Let's talk about the strategy of spacing our new releases. It used to be I was simply thrilled to get a book written and submitted. Then came the long wait while it made the rounds, looking for a home. The whole process took a year or two or three before the book was released into the digital world. Then everything changed with the popularity of contracting an entire series of books instead of single titles. Now, I submit Book One (or 3 chapters of Book One) and a proposal for the rest of the books in the series to my publisher. I'm given turn-in dates and release dates before I've even finished the first book in the series. The pressure to produce is on...
But with the advent of contracting a series comes strategy in release dates. With my Who's Watching Now series, I had a March release and a July release in 2015, then the final book didn't come out until March of 2016. The results were a huge drop off in sales for the final book in the series. The momentum for Book One held through Book Two, and both sold very well, but people forgot about them and didn't pick up Book Three. Nor did they pre-order that far in advance. Sad. Very sad.
So, my pub had the bright idea of back to back releases for my second series, Born To Be Wilde. Wilde One came out the end of September. Wilde Side just released the end of October. Books Three and Four are on pre-sale with release dates in February and May of 2017. And, I'm noticing an interesting phenomenon. Based on Amazon rankings (which I track relentlessly to the detriment of word production) after Wilde One came out, I saw pre-orders for Book Two but not much action on Three and Four. However, in the week since Wilde Side released, pre-sales for the final two books have jumped. So, something about reading two books back to back motivates people to pre-order the rest of the series when the wait isn't terribly long. Very cool. Now, if I could just get the first two into more hands, I might actually see some serious success with this series.
But there's a downside to this rapid fire release schedule. Promotion. I have a feeling all my Facebook friends are sick to death of seeing posts about my new books. I only scheduled a couple of blogs for each book that required new content posts on sites with high traffic. Both books went on the standard cover/blurb/excerpt blog tour arranged through my pub. Those get little traffic or exposure and seem like a huge waste of time and money...but what do I know? I can't promote the same content day after day on social media without running the risk of being unfriended by everyone I know! It's quite the conundrum. Right now I feel like my best bet is to stop harassing my Facebook friends and rely on organic sales. I'm going to have to trust that people who buy Wilde One or Wilde Side will like them enough to pick up the rest of the series. And if my pub can get me a BookBub ad, I'll probably kiss their collective feet in relief! In aid of that goal and the 20 review requirement, if you've read either book, please, please leave me an Amazon review. I'll be eternally in your debt!
So, what have you found to be a winning (or losing) strategy for release dates? Those who self-publish are in control of their own destiny, so it'll be interesting to see if you have a process beyond finish the book and publish. Curious minds want to know.
In the meantime, pick up your copy of Wilde One or Wilde Side anywhere e-books are sold! Info on all my books can be found on my Website.
19 comments:
Jannine, where have I been??? I didn't know the second book was out! I'm heading over to Amazon to buy it now. I haven't had time to write a review of the first one, but I'll at least rate it!
Ha! My non-commital nature prefers the organic method. If you build it, they will come and all that. We do need to get the knowledge out our books are available, without too much in your face pushiness. It is indeed a fine line to tread. The series route seems to be the best way to go. These days, anyway. Off to post my review of WS. Here's hoping Amazon cooperates.
I'm with Leah. I didn't realize the 2nd book is out already. Congrats. Too long between books is not good. Readers are fickle. We want what we want now. If we don't get it, we're off to buy something else. Sad. I'm very slow in getting the 3rd book in a series done. I (almost) wish I had a publisher breathing down my neck to get it finished. Self-pubbing does have its drawbacks.
I watch my Amazon rankings very closely, too, Janinne. I also use novelrank. While not completely accurate, it does show if a sale's been made. For all my promo of my newer stuff, the series that sells the best is my firemen and marine rescue series. That's the series I rarely promote and yet I sell a book of each one almost every day here and in the UK. Go figure. Bookbub does give your book a nice boost. HER SURVIVOR is at 70 on Amazon and 13 at Barnes and Noble as I write this. Bookbub featured it yesterday. The publisher's thoughts were to generate interest in book two of the series that releases on the 22nd by lowering the price on book one for a couple weeks. And it has. Pre-sales rankings have dropped (or risen) to 17,000.
