How to Sell 20,000 eBooks

Tip of the Day: Enter to win a copy of Shari Brady's new book Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye on my blog!!!

You can buy ebooks on marketing your ebook. There are a lot of them out there. Or you can read this post and I'll tell you the top three things I've done to get to 20,000 ebook sales.

http://l00065619.wordpress.com/2010/02/

When I posted on my Facebook page that I broke 20k in sales, I received many emails, PMs, posts, etc asking me how I did it.

I know some people think I should keep my marketing strategies a secret. I call BS. Seriously? I'm happy to tell you what I've done.

Unfortunately, there isn't a magic bean. I wish there was, because then we'd all be sipping sweet tea on a beach. However, I can tell you some steps I've taken to increase visibility of my ebooks:

- Set the first book in a series free -

This is the same tactic they use at Costco. Have you ever tried walking through that place without eating enough sample food to fill you up for a week? If it's yummy, you might even buy it. It's the same with ebooks. Yes, Anathema has been downloaded, hold your breath, close to 2,000,000 times (thanks mostly to Wattpad and Amazon).

Don't tell me my sales suck. I'd guess there are tons of people hoarding ebooks on their ereaders, assuming someday they'll read them. I know, because I'm one of the hoarders. I'm really proud of my sell-through rate. The fact that anyone buys my sequels is encouraging!

- Get mentioned on the right websites - 

There are some incredible websites that advertise ebooks. Some charge money for ads. Some will list free ebooks. All four of these are the right place to be. Yes, I'm sure there are more great ones out there. If you know, please share them below in the comments.

Pixel of Ink (my favorite!)
Kindle Nation Daily
eReader News Today
Kindle Fire Department

- Befriend book bloggers -

There's nothing better than someone who loves your books and will tell the world about them. This is where bloggers come in. These readers are happy to devour your book and then tell the world how much they love it.

I'm not going to list my favorite book bloggers because the blogger you query should be targeted for your book. They don't all like fantasy, they don't all like contemporary. Find the right reader for your book and ask them if they're interested in reading it.

But do me a favor, treat them kindly. You aren't entitled to a review, or even a good review. Let them have their opinions. They don't owe writers anything. However, a friendly relationship can go a long way.

Just yesterday a blogger sent me interview questions. She actually apologized for them, assuming many of them would be repeats from the hundreds of other interviews I've done. My response: I'm happy to answer any questions, no matter how many times I've been asked. Just because other people know the answers, it doesn't mean her readers do.

http://bit.ly/LNbMrD

These are the top three tips I have for you. There's always discussions on getting into the right categories, promoting on Twitter (which I suck at, so don't ask me about it), promoting on Facebook (I generally use it as a way to connect with readers who already know about my books), etc.

You could try the spaghetti method (you know, throw it against the wall and see what sticks), or you could do the obvious: write, edit, write, edit, write, edit.

Take these words of wisdom from Hugh Howey (WOOL) in his Huffington Post article on snagging a film deal with Ridley Scott:

"My inbox lately has become sprinkled with missives from other independent writers asking me for any advice I might have. So I tell them what you have taught me: Please the reader. Write your best works for them; make those works affordable; interact with your fans; and take their feedback to heart. Without a single dime spent in advertising, a short story I wrote and didn't even work to promote climbed to the top of the Amazon charts. It drew the attention of Hollywood. It landed me an agent and half a dozen foreign book deals. All because of word of mouth. Because I happened to please you, and you told someone else, and they spread the word further."
  
Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Book Blog Tours: Yay or Nay?

Tip of the Day: Read how author Rachael Aaron boosted her word count from 2k to 10k a day. And a side question to coffee baristas out there. Do you get very annoyed with the people that spend half a day in the coffee shop working on their laptops? I know I get very self-conscious of the looks from staff if I spend more than 2 hours somewhere.

I was reading author Maureen Johnson's blog post on Book Blog Tours yesterday and why she doesn't do them. Here it is: Blog Tours, and the Word NO. And she makes a lot of sense. Blog tours are part of the standard marketing plan for books these days and they take a heck of a lot of time between answering 30 or so interviews, sending books out for review, writing witty guest posts, and then advertising the places that you're touring. With my first book I kept track of how long it took me to fill out the interview questions I had been sent: 30 hours. 30 HOURS. That's kind of crazy right? And did they do any good? Hmm. I don't know. I would like to think with my first book that they did do some good because no one had heard of me before so at least there was some mention of me and my book on various Web sites. But three books in now and I'm not so sure the interviews are effective. How many times can people hear about my writing process or how I get my book ideas? These kind of questions are shiny and new at school or book club visits because they aren't the ones reading the blogs. But the people who are faithful blog readers have probably seen my interviews a few times and don't really need to see them again.

