You can read blogs and forums and listen to podcasts all day, but sometimes it’s just frustrating when you see other authors making a killing and you’re struggling to sell a book a day. Everyone says to get on social media, build a fan base, start a mailing list, etc., but what if you’ve tried and that’s just not working?
I recorded another walking podcast last week and did my best to answer this question. I hope you’ll find something useful!
Download: Walking with Lindsay #3
If you want to hear me elsewhere, I’ve been interviewed on a couple of podcasts lately:
- Making a Full-time Living from Self-Publishing – 6 Lessons Learned (The Write Life Magazine)
- Thinking as a Long-Term Writer (Self Publishing Podcast)
- How to Become a Full-Time Author (Publishing Profits Show)
LOVE these episodes! They are so helpful and the format is awesome to have on in the background while working or multitasking. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, LM!
I love how you mentioned having a typo in one of your blurbs. 😛 It makes me feel significantly less bad about the typo that was in my blurb for a couple months. Yike.
This format is great, and the tips are super encouraging. Looking forward to hearing more!
For me, it was a lesson not to tinker after the editor has okayed the blurb, heh. I’m always paranoid now about editing it later on (i.e. to run a sale)!
Great advice, Lindsay. I appreciate the effort you’re putting into advice AND walking :).
Another good podcast.
I have several standalone thrillers and a a 2 book YA series and, although I’ve had some times of decent sales, overall I’ve never reached a critical mass of enough readers to get to the next level. I’m working on two different series now, different genres, that will be novella-length which I hope will increase my chances of building a fan base. Of course they have to be great reads!
Anyway, appreciate your insights…
Thanks, Robert. Yup, the series just seem to be so much easier to market and gain traction on than the stand-alones. Good luck with the novellas!
Hey, Lindsay!
This podcast style is great, though you are interrupting my audiblebook time on my way home haha. (A very welcome interruption, might I add).
Yeah, I have one trilogy out that has really done well, and I have another series with 2 books out, and I’m currently working on an urban fantasy series that has one book out. I haven’t seen more than probably 50 sales over the past 2 years. Not sure how to vamp up the success.
Love your podcasts! No need to apologize for breathiness/dogs. My favorite pastime is hiking with my dog, so visualizing your scenery merely brings me more enjoyment! Great advice, too. I hope you keep this series going.
Thank you, Danielle!
Another great episode. As an author just starting out, this helps me feel like if I keep working my plan (all the things you mentioned), I’ll reach my goals eventually. I also feel encouraged because my first (and only) book has vetted several emails from readers, which I didn’t realize is such a good sign. Due to a family crisis, after my book came out I had to take the first year and a half off of writing (and working and everything else) so I feel like I’ll be starting almost from scratch when book two comes out later this year. But I got back to daily writing two months ago and have since written 70K words on the next book. I figure if I keep going at this pace I should be able to release 2-3 books a year, depending on length. I’m going to try to work in some short stories and novellas in order to follow your advice (which I’ve read elsewhere) to release something every couple of months. I’m trying to look at the big picture. It may take a few years, but I’ll get there. (And by “get there” I mean making a living off my creative writing.) Meanwhile, I’ve figured out how to do all this on top of my editing work and kids, which is a success all in itself. 😉 Thanks again for all the great advice Lindsay.
Thanks for another great podcast. I have six stories out in my series on Amazon and almost no sales. I know I have not done much marketing so I have no one to blame but myself. I do have a FB page but it seems that all my fans are my personal friends. They say they love the series but I haven’t heard from anyone who doesn’t know me. I dread marketing but since listening to you I will give it a try. There will be 12 stories total (they are short) and I’d love to see them gain a following. As always you inspire me to try harder.
Excellent walkcast. I enjoyed it a lot.
Thanks to David W. Wright, I just learned of your walkcast. I added you to our writers’ Master List, which is a List of writers who do a walkcast, drivecast, podcast, or vlog, with the predominant activity being fitness, so most of them walk and talk. This activity is spreading fast in the writing community.
Oh and I saw you on CS’s Self-Publishing Round Table. So much good stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I read The Emperor’s Edge on 01FEB2014, and found it very entertaining. I flew through it! 😀 I will definitely be reading more of your books, as time allows, which it does not much now. I’m very focused on getting my writing career off the ground this year. But you’re on my radar! :o)
I wish you happiness and continued writing success.
Thanks for listening, Mgon! Is your master list online? I imagine some folks might be interested in checking that out.
Thanks for doing these, Lindsay. I know I for one am enjoying them immensely, and learning a lot from you as always.
Nice, thank you for listening!
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I really enjoy those walkcasts of yours! They’re always informative. And this one made me laugh, because you mentioned the genre I write in (m/m romance). It is pretty small, that’s true, especially considering the following of other romance subgenres.
In one of the interviews, you mention considering one day translation into German since you already sell well there. Do you base that choice on anything else than the sales numbers? Do the readers ask for a translation so they can tell their friends about it? I was wondering if you’re taking into account the different levels of English in Europe. The Germans are generally quite good in English, so they should be able to read your books today (which they are, apparently). But the French, with their abysmal level of English (I work with them every day, I stand by my evaluation) will not read them today. I can in no way guarantee you’d sell many books in French, but mostly because I’m not sure the e-readers are much in use (I think there’s a law saying books must always have the same prize, no matter which format). If you do translate, I’m very interested in seeing how that goes 🙂
I actually have a quote from someone to do the first EE book in German, and I think the cost for that would make it next to impossible to come out ahead. I’d guess that would hold true for any language. One day I might look into getting an agent to handle foreign rights, then sell them outright and let someone else handle the translating.
Thanks for asking!