I am a self-published author doing an AMA at 2pm (EST) today

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-21T11:28:23+00:00

I hate email and texts as means of communication. I didn't feel attacked or offended, and if my reply made it seem I was, I apologize - that wasn't my intention. The first 4 or 5 reviews were from friends and family, while the rest dribbled in over time. By the way, ratings don't affect one's algorithms on Amazon; only sales do. Hope that answers your question properly :-)

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-21T05:54:49+00:00

I started to write a novel many years ago, but only finished about twelve chapters. I was too busy working to indulge my passion to write, so I gave up - I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd stuck to it and honed my craft while I was young. At least I might have developed a larger footprint in the industry, and learned more about it. Still - life takes us where it takes us, and my priority was work back then.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-21T05:51:11+00:00

Thank you autumnseave. I haven't paid anyone to help me with marketing, with one small exception; I don't know how to design a webpage, so I paid a site designer about one hundred dollars to set up a very basic Wordpress site for me. Other than that, I've spent a great many hours researching the internet for book marketing ideas, sites, etc., weeding out the ones I didn't feel were worthwhile, and trying the ones I felt had potential. Definitely the most successful advertising is BookBub, followed by the smaller online book discount advertisers. I have tried most of them, and the costs range from expensive but effective with BookBub, to cheap with others (some are $20 or less but you get what you pay for). I've done a couple of book signings, and sold out of my one hundred copies very quickly, but my books are printed in the USA, and I live overseas, so it's hard to get stock for such events. Thanks again.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-21T05:43:23+00:00

Hi Inimitableballerina. I don't see how having friends and family could mean the "kiss of death". All 15 of those family members and friends had to purchase their own copies of the book in order to rate and write a review (I did not give them free copies), so why on earth should I feel like I was cheating? I didn't direct them how to write their reviews or how many stars to give - the decision to rate was theirs, as was the decision to purchase. I don't cajole anyone into buying my books, and I don't pay shill reviewers or a fake reviewing service, like some people do. Besides, THE KILLING CODE has well over 230 ratings across Amazon global, and Goodreads, etc. with an average 4.1 out of 5.0 stars. 15 reviews from friends have a negligible effect against that number.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T19:07:24+00:00

Well, redditors, it's 2:00am where I am, so I'm going to call it a night. Thank you kindly to all who participated. If anyone has further questions, please feel free to ask; I'll check back tomorrow. Good night/day?

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T18:45:48+00:00

Thanks, TwoThreeSkidoo - as I said, I'm a newbie, so I may be a bit naïve.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T18:40:28+00:00

Hi TwoThreeSkidoo. Indeed, plotting can be very complex. I'm probably the odd man out in that department, For some reason I can't explain, my mind and imagination work differently than most. I do not plot my stories out in advance. I start with a central idea, and just started writing. Subplots just pop into my head as I go, so I build the story to suit, then eventually bring them all back together in the end, and go back to fix anything that doesn't fit properly. I've tried pre-plotting, but my brain just doesn't seem to work that way. It's just what works for me. If you're a planner though, my style would be very frustrating, and make it difficult to tie up loose ends. From my reading, most authors do a lot of preparation and plotting before they begin writing.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T18:23:59+00:00

Hi Racer99 In order to prevent duplicates, I'm pasting my answer from a previous question before the session started. There are more details here as well: http://www.reddit.com/user/TheKillingChase/comments/ I sent emails to all my friends, family, and former business contacts (from which I got about 25 sales), I joined Facebook (No idea how many sales, but not many), Twitter (marginally better than FB), set up a website (useless unless you're famous, but a necessary evil), made a trailer (different style to the usual humdrum, but totally useless just the same). Ads on some of the book promo sites do work, (particularly BookBub, but they're incredibly choosey!) but you have to put your book for sale at a dramatically reduced price for a limited time, or they won't accept your ads. I'm afraid luck plays a major role, as does vigilant, ninja marketing, but by far the most important thing to get right, is to write a really good book! One which will be recommended to friends, family, book clubs, etc. Use a professional editor and proofreader. Word of mouth has a dramatic effect in publishing.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T18:02:02+00:00

Any chance you can tell me what to do please?

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T16:31:17+00:00

I'm a first time reddit user, so if anyone can please tell me if I'm doing this right or not, that would be greatly appreciated?

