I know that I have already sworn to step back from promoting and concentrate more on building up my pulp speed – but some of you writer-types who are still hunting for ways to promote might find something of interest in this blog entry.
I might peek at it too, when I think no one is looking!
I first posted this in Goodreads (twice actually, expanding it the second time). Some of it I posted on kboards too. All in all, I spent way too much time on it, so I might as well post it here–revised and updated–to benefit some of my author friends, especially those starting out.
Book promotion is a tricky thing, and not all of book promotion is actually promoting. Too many authors end up spamming people and (rightly) getting everyone annoyed, not to mention putting self-published authors in a bad light. Hence this list–thought it might help a little. Here are the methods that have worked for some writers, including myself (though mind you I have not tried all of them yet):
– Bookbub ad (you have to apply to get in, and it can be pricey, but has been known to work)
Okay, so I have talked about this blog entry for the last couple of days – but just in case you are new to this concept let me point you towards the blog entry where it all started – namely Dean Wesley Smith’s blog article – ACHIEVING PULP SPEED.
I have decided to adopt this principle over 2015 and as a result I have written 2767 words yesterday and about 3000 today.
Now that is a pretty impressive feat – however, in all honesty I have to admit that this is all the result of a revision of a roughed-out novel that I have already completed. So, I did not create those nearly 6000 words out of thin air. I mostly retyped and revised them.
Right now, where I get the words from isn’t necessarily the point for me.
This is all just a warm-up. I am trying to get myself used to that sort of a production level.
At the rate that I am going this novel will be in print by the end of the month – namely, the beginning of 2015. SO – I have decided that I am going to do my level best to publish ONE MILLION WORDS of e-book in 2015.
If you figure about 50,000 words for a short novel – well that is about twenty short novels in one year.
I’ve got several novels in rough draft all ready – as well as several novellas – so that gives me a bit of a head-start – although they still all need some drastic revising and rewriting which I will undertake as the year progresses.
I intend to build my stamina and my speed up as the year progresses.
There are two schools of thought regarding the creation of a successful indie writing career.
Some folks will tell you that you need a whole lot of e-books out there. If you get one hundred e-books published and sell one copy of each e-book every day – well you have got yourself a pretty good income.
Other folks argue that you need to be looking at building a platform and a fanbase and a mailing list – MORE than you need to concentrate on just pumping out books.
BUT – I have found that the last half a year or so I have been getting way too bogged down in that whole promotion end of things – so I am pulling back on my promotional activities and dedicating this year towards just learning how to produce on a more regular basis.
So far my attempts at promotion have met with mixed success.
I have sold hundreds of e-books – but not thousands.
Not yet.
So this coming year I am going to focus on building myself into a lean and mean writing machine.
Right now the way I see it, writing is like going to the gym. If you want to build yourself a truly fit body – if you want to be lean and cut and buff and powerful – well you have got to be focused and dedicated and you have got to learn how to put your time in at the gym.
Well – in 2015 – this keyboard in front of me is going to be my own personal work-out gymnasium.
I have been working on trying to goose-up my writing speed for the last half of a year. I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo in July this summer. I took part in NaNoWriMo itself just last month – and I hit the 50,000 word mark both times.
Now I am going to have write as if my muse had thrust a burning porcupine up inside of my fundament and commanded me to begin writing before she started doling out the Calamine lotion.
One million words published in the year 2015.
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
If you enjoyed this blog entry why don’t you pick up one of my e-books?
YOURS IN STORYTELLING... 