One of the things that I added to my resume recently was that, as a self-published author, I had to learn about marketing my books. After all, Amazon won’t do it for me. And, of course, it is not a good look to lose track of which sort of initiative one intends to run and where.
Adverts: Facebook or Amazon? Outlets: go wide or stick with Kindle Unlimited? Newsletter builders: do people even read them? Newsletter costs: the likes of Mailchimp only allow a maximum of addresses on their free accounts, and that does not remove the non-responders or unsubscribers. Author book fairs? Free book initiatives? Price reduction initiatives?
As I have mentioned before, I am autistic. Too much ‘stuff’ will lead to meltdown, So, I need to have this organised. Dates are always key. For example, I will be taking part in ‘ZoeBub’ which is a massive free book initiative, with over 1000 romance books available to download to an e-reader FOR FREE, on one day every quarter. The expectation is that each author will publicise the event both in the run-up and on the day when social media will need to be absolutely wall-papered with notifications and posts.
So for one day, you have to be tweeting constantly? It is one of those things where the more you post, the better the response is likely to be. The website is http://www.romancebookworms.com
That wasn’t so difficult.
But then, you have special offers.
My short story, Cân Y Môr, is in the “Shift You Not” anthology, which is on a special price via Amazon for 99c or 77p. That’s it, less that a dollar or a pound for an anthology. This particular anthology is only available until 5 July, so grab it while you can
That will be all for now. I need to ensure that this information is also in my newsletter and need to send that out, after incorporating all the names from my last newsletter builder.
Legends come from stories. Stories are told of deeds. Deeds are committed by those who have walked the earth. But what if the creatures of those legends still walked the earth, still doing those deeds which have made them legends? Welcome to the world of the Cwn Annwn, Guardians of the Celtic Underworld, in service to Mallt-y-Nos.
Born in Wales as Henry VII took the throne, Gabriel Black serves an ancient goddess. A visit to the Carpathians introduces him to his Mate, Aaleahya. Sometimes he helps humans. Sometimes he cannot help them. Sometimes the losses he must face make him wonder if it is even worth it?
Dare you walk in his world?
The Diaries of the Cwn Annwn is a myth and legend inspired series written by a group of friends around the world. As of 2022, there are eight books in the series with more to come.
That was due to being tired, having to drive two hours to reach a destination by 0800, as my employers were cutting back on hotel stays as it affected the profit margin. Trust me, I would not have been on the road at 0550 through choice.
such that the barman knew my favourite dinner order, but in seven years, I never had the energy to use their rather decent looking swimming pool. The same could be said for several other hotels. I would eat my dinner and maybe work on my current novel, but I would be too tired to exercise, even though it was essential if I wanted to stay healthy.
My religious path has demonstrated to me that much in my life happens for a reason. Even the bouts of anxiety and depression, given the support I have received from true friends. That was where I put my trust. It was well-placed. On one of the dreaded group sessions at the Job Centre, we were introduced to Darren, who was looking for people for The Works store in Cambridge. He could only offer a four-hour per week contract, but he reckoned that it would be more than that. I had nothing to lose in talking to him.
I discovered that Darren had felt that I was capable of much more and had submitted my details to Gail, the Area Manager, with the potential for a store manager role. To cut a long story short, I was interviewed by Gail and offered the role of Manager of the Newmarket store.
It is no different with books. I read a very interesting book recently, where this process was explained. For example, someone looking for a book like mine might type in ‘shifter romance series’, which might give more than a few returns. The trick is to think like your potential reader. What words will they use to find their preferred genre. These strings of words are what one uses when listing a book on Amazon or Smashwords. A keyword is not a single word. That is the important thing. Consider what a potential reader will look for. The flipside is quite simple. In what category do you list your book? Some categories have fewer books that others. Paranormal romance is a huge category. ‘Military paranormal romance’ is slightly smaller. ‘Urban fantasy military shifters computers’ is even smaller. Pick a small category and hey presto! Sell a hundred books or so and you are a best-seller in that category. So now, you can can add ‘Bestselling Author’ to your accomplishments.
One of the novels in my series is the story of a character who, from “Beta”, is painted as a barely leashed psychopath as he and his siblings were growing up. Rumour had it that he had even murdered his own brother to remove him from the line of succession. He attempted to kill the Alpha’s Mate of the Cwn Annwn. He attempted to shoot the Beta of the Cwn Annwn. He was behind several criminal schemes. All in all, Casimir Gosselin was not a ‘nice’ person.
Is there a solution? The recent attempts to focus on how others view mental health issues in the workplace exemplify the problem. Mental health is such a minefield for most employers that it may be easier to brush it under the proverbial carpet. Most companies exist to make profit, either for the owners or for the shareholders. They want and expect their staff to present the face that doesn’t have problems. If those problems exist, it is better to brush them under the carpet, which can be severely detrimental in the long run. This is something that needs to change. If one must focus on maintaining a mask, then surely focus will be lost from the primary responsibility: to make profit for one’s employers.
it sound like it is all someone else’s fault. That would be so very t convenient. So, maybe it isn’t the best description?
help with laundry and housework, so that you have an hour to do that promotional stuff.
Katie Vincent: The Autistic Romance Author 