Monday, July 30, 2012

Promo Monday- Author Induced Loss of Sales

I hear this all the time from authors (especially when monthly royalty statements are sent out from their publishers)- "what can I do to make my sales increase?"... "My royalties weren't what I thought they would be, what can I do?"... and my favorite, "why do I even bother writing?".

Well, to the first two questions, my immediate response is this...

What have you done do far?
I can't tell you what you, the author, needs to do without knowing your past promoting and marketing plan, nor can I tell you how to increase your sales if you're not willing to listen and take a chance with the advice I will offer. You, the author, has to be committed to your career, be determined and patient as well as willing to understand sales do NOT happen overnight.

Sales of books like 50 Shades of Gray or Twilight are unusual, freakish and happen every blue moon to unsuspecting authors with a dream. This in itself should keep every author with a career dream rolling and persistent to succeed. Do you think E.L. James or Stephenie Meyer told potential readers and fans NOT to buy their books? Do you think either author discouraged a fellow author or fan that their writing genre wasn't for them? Well, this does happen- sad but true. So let's see how authors can subconsciously ruin a sale.

Offer a free read-
This was a topic of conversation recently between me and two other authors. What better way to let potential new fans get a taste of your writing style and characters. Even if it is only a 2-3k short read or prequel to another book, let readers peruse your writing. Giving an impending reader a glimpse of work can lead to sales of your published works.

You can offer the free read on your blog or website, or better yet for complete exposure- hit up Kindle Select (KDP). Offer your short read for five days every 90 days with a KDP contract. I did this for one of my self published books, and the first weekend I had the book up for 'free', I had over 2,000 downloads. The book (prequel to one of my already published books)  made it to Amazon's number 61 of the free read in that specific romance category and, in return, meant sales for my published book for the next few months. The published book had already been for sale for over one year and the sales were MORE than they had been when it was first released. So, for a 8k free read, I accumulated more sales and revenue for my other book. I also am hoping those who bought that book purchased more of my published works. I am thinking of this in a positive light because my other books' sales increased for a few weeks.

Think you know your readers-
Never, ever (I can NOT stress this enough) think you know readers' preference in genres to read. If you're writing style is as prolific as mine- which ranges from sweet romance all the way up to erotic romance with a little suspense thrown in for good measure, readers may enjoy the diversity of your writing abilities.

So, before you open your mouth and risk losing one sales (with probable sales on your other published books), hold your tongue and let the reader decide.

Loss of interaction- 
Readers and fans want to know you are human. They want to relate to you. So if you post promotional blurbs and buy links in forums, make sure to check in at those locations for replies. All it takes is a few seconds to log-in and check up on. By neglecting this simple task, a future fan may have asked for more information or a link, but when you don't respond, they will move on. Most readers want instant gratification and will proceed to the next prospective author if you delay or never answer.

Hop along the way-
One of the best ways to get new fans is to participate in a blog hop. It doesn't have to be a HUGE hop or tour either. One as simple as 20 authors is enough to get a few dozen new fans traipsing through your blog and website, reading your works. Of those few dozen participants, if you get ten sales, or even two more sales, how much effort did you really put into the hop/tour?
Think about it. You set up the blog (3 minutes), you post on social networks (as well as having the other authors do the same - 4 minutes) and you interact with the posters with a quick comment (1 minute each). So you have invested a minimum of eight minutes and perhaps that resulted in two new sales for one book. To continue on, those two sales expand into more sales because those two readers liked your work and went in search of other books by you. The authors sales domino effect has worked!

These are all simple tasks you can offer to readers without much 'grunt' work and time. So, before you get down about sales, remember these tips.

16 comments:

  1. Some fantastic information there! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great article! Thanks for the wonderful tips!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well done, Dawne! Great post, I hope writers are listening.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for you comments... I strive to assist authors, new or veteran, when it comes to marketing and promoting, and sometimes the easiest ideas are forgotten.

    Dawne

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great Post. "Think you know your reader" was the best. You never know who might be in the mood for your story. A reader on Goodreads said she was skeptical because my story was so different, underwater romance, but can't wait for book II now and gave me a wonderful 5 star review. You just never know. don't shut any doors.
    Cora Blu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly Cora... one never knows and since authors do NOT know what a potential reader is in the reading mood for today or this week, let the reader decide. I have a large reading spectrum and will read genres ranging from sweet romance to thriller and suspense, just depends on my mood and life at the moment. TY

      Delete
  6. Thanks, Dawne. I'd add that the smaller blog hops are sometimes better--I've been on some huge ones & I think readers feel overwhelmed (even guilty when they don't hit all the sites--I know I do).Depends on the theme or holiday too--I got very little response to a July 4 hop & loads to a Leap Year Day one. M. S. Spencer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree MS... sometime the larger blog hops can be tiresome for the participants but on the other hand, it can bring in some new readers and fans that wouldn't normally stop by.

      Delete
  7. Scary, you're reading my mind. I'm at that point(two books out) of "where do I go now?" I can see where I need to have more faith in myself and in my readers, existing and in the future. How very generous of you to share this knowledge!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very informative post Dawne. I have a self-pubbed historical romance that's in the KDP program and in the five days I had it free the 3K book shot up to #11, I think, in it's genre. I've got to more that I'm editing which are contemporary suspense and they'll also go in the KDP program.
    I'm also starting to look at being involved in more hops, like you said they're a great way to get out there.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for sharing this information, Dawne. As a new novelist, I need all the expert guidance I can get. Can you give an example of the wrong thing to say with regard to thinking you know your readers? I'm having a hard time seeing why an author would advise someone not to read her book.
    Flossie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As a new writer new to the business it's always nice to hear from people who have 'already been there done that'

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good advice about participating in blog hops. I've never offered a free read on my blog, but I'll probably do it in the near future.

    Nice of you to share your experiences...

    Monti
    Mary Montague Sikes

    ReplyDelete
  12. To all the new authors... we, veteran authors, HAVE been there and done that. I always love sharing information and wish someone had done this when I was first starting out in the industry but learning these basic ideas on my own has helped develop not only my writing skills but my promotional and marketing tactics.


    Dawne

    ReplyDelete
  13. The net is constantly changing, so thanks for some up-to-date promo ideas. Gone are the days of the email loop parties it seems. (I do miss interacting with readers that way.) Nowadays it's all about social media sites it seems. The blog hops are a lot of fun, so I need to join a few more! ;)

    ReplyDelete