How to Make Nifty Book Promo Ads

by Dan Walsh

Some of you know my story. Back in 2008, without paying hardly any "Writer's Dues," I submitted my first novel, The Unfinished Gift, to a handful of A-list literary agents, fully expecting to be rejected. This would result in me submitting a package to several more agents, also being rejected, and so on until I made it through the entire list. That's not what happened. Two of the first 3 agents wanted to read the entire book. I signed with one of them. She had a contract with a major publisher in 2 months. That book went on to sell very well and win 2 Carol Awards.

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Challenging the Status Quo

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 16 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, Rescuing Finley and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 3 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year (RT Book Reviews). Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take walks and spend time with their grandkids. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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As I write this blog post, I am a happy man. Or maybe I should say…a happy author.

That’s because of the picture on the right. It represents something that wasn’t supposed to happen. Something that “couldn’t work.”

I’m getting ready for the big release of my second novel in the Jack Turner Suspense Series, Remembering Dresden. It’s now available for pre-order on Amazon, and should be out May 5th (hoping for May 1st). Click on the title to check it out. As you can see, the covers for these two novels work fairly well together. That is intentional. They are both suspense novels, both in the same series.

But here’s the thing, 18 months ago I had just completed my 12th traditionally published novel in a totally different genre. I had the great privilege of working with a fine editorial team with a major Christian fiction publisher. I'd won numerous writing awards and many of my novels had appeared on the CBA and EPCA bestseller lists multiple times. I had, what you might call, a recognized brand. But I had also become aware that the publishing industry was going through major upheavals, and that I would likely not be re-signed (which, in fact, happened as I’d feared).

The writing had been on the wall for several months, so I had begun to learn all I could about indie publishing. The one thing I liked about becoming an indie was the complete creative control and freedom I would have to make the kinds of choices I wanted to make as an author. The one thing I didn’t like (and I didn’t like it a lot), was that I no longer had a contract or a guaranteed income. I had been writing fulltime for 4 years and loving it. As I stood at that fork in the road, I had no idea if I’d still be writing fulltime in the months to come.

Since I knew my writing world was about to turn upside down anyway, I decided I might as well take a chance and do something everyone had been telling me couldn’t be done. I decided to make my first indie novel a true suspense book (When Night Comes…the book above, on the left). It was a story I really wanted to write, but it got rejected by my publisher because it was “not my brand.” I was told readers only want to read books similar to all my “Nicholas Sparks type” books. People advised me, if you do go indie, you have to keep your first book within the brand.

I LOVE writing my Sparks-type books, but I also love reading suspense novels and have always wanted to write both. I decided, what the heck, this is my chance. If I sink, I sink. But I had a hunch it might work out...that lots of readers were like me (and didn’t only read one genre all the time). I took another chance. I went against the advice that said, if I DO write a suspense novel, by all means, write it under a different name. I wanted to see how many of my readers would take a chance with me and see if they liked me writing both kinds of books. 

As you can see by the fact that I’m getting to release Remembering Dresden in a few weeks, IT WORKED! When Night Comes has done very well. It’s sold almost 15,000 copies so far, and I’ve made almost as much as the advances I had been getting from my publisher 18 months ago. And I’m still writing fulltime (Yay)!

In the meantime, as I had promised, I released Book 1 in the Forever Home series, called Rescuing Finley. It is similar to the Sparks-type books I am more known for, and it’s doing extremely well since its release in November. It’s already received 144 Amazon reviews (avg 4.8 Stars).

I admit…seeing the 2 types of books together looks a little strange. Certainly NOT flowing with the status quo. But I’m here to say, in this brave new publishing world it can be done. I’m now able to write the way I’ve wanted to write all along and write the kinds of books I’ve wanted to write. Thankfully, enough readers have come along for the ride to make it work.

A couple of Quick Q’s: How many of you read more than one genre of books? And as writers, can anyone relate to my struggle? Are there books you’ve wanted to write but were told, it couldn't work or “Don’t you dare?”

