Marketing your ebook

[FionaW]

Is moderately challenging, especially for those of us who really don't have enough to say to keep a blog going.

So I'm putting together a website, and would welcome suggestions for the sort of things readers might want to see.

The things I have come up with so far:

Character pages, each with an excerpt that demonstrates something interesting or amusing about the character, possibly with Poser CG images.

Free pdfs of the first few chapters from each book.

Updates on release plans for the rest of the series.

Links to other epic fantasy writer's sites.

A contact form for comments.


This doesn't seem like very much. Any suggestions?

 

[HareBrain]

possibly with Poser CG images.

I might be in the minority, but for me, almost any hand-drawn image will trump a CG image, which I almost always find offputting. You might not be able to draw yourself, but it might be worth trying to find someone who can, and pay them to do something within your budget. Even some loose B&W sketches might make a difference.

 

[Ursa major]

A map (or maps) with relevant information on them. (Please note that I'm biased: I like to see maps, though it isn't a deal-breaker for me when they're not in the book(s). )



In parallel with HB's comment: If you're not good at drawing maps, try to get someone who can draw them to do yours.

 

[Gareth Lewis]

If you've any deleted scenes or alternative chapters then they might be of interest to some readers, along with explanations of why you removed/replaced them.

I've also included rules sections for some of my stories. If a story contains a magic system where I need to keep straight how it works, or if it has vampires and werewolves and I want to keep track of which of the numerous rules regarding them work for my setting, then I'll write them out (often after the first draft) to make sure they stay consistent.

 

[chopper]

i've found Amazon's "author central" sub-site to be quite handy. the UK version is very basic and cut-down, allowing you to post a bio and photos, but the US version also lets you add an existing blog via an RSS feed*, as well as post up all kinds of promo flannel. all of which gives your presence on the site a bit more ooomph. how this would translate into sales is a bit nebulous, i suppose, but this, for me, is decent add-on content for the reader that is easier to access than my own site**. which, by the by, hasn't been updated in years as i got frustrated with having to stop writing and learn how to code and create incoming traffic there.

from the published world: Adrian Tchaikovsky's site is essentially a blog with added content, including additional stories from his world and fan-art. Scott Lynch has extra stories, though his site has suffered from his absence through illness, and GRRM's site is full of bonus news and bits. the key ingredient seems to be some sort of interactivity with the author.


*like the one i have here
**which has character bios, version histories, etc etc, as listed above, though not maps because my drawing is like arthritic spiders and my Photoshop/Illustrator skills were, at that point, non-existent (they ain't that good now, either!)

 

[rdenning]

Have you come across Book Buzzr or Freado as it is also called.
You can upload your book there and allow a certain % to be readable. Cool thing is you can also put widgets on your website with the book on.

If you want to see how it works take a look at my own website under any of the books. I wont put the link here to avoid the self advertising problem but it is on my profile.
Or PM me.

Anyway the widget makes it LOOK like a book. People can turn the page. Then you can link to wherever the book can be sold.

Have you used Smashwords? That allows you to upload your book and converts to multiple ebook formats NOT JUST kindle. They distribute to multiple retailers. You can set up coupons to allow discounted downloads. Have the code on your website, maybe let your FB mates have it.
It is US based which means if you are UK based they withhold TAX on your sales but I had my first payment through recently - not an exciting figure but it shows that it works. You can get round the TAX issue but it involves going to the US emebassy in London and complex forms (is it possible the US tax system is more complex than the UKs?) so not worth it unless sales get larger.

 

[Montero]

It may well have been done on SFF before, but you might want to take a poll of what leads people to a book.
I rarely read blogs, and where I do it is mostly about things completely other than SFF (info on "how to" with other hobbies). In SFF I do read agent and publisher blogs/websites though!
If I do read an author website or blog it is because:
1. I've seen a recommendation and want more info
2. I'm already a keen reader of said author and want to know more about the author (which is not very often)
3. I want to know the order of the books in a series and when the next one is coming out.
4. They have comments on how to write and I was lead there by a link from somewhere else.



So I tend to start from
Amazon reviews, and occasionally Amazon reader lists, both the sort where you line up the books you like and the Amazon sort where they say "if you like this, you might also like that"
SFF recommendations, either in response to my query, some else's query, or as part of a general thread.

My next port of call is often the Fantastic Fiction website to check if or where a book is in a series.

