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RE: Want to be a Successful Author? Burn Any Rule Book You Find
The only thing I know about publishers is that some of the books I like the best have authors who have only had a very few (sometimes only 1) books published. I once found the address and emailed one of these authors, hoping that I'd misses a title somewhere and he told me (to my despair) that the publishers didn't find enough market to publish any more of his books. I was so disappointed! I have the copies of those and the few other books in a spot where I can easily find them again for the next time I can't resist them.
I do find that the newer process of leaving book reviews online is very helpful though. A lot of books that I would never have found (many by self-publishers) show up as 'recommended by people who liked this book' or 'books similar to this'. Amazon and iBooks are good for something!
What a shame. I think a lot more voices can be heard today, which is a great thing. At the same time it's a little scary how much power Amazon has! And getting a good number of reviews is key for these self-published authors.
In the end, writers are stuck with the same dilemma - how to get their work in front of readers who will pay for them. But at least now they can appeal directly to those readers!
Please leave reviews! I've been published for two years now. I have seven reviews. I've sold a few hundred copies, and given away hundreds more. The first time I made it free for a few days, I got in the top ten of one of my genres.
Amazon will start putting me in those "if you liked this" recommendations at twenty five reviews.
Reviews mean the world to a self published author!
PS: also, ask for them at your library! I asked about donating copies to the library, and they said that doesn't mean it will get on the shelf, they might just sell it. But if patrons request it, then it has a chance.
I've heard that too. Without reviews your are dead in the water. Beg, borrow, steal or cheat to get them!
My friend K R Conway is a wizard at getting into libraries and independent bookstores with her self published teen paranormal stories. She had the release party for her last book at the local library and 100+ people showed up. She offers storytelling workshops at local schools too. And this isn't even her full time job - she drives a school bus!
I would never be able to match her energy, but if I ever get a manuscript together worth sharing, you can bet I'm keeping her on my team. Maybe you could try asking what self published authors are represented at your library and look them up. Lots of them love talking about their journey and sharing what worked for them.
That's my thought - it's far from perfect but there is a small shot that wasn't there before.