I do think that cover reveals and hey, here's my new book and here's info about it is a good thing to do to get the word out when you first release. But if authors keep pushing and pushing talking about their books I do tend to tune them out (or hide them on facebook or unfollow on Twitter) because it gets really really old. No one wants to constantly hear about your book. Like what Maureen had pointed out about Jennifer Laughran's tweet:

"And someone just said something I enjoyed a lot:

jennifer laughran ‏@literaticat

YA marketing panel: “do blog tours & cover reveals!” My question: since EVERYONE does those, how is it not just noise? #bea12 "

It IS starting to seem like noise right? Sometimes twitter feels like one big advertisement. Each person saying check out my review, download my book, see my new cover. And I know no author can entirely get away from doing these things because it's part of the job to market yourself. But it gets to be too much sometimes.

There are also the book blog tours that are set up by blogging groups where they make a list of bloggers who will read your book and review it. You (or your marketing people) send a copy of your book to the first blogger and they pass it to the next one within a week. These can be really great because then you're getting a lot of thoughtful reviews out there. Which is probably the best way to market your book. It's hard to get people passionate enough to go review a book on goodreads or Amazon. Usually it's because they really really hate it or they love it so much they are dying to share. There's a lot of in between there. :-) Not that these type of book blogger tours don't occasionally fail too. I've had some tours where 20 bloggers read and reviewed a book and then I've had some where they only passed the book to maybe five bloggers and only two posted a review. So it can be hit or miss.

What do you guys think? Are you a fan of the book blog tours? Or do you get tired of all the "noise"?

Kristina, Miss Author in Action

Query Clinic #5: Book Blogger Version

Tip of the Day: Want to win some Hunger Games swag? Check out Susan's giveaway!

It's my turn to take on the query, but this time it's for those authors who already have a book out, or one upcoming.

My guest today is Susan Kaye Quinn. Her novel, Open Minds, debuted last November and she's already breaking sales records (which is not a surprise to me because Open Minds rawks!).

But Susan had to start out just like the rest of us. As a debut, she had no readers beyond her circle of friends, family, and writers. She reached out to book bloggers with this letter (my comments in red):

Dear Lisa,

My name is Susan Kaye Quinn and I write novels for young adults. I see from your website Books for Company that you enjoy young adult as well as paranormal stories, and I hope you will be interested in my paranormal YA novel Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy). 

 I'm of the grab-em-by-the-throat-and-don't-let-go school. If it were me, I'd put the tagline and book description at the top of the letter. Putting 'Review Request' in the subject line of the email lets the blogger know exactly why you're contacting them. Not a huge deal, and some bloggers might want to be told at the beginning why you chose them. It certainly isn't enough to make a blogger stop reading. ;)

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

You totally want to read Open Minds now, don't you? Susan does a great job of drawing the reader in with the description of her book. This is the single most important piece of work you will write. If a reader isn't gripped by your book's description, they won't want to read it.

If you are interested in reviewing, I would be happy to send you an Advance Reader’s Copy in the format of your choice (Kindle or Nook).

 Here's a sticky part for indie & small press authors - we may not have paperback copies available for review. Sometimes this is a problem for book bloggers, sometimes it isn't. When I query bloggers, I check out their guidelines. Often they will list which ebook format they prefer. If they do list one, I say something along the lines of, "Per your preference on your website, I'd like to gift you a Kindle edition of ..." It shows them you really did your research.

 If you are not willing to give away a paperback, don't even mention it. For indies & small press authors, the cost of paperback copies can come right out of our pocket - something that can get very expensive over time. 

Open Minds releases on November 1st, and I’m coordinating a Blog Tour for Open Minds from Nov. 1-18. If you decide to review and can participate in the Open Minds Blog Tour, that would be fantastic, but a review before or after release would be wonderful as well. In addition, I’m open to sponsoring an e-book giveaway of Open Minds and would be happy to participate in any promotional events like guest posting or interviews. Open Minds is posted on Goodreads, and you can find out more about me and my previous books from my website. The Mindjack Trilogy has its own website, where more information about the upcoming release can be found.

Susan does a great job here of giving the blogger the option to join her tour. There's no pressure on the blogger to read the book by tomorrow (yes, some authors do make requests like that - and they shouldn't). The only thing I don't see is a date to contact her by if the blogger wants to participate in the tour. It's just a courtesy so both of you know what's expected and by when. A blogger emailing you to say they want to participate in your tour isn't the same as imposing a deadline for reading the book.

 In the past, I've had bloggers participate in my tours who haven't read the book yet. An interview or guest post is sufficient for some, with a review to follow in the near future. 

Thank you very much for your time and consideration! Please let me know if you would like me to send you a copy for review.

All the best,                 

Sue

susankayequinn@comcast.net

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author

 Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

Susan has pictures of her other books here, but unfortunately I was unable to get them to upload properly. :(((

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story) by Omnific Publishing

Summer Breeze Anthology

Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

Open Minds (Available November 1st!) on Goodreads now

All in all, this is a fantastic query letter. Susan really did her homework. She was thoughtful and considerate when presenting her work to the blogger.

