K-Lytics

If you are serious about optimising your online presence as an author, K-Lytics is worth checking out. Their site asks the following rhetorical question:

“Do you want to sell more books, face less competition, and achieve a higher return on your publishing investments?”

— K-Lytics

Their paid market reports burrow into the details of hundreds of genres and micro-genres. Seeing the maths underneath the book markets is a bit disconcerting, but in a world governed by algorithms and visibility, these insights are essential. The specificity of some of the genres and sub-genres is almost comic: Scottish Romance (what about Scottish Time Travelling Romance?); Cosy Mystery; Urban Fantasy, etc.

“You do not have to be afraid of numbers. We will help you to understand and use them to your advantage.”

— K-Lytics

Marion Hughes, author on the move...

Marion Hughes, author of the tense and well-written thrillers Watch Your Back and I’m Back has kindly written an account of some of her recent and upcoming promotional activities…

In 2022, I conducted author talks at the following libraries:

Hastings Library Tuesday April 5
Foster Library Thursday Sep 1
Mirboo North Library Thursday Sep 1
Rosebud Library Tuesday 13th Sep
Belgrave Library Saturday 26th November

2023 booked in for:

Langwarrin library - Libraries after dark Thursday 4th May
Wednesday 30th August Wodonga Library
Wednesday 30th August Albury city Library Museum
Thursday 31st August Shepparton Library evening session

My talks incorporated an overview of my background, discussed my writing journey, and offered insights into how I write and my motivation for writing. Included was an outline of the plots, characters and themes of books one and two of my trilogy, 'The Dark illusion,' selected excerpts and anecdotes that helped shape my writing and time for audience questions at the end.

A selection of  audience feedback comments:

• A fascinating look at the writing process

• I loved the talk and will definitely be reading your books

• A captivating author talk! Great to hear about the writing process and inspiration for the books

• Feedback on Watch Your Back: a fast-paced thriller with a cleverly worked plot and stunning surprises. A can't put down read.

• I particularly liked hearing excerpts from the books.I enjoyed participating in the discussion at the end.

Queen of the Crop: ‘The King of Rhye’ An Exercise in Promotion

In April 2022, I released my debut novel, ‘The King of Rhye,’ after a productive six months working alongside Sid Harta Publishers. It entered the world to a fair reception (for an untested indie author); though as anticipated, it did not smash any records or win any Nobel Prizes. Nearly a year later, it will be receiving a shot in the arm, with the imminent release of an audiobook likely to find another modest reader base.

By my own estimation, the true success of ‘The King of Rhye’ has been its permeation into various corners of cultural awareness. It has moved sideways, into several other forms of media, both auditory and visual, to create not so much a story as a multisensory experience. There now exists an official soundtrack of original music, produced for songs lifted directly from the story. A rich (and expanding) gallery of bespoke ‘canonical’ art adorns social media pages, clothes, other merchandise, the cover of vinyl records and the walls of my house. It is also soon to receive its second language publication, having been diligently translated to French. It is anticipated that the French version will hit the market later in 2023.

Not too bad, for a book less than one year old.

I attribute this ‘lateral progression’ to a combination of two main factors. The first: a consistent and front-loaded assault on selected social media. The second: an awareness of target audience, and a reasonable understanding of how best to capture that audience’s attention.

For completeness, it is worth highlighting that Lady Luck certainly played a role (I should have included her in Acknowledgements). One or two steps of the journey came courtesy of the right people stumbling over my work at the right time. I guess that is something that may or may not happen to any author, in their fledgling career.

A few words, then, about my approach to social media. I am now a man in my early forties. I am well aware that a plethora of social media platforms exist these days; every time I turn around, the youth of today have launched a new one (most of which, I’ll be honest, I don’t understand). I am most active on Facebook (being somewhere on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y). As it turns out, my target demographic also use this as their go-to place for doomscrolling. Of course, I did know this before I started, so it was no accident that I chose Facebook as the main place to launch my campaign.

I also started early, which I think a lot of wannabe authors don’t think to do. They write their book, then they start trying to sell it to an audience. I started over a year before the eventual release date. I told people what I was aiming to do, what I hoped to achieve with it, and what they might expect from it. From humble beginnings, I built a following. Slowly. It still isn’t huge, but it has grown consistently. That takes time – there are almost no ‘overnight sensations’, despite the illusion.

