Can I Pick Your Marketing Minds?

[bnapier]

I promise myself a while back that I would never openly/blatantly ask for guidance in such a public forum as this.  But as I cross the line of my One Year Self-Published Anniversary, it is becoming painfully clear that I am not very good at this marketing game at all.  And now I find myself at a pretty pivotal point and have no idea what sort of marketing strategy to use here.

The skinny is this: I have released Book 1 of a planned 5 book series.  Book 2 of the series will likely be released in late April/early May.  Book 1 has been out for a little less than a month and sales are lackluster at best.  I am toying with the idea of enrolling it in KDP and then making it free for 2-3 days to garner some attention.  However, I also have the idea of making Book 1 free for a few days upon the release of Book 2...which seems to make more sense for the series, but not for the current book's success.

As I said...a 5 book series.  So this is taking up a LOT of my writing time; I am obviously very close to it and I want to get every single aspect of the marketing approach right.

Anyone out there with moderate to high success want to share your thoughts?  If this were YOUR series and you were trying to find the right formula to get readers/reviews/attention for your book, what would YOU do?

Thanks in advance.

[Krista D. Ball]

What genre is your series?

[J.R.Tate]

I haven't exactly been overly successful with my books, but I can say that I've had some experience with the KDP Select program.  I have two books out and they part of a series as well.  To get better attention, I put the first book in the series free. (In fact, it is free today). I have noticed that when I do this, sales do somewhat trickle down to the second book, it just takes some time. The only problems is that it is limited success. The few days after the book goes on sale, my sales are pretty decent, but after a week or so, it goes back to being slow.  

I'd give KDP Select a try. If you don't like it, it is only a 90 day contract and you can opt out the next time it comes up for renewal.  I really love the freedom of being able to make my books free when I need them to. 5 promo days doesn't seem like much, but I've been able to pace mine out over the 90 days pretty easily.

Good luck!

[bnapier]

What genre is your series?

HA....no one word.  A blend of sci-fi, horror, and  action/adventure

[Krista D. Ball]

HA....no one word.  A blend of sci-fi, horror, and  action/adventure

I'm being serious. What is it? Is it a proper cross-genre (and, no, it can't be a menage a trois cross genre). If your book was in a bookstore, where would it be put?

If you are unable to put a genre + subgenre to your book, that's your bigger problem than marketing tips.

[bnapier]

I'm being serious. What is it? Is it a proper cross-genre (and, no, it can't be a menage a trois cross genre). If your book was in a bookstore, where would it be put?

If you are unable to put a genre + subgenre to your book, that's your bigger problem than marketing tips.

Yes, it's a proper cross genre in the sci-fi/horror realm. If I were querying it to an agent (ah, those were the days), I'd likely label it as a thriller.

[psychotick]

Hi,

Certainly, but I think it may be slim pickings in my mind anyway.

I've just put my first book on the select thingie, and thus far (36 hours) haven't seen a single borrow of it, but have sold a couple of copies. I haven't decided yet if I'll take up the book for free sale approach. I don't know if making any of my books free will boost my name etc and sell other books, or whether everyone who wanted the book will just pick it up then and I'll lose paid sales instead.

So for me I think it's just a matter of wait and see.

Cheers, Greg.

[Krista D. Ball]

Um, a thriller is different than a SF horror...

I'm not being a brat here. It's just that I can help with some things that are within my genres, but I can't if you cannot even properly identify the genre. Genre is important. It's how you find reviewers, blogs, websites, readers. Genre is how people find books they will like to read.

[bnapier]

Um, a thriller is different than a SF horror...

I'm not being a brat here. It's just that I can help with some things that are within my genres, but I can't if you cannot even properly identify the genre. Genre is important. It's how you find reviewers, blogs, websites, readers. Genre is how people find books they will like to read.

No, no, you're not being a brat at all. 