I've been trying to build up my mailing list for my newsletter. I'm at a shade over 1500 right now. I'm getting response from readers in the UK and Canada, which is nice. It's an easy way to do promo. I send it out every other week, depending on how crazy my life is. I make it short and personal, like a blogpost and feature covers with links. My street team does a lot of promo for me. Unlike other authors, I've been keeping mine small--around 140--because I like the intimacy of it. Many writers have over 400 and I'd feel lost in the crowd, but that's me. Granted, not all 140 participate. Some join, never to be heard from again, and who understands that mindset? Not I. But I have a valuable core group who would do anything I ask. I have them tweet maybe 4 days a week and post to facebook.
The main thing is getting our brand...our name out there. I do 15 or 30 minute "take overs" at book release parties on facebook. I show my zany side while talking about my series. I give my website and other media links. This increases my exposure so that people start to say, "Oh yeah, I've heard of you." Now, if I can just get them to buy AND review. Review...ah, there's the rub.
Vonnie, we all want to be like you when we grow up. I still only dream of having a street team. Jannine, what you described happening to your series happened to me, as well. Maybe we, too, run out of gas with book three? Authors who write 8-12 books in a series...I can't imagine! Anyway, once I have two more books out, I'm going to seriously work the promo side...there's got to be a way to tackle this puppy! Thanks to both of you for telling us about your experiences...it helps!.
Apparently, I haven't been abusing FB! Or FB has simple chosen not to show my posts to most of my friends. Grrr... Leah and Margo, any reviews are truly appreciated. You guys are the best!
Diane and Rolynn, what is it with the third book slump? I don't think my writing is worse since the reviews I got (far fewer of them) were still strong, so I'm going with the timing theory. I have four books in this new series, so I better not hit a plateau at number two! The other insight on the subject is pricing. My publisher has put the first 2 books of the Who's Watching Now series on sale for 99 cents multiple times, including BookBub ads, but never the third book. Too many people balk at paying full price (you know, $3.99, the cost of a designer coffee!) so that could be the problem, too.
Vonnie, go you with the newsletter! I haven't done that. Do you get a good click-through rate when you send them out? Do you notice a bump in sales as a result? And congrats on your rankings. BookBub is pure magic. I think you can use Amazon Best Selling Author after your name since you broke into the top 100, or so I've been told. Kudos to you!
Jannine! I got to #16 with Lie Catchers. Does that mean I can call myself Amazon Best Selling...? If so, you might have made Vonnie and my days!
I, too, had the 3rd book slump. I thought it was because I took the setting out of the US. Some very experienced authors told me I goofed doing that. So with book 4 releasing in Dec, I am hoping I can get the series back on track. I'm a little lost with promo and like what you all have shared here. Jannine, I'll be happy to review. I want to beg, borrow and steal 20 reviews for book 4. I'm going to offer everyone I can think of a freebie to get it done. It feels so cheesy to beg, but I don't know what else to do. I don't have a street team or the money to support one I would guess. If any of you Roses read my reply and have a street team, would you email me and give me some hints.
Rolynn, my understanding is you have to make the top 100 overall list in paid, not free, or be #1 in a category. Then you can claim Amazon Best Selling Author. I'm not sure if you can simply say Best Selling or who actually makes these rules. I made the top 100 overall list once when one of my books was on BookBub. It lasted about an hour, but I'll take it! You can also go to Author Central under sales info and look up a graph of overall rankings for each of your books to find your top rank.
In a weird, funny way, I feel better now that I'm not the only 'last in the series' slumped. I thought it was just me! Brenda, I've set up a FB street team for mystery/thriller/suspense...but I haven't kept it up-you know how a garden dies without upkeep...I've got to get back there and work it!
Brenda, I don't have a street team, either. I belong to Ally's Authors Helping Authors group, and we tweet for each other regularly. I honestly don't think tweeting helps much unless it's a free book or maybe a 99 cent one. I think most authors gift their books to their team members for reviews, but that would cost a fortune. So maybe I'm wrong about that! Vonnie seems to have a good grasp on her team, so maybe she can answer that question.
Your post reminded me, so I just bought Wilde Side, and it's next in line. I'll try to get to it ASAP and post a review. I'm really looking forward to it--this is such a fun series!
I'm not a fast enough writer to have the luxury of considering back to back releases. I've just started plotting the third in my bodyguard series, and I'm happy if I have a new release every year. Of course, I pay a big price for that in sales. BOILING POINT is going absolutely nowhere. I paid a book promo company for a release day blitz and had no results. I've tried a series of paid Facebook ads--again, nothing. Since Book Bub didn't accept UNWRITTEN RULES with all its great reviews, it's not even an option for the new book.
Interestingly, sales (or at least KU borrows) remain steady for UNWRITTEN RULES. I may try some price-tweaking and have a sale over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I've reached the inescapable conclusion that while armies of people are happy to read my books if they're free, no one is willing to actually pay money for my books unless they are related to me or know me personally.
That's where the publisher comes in, Alison. They're much more likely to get a BookBub ad approved than an author. I see absolutely no point in those tours. Wilde Side is on one right now, and I don't believe it's having any impact because who reads the posts on these sites? Authors who posted them and no one else. Mine is a give-a-way with another author organized by Kensington. I see people liking my author page, etc. to enter to win, but them FB won't show my posts to most of my followers, so what good is liking the page? All very frustrating. Thanks for being a loyal reader! I sure appreciate it and the reviews!
Newsletter Info. I have a 57% click-thru rate to links I provide. I do see an uptick in sales after I send them out AND they'll email me back to tell me they reviewed this book or that one. Every 3 months, I offer a free novella in my Pistols and Passion series. Right now, it's the "Up the Chimney" one I sell on Amazon for 99 cents. Some authors write a chapter per newsletter, kind of like Charles Dickinson did with his books back in the day to generate interest in his writing.
My street team costs me very little. I keep track of who tweets and posts to fb. I plug their names into random dot org at the end of the month and the winner gets a gift certificate from Amazon. I have 2 book release parties. One just for my team, because I want them to know how special they are to me and then one for everyone. I'm more intimate with my street team. I tell them Calvin and Vonnie stories, like the day he rearranged my kitchen cabinets while I was writing and how I couldn't find anything. I post pictures of man candy. So do they. We get rather wicked, but they love my saucy sense of humor. I ask them to chose a name for a secondary character, like the little girl in HERS TO HEAL. I made a poll of 5 names and they voted. It helps them to become invested in my books...in me. I shared bits of scenes where the little girl was the star and they came to love her. She is a pistol.
I don't think book tours or blog tours do any good either. They've run their course. Random House would schedule me for them and I seemed the only one to show up and comment. Even the owner of the blog never so much as welcomed me. From time to time, I host a stop by Tasty Tours. I might get 3 hits and 0 comments. It's not worth my time to put it up on my blog. Ads on Facebook don't do it either.
What does? Honestly? I think it depends on which way the wind is blowing. What works well with one book, does zip with another. I don't think it's us. I think it's the fickle buyers. I have authors I follow on Amazon which sends me alerts when that person has a new release. I order from that. So, I encourage people to follow my author page on Amazon and try my best to keep it up to date.
My pet peeve...NetGalley. Random House gives away 500 of each of my books. I'm supposed to get a review for each book given away. I don't. And the ones I do are so low and snarky that I can barely stand to read them. One woman gave me a one star review because I'd used the same word twice in the same paragraph. A mistake on my part--a bad habit I've been trying to correct, but the editors at RH never pick up on it. To me, when you offer for free, every wanna-be, disgruntled, nasty person comes out of the woodwork and rains on your parade. I can always tell when the reviews start coming in from readers who have paid for the book because they enjoy my writing. It takes a long time to undo the damage of a dozen 1 and 2 star reviews. I'm rambling and shutting up.
OH...one more thing. I asked my editor if I could call myself an Amazon Best Seller and she replied, "Wait and see how you do the rest of the week. One day won't do it." Well, shoot.
Wow, you're GREAT with your Street Team, Vonnie. Thanks for all the info. Funny that your editor said that. I've seen a bunch of authors call themselves best selling when they get in the top 100 in a category. Depending on the category, that could be selling a couple of books on the same day. So, where's the control on using the Best Selling title? I'm not sure there is any.
Yay you!! Wow, I'm impressed with your productivity. I have not release strategy. I just release when they're ready. Sounds like you've gotten some great advice her, congrats and best wishes!!
Until these two books, back-to-back, I never thought much about release strategy, either, Ally. But it is something to consider, along with a whole lot of other factors.
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