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Indies Wear a Lot of Hats

Dan Walsh is the award-winning and bestselling author of 15 books, including The Unfinished Gift, The Dance and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 2 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year. Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take long walks. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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If I could make the title of this post a little longer, I would add: "Hybrids Wear Even a Few More."

Readers of this blog likely know these terms already, but for the sake of any newcomers I'll briefly explain. An "indie" is an author who self publishes their books or uses a small independent press. A "hybrid" is an author who publishes books both ways, as an indie and also with a traditional publisher.

Though I'm now more of an indie, from 2008 until last Fall I had the distinct privilege of writing under multiple contracts with traditional publishers (mostly Revell and one with Guideposts). I wrote 13 novels that way, although the final 2 books come out this year. Technically, this makes me a hybrid author (at least for the rest of this year).

The first of these 2 final books releases this week. It's called The Legacy. It's the last book in the 4-book Restoration series, co-authored with Gary Smalley. I have one more traditionally-published book coming out in September, called Keeping Christmas (obviously, a Christmas novel).

Although the writing work is done for these 2 books, I'm still having to do all the regular marketing and promotional work I've done with my other traditionally published novels (interviews, blog tour, social media, etc.).

But now, I'm having to mix this work in while wearing a number of new hats as an indie author. In the last few months, I've released my first 2 indie books. My first suspense novel called When Night Comes, and a brand-new 31-Day devotional called Perfect Peace. For those reading this during Easter week, you might be interested to know, you can get When Night Comes all week through Easter Sunday for only 99 Cents (Kindle only). Click Here to check it out.

At the moment, I'm also writing my next indie novel, the first in a trilogy called Rescuing Finley. Finley is a shelter dog who winds up rescuing the female inmate who trains him and the Afghan war vet who adopts him (may even be a love story brewing here). This series will be written in the same genre my readers are used to (more like The Unfinished Gift and The Reunion).

I hope to finish Rescuing Finley by the end of this month, then complete the 2nd novel in the series, Saving Parker, later this year. Once Finley is finished, I'll put on one of my new indie hats as I supervise the editing and proofreading of the book. At the same time, I'll be wearing another hat: supervising the photography and cover design. After coming up with the cover concept for When Night Comes, I hired a graphic artist to actually design the cover. 

But with my second indie book, the devotional Perfect Peace, I decided to wear that hat, too. I designed the cover myself from scratch, front to back. I think it came out pretty nice. Here's a picture of it on the right. If you'd like to preview or order it on Amazon, the Kindle version is only $2.99. The print edition came out really nice. It sells for $9.99.

Speaking of "front to back," brings up another hat I've had to wear. That is, creating from scratch all the text and cover copy for the back of the book and all the promotional materials. Turns out, it's a lot harder than it looks. There's a real skill to shrinking an entire book down to a single paragraph, one that simultaneously sparks interest in the reader but doesn't give too much away.

Once I finish writing and rewriting Rescuing Finley, supervising the editorial process, overseeing the cover design, and coming up with the promotional copy for the back cover, it'll be time to wear another hat: Marketing and Publicity Director. It'll be up to me to get advance copies of the book into the right hands, influential people who will hopefully love the book and want to help me spread the word about its upcoming release.

Once it releases, I'll put on my final hat: personally engage and respond to all the promo activity generated by the book (hopefully, all the magazine and blog interviews, reader emails and social media).

I have to admit...when I started off on this indie adventure, I had no idea of all the work involved. Even so, I really enjoy wearing all these hats and wouldn't want to have it any other way. I'd love to hear how other indies juggle all these additional tasks while still keeping their left brain free to write their novels (or is it the right-brain?).

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Interview with Heather Day Gilbert, Author of the Indie Publishing Handbook

(~from Heather Day Gilbert) This is an unusual post, because it's actually my last post for Novel Rocket as a member of Ground Control. I've LOVED my year at Novel Rocket, interviewing people and sharing indie information with readers. But as my own indie career lifted off (a little rocket humor there), I realized I had to pull back on blogging and focus on writing/publishing books.

Friend and follow indie author Ron Estrada agreed to ask me some final indie-oriented questions for this interview. I appreciate his willingness to do so and will share that with you below.

