Book Promotions

Newcomers to this forum often ask us how best to promote their book.  I don’t think they find any one method that will work for them.  I think most of us have tried various methods and for some they may have worked to a degree, but I have not found one way to promote that works for me.
I have followed advice by book promoters and even paid for their services.  They claim to reach thousands of people, however from what I gather; many of the people are other authors who are connected to similar websites.  The last time I paid for such a promotion, I was asked to send a copy of my book to 15 people who would read it and provide a review.  That in itself was a cost that I didn’t calculate.  I don’t have a supply of books on hand and therefore had to purchase the books.  I was given a deadline when the reviewer needed the book and shipping the book(s) was costly.  As for results, I am not aware of any.  As for the reviews I did get on that promotion, they were weak at best.  The message to me was that what I write is either not of interest to readers or that the supposed reviewers scanned the book and made faked comments.  In the final analysis IMV, such book promotions were a waste of time and money. 
I have lost interest in writing for profit in that I have yet to realize a profit from my efforts.  Doing something over and over expecting different results in my view, is stupid.  I may continue to write and sit on what I write unless/until I feel what I have written has a market for it.  Even that opinion may be flawed. 
Unless one is fortunate enough to have an Agent or a Mainline publisher, then I think (remember I said “think”) that self-publishing stands a better chance of receiving a return on investment.  The time involved for self promotion is something difficult to calculate.  I am not interested in wasting valuable time on a lost cause.  I think my chances of winning the Lottery stand a better chance of a return on investment, and you all know those odds. 
 
I must face the reality that either I am not a good writer or that what I write is of no interest. 
With the New Year approaching, I must decide if I should continue writing or call it quits. 
It is said that “if you throw enough mud on a wall, some of it will stick”.  It is also said that “when you throw dirt, you lose ground.”  Sometimes sayings contain a message to be considered.   We are told to learn from past mistakes and to my way of thinking, learning from past mistakes doesn’t mean continuing to do the same things we now consider a mistake.
 
If anyone has a way of promoting that produces results that can be verified, let me know.  We can all try new things, but until what we try works, it is not worthy of mention.

I stopped writing at the beginning of the year, Abe, and I haven't regretted it. I have a promotion running for Mr. Planemaker's Diving Machine on Kindle. The offer of 99c (99p) has produced two sales on Amazon US and none on Amazon UK. I set up an event on Facebook that went out to 4,775 group members. I also sent individual emails to 900+ LinkedIn members.

Am I surprised? Am I disappointed? No. It simply confirms my decision to stop writing. Are my books not good enough? Possibly. Would it matter if they were good enough? No. What's the missing ingredient? Money. You need to spend money to make money. The top six New York publishers would not have such enormous marketing budgets if they could sell books without spending money on promotions/marketing.

How are self-published authors making money from ebooks? They write what readers want to read. If you write anything else, don't expect to make much money from your efforts. It's simply a matter of supply and demand. A lot is said about polishing manuscripts and producing high quality work, but the bottom line is, if readers are not interested in the stuff you write, it doesn't matter how well-written the book is, it will not sell.

I'll never stop writing. It's my hobby and publishing anything is way down on my priority list. Writing is who I am. I could sooner stop breathing than stop writing.

There are many well-written books that would be a pleasure to read if they were to somehow reach their target market that do not get read.  It's like any creative field.  My oldest daughter studied acting to the point of earning an MFA at a respected university; her husband did the same with his music.  They spent their early years together pursuing those dreams.  After a while they decided to let those dreams go and put their creativity into work that was more easily available, and both are having successful careers today, in other fields of work.

We had this discussion a few weeks ago during our weekly dinner.  For every performing role or position, there are anywhere from 50 to several hundred aspirants; as a result, many fine actors and musicians go without work.  Writing and painting are no different.  Much luck is needed in addition to skill and funds.  Much has to do with who you know.  I did not attempt to write a book until I was retiring.  I don't know if what I write is any good or not.  I have one book out that has a target audience that keeps sales going.  If I were better at marketing, I am sure it would do even better than it has, not because it is good so much as it covers a subject where there are more people who want to read about it than there are books on the market about it.  As far as my fiction is concerned, I see it as an earned privilege gained from my years of working hard at my job.  I am now free to write what I want to write.  If I sell a few copies, that's a bonus.  Of course it would be a good thing if I could sell more, and successful sales might be an incentive to produce my work a bit faster, but what gives me pleasure today is to be free to focus as much attention on the art as I do on the craft.