So if it were me, I might do a website, but set it up for basic info, a little bit of hype and maybe have a reader discussion section, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it. But that is just me.

Now for statistical comparison, you should be aware I don't read eBooks (yet). I like to sit with a paper book on the sofa as a break from the computer screen. So if you do a poll (perhaps on general book area?) then you might want to link questions about
1. Do you read blogs?
2. Do blogs lead you to read a book
3. Are those books eBooks?

You might also want to link in computer literacy and also age of reader. (As in does your book appeal to a particular age range, then those are the responses you care about.)

 

[ML Hamilton]

You should have a page for any reviews you may have gotten. Link your reviews back to the original source, so people can verify it. Also, post an excerpt from the novel, something that speaks to your writing ability more so than an integral scene. Have a short biography about who you are and something that people can relate to in their own personal life.

 

[Virtuous]

Speculative fiction usually takes place in some form of "other world" so some background info is a very useful value-add on a website. My novel is military sci-fi, so on the website I added a page describing the different types of spaceship the reader encounters, and another page explaining the military rank system. Basic stuff (with custom-made images wherever possible to make it visually appealing) but important for those readers not as conversant in basic military details as I am.

Because I made use of existing scientific theories, I had a page dedicated to briefly explaining the central theory on "warped 5-dimensional geometry" (yep, that's what it's called) by Dr. Lisa Randall of Harvard, giving full credit to Dr. Randall so that readers don't think I'm inventing my own physics a la Star Trek.

Like many have mentioned above, I also included a sample champter in a format that makes it look like a book. This is probably the most-visited part of the whole site, and certainly the highest-ranking on Google searches.

To personalize it, there's an About the Author page with my grinning mug and a bio that's relevant to the book (ie, displaying my subject matter expertise that might make me more credible as a military sci-fi author). I also had a few pages where I wrote quick reviews of books and movies I recommend.

There is a blog, and in it I write (about once a week, because who has the time?) about whatever interests me, although I try to pick topics that are at least thematically connected to the book.

Most, most, MOST important of all for any website, however, is the Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. This is all the keywords, metatags and metatitles that are largely unseen to the casual viewer, but are what Google, Yahoo! and other search engines examine when ranking your site in a search. Unless you're a web-expert you'll need help with this, but your site needs to be cleverly optimized if you want anyone to find it amongst the millions of websites out there.

 

[antiquity2288]

Traditionally, that is before the Internet took over our souls, the things that sold book that were on that white stuff, oh paper, were: Writer if the writer had a following (a successful writer who made money from it, who probably wouldn't need help); Book title; Back cover; and First page. These were the items immediately available when we were standing in the store, deciding on which book to spend our money. It doesn't seem ebooks are that much different. First, it seems to me, you need people looking at your marketing website. Second, you need Titles, Back covers, and a Page (or a few chapters). I say the above having spent more time than writing the novel, writing background information for my time travel novel, including an entire 100 page history book and time lines to the future, character bios with art (not very good art since I'm not a graphic artist), and stressing why I can't get hits.

 

[Jude]

Fiona said:

Character pages, each with an excerpt that demonstrates something interesting or amusing about the character, possibly with Poser CG images.

Free pdfs of the first few chapters from each book.

I had the same idea just last week! I started a Blog on Wordpress and thought what a good idea it would be to put in passages from the book with a picture attached. I've had no training in art, but don't think I'm too bad at it. It's time-consuming, (took me about four hours to paint a mouse) but I've managed three pictures already. I think they're a great aid to the 'flavour' of the book. Luckily I've taught myself how to use GIMP, and so can either create pictures from nothing, or else play with photos - which I also use for artwork.

It's great to have a good Blog or website, the trouble is getting the public to know about it. I've sent a bulk email informing friends that I'm now on Kindle, and also gave the link to my new Blog; also smeared myself all over Facebook. But not sure what else to do.

I do think an attractive cover and a well-written 'product description' as they call it are incredibly important if you're published on something like Amazon Kindle. They're certainly the things that attract me, or put me off a book.

 

[Persona]

Fiona said:

Character pages, each with an excerpt that demonstrates something interesting or amusing about the character, possibly with Poser CG images.

Free pdfs of the first few chapters from each book.