Here's a little bio on who I am so you can find me on the web, post-Novel Rocket. :)

Author Heather Day Gilbert

HEATHER DAY GILBERT has independently published four books. Her debut novel, God's Daughter, has remained on the Amazon Norse Bestseller list and Amazon Norse Top-Ranked list for over one year. Her contemporary mystery, Miranda Warning, is the successful start to the Murder in the Mountains series. Her Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher shares focused advice on four key steps in the indie publication process. You can find Heather at her website, heatherdaygilbert.com. She is also active on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher on Amazon

About Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher: 

Are you dreaming of your own career as an independent author and self-publisher? 

This concise handbook covers the four key elements every self-publisher must oversee for successful book publication: (1) editing, (2) creating cover art and blurbs, (3) formatting and uploading books, and (4) marketing. Focused advice will help you maneuver these key elements, whether you outsource or learn to master them yourself. 

You'll also find a bonus section with practical tips from seasoned independent authors. 

Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher is your one-stop for basics on everything you need to get started and excel as an independent publisher.

Indie Publishing Interview with 

Author Heather Day Gilbert

by: Ron Estrada

RE: What should an unpublished author consider before going indie?

HG: Great question. I would say costs could be a factor, but then again, it is possible to indie publish at a relatively low cost if you can do things yourself or exchange services. My debut novel was produced for...I would say under $200. Maybe more like $100. But I was blessed with a brother who designed my cover and agent edits. Not to mention a crit partner who helped me upload and showed me how to format.

My debut novel, God's Daughter

But the primary thing to consider is the time commitment. You need time to make sure your edits are in place; time to land on the perfect cover; time to upload your books and check proof copies of softcovers; and MOST of all, you need to have time to market.

Yes, you can streamline the process for sure. But for that debut novel, you want to take time to nail all the four key elements covered in my Indie Publishing Handbook (editing; cover art/blurb; formatting/uploading; and marketing) as best you can right out of the gate.

RE:  I always hear “You have to write a series!” But I prefer to write stand-alone books. Will I have trouble being successful as an indie?

HG: You know, just a couple of months ago, I would've said yes, series are the only way to go. It's true, series can boost sales, especially if you have several books to release in a short period of time. It's also true going permafree (permanently free, as Traci Hilton talked about in this excellent Novel Rocket post) with your first in series can drive sales to the rest in the series.

BUT. Lately I've seen fellow indies find success with standalone books. Sally Bradley's Kept, for example. What happens with a standalone is that you don't limit yourself to one genre, and you're not releasing only the first in series, which leaves readers hanging on the line waiting for the next. I should know--I've done that twice! I have two starts to vastly different series out (Viking historical and Contemporary Appalachian mystery). I have readers waiting for the next books in both, and I probably ticked some off when I announced I was following up on the mystery series this year and putting off the Viking sequel until 2016-ish. ;)

So short answer long, I would recommend doing a series if you have at least two books ready to roll in pretty short order. However, even if you don't have two books in the series, sometimes it's just about stepping into the pool and getting your feet wet. Any book out (whether the start to a series or standalone) is a book in your repertoire, able to garner readers, so just make sure it's a humdinger! 

RE: Where and how should I market my self-published books? The options are overwhelming and I have so little time.

HG: Oh, dude, I hear that. I'm telling you, I've been marketing my books non-stop for over a year now. I watch the sales and when the numbers dip, I (obsessively) start casting around for a new marketing angle, be it a new review site, taking out an ad, running a special or giveaway, etc. It's exhausting and I'm officially pulling back on that draining "technique."

I really think it's different for every book, every genre. (Click to Tweet!) For me, I was blessed by going with a Christian review site (The Book Club Network). Although there was expense involved, such as sending out softcovers, it was well worth it to latch onto new and enthusiastic readers.

One of my other most successful techniques was ye olde going free on Amazon. Many say it's becoming passe, because people already have too many free books loaded on their e-readers. However, if you advertise at free book sites such as ENT (E-Reader News Today), you can find many new readers and simultaneously garner a number of reviews.

