2011 was a huge year for the indie author, and 2012 is so
far looking strong as well. Unfortunately, ‘indie’ still has a bad name, with
people who are just hoping to earn a quick buck or two hopping on the
bandwagon. So in this new publishing world, free of gate keepers and quality
control, how can we make our eBooks stand out in the ever-growing crowd?
1. The Cover.
Anyone in the publishing industry (and
readers alike) know the old adage ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’ is
rubbish. A cover is the very first thing your book will be judged on. If your
cover isn’t eye-catching—particularly as a thumbnail—then the reader will
by-pass it without a second glance. You can buy a decent eBook cover for as
little as $40. if your eBook isn't selling, why not try a new cover? Money well spent!
2. The
Price.
This has always been a
controversial topic. Many indie authors have seen success because we’ve been
able to undercut the big boys. The $0.99 price tag has been losing some of its
allure as readers are lining cheap up with rubbish. However, the $0.99 price
tag does have its place, as does the ‘free’ price tag. I’ve had great results
offering both the first book in my series as $0.99 and now as free. Short
stories involving the characters from your novel can also be offered for $0.99 and
free in order to drum up interest in your novels. However, don’t under price your work. I now offer all of my novels for $3.99, my
novellas and short story collections for $2.99 and short stories for $0.99.
3. The
Blurb.
So your cover has enticed the
reader in and the price tag has them thinking they might just take a chance on
an unknown author. Now they’ll move on to check out the book itself. The first
thing they’re going to read is the pitch. You want to sell your book to that
reader. Make it concise and exciting. I read too many blurbs that start with ‘this
is a story about...blah blah blah’. Seriously? Read some of the blurbs of
best-selling novels in your genre and copy their style!
4. Formatting.
Most likely the next thing a
reader will do is check out the ‘look inside this book’ option Amazon offers. Make
sure your book looks like it’s been put together by a professional. Include a
proper title page. Check your formatting hasn’t gone screwy during the
conversion process, leaving gaps and different font sizes where they shouldn’t
be. Smashwords has a good guide on formatting which is free to download.
5. Write
Another Book.
One of the great things about
the eBook market is that readers can get a quick and immediate fix and when
they’ve read something of yours they've enjoyed, they can easily buy something else at just the click of
a button. A collection of short stories
at a low price is a great way to introduce readers to your style. Not only
that, it doesn’t cost a fortune to have a short collection edited and doesn’t
take the best part of a year to write. Short stories will increase your virtual
shelf-space and make you more noticeable to the reader.
I hope these five tips have helped if you’re thinking of
getting into the eBook market or if you’ve got a book which hasn’t made many sales!
Happy writing everyone!
Hi, Marissa. Thanks for sharing. I love what you write about the cover being judged because there is no getting around this old, out-dated addage; that cover may be the only shot we've got to hook potential readers.
ReplyDeleteSadly, with regard to learning how to properly format, etc., I may very well have to learn how to do all of that stuff soon. *sigh* It was so much nicer when all that I had to do was write.
Oh, well. Live and learn, right?
Anyway, you take care of yourself and continued success, my friend.
-Jimmy
It's all a continuous learning curve, Jimmy! I thought I was getting pretty good at all this stuff, but then a part of formatting for print totally threw me this week. Yes, it was time consuming, but I feel good for learning something new.
ReplyDeleteAnd should you need any help when your time comes, you know where I am!
Hi, Marissa! I'm about to go the Indie route, too, with my first novel. Good stuff to know! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorelei! Have you gotten your book rights back from the publisher then? Or is this a new novel?
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I know a good cover is really important! As a reader I always look at the cover and the Blurp. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://darkchocolatewriting.blogspot.com/