Tag: book sales

Making First Contact

Last month I probably had you scratching your heads on why authors are like crawdads. This month, it’s aliens!

Yes, writers are like aliens because we tend to be skittish when it comes to dealing with the human race. But there are a few things we can do to help break the ice when we finally get around to showing our faces in public—making that first contact. As I’ve joked before, I live in the middle of nowhere. When we go into town, I try to make my interaction with other humans count. How? Continue reading “Making First Contact”

Think Big

Last month, I posted about how to use your vacation time wisely and sell books. This month, I have some incredible opportunities for you. You need to get your name out there. So let’s look at how the big PR companies market stuff, and see how we can do it on a shoestring budget:

You might have seen those Double Decker buses with huge posters of the latest film slapped on their sides. Apparently, buses are seen by millions of people a week, so advertising on them seems sensible. I ascertained that it costs about £50 a week (minimum 4 weeks advertising) to advertise on the little space at the back of ordinary single deck buses. With my super scrimper method, you can advertise for a fraction of that cost. Continue reading “Think Big”

The Price Point Problem

Now that you have finished your magnum opus, you are faced with the dilemma all independent authors must address. How do you decide the price for your masterpiece?

Traditionally-published authors don’t have to worry their pretty little heads about such things. Their publishers set the price, just as they also lift the burden of selecting cover art and distribution channels.

Indie authors have to do all that for ourselves. With print books, you know you have to set the price over the cost of production. At least you have a beginning point.

With your eBooks, you have to weigh the supposed virtues of the KDP Select program against whatever you could make if you risk testing the market appetite with some sort of price. Continue reading “The Price Point Problem”

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

The Greatest

Bravado and bragging worked for Muhammad Ali but it is a different story for authors. (Sorry about the pun.) Now, I might be behaving like a jumped up Brit about this subject, after all, I am one of those old-fashioned sort who opens doors for old people and still manages to say “thank you” when the spotty-faced individual in the coffee shop manages to slop coffee into my saucer. Continue reading ““Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.””