However, you run the risk of getting low reviews from readers who load random e-books without reading blurbs or sample chapters. It was a risk I was willing to take, but now that I'm about three books into the process, I've decided freebies aren't going to be part of my marketing arsenal so often (though I'm not eliminating the possibility of permafree with a first in series). But for the debut author, freebies and giveaways (such as softcover giveaways on Goodreads or on a blog tour) can be invaluable and build your readership quickly. 

One final strategy: as much as possible, be everywhere. I know that's literally impossible, but when you share pinnables and quotes from your book, when you tweet about your book, when you do an extensive blog tour, you'd be surprised that people often find you instead of you having to go out and find them. This is how I was contacted by a Canadian museum and also by a park in Colorado. Indies can reach all over the world with our books, which is so amazing to me.

So, bottom line: it's a hit and miss process. I would just recommend not spending big bucks right off the bat, as you're building your initial pile of royalties from that debut novel. Then for your second book, you'll have more income to play with. Of course, this is assuming you're as strapped for cash as I tend to be. LOL.

RE: Should I self-publish print books as well? 

HG: I really think it depends on the intent of your book and the reader demographic. For example, with my fiction, I'd be a fool not to get softcovers, because I do book signings and they demand it. Also, my local readers tend to read softcovers. Finally, my readers are ready to purchase softcovers the minute I announce the book has released (I love this! But I was unprepared for it with my debut. It took me a few weeks to get my first softcover loaded/proofed and some of the buzz had dropped off by then).

However, for my Indie Publishing Handbook, I decided to go e-book only for launch. This is because I assumed authors considering indie publishing would have to have to know how to navigate e-readers anyway! LOL.

But on the other hand, if I ever take my Indie Publishing Handbook to a writer's conference, I might try to get a softcover version up for distribution. That's what I mean by discerning the intent of your book.

RE: How do I design a cover?

HG: Cover art is definitely so important. I talked in my Indie Publishing Handbook a bit about opportunities that came my way based on cover art alone. For your debut, I'm convinced you want to produce the strongest cover you can afford.

I know some indie authors who design their own covers and they are amazing. Authors like Jan Thompson (Jane Austen Upside Down); Krista Phillips (A Side of Faith); Becky Doughty (Elderberry Croft); and Joanne Bischof (This Quiet Sky), just to name a few. These authors have what I call "the eye." It's a gift for putting together a visually pleasing cover that will sell.

I, however, don't possess this talent. So outsourcing covers is a must for me. This can vary in cost, from $200-$1000 or even more.

When you work with a cover artist, I think it helps to have your book completed, so you can identify running themes, key characters, etc. A good cover artist can ask questions, send you appealing comps, then design a cover that fits the mood of your book and places it recognizably in its given genre.

Personally, I want a cover that would stop ME in my tracks, because I write what I want to read. (Click to Tweet!) And yet it's always great to get outside input on your cover, whether it's from your crit partner, your Facebook followers, or an objective group.

However, keep in mind, indie authors can change covers if they feel their cover isn't working for some reason or another. For instance, I recently re-did this original Miranda Warning cover:

Original Miranda Warning cover

I had detailed in this Novel Rocket post how my brother and I developed the first cover, above. But because it was the first in series with the same main character throughout, it was going to be difficult to replicate covers with the same model. I needed to go in a different direction, and my brother didn't have time to do a re-do. So I hired a cover designer to come up with a more nature-oriented cover template for the entire Murder in the Mountains series.

This was the finished cover, and I'm very happy with the flexibility it gives us for future covers in the series:

Final Miranda Warning cover, now on Amazon 

Thank you for the questions, Ron! I just want to say another huge thanks to the Novel Rocket crew for letting me jump on board for a year. I've followed this site since I started writing and I will continue following it for relevant info on all kinds of writerly subjects. A special thanks to Gina Holmes and Ane Mulligan for helping me any time I needed advice on a post!