It isn't about making money.  It's about working at something that gives me joy in the doing of it, day by day.

You are a good writer, Abe.  If you enjoy the process, keep writing.  If not, there are many other valuable ways for us retirees to spend our time and still have a purpose for going about our days.

Just me.

I imagine many artists reach a point of distress now and then that their art will never be recognized. So do people in many professions.  Think of the scientist who spends a lifetime looking for one small microbe or insect.

Each of us has a tolerance for defeat.  Some never give up, always finding a new door to open.  Others find a level of acceptance where life is comfortable, accomplishments okay and continuous defeat no longer an option.

I know my drive comes in spurts.  I also know that enthusiasm is catching.  The author board for the L & L Dreamspell authors (about 200) remains open in spite of the publisher closing.  We continue to praise each other's book launches with other publishers and offer support and advice. 

Several of those authors are selling their books quite steady and having wonderful book launches.  They are writing series in the romantic and mystery genre and a combination of both.  The hook their readers on a couple books and just keep pouring them out.  They attend many conferences ($$$) and appear on panels and at local, state and national organization events.

For several, attending conferences is part of their enjoyment of their career, and they have become known sufficiently to be on many panels and thereby sell books.

They incorporate selling books in their enjoyment of life and the sales follow.  Many have other income sources that give them the luxury of travel and conference fees.

My dad was a great musician who entertained on the Holiday Inn circuit on weekends but for a real income, had a day job as a pipefitter.  He also wrote music and poetry and children's stories.  His dreams were never fulfilled.  Once he had an opportunity to play at a high end place in Chicago via an agent, but he couldn't leave his day job.  Maybe that was the missed opportunity...

I just wrote an article about a local equity theater where the director and actors have wonderful Broadway credits - and gave that up to live in a community and raise families in a more consistent environment - giving up their original dreams of fame and fortune on the Broadway stage.  As one actor said, an income requires traveling from theater to theater and weeks on tour, a grueling lifestyle in hopes of the big break, totally without job security and requiring constant auditions.

So, where do we draw the line to give up on one dream in exchange for another?  And is that okay?  Of course.  Right now my lifestyle is very constricted because of family matters that have been a major financial and emotional drain.  I was feeling a little down and then told myself a different story.

I said, "This is your life.  This is what you are meant to be doing right now.  What else would you choose?  Something to give meaning to existence?  You have that.  Companionship?  You have that. A purpose driven life?  You have that.  The life you live today is all there is.  It is today's "present" so value it." 

Funny how the counselor within (some call it the spirit within) can produce some wisdom now and then.

If today's present is more valuable because it includes a day of writing, then write away.  If promotions are on tap for today, then promote away.  If the value is in neither but instead found in a walk or lunch with friends, then go for it.  If the value is just to fritter away the hours in contemplation or simply doing nothing, then value that too.

I sold a lot of books from my estimation.  I gained a bit of regional recognition.  I was hired for my newspaper job.  I accomplished the goal of writing not one, but two novels.  For a while, I was pretty busy having a fun time with signings and marketing and promotion.  I am glad for those days.  I might yet have a few more.  I still have "spurts" now and then.

I don't know if my rambling helps any Abe, but we all tend to analyze things so much, the curse of writing I guess.  Sometimes we just need to sit back and look at this day, these hours, this moment and say, "this is good and more will follow."

Ann and DK,   

Agree with Shelagh.  If inspiration is there, I will write.  If not, I won't. 
Tomorrow I agreed to go with Hermann Frech for a walk.  He is 85 and still living a life filled with history.  I enjoy his company and always learn something.  As Ann said, at our age, I think we should do what will bring us enjoyment.  I enjoy this forum and even if I'm not writing, I like to add my opinions for whatever they are worth.  Some post stimulate either positive or negative and elicit a response. 
I watch the morning news until it becomes repetitive.  Keeping informed is not only from the media, but also from friends who share their thoughts.