Everyone needs to remember that bloggers need to be treated with respect, just like an agent or an editor. 

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber 

Querying Book Bloggers

Tip of the Day: Want to name a character in my next book, Afterlife? Enter here!

Already got a book published? Whether it's self-published or traditionally published, you really need to get out there and query book bloggers. These amazing, wonderful readers can hold the key to your success and help spread the word about your book.

When I first started epubbing, I didn't query book bloggers. I assumed (making an ass mostly out of me...not you...lol) that they would only read traditionally published books. NOT TRUE! Many bloggers will read any book that piques their interest.

But how to approach them?

First, head to their blogs and read their guidelines. Seriously. It's exactly like querying an agent or publisher. Make sure you're contacting someone who will actually be interested in your work.

You need to treat bloggers with the same respect you'd treat an agent or publisher. Crafting a concise query letter is the first step to success. Oh, and before anyone assumes I have no success with query letters since I'm self-published here's my quick story: As a former freelance parenting journalist I spent seven years successfully crafting queries for article pitches. In the short time I queried agents, I had zillions of requests for pages, so I do know a bit about this. ;)

FREE on Amazon - click to download

Dear Beautiful Blogger,

Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny.

Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday - when her master’s symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel's help.


Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

Would you consider reviewing my YA fantasy novel, Anathema? It combines a gritty fantasy world like Game of Thrones with the teen accessibility of Twilight. I can provide you with an ecopy for review from your choice of vendor: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or Smashwords. Anathema has an average of 4.3/5 stars on Amazon.com and has been reviewed by many top bloggers.


Please feel free to visit me on my website, www.meggjensen.com, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/meggjensenauthor. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.


Best,


Megg Jensen
...contact info...


Now, this is a generic query. I always, always, always personalize my queries to each blogger. I mention something I find intriguing about their website, or a review of theirs I particularly enjoyed. It's not brown-nosing, it's common courtesy to show some interest in someone who you'd like to notice you. Often I will also mention that there is no hurry to review. Many bloggers have stacks of books that could fill a library. Don't pressure them or they'll probably just reject your book immediately. (This applies to regular reviews - not blog tours which is a whole other topic.)


Want me to critique your book blogger query? More info here on how to submit.


Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Baby Pics!!

Tip of the Day: Are you going to Anderson's 8th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference this Saturday? It's my first time (I'm on two panels) and there is a list of amazing authors attending!

Look what I got in the mail this week! It's a finished copy of Just Your Average Princess!


Sometimes I'm totally on board with ebooks and how easy they are to download onto my ipad and how I can store a ton of them on there and they're so convenient. But then I get to hold a new baby and I fall in love.

Isn't it so cute?! I love the yellow binding with the blue letters and the fun font.

I a million times over love all the vines and stuff all over the back cover and on the inside pages.

I love that they pulled part of the story and put it on the back of the book. And it's a good part too.

And I love the page where I sign. It's so so so cute!

So yeah, I'm awfully proud of my new baby and glad to have her home. Next week I'll post pictures of her first bath, first bottle, and grandma holding her. Ok, no I won't.

Look for Just Your Average Princess in stores on 10/11/11!

kRISTINA, mISS aUTHOR iN aCTION

Fun Friday: Book Reviews

My first VOYA review will be appearing in the June 2011 issue of the journal!

Want to know what else I'm reading and what I've enjoyed? Check out my LiveJournal blog for a running list. Here's a taste:

I WILL SAVE YOU by Matt de la Pena
Kidd runs away from his group home to Cardiff by the Sea and starts on a better path with a father figure boss and a girl friend, but his old friend Devon finds him living in the campgrounds and threatens to tear down everything good he has built up. The way the author wove together the present, past, journal entries, and other memories flowed perfectly; and the ending was worth every word from page one. This YA tale of mental illness and the desire to heal was brilliantly written.

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Happy Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

Tip of the day: It's Talk Like a Pirate Day today! Argh mateys!

Did you know it's Book Blogger Appreciation Week?

Yes. It is!!

So let's give all the book bloggers out there a whole lot of LOVE. They review books, get buzz going with Waiting on Wednesday posts, interview authors, do contests, and all kinds of cool things that draw people to their blogs so they can share their love of books with the world! And the thing we have to remember is that reviewing a book is NOT easy. It takes time and work, and many of these book bloggers put their hearts and souls into their blogs for no other payment than the comments they receive.

So thank you Book Bloggers, for all you do for YA literature!! We heart you!

This week, not only do we get to say how much we love book bloggers, but awards are being handed out for the best of the best.

To see a list of who has won what award, GO HERE. Then, stop by and visit some of the amazing blogs. You'll be glad you did!

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career