Want to learn more about selling enough ebooks to quit your day job? I like to listen to podcasts related to publishing, and one of those I’ve found is BookMarketingTools.com
Recently Jamie Davis, indie paranormal ebook author, gave his secrets for success.
- Email list. Like most successful indie authors, he lays a lot of the credit to his email list, where he tells fans when his next book is coming out. He generally updates them on what he is writing every so often, so they won’t forget him.
- Freebie. To draw people to the email list, he has a freebie his fans want: a free prequel to his first series of novels focusing on two key characters.
- Notice. To publicize the freebie, among other things he puts a notice as the very first ebook page of his books. The notice says something like, “To get a free copy of the prequel to this series, go to this link.”
- Release series books in the same month. He recommends waiting until the first three books in your series are written and ready to go before beginning to release them. Then release them all within a month. This builds momentum for your brand.
- Use BookBub (which sends emails to readers about books on sale) to spread the word. If you’re having trouble getting picked by BookBub, redo your covers and blurb until you get something that stands out, then keep trying.
If you have a publisher, talk to them about using some of these strategies. You may be able to accomplish them even if you are not indie.
Listen to the episode, “Maximizing Book Promotions.”