12/9/2013

                   I found the competition out their is stiff ! PA claimed I wasn't selling books ? I
             have no way to prove that. I did with some help of an Angel here put three of my
             books on Smashwords into E Books, I have sold hundreds of downloads and several
             books each at .99 cents, maybe it's the price , I also know " Dusty," is the number one
             seller on my page. As for art and photography on my art site I have sold few pieces ,
             there are hundreds of thousands of artist who belong to this site from around the world
             again competition is stiff ! On Zazzle I have sold a few pieces that makes me feel good
             I did notice my comission was way too low 5% I had to up it because the company was
             benefitting not me, I do know they make the product but I should make some too. Anway
             I always try to constantly be creative in my art and photography, I just ordered a 2 hour
             video tape by a well known artist on how to do watercolors, I love watercolors and I am
             hell bent on learning watercolors , so as I say we try, we know we have some kind of
             talent otherwise we wouldn't be insterested in writing, art and photography. I do know
             everyone here has a special writing talent and I say don't ever give up, you are great !

                                                               Love Joe........ 

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=3059252011

These are the top selling Indie books on Kindle at Amazon - might be a place to make a selection and see if it's possible to determine why they are top selling.

I've always liked the stories I create, whether short or novel length. I've never worried how well they're going to sell. Not a big motivation for me.

I like your attitude, Charlie.

If you keep on doing what you are doing, you will keep on getting what you are getting... It takes guts to admit that something is not working in your life, that maybe you are not trying hard enough or giving it a fair shot or even that the people you have around you are dragging you down. It takes even more guts to change those things but it can change your life for the better in so many ways.

If I just wanted to write stories and didn't care about getting published, I'd keep a diary. I agree that if you keep on doing what you're doing you'll keep on getting what you're getting. Know when to hold them and know when to fold them. Fish or cut bait. lol

But I always knew that the book promoters to indie authors were a useless bunch, and said so. A few years ago that made some here quite angry and they stomped out. But I'm sure they're still out there, hawking their useless wares.

I fully support keeping a diary.  A blog is often a type of diary and serves a similar purpose.  Each person has their own needs for expression.  Adult education is full of many retired people here learning to paint, to write, to compute, to draw, to make crafts, to play piano - all the things they yearned to experience but were to busy with family and careers to pursue.  My friend's mother paints beautifully and continues to paint though she won't sell but a few. 

It's strange how a pianist, a painter and a singer may go on practicing and enjoying the expression of their inner self with no one telling them they should quit because they are not being paid enough.  I have friends who once were sort of famous in the music and acting industries but now run local theater companies and teach children.  They had exciting careers on Broadway they gave up because the competition and the schedules were killers.  They lead very contented lives expressing their art in a much smaller way.

I am being paid for my articles for the newspaper.  It does not make them good.  I do get quite a bit of writing out of my system though.

I have kept journals as long as I can remember.  They are my way of sorting out my thoughts and making sense of my dreams.  A bit like having a therapist.  Storytelling is a different thing.  Starting a narrative and following through the process of conflict, climax, and resolution is more like creating a piece of art work, like a painting or collage.  Emily Dickinson's work was not published until after her death. Herman Mellville wrote a three volume work he called The Whale.  It didn't sell very well while he was alive, but when it was later published in one volume as Moby Dick, it became quite popular.

Not comparing the quality of what I do to Dickinson or Melville, just saying that when the joy is in the writing, whether or not is sells is secondary.  I would like for my work to be read, and could certainly use the extra income, but it isn't primarily about making money.  Not at this time of my life.  When I had to make money, I worked for other people, and followed procedures that were established by institutions.  Oh, I managed to put as much creativity into the work as possible, and my superiors were more than satisfied, but this is different.  Now I work for myself, at my own pace, and my focus is on doing the work, and it is work.  Keeping a journal is not work. It doesn't have to go anywhere or have a purpose like developing a narrative does - fiction or non.

I still keep journals and get a lot of my ideas from them.  They are great for developing characters or describing places, and that carries over. 

My non-fiction book has been read by well over a thousand people.  A few years ago, it was the subject of the longest running thread on the Joseph Campbell website's forum.  It still holds the record.  To run that long, it had to involve controversy - the discussions were varied and lots of perspectives got posted. It was fun. I get messages on a regular basis at the Audie Murphy forum, mostly from readers who liked it, sometimes from critics giving advice, which is fine.

