Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Elephant in the Room

Why, hello, dear friends. How are you doing? Well, I hope. I am fine, thank you. It has been some time since I've shared anything with you here, and I'm sincerely sorry for that. On the other hand, I think we both know why.

Come on, we've both sensed it. There have been awkward pauses between us as we've passed each other on the street. Averted gazes. Fumbling goodbyes. Therefore, I think it long past time time we addressed the elephant in the room, to wit: What can you do for me?

I know, I know, it sounds awfully terse and straightforward when you say it out loud like that, doesn't it? Even so, I think it will do us both good if we simply clear the air and have this frank discussion, don't you?

Oh, you do! Thank you. Whew. That's a relief. Well, then! Here goes:

1. The first thing you can do for me is to buy my books. If you have already purchased my books, thank you! They're not expensive. Some people (total strangers, even) think at least a few of them are pretty good. So, thanks for buying one! Why not buy another? Buy them all! Collect them! Trade them! Share them with your friends!

(Seriously, each purchase of either Kindle or paperback version raises my author rank and makes me that much more discoverable to other readers, so sincere thanks to all who have bought one or more of them.)

2. The next thing you can do for me is to leave a review. Books without reviews don't sell. I know! Some of my books have no reviews. And they don't sell! Even a few sentences can make all the difference. To those of you who have left reviews, thank you. It means a lot.

3. If you're a member of Goodreads (or Amazon) put my books on a list! Lots of people use lists to discover new books and new authors. Why not me? For example, here's a Goodreads list of pirate books that I think Swash! would be perfect for! And here's a list of vampire novels that Applewood or any of its sequels could sit on proudly. And here's a list of fairy books that The Mound could find a place on.

You get the idea. Maybe there are other lists you think my books would look good on. Be creative! Don't be constrained! And thank you. I would do it myself, however these sites (rightfully!) don't allow authors to put their own books on lists. It has to be organic from the fan base! And that is as it should be.

4. Like and follow my Facebook page and follow me on twitter. I don't post to Facebook as much as I should, but I'm on twitter most every day. And I try to keep it interesting and keep spamming to a minimum. Honest!

At any rate, I could go on . . . but seriously, it's hard to get motivated to write new books (and I think I've got a bunch more in me! Further sequels to Applewood. A follow-up to The Mound. At least one epic end of the world nightmare.) if you can't sell the books you've written. And I just don't have the budget for traditional advertising. So my books have to sink or swim on their own merits and by word of mouth.

Hopefully (and with your help!) I can get the word out better than I have been doing. And if you have any other ideas, I'm all ears! All suggestions entertained.

As always, thanks for reading.


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