Well I feel it is time for a little dance, I was not expecting the paperback to arrive at such speed, but here she is. Elora, The One-Winged Fairy has fluttered onto Amazon. Excited... Yep! So time for a shimmy! Yipee!
Hello to all those people who are a little bit curious about the next book... The good news is that I have just had the new cover come through. So if you have any opinions or ideas about it then please share... Elora, The One-Winged Fairy, is a children's fiction novel aimed at girls eight and older. I personally think it is really sweet, although I am biased because Elora, The One-Winged Fairy, is my creation. I wrote it with the intention to share laughter, giggling and joy with the world whilst sending a fairy on a rather strenuous adventure. In the meantime, I am more than happy to hear what people have to say about the cover. If you think it is rubbish then I can deal with that! Do you think it will appeal to young girls? What more can be done to make it better?
In the meantime, the audio is already in production with the fabulous Lisa Hicks. Lisa voiced The Hairy-Legged Mystery audio in such a marvellous way that I could hardly refuse her offer on the new book. Anyway I can't wait to hear her interpretation because she certainly comes up with some great voices!!! I will update you all for the release date... Which I hope will be sooner rather than later... Thanks for all your support:)
Do you have aspirations of being the next J.K Rowling or the next Tolkien? Admittedly I don't have such aspirations. I was simply happy writing my books, keeping myself entertained and entering into a beautiful mental landscape which was completely different to my usual world of Business Analysis. I was happy when I made one sale let alone a thousand. The challenge with having a mind that needs to figure things out and spends time working out common trends and patterns is that you apply that to all activities. Once an analyst, always an analyst. So this is why I share my findings with my lovely blog readers.
So when I first started releasing books I would put them on Kindle and assumed that magically readers would find them. I might sell ten books this way but nothing big ever happened. I realised that this attitude was not going to result in great sales. So my next books I did a desk launch. This was before publishing policies were implemented into the corporation I worked for. So I launched my book on Kindle and released the paperback from the desk and did desk signings. It actually was nuts because people lined up to buy books and I signed when I should have been working. I had no idea how I got away with it. I sold a stack of books this way but that did not spiral into world literary domination. It did result in me being accosted in the toilet and being asked if I was 'that author...' After that I came to the conclusion launching at work was not the best plan, so I adopted a pseudo-name and decided that the more book formats the better. I then branched in audio through having my books produced through ACX. This also increased sales but I was missing a key piece of the jigsaw puzzle - reviews.
Reviews are so powerful. I have written about this in some of my other blogs. Reviews from readers sell to other readers. The best thing to learn is not to take reviews personally - that is the challenge. However, a review has the ability to make or break a book sale. The more reviews the better because it makes the rubbish ones drop down the list. Remember you can't remove a review once it is posted. On one of my audio books some of the reviewers did not like the narrator and slated them. Those comments ground sales of that book to a halt. That was the learning. As I mentioned before, I don't rely on book sales for my income. Instead the additional income is used to over-pay my mortgage, saved or pays for a nice spa day. That is all part of my 'rewards' system as a motivator.
You may wonder how you get reviews. If you look at the Indie review book list, there are a list of reviewers you can approach. I also now advise people who have reviewed my other books when a book is due. Since most have enjoyed reviewing my other work, I now have a 'list' of reviewers who review most of my books once released.
So how does the word of mouth work? Well, every time I send a reviewer a free audio code I ask them to recommend the book, in whatever way they think will reach the most readers. That is - if they like the book. This word of mouth generates sales. Then that word of mouth generates more sales. Sometimes this momentum continues. At other times it just stops. Although this time I have noticed the shift in sales and momentum. Last month I released The Hairy-legged Mystery and Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. These were fun books for kids. My colleagues at work asked me to write them for their kids because the school holidays were nigh. So I put finger to keyboard and entertained myself. Within a few weeks these books were drafted, edited, proofread and published. They were short, fun and easy to write. I then posted on ACX. Two producers snapped them up and produced them within a week. I then asked reviewers to get involved and I had sixty reviewers offer review. It is during this period that you get scared. What if none sell? Should you buy one just to start the sales? Honestly... I have considered doing that before. However, the reviews rolled in and the reviewers recommended the books as did my friends that I wrote the book for. That is how it spirals... One child tells another that they read The Hairy-legged Mystery and another becomes curious... What I realised is that by having these books on audio they work on car journeys as well as bed time stories. As we know children can listen to something over and over again. So much so that parents also hear the same recording over and over again. In no time The Hairy-Legged Mystery became 'normalised' and people talked about it. That then made more sales. So with all that in mind my top tips for word of mouth generation are as follows:
Make a product you love and will happily stand by.
Let people know you are creating it / have created it.
Make as many formats possible - paperback, digital and audio.