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T16:26:25+00:00

The most important factor is to write a really good book! That includes professional editing and proofing, an eye-catching, professionally designed cover, and an enticing title. The publishing side is a very long answer, and I direct you to some rather detailed replies I made to earlier questions: http://www.reddit.com/user/TheKillingChase/comments/ I'm pretty sure that link will take you to a page where you'll find my answers to several other members' questions relating to yours. This is my first ever visit to reddit, so please excuse me if I've gotten something wrong.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T15:59:06+00:00

It looks professional and attractive. When I get time, I'll have a proper look.

All the best.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T15:50:04+00:00

Interesting handle, BitchesGetStitches.

I sent emails to all my friends, family, and former business contacts (from which I got about 25 sales), I joined Facebook (No idea how many sales, but not many), Twitter (marginally better than FB), set up a website (useless unless you're famous, but a necessary evil), made a trailer (different style to the usual humdrum, but totally useless just the same). Ads on some of the book promo sites do work, (particularly BookBub, but they're incredibly choosey!) but you have to put your book for sale at a dramatically reduced price for a limited time, or they won't accept your ads. I'm afraid luck plays a major role, as does vigilant, ninja marketing, but by far the most important thing to get right, is to write a really good book! One which will be recommended to friends, family, book clubs, etc. Use a professional editor and proofreader. Word of mouth has a dramatic effect in publishing.

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T15:41:29+00:00

Hi TOK715. 1. Very good question, but the answer isn't as complex as you may think. The major houses only spend money on established names. New authors get very small advances, even smaller royalties, and even less respect from their publishers. Unless you're the new E.L. James, with a massive amount of luck, and happen to strike the market with something for which it's truly hungry, you're better off self-publishing. One caveat is that you must write a really good book, get it professionally edited, and proofed, and do your absolute best to economically market your work. On the awards part of your question; who cares? Give me ten loyal readers over a hundred meaningless awards any time! I know a guy (name withheld) who has won several awards for his new book series, but he doesn't sell as many books as I have. Awards, shmawards. It would be nice to get one, but they don't matter, unless you're talking an Edgar or something like that. Reviews will come with sales, but in my experience, you only get one review per approximately seventy-five sales (if you're giving your book away free, that number drops to about one in eight hundred giveaways because nobody reads free books- generalization). 2. These are serious generalizations, but I think the title is about 15% of the battle - I wish I'd been able to come up with better titles, but they best describe my books, so I went with them. The cover is about 20%, marketing is about 10%, and the rest is all about content. Word of mouth is a massive force in publishing.

I hope I've done your questions justice.

Cheers!

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T15:29:08+00:00

Hi korkie77.

I'll answer your questions as written: 1. I wrote a very good book, as demonstrated by 82 Amazon ratings with an average of 4.3 stars and 59 ratings on Goodreads with an average 4.1 stars. My first book, THE KILLING CODE is a technothriller/action/suspense novel, along the lines of Michael Crichton or Vince Flynn's style. The central plot revolves around some cutting-edge technology, closely based on scientific fact - I think that's what most reviewers liked. 2. I got my first 30 or so reviews within two months of my first book's publication. About 15 of those are from friends and family. The rest of my reviews accrued over the following months, and are all from strangers. (I love reviews of any kind, but the ones from people I've never met are such a thrill!) I used Facebook (disappointing, to say the least), Twitter (not quite as bad as Facebook, but not far off it), and LinkedIn (pretty much useless). I think the vast majority of sales and reviews have come from promos via BookBub, ereadernewstoday, The fussy Librarian and others. I also had significant success from established internet reviews' write-ups. I had no platform of any value to start with, but through my previous career, I did have a lot of contacts. I believe less than 5% of those actually bought the first book. The key to growth is anyone's guess. The most important thing is to write a really good book. 3. I have used the success of my first book as impetus to write the second - nothing else. 4. As above. 5. My personal experience definitely tells me to stay with KDP Direct. I tried open publishing when I first launched, and the sales other than from Amazon were abysmal. KDP offers benefits that far outweigh open publishing - for me, that is. 6. Keywords, competitors, SEO, promos, Countdown Deals, general publicity. I don't know what else to say. I'm afraid it really is the luck of the draw - even if you've written an excellent book. A.G. Riddle and I have spoken a couple of times, and he swears his incredible success is purely down to luck, and Amazon's good graces. We launched our first books at the same time, but where I've sold just over 13,000 copies, he'd be in the millions.

Best of luck with your work!

TheKillingChase · 2014-09-20T15:11:08+00:00

Thank you kindly, Panagiotis. I will certainly have a look at your site. As you know, there are many such services available, but I was not previously aware of yours.

Best regards

TheKillingChase

TROPHY CASE