I had the same idea just last week! I started a Blog on Wordpress and thought what a good idea it would be to put in passages from the book with a picture attached. I've had no training in art, but don't think I'm too bad at it. It's time-consuming, (took me about four hours to paint a mouse) but I've managed three pictures already. I think they're a great aid to the 'flavour' of the book. Luckily I've taught myself how to use GIMP, and so can either create pictures from nothing, or else play with photos - which I also use for artwork.

It's great to have a good Blog or website, the trouble is getting the public to know about it. I've sent a bulk email informing friends that I'm now on Kindle, and also gave the link to my new Blog; also smeared myself all over Facebook. But not sure what else to do.

I do think an attractive cover and a well-written 'product description' as they call it are incredibly important if you're published on something like Amazon Kindle. They're certainly the things that attract me, or put me off a book.

I've tried the attractive cover approach and a website but I'm not sure where to go from there on advertising my book. It's on Lulu but getting the public's eye is very difficult.

I need some other way to attract readers but it's easier said than done.

 

[Scarfy]

This is a problem that even the big commercial publishing houses face. With all the books out there, why should you read this one..?

Publishers print dozens of books to send to reviewers, bloggers and stores months in advance of the publication date, in order to drum up the required hype and knowledge of the novel.

The biggest obstacle is obscurity - people who have never heard of you and your work will only pick it up randomly. Most will turn to a best-sellers list in order to find out what to buy.

That's why I made the first edition of my novel free and also placed it under a non-commercial Creative Commons license. It helps to spread the word about the series, as people can download it from free list directories, etc. Should they enjoy that first book, they'll hopefully be willing to buy into the rest of the series.

I've also got a website for the series, tweet about it a lot (which is probably annoying the hell out of my followers), and am soon planning a free Android quiz app, which will allow readers to answer a series of questions about the series. If nothing else, it's a marketing tool and something for the fans to enjoy. They can even create their own questions.

This approach doesn't always work, however. Sadly, I've seen a lot of people doing a similar thing to me and get nowhere.

 

[Steve S]

I too have offered my first novel as a free e-book and this has been valuable in terms of building up interest and potential readers for the second volume (of the trilogy).

I would also advise making use of any marketing opportunity, however limited, that is available. For example, I have submitted articles to local town and parish magazines - their circulation is tiny compared to regional and national papers, but they are encouraging and will allow you to promote a 'local' angle. I have found that most of the articles result in some sales, maybe not hundreds or thousands perhaps, but if you keep plugging away you might be surprised how quickly your sale figures improve.

Best of luck!

 

[Vertigo]

I would second Ursa's comment on maps. Partly because I too like maps but also, and more importantly, if you have maps in the book anyway they unfortunately rarely come out well on eBook readers and I find them nigh on impossible to read. I read ebooks almost exclusively now and with any book that has a map I always try and find a reasonable resolution copy on the internet that I can print and keep stuffed in the reader cover whilst I'm reading.

 

[Persona]

How would you find an interested market?

Even if you offered someone a free book, if it's not of interest to them, they won't read it.

 

[rdenning]

How would you find an interested market?

Even if you offered someone a free book, if it's not of interest to them, they won't read it.

Well I think you need to get reviews from suitable blogs. There are hundreds of sites which review books. Setting up a Book Blog Tour is worth a thought.
If you get a number of good reviews as a result and the reviewer will post them on Amazon that will be start.

It is not true that people wont look at free stuff. On Smashwords you can host your ebook and I have had hundreds of downloads. I participate in things like Operation e-book drop (giving free ebooks to the troops). Smashwords also do Read an ebook week. These are worth looking at.

It takes time to build on all this - I have only really started myself about a year ago but I am getting SOME sales as a trickle.

 

[Persona]

Let me try those

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Having published on the kindle thingy myself about a year ago and had poor sales I can tell you of the two mistakes I made. First the cover art - did it myself and it was crap (It seemed so clever at the time!). Second price point, charge too much initially as an unknown author and no one will buy it.

But there is a forum on Amazon where you can advertise your works, so I'd recommend checking it out. Get a little buzz going, have an eye catching cover, a good hook in your blurb, and make it cheap and you'll hopefully catch a few fish. Then, when you've got some feedback, and do ask for readers to write comments good or bad, you'll have a better base for publishing your second book.

Cheers.

 

[Luc Valentine]

Here's a link to a pretty good website on general eBook publishing:

The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing

Especially good is the Resources link on the main menu.