I believe it would be marketed best as horror, as it has some very dark and tense moments.  It's too "soft" on the sci-fi side of things to be considered strict sci-fi. 

From the product description (so you can see my conundrum with genre):

Gabe is a disenchanted twenty year-old that has been dragged down for most of his life by the bizarre legacy his deceased father left behind. At the age of seventeen, Gabe was contacted by government employees that once worked with his father, offering him an outrageous salary if he would take part in an effort to revitalize his father’s work. Bit by bit, Gabe discovers that the work his father was involved in was incredibly strange. His father was viewed by his peers as a mad scientist of sorts, dabbling in controversial projects concerning genetics manipulation, advanced space exploration, time travel, and ESP.

Cold Compass, the first book in the Everything Theory series, opens as Gabe is tasked with his first assignment as an unofficial member of a shadow organization known as the Center for Scientific Anomalous Research (CSAR). With the assistance of a CSAR official posing as an FBI agent, Gabe travels to the small town of Hasper, North Carolina where people are being killed by an ancient evil that lurks beneath the town. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabe learns that it could all very well be the result of one of his father’s failed studies.

Along the way, Gabe must also contend with the fact that he is beginning to see ghosts and is being hunted down by an enigmatic figure that calls himself Garrison Sleet. As he slowly unravels the mysteries of his father, Gabe slowly understands that even the evil lurking beneath Hasper is tied to not only his father’s work, but to some integral part of him as well.

[J.R.Tate]

Hi,

Certainly, but I think it may be slim pickings in my mind anyway.

I've just put my first book on the select thingie, and thus far (36 hours) haven't seen a single borrow of it, but have sold a couple of copies. I haven't decided yet if I'll take up the book for free sale approach. I don't know if making any of my books free will boost my name etc and sell other books, or whether everyone who wanted the book will just pick it up then and I'll lose paid sales instead.

So for me I think it's just a matter of wait and see.

Cheers, Greg.

Don't get discouraged about the borrows. I notice that the majority of the borrows I get come at the very beginning of the month, as most Amazon Prime members pick their one book then and then can't borrow another one until the month is over.  That's when most of the activity pertaining to that happens.

[Chrystalla]

From the blurb, I'd say it's a sci-fi thriller - a techno-thriller.

[Kevis 'The Berserker' Hendrickson]

Yes, it's a proper cross genre in the sci-fi/horror realm. If I were querying it to an agent (ah, those were the days), I'd likely label it as a thriller.

Knowing which segment of the reading population is your audience is key to marketing your book. You can't do that without knowing how to classify your book. The sole purpose of selecting a genre for your book is so that you can market it to a specific group of people. Your book cannot be all things to all people. It's either a thriller, a science fiction novel, or a horror novel--not all of the above.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein has many elements that would make it a Science Fiction novel. But it's marketed as a horror novel for a reason. The first Terminator movie is actually a love story, but it's sold as a science fiction movie. As long as you have conflicting opinions on what your book's genre is, you'll never know who your intended audience is. Deciding your book's genre is where your search for marketing answers should begin.

[Krista D. Ball]

Sorry - needed lunch 

From the blurb, I'd say it's a sci-fi thriller - a techno-thriller.

That's my first impression, too.

Genre: Thriller
Subgenre: Techno

I really see no horror in that blurb at all.

[Krista D. Ball]

Knowing which segment of the reading population is your audience is key to marketing your book. You can't do that without knowing how to classify your book. The sole purpose of selecting a genre for your book is so that you can market it to a specific group of people. Your book cannot be all things to all people. It's either a thriller, a science fiction novel, or a horror novel--not all of the above.

This is a key lesson I'd like everyone reading this thread to come away with. You can give away as many free books as you want, have a great cover, lots of bells and whistles, but until you actually market your work to the reader who would actually like it, you are going to struggle finding longer-term readers because you are going after the wrong groups.