Ask reviewers to review.
Ask reviewers to recommend.
Give as many free codes / samples to friends and ask them to tell their friends.
Finally find as many ways to let people know your book exists.
The truth is word of mouth is the best seller and creates a bestseller. No matter how much hype you make, if the product is of bad quality then there is only a short duration of sales. Provide quality, be authentic, relax into it and enjoy the sales!
This is the 2nd story by this author I have read and I love it. Will eagerly seek more by her. The story was captivating, mystical magical and entertaining. The parental Bed time stories and deceptions of the various monsters and creatures of fantasy keep you guessing as to what it Is. The reveal is more magical for the build up and Even more amazing than described. Loved it and highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. Good luck figuring it out. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review
Do you like to share your journey with others? I do because I know there are other writers and authors who are just starting out on a similar journey and I feel that by sharing the highs and lows of writing, I can somehow help and support them. On one of my previous posts I talked about reviews. Since then I have been asked a few questions about the process and how to deal with reviews.
During the writing to publishing process it is necessary to get reviews. It is an interesting phenomenon that many people base their buying decisions on the opinions of others. I look at it as a tribal mentality. People feel safer when other people offer opinions. There must be some deep-rooted psychological reasons for that.
So this week my books went out for review. This means that random people, who I have never met, listen to the audio versions of these books and post their opinions. When I first took part in this process I found it horrifying. When I say horrifying there were times I wanted to re-write a whole book based on the feedback. Over time I hardened up and realised that reviews were opinions based on people lives and where they were 'at' when they were writing the review. I doubt anyone would write a nice review after stubbing a toe or having a stressful day at work. The way that I dealt with it: I decided that I loved writing the books and releasing them. The reviews were simply part of a promotional process. If they were good then great, if they were absolutely hideous then I would go and do something nice like paddle-boarding to reward myself for being able to accept 'criticism.'
The thing is all authors are vulnerable because they open their hearts and souls to the world. They are being intellectually intimate with strangers. I actually wonder whether readers are aware of how they literally step into another person's inner world and what a privilege that is. Of course on the other side of the coin is being able to allow people access into your inner world.
The thing is reviews provide approval, disapproval and are part of the process. I have listed the three that I have received this week for Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. Guess which one was the one that caught my attention. Which one would capture your attention? It is funny isn't it?
Great story. The author hit it on the nose. Great tale to keep kids out of mischief. I don't know if the book itself is illustrated but if it Is I can just imagine the wonderful done scenes of the story. Well written well narrated. Straight to the pint and great for kids of all ages. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review
I wanted to give this a great review. However, it did not hold either of my children's attention. The story also ended very abruptly. I wish the writer had given a little more at the end. It is rather a frightening book from my perspective as a mother being that the mischief makers in the end leave Tinkle crying and bound up. I care for foster children that didn't sit well with me at all. I received this book for free for an honest review. I liked the fact the author was heading for a good ending it was the abruptness of the ending and how it ended I struggled with.
Where does Tingle Dingle and the Little Mischiefs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I haven't listened to very many but I loved the way the narrator added sound effects. Even though this is a childrens' book I thorough enjoyed listening to it.
What did you like best about this story?
The sound effects
What about Triera Holley’s performance did you like?
Her voice is soothing and clear.
For all those new writers that are entering the world of publishing, find your own way to work with the reviews. Some other author friends of mine simply don't bother looking. They said they created the work and put it into the world. That work then has to fend for itself...
Personally I now use the reviews to find ways to grow and improve. I like honest feedback and in truth I desire to provide my readers with the best books I can. That is easier if I listen to feedback, process it and then intend to create something more wonderful with the next piece of work.
5 of 5 starsA brilliant, well-written, compelling read.11 Jun. 2016
By LMS#YOM - Published on Amazon.com
This is a fascinating and powerful book that delves into the workings of financial institutions perfectly. After a lot of soul searching and personal debate the main character, Gillian, joins M.O.N.E.Y but then she quickly realises what a cult-like existence it is. Gillian bears witness to the extreme pressure to fit in and become part of the clique, but does she really want to conform? The challenges and demands put upon the ‘chosen’ ones to constantly improve and achieve their optimum is intense. The deceptive tactics used are all a part of M.O.N.E.Y’s control, but then comes the devastating feeling of being owned. Is it all too much for Gillian? Will she survive M.O.N.E.Y? A brilliant, well-written, compelling read.
Where does Tingle Dingle and the Little Mischiefs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I haven't listened to very many but I loved the way the narrator added sound effects. Even though this is a childrens' book I thorough enjoyed listening to it.
What did you like best about this story?
The sound effects
What about Triera Holley’s performance did you like?
