Marketing books, and trying to write

Hey, if you want STEEL FORCE or GUARDIAN, THE CHOICE at 99c, this is the week to get them! After the weekend they revert back to $2.99.

One of the things that many readers may not realize is that trying to self-publish successfully requires almost a full-time job in marketing. This week I’m marketing the YA fantasy, last week the Jack Steel Thrillers. It’s exhausting running FB, AMS, and Bookbub ads, and countless other things that have to be in place for this. However, there is an upside!

This week I will run my first BookBub featured deal, sending STEEL FORCE FREE to 3.3 million thriller readers. The average downloads average 37,000, so you can see huge spikes in sales, reviews, and your email list. Actually, Bookbub is the ‘holy grail’ of promotions, and they only accept 20% of the writers that apply, especially if your books are only on Amazon–since they prefer that you are also on Itunes, B&Noble, and KOBO. I’m not, because that all requires more marketing time and dollars than I have right now. They pick the best of the best. I’ve known some writers who applied 21x before they were accepted. I’ve applied a dozen times before acceptance. But it’s worth it!

Bookbub can make your career as a writer. Get 20K downloads and perhaps sell 5K books if you have a series, or the beginnings of one. I only have two Jack Steel books, so it’s not a full-blown series yet. But Bookbub may ensure it will be. I’m excited about this, and also the great reviews from readers who email me personally. That is always gratifying.

You’ve noticed I haven’t talked about writing! That’s because I haven’t done any for nearly a month of advertising. I’m working on the 3rd Jack Steel book, a non-fiction stress reduction book (good for writers who stress!), and getting ready to reread the 3rd Magical Beasts book. In late Feb 2020, I plan to launch the next thriller (Book 1 in the Alex Sight series, Kill Sight) and the 3rd fantasy, already written and needs minor edits.

All of this is exciting, and difficult because I work full-time as well. Not complaining, just sayin’. What keeps me motivated are the books themselves, the readers, and the thing I envision at the end of all this: Movie Deal. 🙂 Truthfully, I love to write, and love movies, so it would be a good match. And I think my books would make great movies! Doesn’t every writer?