The two Redstone books that I have published so far, both the anthology and the novel, do not have nearly so many readers, and reviews have been mixed, which is also OK.  I don't see myself as a great writer.  I just have these stories I need to tell, and now I have time to produce them and put them out there.  Several hundred people downloaded them on the few days I have offered them free.  The sales go a bit slower, but the royalty checks help to stretch the groceries, and help to pay the bills.

When the series is finished, I may take some time off to see about selling a few more of them, or not.  I will know what to do next when I get there.  I pretty much live my life a day at a time.  I was never able to do that before.  It isn't that I didn't enjoy my work when I was younger.  It was often challenging, but always rewarding, intrinsically and extrinsically.  A different reality from the one I live in today.  Life goes on, and each stage has its own joys.

Quote :

It's strange how a pianist, a painter and a singer may go on practicing and enjoying the expression of their inner self with no one telling them they should quit because they are not being paid enough.

Says who? I know musicians who are in their 30's to 50's and broke because they still can't get it through their heads that their music career isn't going to take off. Their family members have told them, friends have told them, but it falls on deaf ears, they're going to do "their passion." They also tend to think it's society's responsibility to take care of them because they're broke, which relates to other threads here. IMO, someone who has never been sick or had other extenuating circumstances, but rather made constant, deliberate choices that resulted in their penury , needs to solve it themselves, not blame, look to, and whine about "society."

On FB, there's a lady exulting right now about how she "saved her house from foreclosure." She's one of these musician dreamers who won't hold a steady job because it would be "soul-sucking" (her words). To me, begging a bank to take less than what you contracted for would be even more soul-sucking, but to each their own, I guess. I just don't feel obliged to pay for it. Not that I have a choice.

Nothing wrong with keeping a diary if that's what you want. I interpreted the OP to be about wanting more than that.

Is this a first? I agree with LC.

And I agree with Shelagh.  What will happen next?

A part of me agrees with LC, where younger people are concerned.  Our lives, as I said earlier, go through stages.  It's a good thing, I think, for young people to follow their dreams.  It's also a good thing, after a time, to be aware enough of the reality they are living in to allow those dreams to shift direction and grow with them.  My son-in-law's original dream was to play his horn in a symphony.  He came close a couple of times.  He was first substitute for the one here in SA for a time.  Then he auditioned for and was accepted into the Air force Band.  He joined the force, went through basic training like all new recruits, and spent several years touring.  Eventually he was transferred to the unit at Ramstein, and he and Lynn lived in Germany for several years.  During that time, he requested a transfer from active band member to sound crew, and was trained as a sound engineer.  When his term was up, he resigned, they came back to SA where he went to work for Sea World as a sound engineer for their various shows.  Now he is a director at the SA site.  Lynn, my daughter, got her teacher certification and was, for several years, the director of theater and a high schol here before she moved into school administration.  They are both pretty contented.  They know that they gave it their best shots, and were able to shift directions when the time was right.

As far as getting off the OP subject, It seems to me that LC has managed, once again, to turn it into a means of blasting the lazy poor people who expect the rest of the country to pay their way.

It is different, I think, and I'm not meaning to speak for either Abe, DK, or Betty, or any of us here who took up writing at a later stage in our lives.  If financial success is difficult for young people in creative fields, it is even more so for older artists and writers.  But at least we don't have to worry about being a drain on the rest of you.  We earned our pensions by paying into them while we actively worked.  They are not "entitlements."

My perspective, anyway.

Since the subject included money, or the lack of it, when pursuing an interest, and was reiterated by DK wondering why only writers were subject to criticism of it, I didn't see my post as going terribly off-subject. You're free to insert an irrelevant Russell Crowe video here, Joseph Campbell quote, or random Wikipedia cut and paste. I myself skip everyone of those instead of complaining about them.

Wan't complaining, just making an observation, as you are doing now, and have a perfect right to do.  