***Finally, comment below by January 22 to be entered to win a free Kindle copy of the Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher! (Click to Tweet!) Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!***

All the best to you Novel Rocketeers! Rockettes? Rock on! :)

--Heather

Ron Estrada has multiple published magazine articles, including a regular column in the bi-monthly Women2Women Michigan. He also freelances as a technical writer, specializing in white papers for manufacturing and consumer products. He writes spec fiction, hovering somewhere between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction (he prefers the term pre-Last Days), but has also dabbled in Mystery and Suspense. He will be releasing his first YA novel, Now I Knew You, in February 2015. His real-writer’s blog can be found at RonEstradaBooks.com.  You can e-mail him at rmestrada@ameritech.net or catch him (at pretty much any time) on Facebook. Twitter handle is @RonEstrada. CB handle is God’s Gift. 

                                                                                                                                           

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My Indie Book is Out - Now What?

Dan Walsh is the award-winning and bestselling author of 12 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 2 Selah Awards. Three of his novels were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year. Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take long walks with their dogs. Click Here to connect with Dan or check out his books. 

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About this time last month, I announced that after publishing 11 novels the old-fashioned way (through a traditional publisher), I was "going indie" (pretty much publishing my next novel myself). And it wasn't just that I was going indie, the novel itself is in a different genre than all my other books. When Night Comes is a suspense novel. 

Here's a link to that post, if you missed it: 

 http://www.novelrocket.com/2014/10/im-going-indie-yikes.html

It's fair to say all my novels are suspenseful, at least in certain spots (that's not just my opinion, most reviewers have said so), but they're not mainly suspense novels. They're really love stories and family life dramas (like the books written by Nicholas Sparks). 

Well, last weekend When Night Comes released! It's out! It's for sale! You can buy it (please buy it). 

I was a little nervous as I awaited the first few reviews to come in. A month ago, I had invited a number of readers and bloggers who had reviewed my other books to read a preview copy of this one. What would they say? Would they hate it? Would they think it's too different? I love reading suspense novels and want to be able to write both kinds of books. Would they tell me, "Forget that, you better stick to the Sparks-type books."

Well, so far, that's not what they're saying. So far, my fears are unfounded. 17 reviews have come in the past 5 days. 13 of them are 5-Star (the others are 4-Stars). Here's a sample of what they're saying about When Night Comes:

“While this book does deviate from Dan Walsh’s typical style, it’s still an amazing read…It was a page turner and I could have easily finished it in a day if I didn’t have other things to tend to like….kids.” – Living, Laughing, Loving Blog – Melinda Joy

“Dan Walsh’s unique plot twists keep the surprises coming at breath-taking speed. When Night Comes had me in suspense with every turn of the page.  There’s much I’d like to add to this review, but I don’t want to post any spoilers. When Night Comes is a must-read for suspense lovers.” — Author, Ann Shorey

“In a change from his romance novels, award-winning author Dan Walsh turns his strong character-driven narrative writing to a page-turning nail-biting suspense thriller combined with accurate historical fiction. As well written as any novelist currently writing…Walsh shows himself to be a master storyteller regardless of genre.” – Writing Truth Blog -Jorja Davis

I gotta tell you...it didn't hurt reading things like this. If you'd like to check out the book yourself, maybe even buy it (only $4.99 for the ebook version), here are the links:

Kindle – Click Here

Nook – Click Here

Kobo – Click Here

If you just want to read a free sample, click on the Kindle/Amazon link. They'll let you read the first 5 chapters online. Also, if you prefer a print version, you can get that on Amazon. Just click the same link and click the "paperback" button.

Here's the big question...Now What? I've never gotten this far before. I'd love to hear any suggestions from those of who've blazed this trail already. I've heard about advertising on BookBub and ENT. Anyone have any other ideas or strategies that have worked? Anything I should definitely avoid?

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So You Want to do a Boxed Set

Lynnette Bonner, Author

Lynnette Bonner is the author of 7 novels and has remained consistently on Amazon’s best seller lists since releasing her first Indie title in 2012. Her latest book, Beyond the Waves, is part of a boxed set that releases today. The set contains 10 inspirational romances for only 99 cents – each is a complete story, and the first book in a romance series. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/RHSCR.