[KayBratt]

I promise myself a while back that I would never openly/blatantly ask for guidance in such a public forum as this.  But as I cross the line of my One Year Self-Published Anniversary, it is becoming painfully clear that I am not very good at this marketing game at all.  And now I find myself at a pretty pivotal point and have no idea what sort of marketing strategy to use here.

The skinny is this: I have released Book 1 of a planned 5 book series.  Book 2 of the series will likely be released in late April/early May.  Book 1 has been out for a little less than a month and sales are lackluster at best.  I am toying with the idea of enrolling it in KDP and then making it free for 2-3 days to garner some attention.  However, I also have the idea of making Book 1 free for a few days upon the release of Book 2...which seems to make more sense for the series, but not for the current book's success.

As I said...a 5 book series.  So this is taking up a LOT of my writing time; I am obviously very close to it and I want to get every single aspect of the marketing approach right.

Anyone out there with moderate to high success want to share your thoughts?  If this were YOUR series and you were trying to find the right formula to get readers/reviews/attention for your book, what would YOU do?

Thanks in advance.

I don't have a series, but I have been published for several years now and have worked hard to build a platform. It it were me and I had this series, I would wait until Book Two was complete, then put Book One on KDP free for at least 3 days. And I'd be sure to have a teaser or at least a small commentary in the back of Book One that says something like: Look for the sequel to [this book], titled [title], available now.

Alert every site you can that the book is going free! There are many...even some not mentioned on WC. Tag it on Amazon as free, too.

Make sure to have your blog and facebook fan page updated and interesting when you do put the book for free, because that will be when you gain a chunk of your followers and you want to keep them interested! [Giveaways, interesting tidbits, link to free books in the same genre, articles of interest....author interviews...etc..]

And don't be discouraged. It takes time to build buzz!

[Kevis 'The Berserker' Hendrickson]

If you're having trouble selecting a genre, I highly recommend you peruse the services of our resident guru on genres. Just post away and Julie will give you a helping hand.

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,79212.0.html

[Krista D. Ball]

And don't be discouraged. It takes time to build buzz!

And some books never build buzz.

I don't have "buzz" books. I might never have them. I do have books that sell a bit everywhere. A few at Amazon, a few at Chapters, a few at Kobo, Smashwords, itunes, B&N, my local indie store. There might never be Krista buzz. I don't even aim for buzz. I don't think I write buzzable work.

I do, however, write good work. So I aim to get my work to places where readers who might like my stuff will find it.

[NathanWrann]

Your blurb sounds like the TV Show FRINGE, which is categorized as Science Fiction, but it also sounds like there's a bit of paranormal in it. So I'd say

Sci-Fi Thriller if it's a fast-paced, apply-the-science-to-understand-the-mystery type story

or
Sci-Fi Paranormal if there is an even blend of sci-fi (his father's work) and paranormal (ghosts)

or
Paranormal Thriller if there is more paranormal (ghosts) coming after the MC, than Sciency solving stuff

But you seem to think it's horror so maybe your blurb doesn't accurately describe your book?

If it is "sci-fi horror" I don't have good news for you my sci-fi horror novel EUROPA sells very poorly (but then again I haven't done much promotion) even only bringing in about 25 sales (at .99) after being showcased on Michael Galaggher's ebooksforabuck blog.

One thing you might consider is making "Cold Compass" the big title on the book cover and "Everything Theory: Book 1" the subtitle.

I would recommend contacting bloggers that have sci-fi/paranormal/horror book-centric blogs and Facebook pages and become their friends by offering giveaways (before going to Select). Also see if you can find FRINGE (TV series) centric blogs and Facebook pages and start up conversations (not spam) with the visitors there. It sounds like they might be interested in your book. After you make friends of these various blogs and FB pages when you go free with book 1 and release book 2 you'll have a built in network that will let people know. This process has worked pretty well for my YA Paranormal series.