I don’t pay for Facebook ads. That worked, exactly one time, right at the beginning. Eventually, the algorithm only shows your sponsored ads to people who already follow you. So, it was necessary to use other platforms to increase exposure that way. I have a Reddit presence (useful), an Instagram page (quite useful), a LinkedIn profile (useless) and am dabbling in YouTube – which has the potential to be the most useful of all, if I actually had the time to produce a series of videos.

I’m aware that TikTok can work, but I’m horrible at dances, so I’ll leave it alone.

Next, to discuss target audience. One might say that I had the advantage of being able to ride on the coattails of one of the world’s largest rock music fandoms, in finding people who might pay attention to my book (‘The King of Rhye’ is an ode to the wonderful music of Queen). But it is more complicated than that: linking your work to an existing cultural phenomenon only works if you also know how to harness the connection.

It needed to be clear in my language, in my visual style, and in the way I presented my project, that I understand what fans love about the band. I also needed to reach for the stars themselves, and see just what support I might be able to garner from the inner sanctum. I contacted Queen, via the International Fan Club. Whilst guitarist Brian May has been too busy with the endless stream of commitments, I did learn that he is generous and willing to embrace the efforts of fans to further Queen’s legacy. He did offer to help promote ‘The King of Rhye’; an offer that was seen by many, and not only gave me a boost of confidence, but also gave the project credibility in the eyes of others.

To broaden the potential reader base, I had to also emphasise that this is not just a book for Queen fans. It is at its heart, a fantasy epic in the ‘Hero’s Journey’ tradition. To that end, I became involved in a number of online fantasy author groups, getting involved in discussion as often as I could; helping other budding authors with editing, and taking opportunities to introduce myself and what I was doing in return. It all helped.

Once ‘The King of Rhye’ was finally released, I focused my attention in again, to invest some energy in my local community. I live in a town of strong social connections, so I found that pursuing radio interviews and a showing at the regional library was also beneficial. Word of mouth travels quickly.

To speak of ‘people stumbling over my work at the right time’: the Queen connection brought British illustrator Luc Hudson, and French musicians Louis Henry Chambat and Thibaut Sergeant (‘Fat Bottomed Boys’) into my sphere of awareness. They introduced themselves to me; gentlemen in completely separate walks of life, on the far side of the world, due to a shared interest and a united sense of purpose. They found me because I made my mission statement clear, and because I highlighted the strengths of my work – the worldwide love for a classic rock band.

Where has all of this gotten me? I travelled to Europe in late 2022, to present my book at a convention. I built more of an audience. Demand for a follow-up has swelled. Certainly, another story was in the offing; but now that promotion has produced momentum, I draft my second novel knowing that a hum of anticipation already builds.

I have loved this journey. It has been worth every moment of effort.

 Craig Mulhall

‘The King of Rhye’ © 2022 Sid Harta Publishers

An Authors Report — A Winter Sowing

Adrian Caesar is a talented and experienced writer, the author of: Novels: The White: Last Days in the Antarctic Journeys of Scott and Mawson 1911-1913 (1999), The Blessing (2015), Collected poetry: Hunger Games (1996), Life Sentences (1998), The June Fireworks: New and Selected Poems (2001), High Wire (2005), Dark Cupboards New Rooms (2014).

He reports on the recent publication of A Winter Sowing under the Arcadia imprint with Australian Scholarly Publishing:

”I’m happy to report I’ve had some fabulous responses to A Winter Sowing in the form of twenty-odd personal emails, texts etc. Someone mentioned it on the ABC Book Club website and a small book club down here read it. All this is great, but it isn’t as yet translating into sales. I’m finding the contrast between reader response and sales frustrating but it was the same story with my previous book. My wife and I will plug on doing what we can. A couple of bookshops are interested in hosting events in late Feb and March and we’re thinking of hiring a student to do some marketing work via social media. I’ll keep you posted. I’m not giving up. I’m learning to live with the idea of ‘fit audience, though few’!”

Managing Your Expectations as a First-time Author

It’s often said that everyone has at least one book in them. Good. A thriving culture is loaded with storytellers of both fact and fiction. You don’t have to be a mega-seller to enrich yours and other people’s lives with your writing. If you have written your first book, then what should you reasonably expect in terms of publication and success?

The biggest myth to bust is that your book will sell itself. Yes, your words might be captivating; yes, you might have a stunning cover; yes, you are wrung out from the many months or years of effort to create a retail-ready book; but – and it is an important but – are you genuinely ready to promote your book? Promotion is a whole other game, which requires planning, strategy and many hours of intense work. Just when you thought you could sit back, relax and wait for the phone to ring!

