that the $0.99 book simply does not pay. It's great for new indie authors. Between the low price and the free promos, I was able to release nearly 5,000 copies of my first book. But most of the downloads were free and I was making almost nothing. After much consideration, I decided to price all of my books at $2.99. This allowed me to collect a greater percentage of profits, as well (70% on Amazon compared to the 35%.)
In June, I released my first book in my first trilogy. Given that it was my third book, I do believe that I had a bit of a readers' base built in. It also, however, was my first paranormal romantic suspense. These days, it seems the popularity of the paranormal and fantasy genres almost guarantee an increase in sales. In July, I saw my best month in royalties, doubling my record month.
In the middle of August, I released my second book in my trilogy. This was huge! For the first time, I could see directly that the free promos were paying off. I actually outsold my first book in the trilogy, which seemed to suggest that some of the people who had picked up a free download then paid for the second book. I tripled the volume of my best month and saw my royalties multiplied five times the amount I made in July (my record month)!
So after six months, I've drawn the following conclusions:
1. Keep all books enrolled exclusively in Kindle Select.
2. Price books at $2.99. (I may increase these to $3.99 after the first year. It depends largely on the cost of ebooks overall, which do seem to be on the rise.)
3. Use Goodreads for primary marketing and networking purposes. (For free promos, there are a number of other websites that advertise. You should contact them two weeks before your promo. And for a list of sites, you can check out the Author Marketing Club.)
4. Trilogies pay off. (Just make sure that you are actually writing three complete books rather than splitting a single book into three parts that requires your readers purchase all three to get the complete story. This seems to be an emerging trend among indie writers, and I can't help but think that if a traditional publisher pulled this stunt, they would face severe criticism.)
5. And lastly, be patient but continue writing, editing, and releasing. Clearly, the more books you have under your name, the more you build your reader base and your sales.
Happy writing!
Carrigan
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The Third Book in THE MACALL PROPHECY TRILOGY
With the release of SECOND SIGHT last week, I've been thrilled with the initial success and also feel that much more pressure to wrap up TRIPLE THREAT and to make it amazing. This particular novel is definitely creating more hurdles for me. It's kicking my ass! I love having the character base established from the first two novels, but this third and final book in the series takes place twenty years later, in a society fraught with violence and corruption. The challenge is that I am pretty passionate about both of these issues and need to really focus on establishing the relationships, romantic and otherwise, instead of my own political opinions.
I have also really taken the care to develop a vision of the setting and the backstory. In some respects, there is a Dystopian element to the book, which is a genre that I have never written before. So it is definitely taking some time.
Two days ago, I set an official goal for a release date on October 31, 2013. I am now publishing this date in my blog to make sure that I'm holding myself accountable. If the book is not officially available on Amazon by November 1, please feel free to send hate mail. I welcome all forms of extrinsic motivation.
And following the release of this last book in the series, I will begin work on another historical romance. I can promise you that this particular novel will take me considerably more time to write. If I can complete it for publication by the Spring of 2014, I will be happy. The historicals require more research, which I actually enjoy; and after knocking out an entire trilogy in six months, I need to slow things down a bit and let my creative juices regenerate. I also have been brainstorming this particular historical romance since last January, and I am looking forward to reveling in it for a bit.
But first, I wrap The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy.
I have also really taken the care to develop a vision of the setting and the backstory. In some respects, there is a Dystopian element to the book, which is a genre that I have never written before. So it is definitely taking some time.
Two days ago, I set an official goal for a release date on October 31, 2013. I am now publishing this date in my blog to make sure that I'm holding myself accountable. If the book is not officially available on Amazon by November 1, please feel free to send hate mail. I welcome all forms of extrinsic motivation.
And following the release of this last book in the series, I will begin work on another historical romance. I can promise you that this particular novel will take me considerably more time to write. If I can complete it for publication by the Spring of 2014, I will be happy. The historicals require more research, which I actually enjoy; and after knocking out an entire trilogy in six months, I need to slow things down a bit and let my creative juices regenerate. I also have been brainstorming this particular historical romance since last January, and I am looking forward to reveling in it for a bit.
But first, I wrap The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
FREE Paranormal Romantic Suspense!
FIRSTBORN is Free today and tomorrow on Amazon!
Jac
MaCall left her father's security consulting firm to run her own shop, selling
crystals for healing and meditation.
When she's asked to fill in for her sister on a consultation, she meets
the irresistibly uptight Dr. Will Archer and receives a vision that warns of a
threat upon his life. And while her
premonitions help her keep him alive, even she cannot foresee that their
passion for each other will endanger them both.
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