Thoughts At One In The Morning is proud to present a blog post series for unpublished writers on the self-publishing world. I have asked four indie authors to share with you the different steps they have taken on their journey. They will discuss the writing process itself, the steps in between, and publishing itself. Please join us every week for a new topic on the journey to becoming an indie author!
Our Indie Author panel:
Marie Landry, author of Blue Sky Days
You can find her on her blog Ramblings Of A Daydreamer.
A.M. Hargrove, author of The Guardians Of The Vesteron series
You can find her on her blog A.M. Hargrove.
Avery Sawyer, author of Notes To Self
You can find her on her website The Teashop Girls.
Michelle Flick, author of The Owens Legacy: Revelations
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This week on The Journey of Self-Publishing:
After promoting, selling, giving away, getting great reviews, etc… the buzz can slow down and wear out after a few months.How do you keep interest going for your novel?
Avery Sawyer: The best way to keep interest in your novel is to write a new novel. I plan to get started on one soon.
Avery Sawyer: I think you can only really do one or two.
Avery Sawyer: Yes, that’s always an option. If I come across a blogger I haven’t contacted before, I’ll likely shoot him or her and email.
Avery Sawyer: Yes, these sites are particularly helpful for announcing freebie days.
Avery Sawyer: Lately I’ve been reaching out more to local media in Wisconsin. I hope that helps!
Marie Landry: I actually have a photo contest coming up later this summer, where I’m going to ask people to send me pictures of their favorite blue sky days, and then I’ll either pick the winners or open it up to the blogging/Facebook community to vote. I’m going to simultaneously run a photo contest for people to take a picture of themselves with the book on their ereaders/computers/whatever, and try to come up with something clever, funny, or unique to stage the picture. I’m still working out the prizes, but I have something pretty cool in mind - executing it will be interesting, though! I’m hoping that’ll draw more attention to the book in a fun, interactive way.
Thank you for the great advice on the first few months!
Next week is a special week, a bittersweet one. It is going to be the last feature in The Journey of Self-Publishing series. The last topic is called "Last Words" and our Indie Author panel will be giving you advice as a writer and aspiring author based on what they've learned from their experience. It's something nobody will want to miss. So, tune in next Monday and get the final bits of advice!
~The First Few Months~
After promoting, selling, giving away, getting great reviews, etc… the buzz can slow down and wear out after a few months.How do you keep interest going for your novel?
Avery Sawyer: The best way to keep interest in your novel is to write a new novel. I plan to get started on one soon.
Michelle Flick: All those things you just listed - you have to keep doing them. CONSTANTLY. It's an uphill climb. You have to find new people. You have to find new networks. You have to self-promote until ... well, you just have to continue.
A.M. Hargrove: HAHA--All of the above. Even though it may seem old to you, how many people haven't been reached by your tactics? Look at The Hunger Games! That is a HUGE bestseller and there are people just hearing about it for the first time--and how long has it been out? You can never stop promoting -- you can never stop trying to get more reviews, or bloggers or groups on Goodreads talking about it. If you want to sell books, you have to keep Tweeting, keep blogging, keep posting on Facebook, etc. Just don't be obnoxious or 'in your face' with it as that's such a huge turnoff.
Marie Landry: Right now I’m trying to promote in less obvious ways. There’s a ton of spam out there - people screaming ‘buy my book, buy my book’ and then saturating the internet with links. I don’t want to do that. What I’m trying to do is be seen, I guess. Blog, tweet, be present on Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media sites, and let people know I’m an author without shoving it down their throats and annoying them. I’m also very lucky to have friends who are indie authors and bloggers, and when they’re running indie promotions (like this one), they ask me to be involved. I also participate in giveaway hops whenever I can, and offer a copy of Blue Sky Days.
Do you do more book tours?
Avery Sawyer: I think you can only really do one or two.
Contact more bloggers?
Avery Sawyer: Yes, that’s always an option. If I come across a blogger I haven’t contacted before, I’ll likely shoot him or her and email.
Utilize the help of an online website dedicated to helping indie authors?
Avery Sawyer: Yes, these sites are particularly helpful for announcing freebie days.
Did you come up with some crazy or fun ways of promoting?
Avery Sawyer: Lately I’ve been reaching out more to local media in Wisconsin. I hope that helps!
Marie Landry: I actually have a photo contest coming up later this summer, where I’m going to ask people to send me pictures of their favorite blue sky days, and then I’ll either pick the winners or open it up to the blogging/Facebook community to vote. I’m going to simultaneously run a photo contest for people to take a picture of themselves with the book on their ereaders/computers/whatever, and try to come up with something clever, funny, or unique to stage the picture. I’m still working out the prizes, but I have something pretty cool in mind - executing it will be interesting, though! I’m hoping that’ll draw more attention to the book in a fun, interactive way.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Avery Sawyer: No, I’m pretty satisfied with my efforts.
~*~
Thank you for the great advice on the first few months!
Next week is a special week, a bittersweet one. It is going to be the last feature in The Journey of Self-Publishing series. The last topic is called "Last Words" and our Indie Author panel will be giving you advice as a writer and aspiring author based on what they've learned from their experience. It's something nobody will want to miss. So, tune in next Monday and get the final bits of advice!
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