The main take-away for the class was to get my name and books out there anywhere and everywhere I could. There are many ways to do this ranging from free to however much you care to pay. Since my hubby isn't too keen on me spending family money on my marketing, I'm going to focus on the cheaper range of things today.
Post your books on more than just Amazon.
Yeah, I know this should be a no brainer, but let's face it, Amazon is so easy. A couple months ago I tried to put FADE INTO ME on Smashwords. After several frustrating tries I called it quits. Nothing should be that difficult! And don't get me started about trying to be listed on Barnes & Noble's online store. Their paperwork didn't make any sense to me and it sounded like I needed to create my own imprint to do it. (I could totally be wrong, but who has the time to figure this out? I need to be writing!) One place I never considered listing my books was iTunes.
The instructor suggested we check out Jutoh.com for quick and easy ebook formats. This is a one time purchase that promises to never be out of date as it evolves along with devices and formats.
Have your book translated into other languages.
Check out Babble Cube for this. The great thing about this site is there is no out of pocket expense for the author. Sign up, get a translator, sell your book and share royalties. Babble Cube keeps 15% and the author translator royalties change over the life of the sales. Royalties favor the translator up to $2000 and then they start moving toward the author. You can see the break down on this page.
Put your book out there for audio listeners.
I always wondered how you made this happen. It's way easier than I imagined. I went to ACX.com (which is part of Amazon) and used my existing author account to claim my self-published book. 30 minutes later I had submitted my book for auditions. None of this cost me anything since I chose to share royalties. ACX keeps 60% (no surprise) and then I'll split the last 40% with whoever records my book for me. The best part is I will get to listen to the auditions and choose my narrator.
There are options here as well. If I had a good microphone, and could guarantee my dogs wouldn't bark while recording, I could record my own book. Then I'd keep the entire 40% of royalties. Here's the thing, recording a 60K book will take forever with all the editing and splicing together to make it an enjoyable read. I'd rather share royalties!
Here's why you should give audio books a try.
- Extend your brand
- Give extra life to the story you’ve written
- Provide more good stuff for your fans
- Add new fans who might never read a book
What things are you doing to spread your reach?
6 comments:
That does sound exhausting.
I'm surprised by the amount of people listening to audio books. It would never occur to me and I don't think I'd care for it, but I've certainly heard a lot of people talking about it lately.
I hadn't heard about the translator site, but what a great option! I've been told I should go into recording audio books. I could do it. We once owned an audio/video production studio, but I never found a microphone I liked.
excellent links!!!
I wouldn't be my dog barking in the background. Probably the cat. Or hubby, "Hey honey, can you come mere a sec?"
I hadn't heard of the translator site or the audiobook site, but those are great options. So many people listen to books rather than read them. It's a whole other market that opens up.
As for Barnes & Noble, you should consider trying again. I, for one, have a Nook.
I've never really listened to audio books either, but I know that's all my mom listens to. She doesn't have time to sit and read, but she gets her bibliofix driving around town. And yes, I made up that word.
Crystal, if you ever get into recording books email me! I've had one audition so far. I think she did a great job, but I'd like to hear one other audition just for comparison's sake, you know?
Huntress, there are so many things that could go wrong with me trying to record my own book. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one though.
Liz, one day I'll figure out how to get on B&N. Sadly, it won't matter for my trad published stuff. The paper copies are on B&N already, but they didn't do a Nook version. My guess is they never will. I have a Nook version of Fade, but don't know where to list it for sale. Maybe I'll take another stab at that paperwork.
Has anyone tried https://www.draft2digital.com/. If so, have your experiences been good or bad? So far, I have heard a lot more positive than negative.
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