I have been writing and self-publishing novels for five years. Not a long time compared to many other authors in my genre. Believe it or not, writing novels is the easiest part of this 'business.' Getting a decent-sized audience is the hardest part.
You will notice I did not say, selling books more books. I have, at various times, offered giveaways on my novels without much success. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of books on the market promising the 'secrets' of marketing your books, some of these are free. Most of these books try to get you to sign-up with the author for lessons. Frankly, if I had thousands of dollars to spend, I'd use it on a real ad agency.
I will freely admit I am not a marketer. More importantly, my books to-date are extremely niche. The Senses Novels cater to the Christian Apocalyptic Fiction crowd. I am amazed, at times, that some non-Christians read and give good reviews of my books.
As I have stated in a previous blog post, I am tired of wasting my money on advertising that doesn't even pay for itself. There is only one marketer out there who offers a full money-back guarantee if you aren't satisfied. I've used them and not had a lot of luck. They did their best, so I haven't tried to collect my money (they have given me extra advertising which only produced more of nothing.)
I firmly believe the best advertising is word-of-mouth. That's why I am placing this 'call to action' for all the fans of the Senses Novels. If you have enjoyed the books, please tell others, write a review (you have no idea how much they help,) put it on your social media, help get the word out there. Also, ask people to sign-up for my mailing list (they can do this by going to https://kmaul.com.)
There is an advantage to signing up. One of the novels I intend to write is a prequel to the Senses Novels series. While I will be putting it up for sale, subscribers to my email list will receive a free copy to download when it comes out. By-the-way, I don't spam people. I rarely send out emails at all, they are usually reserved for important announcements, like a new book being published or a giveaway.
The novel I am currently working on is in a different genre. One of the interesting things about the main character in this book is their family tree. I will be offering a complete genealogy of this character to mailing list subscribers only (it's longer than most of my books!) and will not be a part of the novel itself.
I look forward to a fun and productive 2020 and pray you are doing the same!
You will notice I did not say, selling books more books. I have, at various times, offered giveaways on my novels without much success. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of books on the market promising the 'secrets' of marketing your books, some of these are free. Most of these books try to get you to sign-up with the author for lessons. Frankly, if I had thousands of dollars to spend, I'd use it on a real ad agency.
I will freely admit I am not a marketer. More importantly, my books to-date are extremely niche. The Senses Novels cater to the Christian Apocalyptic Fiction crowd. I am amazed, at times, that some non-Christians read and give good reviews of my books.
As I have stated in a previous blog post, I am tired of wasting my money on advertising that doesn't even pay for itself. There is only one marketer out there who offers a full money-back guarantee if you aren't satisfied. I've used them and not had a lot of luck. They did their best, so I haven't tried to collect my money (they have given me extra advertising which only produced more of nothing.)
I firmly believe the best advertising is word-of-mouth. That's why I am placing this 'call to action' for all the fans of the Senses Novels. If you have enjoyed the books, please tell others, write a review (you have no idea how much they help,) put it on your social media, help get the word out there. Also, ask people to sign-up for my mailing list (they can do this by going to https://kmaul.com.)
There is an advantage to signing up. One of the novels I intend to write is a prequel to the Senses Novels series. While I will be putting it up for sale, subscribers to my email list will receive a free copy to download when it comes out. By-the-way, I don't spam people. I rarely send out emails at all, they are usually reserved for important announcements, like a new book being published or a giveaway.
The novel I am currently working on is in a different genre. One of the interesting things about the main character in this book is their family tree. I will be offering a complete genealogy of this character to mailing list subscribers only (it's longer than most of my books!) and will not be a part of the novel itself.
I look forward to a fun and productive 2020 and pray you are doing the same!
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