12/11/2013

                  To anyone and everyone, I always believed you follow your dream, not
         many famous people of the past would never be heard of actors, actresses
         singers, artists if they didn't have that inner burning desire to be that someone,
         I do my photography and art because I have a passion for it, as for my writing
         as a teenager I used to write poetry and loved to read. Yes I've sold some things
         books and art, made some money, that didn't matter to me, it was the burning
         passion inside knowing I did it. Many times I would read my books or look at a
         photograph or a painting I did , it amazes me that it came from me.. So don't ever
         let anyone shoot your star or desires down, always believe in yourself..I'm surprised
         I don't get headaches I'm always trying to re-create ideas, always wanting to learn
         new ways of learning ..
 
                                                  Cheers.....Joe... 

Spice makes life more exciting.  Just like the casserole I made last night with cracked pepper instead of the powdery kind.  I learned a valuable lesson: beware of the spice properties before sprinkling it generously.  I couldn't eat my delicious casserole.

A good discussion requires divergent opinions but not like family fights where last year's arguments are moving into phase two.

I chose to support an ill family member and have lost all my reserves as a result.  Fortunately, the little I earn by writing for the newspaper keeps me afloat.  I paid into Social Security for 51 years.  I paid into the state pension system for 15 years.  Unfortunately, my earnings were small because I chose a career in the "social service" mode where we were trained that we were paid through "satisfaction" in helping others, not real dollars that would make a difference the rest of our lives.

Thus, what I receive from both is very small; but I have learned to make it sufficient by reducing my needs and wants to a very minimum level.  People who want to take away bits of Social Security don't realize that many receive very little since the payment formula is based on lifetime earnings, not contributions.

I never chose to be a "writer."  It was a given in my work that I wrote grants, curriculum, technical manuals, journal articles, news releases, video scripts, reports, and performed edits on financial reports.  I just didn't know how to exploit them into cash since I was generally under a contract and believed my work belonged to the contractor.  I later learned that colleagues figured out how to cash in on their writing by selling it to text book companies and to other states.

I did want to publish a novel.  Just one.  I was always scribbling on the side for that "great novel."  Each of us has the "great story," my English teacher used to say, "only a few of us will tell it and fewer still will earn an income as a result."  I'm sure she had her "great novel" manuscript in a drawer somewhere. My life was certainly a novel, so I had plenty to borrow from to create stories.

I am glad beyond measure that I wrote both Arirang and Ghost Orchid and several short stories published in anthologies.  I earned a substantial amount from them both since their publication but as Don Harpe says, they bought groceries and I can't complain about that.

Neither took me to fame and fortune; but then why should I be one of the few?  It provides a goal, however, a raison d'etre.  Since many greats are discovered after their passing, those of us without fame in this life may yet rise after our ashes are long buried and someone turns our books into movies and encases them to preserve for posterity.

As for youth.  Each of us has a path to pursue in this life and for some it's chasing dreams that never materialize and for others it's accepting responsibility and hum drumming along.  A balance is best, but balance is also one of the challenges of life.

One becomes aware of the fleeting aspects of fame and fortune when living in a retirement community of wealth where many have had an illustrious past that no one cares about after those years are gone.  Just like beauty, fame is fleeting.  Money makes older years more comfortable, but they are still years past the prime, for many a time to find new interests because the past is just that, the past.

I remember thirty years ago sitting on the deck of Lady Ace with a group of blue water sailing friends and we were talking about "Mr. Eastern Division" - which is what we called one friend when he wasn't there.  He retired to blue water sailing after being a big hot shot in a global corporation where he was in charge of the Far Eastern Division.  We knew that because it was important for him to bring it up as a measure of who he was now that he lived like the rest of us, a collection of dreamers, and former everything from carpenters to race car drivers to teachers. 

The rest of us had transitioned to knowing that in the blue water sailing community all that mattered was one's knowledge of the sea and ports and how to stay alive in squalls or not slam into a cement pier when forced to dock stern to.  So we loved our friend, but hoped for the day when just being the captain of his vessel was enough.

In summary, much of who we are is derived from the accident of our birth.  We start there.  We accumulate information that provides choices.  Most of us choose to make the right decisions; however, the efficacy of those decisions and the consequences are often unknown and not part of the decision equation.  I do know that encouragement and support often turns our path one way or the other.  I never want to be the wall that stops a person's dreams even if they spend their life trying and failing.  It just might be the very last dream that materializes - and when it does all failure seems to dissipate.

I was writing while you were posting, Joe.  Skip my post and read Joe's.  He said it in fewer words :-)