Alex asked if I'd be willing to talk about my success as an indie author. I really appreciate him thinking of me.
And I hope some of the information I've listed below will be of some help to you.
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#1. I wrote in several different genres. This was so important to my success because it allowed me to discover my passion, which is that I'm random, but *mostly* love urban fantasy (magic, other realms, vampires, fairies, but in the present).
In December 2011 I decided to release my Romantic Suspense, Sleeping Roses. It'd been with two different agents and a small publisher, all of which fell through, so I figured what the heck. It did okay.
It was around that time that I got the idea ~ Snow White becomes a vampire.Then life happened. I wrote a different book, the second book in the YA science fiction romance series (Beguiled). Hated it. Chucked it. Ignored writing.
In May I outlined the Snow White becomes a vampire series and entitled it Blood and Snow. I wanted this series to be different. Fun. Like a weekly TV show. The genre is a YA fantasy romance.
#2. I wasn't afraid to do the work. What I mean is I collected a team to help make my books the best they could be. Professionally edited. Formatter. Hiring a cover designer. Blog tours. Cover reveals. Book trailers. Marketing.
And I'll say this.
Marketing is the most difficult part. There is no hard and fast rule. What works for one may not work for another. A group called Free Par-Tay really helped me out though.
Another marketing tip: Social Media is your friend.
Start up a Facebook Author page. I had less than a hundred "likes" at this time last year. Now I've got more than 1500 (1725 to be exact =D). If you check out my page, you'll notice that I try to keep my fans engaged. It's fun, easy, and allows you to connect with them on a personal level.
Start up a newsletter. I use MailChimp. I'm sure there are others out there, but MailChimp is easy. Those who sign up for your newsletter are golden. They like you. They really, really like you. And this gives you a way to reward them. You can run contests, let them be the first to know your book is coming out, and give out free books (in exchange for an honest review).
Make it easy for readers to purchase more of your books. Put links to your other books at the end of your story.
#3. Pricing. As an indie author I can price my books however I want. I'm not afraid to put my book at .99 cents for a while. I rarely price my book over $3.99. It may seem low, but it isn't. And I'll tell you this. I made 6 figures in three months following this rule.
#4. Write. This is the given. If you release a book and it doesn't do great. After you've done all you can, move on.
I released Exiled and for the first six months sold like 250 books. Then I released Sleeping Roses and sold 25 books. In June 2012 I released the first Blood and Snow (my Snow White becomes a vampire series) and sold 100 in the first month.
From May to December 2012, I wrote, released, published, and promoted 9 novellas and a full length book.
#5. Luck. I hesitate to mention this, but it's true. As with anything. There is a little bit of luck involved. Pixel of Ink picked up the first four volumes in my Blood and Snow series. Without them I wouldn't have done nearly as well. The cool thing about this is your luck can happen at anytime.
So hang in there. Do what you love.
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Ninja News
I’m back! Missed you guys this week. I managed to slip in a visit a few folks, but was too busy with work to do much more than that. Safe to say, I’m happy to be home.
Tyrean Martinson’s next book, Dragonfold and Other Adventures comes out July 3! One of the stories is about Captain Wrath – awesome! She’s not doing a blog tour, so anyone who can help spread the word will be appreciated.
There’s an awesome review of CassaStorm on Goodreads right now, thanks to always-awesome Lynda Young who read a review copy. If you want to know a little more about it (or add to your Goodreads list) check it out.
Insecure Writer’s Support Group
My awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG will be Nancy Thompson, Mark Koopmans, and Heather Gardner!
And due to popular consent, the name will remain the same. There were some good points made:
Sean: I don't think it's negative to admit your insecurities. Besides, if you changed it, it would be a whole lot of work for everybody and it would kill the SEO you've built up.
Rachel: Writers have insecurities, it's not negative it's just real. Wasn't that part of the point? We all have insecurities, and that's okay.
Robyn: There's nothing wrong with admitting we're insecure. It's like saying "We're human."
Robin: I think if you changed it to Secure Writers (or something like that) it would make people who felt insecure or unpublished or whatever feel like the group wasn't for them. It was strictly a group for Established Writers to share things that they know. And anyone who wasn't published should just shut up and read. That is my take. I know I would never join a Secure Writers Support Group. I would read the posts, but it is clearly for Better Writers Than Me. A name like that is a great way to make people Not Join.
Michael: The name says it all. It's a SUPPORT GROUP for writers who are troubled and need support from our community. I've always thought it wonderful and so incredibly special. An exclusive club for writers.
Hildie: Keep the name, it's all about being insecure, if we were secure we wouldn't need a group, duh!
And the most compelling argument came from Mark: Please don't change the name of IWSG. It's taken me nearly two years to put the four letters in the correct order.
Ready to move 300,000 books now? Any questions for RaShelle? (She rocks, by the way.) See any good news? Happy I’m not changing the letters of the IWSG? And who’s going to see Superman this weekend? I’m taking off early on Friday to see it. After this work week, I’ve earned!
