Thursday 15 September 2011

Work Hard and be Patient!

This is the motto I've been telling myself this week.

I'm now about two and a half weeks into the relaunch of 'Alone' and sales have been steady. I've worked out that I've sold about 140 copies since the launch, which is pretty good, but could be better. This time last year I would have been thrilled at that number but things have changed.

Last week I received a royalties statement for my M.K. Elliott name (a pen name I write romance and erotica in) and learnt that I'd sold over 10,000 books within the first five months of releasing my first title. That first title hit the #1 spot for Erotica on Barnes & Noble within a week of being launched and no one was more surprised than me! Since then I've had a number of titles hit the bestseller list on Amazon (two of which are still there and have been for several months now).

Because I've seen this success in my other name, it makes things so much more frustrating in my 'real' writing. I so desperately want my novels to see the sorts of sales my other work has but I know its going to be a much slower process. I've still got four titles which will be released between now and next Easter, all of which are written, they just need a final edit on my side and to be professionally edited. I've also got a short story collection, 'Apocalypse Ever After,' which I hope to have out in the new year.

So my marketing strategy is going along the 'flood the market' tactics. Sure, I'm also guest blogging and sending my books out for review, plus running f/b ads. I'm also hoping some clever pricing and free reads will boost sales.

Anyway, here is the cover for 'Buried'. What do you think guys? The image has once again come from the very talented Rebecca Treadway and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It totally captures the whole feel of the book.


Right! Back to work!

5 comments:

  1. The cover is superb and I am looking forward to finding out what happens to Serenity.

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  2. First of all, I love the book cover! Rebecca did a great job!

    As for your "real" writing sales, erotica is a hot item now, and you write it well. I've been checking out the top sellers on Smashwords, and a lot of them are erotica. Not so much horror. It will pick up for you, I'm sure. And, young lady, erotica is real writing also.

    Blaze

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  3. Haha, yes, I know its real writing Blaze! I meant 'real' in the terms that my Marissa Farrar name is my real name and M.K. is a pseudo-name. It's also the writing I grew up dreaming of doing, whereas I kind of fell into the erotica when a good friend of mine invited me to join her in the project that is now Everything Erotic (a paid for kindle blog and ebooks). It's what allows me to write full time and without it I'd never be able to put as much time and commitment into my 'real' writing so I'd certainly never want to take anything away from the genre (though unfortunately there are a lot of really bad erotica authors out there who are basically just writing porn). Erotica is also good fun to write! ;-)

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  4. I love the book cover. You really have been working hard laterly. I did not know you also wrote erotica. Actually I have never read erotica. I might just have a look ;) You are are a super writer and are destined for great things.

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  5. That is so sweet of you to say, thank you Catherine! I'm really hoping 2012 will be my year. I've not quite accomplished everything I'd hoped so far this year (though I have managed to pull off some things I'd not been expecting!)but I'm learning from the things that haven't worked and every day that goes by, I'm picking up more and more information as far as the industry goes. I'm looking forward to seeing where I am this time next year!

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