So You Want to Do a Boxed Set

by: Lynnette Bonner

Since participating in a boxed set is a technique more and more indie authors are incorporating into marketing plans (I know Brandilyn Collins blogged about marketing a boxed set here), I thought I’d tell you a little about how we put our set together and how we’ve gone about marketing. This will hopefully give some of you who try this in the future a guide to go by.

First, all ten of the authors in this collection are in a small group on Facebook. Hallee Bridgeman, author of Sapphire Ice in the set, posted to that group asking if any of us were interested in joining her in a boxed set. Nine of us responded that we were. And then discussion commenced on what focus we would give to the set. We settled on inspirational romance with each book in the set being the first book in a series.

Our two main goals for this set were:

1.   We wanted to introduce our own readers to other authors whose work we admire and hopefully gain some new readers in return.

2.   To see if we could hit some of the best seller lists like USA Today by combining our marketing efforts. (NY Times no longer posts boxed sets to their lists, from what we can tell.)

Step 1: Gather authors and decide on a focus – these steps could be interchangeable. You could decide on a focus first and then seek out authors you know have books that would work for that focus.

Step 2: Decide what your main goals for the set are. This will determine how you market down the line.

Someone needed to compile all ten books into one digital file, and we’d like to say thanks to Hallee’s husband Gregg who did a fantastic job on that part for us. Along the way we learned that unless the file is less than 3MB you won’t be allowed to charge 99 cents for it. So he stripped out most of the graphics he’d put in and the file was then just able to squeak under the limit.

Step 3: Find someone to compile all the books into one for you. If you want to price it at 99 cents, be sure to keep the size under 3MB. This step and step 4 really are happening about the same time.

At the same time as the book file was being created we worked on the cover and title for the compilation. We first decided to have a group chat which we accomplished via Google Hangout. The title we chose started out as a bit of a joke, but then we all liked it and it stuck. It’s catchy and memorable – who wouldn’t be intrigued by “Red Hot Squeaky Clean Romance?” ;) We had a bit of a difficult time coming up with a cover because even though the books in the series are all romance, they span from historical westerns, to swashbuckling pirates, to contemporaries. (There’s even a time-travel romance included!) So we finally settled on something a bit generic and came up with what you see here. It’s bright and vibrant and eye catching and we think it will do a nice job for us:

Step 4: Decide on a title and create or hire a cover design for the set. Make sure it fits your selected genre, and looks professional. This step and step 3 really are happening about the same time.

Once all that was done, and thanks to Amazon’s new policy offering preorders, we put the book up for preorder. (This is important because all preorder sales count toward the first day of release’s sales. So preorders can help us reach our number two goal.) From our research we learned that sales for the bestseller lists are counted from Monday 12:01am to Monday 11:59pm. So releasing the book on a Monday gave us our best chance at maximum sales to count toward our goal. For this reason, we launched the book on a Monday.

Step 5: Decide on a release date and list your compilation for sale.

After the set is listed for sale it’s time to go to work on promotions.

·      To encourage preorders we created a Rafflecopter giveaway with lots of prizes for those who preordered the set. (www.rafflecopter.com)

·      Before release we also posted to a few blogs, and Pinterest, and Facebook groups about the set being available.

·      We set up many paid promotions as soon as the book was available for preorder. So now, during this our launch week, we have paid promotions set up for many of the days. (We will be featured on E-reader News Today, Digital Book Today, Kindle Nation Daily, BookSends, FKBooksandTips, and several couponing sites.)

·      We also have blog posts like this one scheduled throughout the week.

·      Each of us contacted those we knew to contact for promotions and then we just reimbursed funds to each other as needed.

·      We set up a Thunderclap campaign (https://www.thunderclap.it/) to launch today and all of us worked hard to get people on board for that.

·      Each of us sent out our newsletters to our lists.

·      We of course announced the launch on our social media networks.

Step 6: Come up with a marketing plan that works for your group. You’ve come this far and put this much effort into it. Don’t give up now! And you must be willing to spend some money to promote. 