Creating a print book, ebook or audiobook for a global readership has never been easier. That’s the good news. However, this also means there are millions more first-time authors around the planet competing for the attention of readers. It is often said in the book publishing industry that 95% of new titles will sell fewer than 100 copies. This includes traditionally published as well as self-published titles. A sobering statistic.

In Australia, ABC Radio is the most accessible and effective network for publicising new books. Yes, TV would be even better, but good luck getting that level of exposure unless you are already a celebrity or well-connected with TV insiders. Perhaps you think a good review in a newspaper, magazine or journal should sell truckloads. Not really. Even though a review is typically more objective than listening to a radio interview of an author spruiking the wonders of their latest title, potential readers usually find the subjectivity of the author more engaging. And what about commercial radio? Yes, this can work, but more book buyers listen to the ABC.

But before you pick up the phone to dial your local ABC Radio station, you need to know that, as a rough average, they will be able to publicise only about 1 in 20 of the books they receive. And every day a particular show at a metropolitan station, like 774 (Melbourne) or 702 (Sydney), might receive 20, 30 or more books seeking an interview for their author. This includes traditionally published authors.

Believe it or not, you can beat these odds, like I did, and score interviews with ABC Radio stations in capital cities, if you write an engaging one-page media release with a headline that hooks your potential interviewer. You will need to post a copy of your book along with your media release addressed to a particular announcer or their producer, who you’ve researched online. You might even go that extra metre with a follow-up phone call a few days later to see if they received your ‘media kit’.

If this all sounds like too much hard work, then why not Google freelance book publicists? Yes, you can do this, but don’t be surprised if a professional’s publicity campaign costs $5,000 or even $10,000 with no guarantee of success. Yes, really. Unfortunately, even that amount of money cannot guarantee high-profile announcers at key radio stations will choose you and your book. You might receive some incidental publicity opportunities, such as a community radio interview, but these will be lucky to translate into significant sales.

The above is an outline of how to pitch your print book to the traditional media: radio, print, TV. Of course, you can also promote your book on social media. If you have only an ebook version of your title, then you can forget about traditional media (who expect your book is important enough to warrant a print edition to be worthy of broadcast time) and focus all your promotional efforts online. The best material I have found on how to promote your ebook is a free downloadable guide titled Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran, an Irish writer living in Portugal. Google him and also sign up for his regular and very helpful emails.

Then there are paid-for ebook marketing services, such as BookBub and similar companies like Book Gorilla, The Fussy Librarian, Freebooksy and Booksends. They all have various terms and conditions that may or may not suit you and your budget. Or Google the website of Alessandra Torre Ink and check out her resources and courses that show authors how to use Goodreads to attract and retain readers. There are numerous other ways to promote your ebook and/or print book, but you get the idea: marketing know-how is crucial if you want to compete successfully.

The above suggestions all point to one difficult-to-escape conclusion: first-time authors need a solid marketing plan to compete in the marketplace. Yes, your launch might sell 40 or 50 copies of your book to family and friends, but how do you become one of the 5% of authors who sell more than 100 copies? A good marketing plan can take a year or more to create.

“That said, how do you measure success? Is it only through the quantity of public sales of your book?”

That said, how do you measure success? Is it only through the quantity of public sales of your book? In 1998 I had a self-published bestseller that was short-listed for a readers’ choice award and the screen rights were licensed by a film company (even though the movie didn’t go into production). However, now all the glitter from publicity and sales has well and truly settled, I can offer you another perspective on what success means. I’ve long since spent all the money I earned from that bestseller – a healthy five-figure sum – but when I calculated the total number of hours I put into writing and promoting that book, approximately one thousand, my hourly rate wasn’t much more than the minimum wage. Another sobering statistic.

With the advantage of more than two decades of hindsight, there are three enduring measures of success from my self-published bestseller experience – and it wasn’t the money!

Firstly, it was the satisfaction of actually finishing that book, because there are so many millions of writers who have half-finished manuscripts that never see the light of day. But I got mine done. I beat the odds against me completing that book. I didn’t die wondering. Not ‘I coulda, woulda, shoulda …’

Secondly, it was the legacy value for my children. My book offers them a snapshot of a time in my life that was so different yet so similar to their own, and the passing of time increases the value of that story to them. I still regret that my family had only just started recording the stories of my paternal grandfather when he died in 1977. It was like a library had burned down. His stories may or may not have been bestseller material, but the small number I heard revealed fascinating insights into our family history through two world wars and two depressions.