Her voice is soothing and clear.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When people hear that I am an author they asked me if I am
'properly published'. In this day and age that question actually makes me laugh.
What is it that makes people believe that if you don’t have a huge publisher
behind you then you are not a real author? Erm let’s look at the likes of
Amanda Hocking and E.L. James. Did they have ‘proper’ publishers behind them
when they started out? Erm no. It was word of mouth that sold their work and
then the publishers heard of them. Their sales demonstrated they were 'worthy'. So with the question are you properly
published in mind: I would like to tell you what no one tells you about self-publishing
and actually why self-publishing is so beneficial.
Once upon a time... I started writing with conviction. Actually it was around fifteen years ago
and at the time I was naïve in my aspirations. I thought you sent a nice friendly
letter to a publisher about an idea and they would reply really quickly with 'wow that is a good idea' and instantly
offered a book deal. Yep I was wrong. Instead I learned the art of being
rejected. It is quite a humbling experience to receive endless rejection letters. It is more fun to burn them. Rejection could stop many people and cause them give up because they think – you know what people think my writing is shit! I thought if my writing was shit then it is actually quite amusing really to want to keep writing. The thing is I was
compelled to write. I just couldn’t help it. It was something that kept coming
and coming. I liken it to vomiting. You just can’t hold it in… It has to come
out! I then came to conclusion that REJECTION IS NOT FAILURE IT IS RE-DIRECTION.
Over the next year I took a different tactic - I
learned that you send to agents. So I sent to agents and a couple of times I
was in the running for representation only to be dropped for someone who had
been recommended by a friend. Nepotism and recommendations was the way forward.
So I learned the best way to ‘befriend’ and attended literary events and fairs.
While at one literary event, and after sculpting a double-helix structure from
cocktail sausages, I was taken on instantly by an agent. However, they had
spotted my artistic talent rather than my literary talents, he represented my
photography. At the time I wish I had sculpted the equivalent in literature. I
guess I could have chewed up my manuscript and made a paper-gobby-mush sculpture of
a squirrel or the like to capture attention. Anyway after being rejected more
than one hundred times I came to the conclusion that I must have been deluded.
Something in my writing must have been causing rejection – so I had my work
evaluated by a ‘professional’ service. At the same time I was offered a place
on a Master’s degree in creative writing. The Masters people told me
I had talent and that I was destined for great things. Great, until a series of
events stopped me being able to take the course. After that I came to the
conclusion that there had to be a better way. So I met an editor in real life
and a series of circumstances resulted in meeting my proof-reader who works for ‘real’
publishers. I came to the conclusion that it was time to go it alone and do
things my way… You know that blooming song…MYYYYYYY WAYYYYYYYYYYY! which is often accompanied by another ‘I get knocked
down but I get up again…’ Rocky would have real competition if this was boxing
and not writing.
After forming my own team, I began to self-publish. The
first attempts were okay; however, there was a real learning in formatting and
designing book covers. The biggest learning is providing absolute quality. My
proof-reader is a professional who advised me there are always details missed
in any book. When she works with the big publishers she finds mistakes in books
that are already on the shelves… The thing is everyone is human and everyone
has a certain attention span. With this in mind, it is really worth focusing on
quality and making sure you have grammatical geniuses read your books. There is always that pedantic aunt who was a secretary... Or that uncle that spouts Latin. If you can get them involved great, although, if you are writing erotica... actually who cares. If they can spot a grammatical error amongst eroticism then they are on your journey for the long-term!
Now it is time to publish and discover Kindle or one of the other platforms. Make a great cover, filled with refined content and hit PUBLISH!!! YEY! Once you have self-published your book, I guess you might be
sitting rubbing your hands together expecting the New York Times to call. The
reality is that thousands of people are releasing self-published books each
day. Unfortunately each self-published book sits amongst a crowd of other
self-published books. In addition, you are competing against published authors
who are listed before you. So how do you compete against million pound/dollar marketing
campaigns and a crowd of other authors? This is where you need to find your own
unique way and your own unique voice.
What no one tells you is that you are going to have to learn how to market yourself!
This is it – it is time to make yourself into a brand. That brand
has to be such that people are impressed by it. The thing with brands is they
have an identity and my advice, whether you choose to take it, is to be
absolutely authentic. You will never be able to please everyone and you will
definitely discover there are some right dickheads out there. Some of those
dickheads purposely go and put one star reviews on new author books (that is
something that no one ever tells you or prepares you for).
