eBook Publishing, Self Publishing Your Book

What is the ONE thing that has brought you more readers? Part 5 with Catherine Ryan Howard & Robert B. Lowe

Part 5 in this fab series where I ask indie authors 2 simple questions:

1. What do you wish you had known when you first started self-publishing?
2.
 What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

Today the wonderful Catherine Ryan Howard (aka Catherine, Caffeinated) & mystery-thriller author Robert B. Lowe are giving their thoughts…

[line]

Catherine Ryan Howard, Author of Self-Printed
www.catherineryanhoward.com

1. What do you wish you had known when you first started self-publishing?

Photo 25

Don’t have a real life book launch—or don’t do anything that involves ordering stock for yourself. That’s a massive investment and you can just as successfully self-publish by avoiding it completely.

2. What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

 

Screen shot 2012 09 24 at 2 40 04 PM

I think Twitter has been my most successful promotional tool, not because my Twitter followers buy my books (or that I expect them to) but because my Twitter “friends” have led to some many other opportunities to promote my book and make a living as a author, such as workshops, speaking engagements, etc. Every single thing I’ve done like that can be traced back to a connection I made on Twitter, sometimes years ago. It’s like networking without leaving the house!

 

Robert B. Lowe, Author of Project Moses and Divine Fury (Coming Soon)
www.RobertBLowe.com

1. What do you wish you had known when you first started self-publishing?

BobLoweBob w300

Go ahead and get a paperback if you’re serious. It’s important for local events like bookstore book signings. It’s helpful to start at your base – where you live – for your own morale among other reasons. You need hard copy to do that. The additional up front cost is minor.

Use LibraryThing giveaway to get readers who will leave reviews and get those numbers higher than the dozen friends and family.


2. What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?


Projectmoses

KDP Select worked very well for me. But, I think you have to have the right setup. Ideal is to have at least 20 Amazon reviews and a high 4.x average. You need to spend the two weeks before listing it on the sites that list freebies. Try and work the blogs a bit that do this. Also, if you can have a blog tour going at the same time and somehow get into a tweeting network. It can all work together as a perfect storm if the pieces are there. I know a lot of people are dissing this route. But, for a first time author selling a couple of copies a day, why not?

[clear]

Want more?

Part 1 with Dina Silver & Jeff Bennington
Part 2 with Giacomo Giammatteo & Lauren Clark
Part 3 with Erik Atwell & Terri Giuliano Long
Part 4 with Ingrid Ricks & Wendy Tokunaga