I’ve discovered, as a self-published author, that the most challenging aspect of writing and publishing an original work is not the writing, editing, cover art selecting, copyright applications, and publishing. The most challenging aspect is marketing.
I have this blog. I have a Facebook page. I have an Amazon Author page. What I need, however, is an audience. And, let’s face it, when the bulk of my sales have been to friends, family, and co-workers, that’s not building an audience. So, I run promotions.
I did my first promotion on Labor Day weekend 2020. I offered the Kindle version of Sempiternus, normally at $3.99, for the sale price of $1.99. I advertised this sale on the BookLemur website as well as my Facebook author page. I got 4 sales from this promotion. But, more importantly, I built my audience.
Still, I realized that I had to do something more. So, I decided to run a FREE book promotion on one day only: Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2020. As a veteran myself, it was my own small way of giving something back. So I set up my promotion through Amazon Kindle, prepared advertising through BookLemur and BookMarketingTools websites, and created an ad on my Facebook author page. And waited for the results.
Today, according to Amazon Kindle, I succeeded in giving away 191 digital copies of Sempiternus. I spent $83.68 on advertising. That works out to just about $0.44 per copy. But, hopefully, I gained something far more valuable.
An audience.
I’ll be honest. I’m not writing because I think I’m going to market a best-seller. I’m writing because I enjoy storytelling. I enjoy painting a picture with words. And, when I’m gone, I will have left something of me behind. A legacy, if you will. But, at the same time, I wouldn’t mind getting a little return on my investment of time and money. And, in order to do that, I need customers. An audience that will buy and read my books. And I can’t think of a better way to build that audience, and possibly get some more reviews on my Amazon page, to give my works away for free from time to time.
Soon, I will be publishing my second work, an angsty coming-of-age tale titled “Meadow.” It’s completely different from “Sempiternus.” But, like “Sempiternus,” I will offer “Meadow” from time to time at a reduced price, or even for free. Because, as an author, I want my stories to be read, and I want them to entertain people.
And, for that, I need an audience.
Bruce's Imagination 