[Ann Herrick]

I'm not-quite indie, but my books are with indie epublishers. One publisher really is on the ball, and that one has joined the Select program. I have definitely seen an improvement in sales since then. Whenever one of my books is free, I tweet it, facebook it, mention it on all my writing-related sites and email lists.

I assume you have an author page on amazon, web site, blog, etc. The thing about promo is that only a certain percentage of it works, but you never know what exactly!  

[bnapier]

Your blurb sounds like the TV Show FRINGE, which is categorized as Science Fiction, but it also sounds like there's a bit of paranormal in it. So I'd say

Sci-Fi Thriller if it's a fast-paced, apply-the-science-to-understand-the-mystery type story

or
Sci-Fi Paranormal if there is an even blend of sci-fi (his father's work) and paranormal (ghosts)

or
Paranormal Thriller if there is more paranormal (ghosts) coming after the MC, than Sciency solving stuff

Wow, yes, I think you hit it on the head with sci-fi paranormal (although, is there even really a genre for that?).

Thanks for the feedback.

[SimonSmithWilson]

Blogs, twitter and KDP.

The Legend of the Hermit Master was my first book (after leaving publisher and my novels went into legal limbo, anywho!!!) a book about a magic dog, a talking chicken and samurai frog... try marketing that! lol. It ain't easy. The book did better than I expected. My sales goal for month one was 1 sale. I got about 5. I was over the moon. I even got two reviews, which was fantastic. Next month I set out to do better than the month before. I used blogs and twitter, writing blogs that people found interesting, but related to my books. And it works. Hermit Master got to #2 in children's fiction in the U.S, which was amazing.

KDP is a game changer. Ignore the downloads. It is the fact you get linked to so many other products. When I was doing my blogs I was connecting with adults, so my book was linked to books that didn't help me. When I did KDP it was linked to kids books! My target audience. I had a big sales bump. At the moment my best seller is "Attack of the Sprouts!" dumbest book ever, lol, but so funny. No blogs. No promotion. 100% KDP only. Hundreds of downloads... meant nothing, but linked to LOTS of kids books. It gets the most consistant daily sales out of all of my books.

So get on twitter, blog about your book themes (people can relate) and do KDP.

[BTackitt]

As a reader, I can say that, your covers are rather blahhhhhhh. A Mouth for Picket Fences, the image is fine, the title seems smudged and unclear. Masks of our Fathers, title is clear, but the image is really too dark to figure out what it is. The rest, illegible titles.

If your covers don't catch the eye, many people will not click on them. Illegible fonts, images that are indistinct, do not make good covers.  If your newest novels have similar issues as the ones in your sig line, that might be one reason that your sales are lackluster. For good or bad, humans are visual creatures. Catch the eye, get the click through on the cover, then people can be wowed (or not) with your blurb and sample.

Heck, I own Masks of Our Fathers... have owned it for a while.. nope. haven't read it.. Maybe this year.. 250 books is my goal.

[bnapier]

As a reader, I can say that, your covers are rather blahhhhhhh. A Mouth for Picket Fences, the image is fine, the title seems smudged and unclear. Masks of our Fathers, title is clear, but the image is really too dark to figure out what it is. The rest, illegible titles.

If your covers don't catch the eye, many people will not click on them. Illegible fonts, images that are indistinct, do not make good covers.  If your newest novels have similar issues as the ones in your sig line, that might be one reason that your sales are lackluster. For good or bad, humans are visual creatures. Catch the eye, get the click through on the cover, then people can be wowed (or not) with your blurb and sample.

Heck, I own Masks of Our Fathers... have owned it for a while.. nope. haven't read it.. Maybe this year.. 250 books is my goal.

Hey, thanks for the purchase all the same.

I actually tried remedying those cover points you made with this new book (It's "Everything Theory: Cold Compass," as seen in my sig below).

Lots of great info and insights here. 

[BTackitt]

ok.. Everything Theory, font is far to tiny and squished. pick a bolder font even if it covers more of the compass picture.