As we wander down life’s highway, we often hit a bump in the road which could be ill health, loss of a job or maybe your car just won’t start on a cold morning – been there, done that, got all the t-shirts nicely ironed, folded and sat in my drawer. Being an author is much like that. There are times when the inexplicable happens and you are at a loss to understand what’s happened.
Writing, editing and self-publishing your book can either give you success, no success or a steady trickle of sales. My sales tend to go from pretty good to a steady trickle of sales. You can expect a rush of sales at first (though you don’t always achieve that) but this mad rush will soon settle down. And it’s the same with giving away a free book… or is it?
I tend not to use the kdp select option on Amazon. Instead I will write two books on the same subject or genre and give one away free, permanently on Smashwords and Kobo and then use Amazon’s Price Match to make that book permanently free on Amazon. Bear in mind Amazon don’t have to bow to your wishes and may change their policy to Price Match at any time.
My very small book Hitler’s Secret Atomic Bomb is permanently free and in it you will find adverts to another of my books on a similar subject, Operation Werwolf. Of course I always add in a link to all my books but the idea is to appeal to those readers wanting a particular genre. I’ll be doing the same with The Ragged Edge of Time when that’s published.
This strategy has worked well with my series of five books, Living in Cyprus of which the 2015 edition is free. From that I’ve had steady sales month on month. But when I put Hitler’s Secret Atomic Bomb out for free downloads it went from the twenties to the thirties to the hundreds and now to the thousands. That, is a pretty big bump in my sometimes rocky road to being an indie author. There are times when these bumps in your road will lead you to wonder, “What just happened?” This is my, what just happened, moment.
Tom Kane © 2018
My Books on Kindle & Paperback
An Indie Author Guide to Blogging – Helpful advice, hints and tips for bloggers
A Pat on his Back – Lifestyle humour
Living in Cyprus: 2013 to 2017 – an English expat’s life in Cyprus
Living in Cyprus: 2013
Living in Cyprus: 2014
Living in Cyprus: 2015 – FREE
Living in Cyprus: 2016
Living in Cyprus: 2017
Diary of a Debt Collector – True life humour
Operation Werwolf – WW2 action adventure fiction
Hitler’s Secret Atomic Bomb – The evidence for Hitler’s atomic weapon program – FREE
Ciao Roma – A guide to short stays in Rome
How to Start Your Own Embroidery Business – Home working
The Eternal Man – Science Fiction short stories & flash fiction
On Kobo
An Indie Author Guide to Blogging – Helpful advice, hints and tips for bloggers
The Eternal Man – Science Fiction short stories & flash fiction
Hitler’s Secret Atomic Bomb – The evidence for Hitler’s atomic weapon program – FREE
On Smashwords
The Eternal Man – Science Fiction short stories & flash fiction
Hitler’s Secret Atomic Bomb – The evidence for Hitler’s atomic weapon program – FREE
Coming Soon
The Ragged Edge of Time: Science Fiction Time Travel Alternate History
Welcome to Beyond: 1950s Style Science Fiction
Ascension-Brave – New Earth: First Contact Becomes Humanities First Galactic War
The Brittle Sea – Drama
See details on my website by clicking here.
The post The Indie Author: The Bumpy Road to Success appeared first on Tom Kane's Blog.