In addition, there
are the vultures… These are the people who are sitting up in the tree watching
you flail away to literary death. They then want to come and pick off the
bones. This analogy comes from all those people who will offer you their
services. There are promoters, marketing people and…. so many others who are all ready to take your money. My friend, who is an
author, learned the hard way. She invested in paying people to market her and
nothing came from it… In the end she used friends to recommend her to a
literary agent and that was her way forwards…
That was not my way forwards because I am a little bit headstrong and can write and write… I
also work with trending analysis, social media and business. While doing that I
was also teaching creative writing classes. I like to be busy and teach creative writing was a joy. What'smore, I had written numerous books including
LOVE HUNT 1 & 2 and my most powerful book MONEY FARM. They were selling at a steady pace, so
I felt that I had the right to teach what I had already learned. That is quite lucky really. By teaching you certainly have the chance to evaluate and look at new angles.
So, with my
business head on, I considered what was it that people needed or wanted? I then
wrote books that filled those gaps – one of them was A Short Course in Creative
Writing. That was written because my students asked me to write it. I then had
that turned into audio so that people could be prompted and write. Guess what?
That sold and sold well. Guess how I sold it? I advised students that I had put
the whole ten week course onto audio so they could download it. Guess what
happened? They told their friends and they told their writing friends. Word of mouth again!
So what else does no one tell you?
If you want to make money from writing then write what people need. That is entrepreneurialism.
The thing is sometimes there is no fun in that. Admittedly I loved writing the creative writing book because I could imagine students sitting and developing their writing with a teacher at their side whenever they needed it. I likened it to an 'on call' audio teacher. That made me feel nice. Although we write because we have other aspects to express too...
After understanding how to initiate word of mouth I thought: I know, I am going to
get a little bit cocky… I want to see if I write the books that I want to write
then can I create the market? I was applying the theory of post-modernism. What
did I want to write? Some short fun kids’ books. So I wrote The Hairy-Legged Mystery. That was
quickly followed by Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. Now, there is
nothing like a bedtime story being read to you. Yet sometimes parents don’t
feel like reading. So I thought – actually why not have it made into audio too?
That way the story can be read aloud and the parents can be present while it is
being read. Also the story can be stored on the phone and played on car
journeys. It just made sense to me. So I posted the books on ACX.COM (this is a
place where authors can invite audio producers to produce their work) and both
were picked up. The books were produced and went on sale on Audible and ITunes.
What no one tells you: how easy it is to get your book produced
professionally on audio! Those books began to sell due to a few blogs, a number
of tweets and a being lucky enough to have attracted a producer who works with
children as a ‘reader’ of books. I could
go on and on but I won’t. So this is what I have learned about self-publishing that
no-one tells you:
·There are loads of people who want to make money
from vulnerable authors. There are vanity companies, book promotional companies
and agencies all looking for you to pay them to validate you. I say steer
clear! None of my author friends have achieved anything that way.
·Before you do anything test you work on people
who are honest. None of the ‘nice’ friends. It is better to find out where you are
going wrong or right. Also remember everyone has an opinion and you will have
to learn discernment of opinion. That is a huge learning in itself.
·Find yourself a good editor and proof-reader to
make your books the highest quality.
·The truth is you are going to have to spend some
money if you want to create quality.
·Decide on being in the spotlight or anonymity. I went for the
latter because I would rather not be accosted in a supermarket or toilet (I had that happen when I won a big award for photography – it seriously put me off being recognised. Imagine a head poking under the toilet cubicle door to ask you a question... Oh yes!)
·Build yourself a brand. Look at the people you
like and look at what works. Decide what makes you special and build your brand
accordingly.
·Marketing – promote your books. There needs to be time and effort put into this. Ask friends to
tell friends. Post that you have published on Facebook. Write a blog. Make a
film. Do what your gut tells you to do but do intend to tell as many people as
possible. Pod casting and YouTube enable people to engage with you. The strange
thing is when people like you they buy your books. Weird eh?
·Publishers are looking for easy sales. If a book
establishes itself on a market then the publishers will come to you. At this
point you then get to ask yourself the question – do you stay indie? After
doing all that work and going on that journey – why do you actually need a
publisher and an agent? My answer is negotiation. However, there is a benefit
of doing it your way and that is no pressure. You can write. Release. Repeat.
That is liberating and seems to be a remedy to writer’s block! To be in this position is a beautiful thing...
·Finally write your next book and the next and
love the writing. If it sells great. If it doesn’t it is not failure. The fact
that you hatched an imagined idea into reality is success in itself. The truth
is writing will take you on a blooming journey – much like a narrative. The
monster in your narrative are the parts of your self – the self-doubt, the
inner critic and the idealist. Everyone wants their book to touch another’s
soul… Yet it might not. The biggest thing that no one ever told me is that the
purest pleasure is in the creation… You may sell a lot of books; however, the joy really is in being in that creative space and imagining as the words flow onto the page. I hope this inspires you… Go for it my
literary friend because there are seven billion people in this world and a
large enough market for everyone…
You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:
