My seven tips for marketing your ebook

In a blog post I wrote for Authors Electric last month (Retelling Tales - It's Been Done Before) I hinted at my latest book. This month I'm pleased to announce my latest ebook featuring the rogue that is Brer Rabbit is now available for download from Amazon (UK - USA). The book contains eight retold tales all based on the original tales collected and retold by Joel Chandler Harris.

You may be wondering why I'm telling you this. Well using my monthly slot on Authors Electric was one of the ideas I had to help me market my new book. I also had other ideas and wanted to share them with you (so I wasn't just marketing at you). So here they are:

One:
I've placed a blatant plug on my personal Facebook page and my author Facebook page.

Two:
I've decided to give Wattpad a go. If you've not heard of it basically it's a library you upload your work on to and people can download and read for free.  Some people choose to place entire books on there, a chapter at a time. Some like myself upload part of their work (in my case just one of my short stories) in the hopes someone enjoys their work so much that they are then willing to pay to read further work. I have no idea if it'll work but I'm happy to give it a go. In the first 24 hours my Brer Rabbit story was read by six people. I've also uploaded a story from my Anansi the Trickster Spider collection so I can see if the sales increase -  I'll let you know in a few months if Wattpad appears to pays off.

Three:
I've let the 449 people on my LinkedIn network know my book is now available to purchase. I also intend to let a few of the groups I'm a member of know about my new book. One of the groups has 3,774 members - so a quick mention can't hurt.

Four:
As you can see I've also blogged here and intend on blogging on my website and post on our company website (all my ebooks are written under the banner of Mad Moment Media).

Five:
I read somewhere that Pinterest has 70 million users, with 80% of those being women and apparently 70% of Pinterest members using the site as inspiration for their next purchase. So I'm going to create a Brer Rabbit themed board which will hopefully raise the profile of my ebook and even create a sale or two.

Six:
I've added the book to my author page on Goodreads. I'll be honest I've done very little with Goodreads, so over the next couple of months I'm going to learn as much about it as I can and try to discover if it can be used as a marketing tool. If you have a Goodreads author account and also wish to experiment then here is their official link that provides information on how you can use it to market yourself and book.

Seven:
Last but not least I'm going to create a 'proper' email signature. It's something I've never done (I've just been lazy) but I send 100s of emails per month. Apparently it shouldn't take long and I never know it may lead to a sale or two.

If you have any other ideas about marketing then I'd love to hear them, so please do share.

Regards

Lynne
P.S. If you fancy reading a Brer Rabbit story or an Anansi the Trickster Spider story then just follow the links.

Picture Books Aren't Just For Kids

When working on a new picture book I'm not just writing it for children, I'm writing it for a list of people. This list consists of:

• Commissioning editor
• Marketing department
• Bookseller
• Purchaser

That is a lot of people to get my book passed before it lands in front of the eyes of a child. I therefore have to ensure my story fulfils the criteria each one of the above has. I therefore  have to consider many different things as I work on a new title. These are: 

 

For the commissioning editor I have to try and produce a story that is often character led. So I need a strong character that has to overcome a conflict or one that 'grows.' This means I have to have a plot with a strong start, an interesting middle and a satisfying end. Editors often like a lesson to be learnt, even if this is subtle as in my picture book 'Dog Did It' where the message is not to blame others for your own actions.

The marketing department are looking for a book that can be sold globally and will sell year round. This is why some publishers prefer animals as main characters because they can cross most borders. The marketing department also wants a book that will sell well to a parent or grandparent but also someone buying for an institution such as a school or library. Lastly they want a book that has something they can use to help sell the title for example it has a clever twist to the ending as in 'Tadpoles Promise' written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Tony Ross.  

A bookseller has similar needs to the marketing department. They want a book they can place on their shelves and sell itself. This is why humour often works well. If the adult who picks up the book smiles as they are reading it they are more likely to buy it. A bookseller not only needs a book that looks good but also one a child will want read to them time and again. 

Although a picture book is aimed a children it is an adult who purchases it. They are not just looking for value for money but also something they won't mind reading 10, 20, 30 or more times.

So next time you pick up a picture book remember it's been written with you in mind, not just the child you'll be reading it to. 


P.S.
I have three new distance learning courses commencing soon via Women On Writing:

How To Write A Picture Book And Get Published

Five Picture Books In Five Weeks - Advanced Course

How To Write A Hobby Based How To Book 

Where I Found Inspiration For My Writing

Normally I exam mark over the summer period however this summer I worked for a language school and helped run a student residence, something I've never done before. The building was just weeks old and had a large number of teething problems including lifts not working, the basement flooding due to heavy rain, toilets mysteriously flushing etc. etc. Although the hours could be long and some of the issues frustrated me the experience has fuelled my imagination. I have so many new ideas I just don't know where to start.

Idea one: A picture book story about packing a case that came to me as I packed my bag (I had to stay on site at least three nights a week).  

Idea two: Another picture book idea which popped into my head whilst I took the picture on the right showing members of staff saying goodbye to another. 

Idea three: Yet another picture book idea which is based on a conversation I had with another member of staff. This one I've already written and sent off to my editor, so fingers crossed.

Idea four: An idea for a non-fiction title which was prompted by a chat with another member of staff. The exciting this is I already have an editor wanting to see the synopsis and it will mean I'll be writing with a co-writer for the first time.

Idea five: With each passing day more ridiculous things happened and I found myself madly scribbling things down in the note book I carry everywhere with me. Now I feel I have enough material for a mad-cap sit-com. I've never written one before but I now have the urge to give it a go.

So next time you're stuck for an idea go and give something new a go. Work outside your comfort zone. Meet new people. You never know it may fuel your imagination as mine has been. Now I'm off to work on the story for idea two.  

Unashamed plug for my latest children's writing course starting 6th October 2012

The Story Behind the Stories

In October of 2011 I finally published a collection of stories featuring the character Anansi The Trickster Spider as an eBook. I say finally because it was in 2003 when I was asked to work on a project to help promote a local cultural venue called Aklowa.

Aklowa

Aklowa was an African village set in the Hertfordshire countryside, within minutes of Stansted Airport. A friend's friend, Felix Cobson, had set it up some twenty years before. Originally born in Ghana Felix moved to the UK and had spent his life teaching children about African heritage. This included traditional clothing, cooking, music, crafts and stories. This is where I came in. I started my writing career writing for craft magazines and I was asked to write a book that would appeal to children about African crafts.

Felix

Knowing little about the subject I jumped at the chance to visit Ghana. I spent a wonderful week with friends visiting villages known for their pottery making, Adinkra block printing and Kente strip weaving. I also visited markets and talked to makers of musical instruments and carvers of masks. Based on this trip I created a synopsis for a book and approached The British Museum Press. To my delight they liked the idea and in 2005 they published African Crafts: Fun Things to Make and Do from West Africa.

Now you may be wondering where Anansi came into all this. Well Felix relished in his retelling of the traditional stories featuring the trickster character Anansi. Being a collector of words I scribbled the stories down. Knowing how I enjoyed the stories Felix was kind enough to lend me a couple of books. From these scribbled notes, borrowed books and research, I began to write my own retelling of these stories. As with many such personal projects other things took me away from it. So these stories sat on my computer, almost forgotten. However in the middle of 2011 I had time to return to them. Finally after eight years my collection of Anansi stories was published as an eBook and is now available on Amazon.

Unfortunately I'll never be able to show Felix the fruits of my labour, as he passed away before I had time to complete. However knowing Felix he'll be looking down, with that wonderful broad smile of his, trying to decide which story to treat me to next.

P.S. If you'd like to purchase a copy please click on the relevant flag (top left and top right of this blog)