Thirdly, my book is now permanently stored in the National Library of Australia (NLA) and also my state library. By law in Australia, a print or electronic copy of every published book must be sent to the Legal Deposit units of the NLA and your state/territory library. You can be fined if you don’t. But the pay-off is that your book becomes a permanent part of Australia’s cultural history collection, which can be accessed by anyone online via Trove. If you have never used the NLA’s Trove search engine, then use Google to see what treasures await your discovery.

“Now, with the advantage of perspective, I can see this type of commercial success is fleeting, yet a different sense of success can endure. What will be the enduring measures of your book’s success?”

In summary, if I hadn’t had a bestseller and I told you that personal satisfaction, family legacy and contributing to Australia’s cultural heritage are the three enduring measures of my book’s success for me, then you would probably dismiss these claims as rationalising my lack of success in the marketplace. But I did sell many thousands of copies of my book and enjoyed the publicity while it lasted. Now, with the advantage of perspective, I can see this type of commercial success is fleeting, yet a different sense of success can endure. What will be the enduring measures of your book’s success?

Dr Euan Mitchell is an author and former senior editor for a major publisher.

He can be emailed via mitchell.words at gmail.com

Inspired by a Greek Island

Local author Tony Whitefield has just simultaneously launched both his mythical tale “The Queen of Limnos” and his historical saga “George’s Cafe” at Golf House Hotel in Ballarat. Both books draw upon the history and culture of the beautiful Greek island of Lemnos. Tony and his wife usually spend several months a year living in Lemnos, and will no doubt continue to do so once Covid 19 abates. Both books are available online.

Ebook version: https://www.booktopia.com.au/george-s-cafe-tony-whitefield/ebook/9780645100853.html

Print on Demand: https://www.booktopia.com.au/george-s-cafe-tony-whitefield/book/9780645100822.html

Also available from Amazon, Dymocks, Book Depository and other outlets.

Marketing Your Book in a Flooded Market

Author G. W. Lücke writes about his experiences marketing his excellent fantasy Relevation series of books (book two is out shortly):

“I focussed on book reviews from well-known critics (e.g. Kirkus) early on, and while I received good reviews, they didn’t translate into book sales.

 A few reviews from bloggers also did nothing much — a couple of books sold.

 I read the David Gaughran book on how to use BookBub and followed it to the letter. I’ve sold the most books through this — but the bottom line was that I was paying more for the Bookbub ads than I was getting back in book sales (all sales of the eBook at 0.99c).

 Such an approach is not sustainable.

“Given I’m new to all this — my objective opinion about the whole publishing business is the book market is currently flooded and selling books is bloody hard. ”

 Given I’m new to all this — my objective opinion about the whole publishing business is the book market is currently flooded and selling books is bloody hard. Way too much choice for people. Global best-selling authors sell their eBooks for $1.99 on Bookbub — why would readers try an unknown author given they can get known authors so cheaply?

 There are lots of sites claiming to help you develop marketing plans — but I doubt any of them work. And I don’t have the time to do all the social media marketing. Writing is my hobby, not my job. I do it for the love of it.

 Selling lots of books was way down my priority list when I started this journey. It still is.

 I’ve had the most satisfying experience selling to friends and their friends – sold about 50 hard copies via word of mouth alone (and I get a much bigger margin from this).

 Selling directly to people I know or made contact with via email, also means I get feedback from them when they finish the book. I think I’ve had over 50 formal and informal reviews of the book via various channels.

 Out of those, I’ve only had one negative review. So most people who read the book like it – which is all I could ask for.”

With review quotes like this, hopefully interest in this series will gradually build:

“When Darkness Descends' follows multiple narratives in the fictional world of Enthilen, with particular focus on the (human) protagonist Tom Anderson as he battles to uncover the mystery behind his grandmother's death when he finds himself lost within this mysterious world. G.W. Lücke's storytelling is absolutely captivating, and had me hooked from the very first page. The characters and plot line have been very clearly carefully constructed, with the author able to find a perfect balance of authenticity in character personalities mixed with the complete fantasy of the setting they live in. The novel has been left at a frustratingly exciting end point, leaving me (and I'm sure other readers too!) desperate to see what comes next! Highly recommend to older teenage readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure.”