~Posted by Heather Day Gilbert

Find it here on Amazon

Ten best-selling Inspirational romance authors come together to bring you the Red Hot Squeaky Clean Romance collection! If you're anything like us, you enjoy reading various genres -- a cozy mystery, a thrilling suspense, an adventurous historical, a catchy contemporary -- we love them all as long as the romance is piping hot and the story is comfortably clean. For the first time ever, as you turn the pages of these complete stories, you will meet ten of the most recognized names in inspirational romance today and read their award winning, critically acclaimed stories all in the same collection. You're in for such a treat!

Red Hot Squeaky Clean Romance Authors: Christy Barritt, Lynnette Bonner, Hallee Bridgeman, Cynthia Hickey, Kimberly Rae Jordan, Tamara Leigh, Lesley Ann McDaniel, Amanda Tru, MaryLu Tyndall, Susette Williams

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Permafree as an Indie Marketing Strategy~Interview with Traci Tyne Hilton

Today I'm thrilled to introduce Traci Tyne Hilton, a Christian indie author who has been so helpful to me personally, and an inspiration to so many other authors. She is a busy gal (as you will see!), but I wanted to tap into her wisdom on the effectiveness of using permafree as a marketing strategy, which is the latest buzz in indie circles. Permafree books are books that STAY free on Amazon and/or various other outlets, thus pulling readers in to read more books by that author (usually in a series). 

One of the things I love about being an indie author is that we share sales figures and marketing strategies. Please take time to thank Traci for sharing her experience with us. I'm pinning this post for easy reference! ~Heather Day Gilbert

Permafree as an Indie Marketing Strategy

Interview with Traci Tyne Hilton

Author Traci Tyne Hilton

HG: First off, how long have you been self-published, Traci? I know you were one of the earlier writers to take this route (and I know it has paid off for you!).

TH: It’s funny to think of myself as an early adopter, because it feels like just yesterday, but my first indie title came out in paperback around February of 2010, and then as an ebook that fall.

HG: On the issue of permafree e-books (I believe the definition of that is "permanently free" e-books), how did you decide you were ready to make one of yours permafree? And was it the first in series?

TH: I decided to go permafree with the first book in my series because I was basically desperate. I was terrified to do it, but I knew I had to make a change.

So, I had been doing pretty well, considering I didn’t know what I was doing, didn’t have a background in publishing, didn’t have a budget, didn’t have much of a plan, and wanted something I could do from home while raising my kids. I was making about a thousand dollars a month, and felt great. Then, November 2012 rolled around and I made…almost nothing. Or it felt that way. I was down to about $200 a month with no idea of how to make more.

I had already tried becoming a twitter-master (fifty tweets a day, links to helpful posts, fun quotes—a link to my books here and there.) I had tried writing fast and publishing fast (as fast as I could, anyway) and I had tried being a part of Kindle Select and running short promos. I had run Ereader News Today ads, Pixel of Ink ads, I had posted all over facebook. I don’t know, if someone had suggested it, I had tried it, and not just one little try, I had gone all out. And…I had short term success. Moments of good sales, but absolutely nothing lasting.

I had to find the secret magic trick that would make my books sell (Click to Tweet!), or give up and go back to paying attention to my kids!

I said to a friend of mine who was known for never compromising on his advice, “You are bossy and successful. Tell me what to do and I will do it. Whatever you say.” He said make my first book free and write more books. So I did, and it worked.

HG: Did you notice an immediate sales bump for other books in the series when you made the first permafree?

TH: Yes, definitely. You remember I was desperate because after two years of publishing and growing an audience my royalties had dropped to about $200 a month, right? Well, the first month the first Mitzy book was free—and I only had three books in the series at the time—I made $2800. I was immediately sold. I mean, think about that…three books made me $200. I made first book free, and two books made me $2800. I’d say that was an immediate result!

HG: What long-term effects have you seen from your permafree decision?

TH: The biggest change, besides making heckuva lot more money, is that I now have an active fan base! It’s a blast to get fan mail, and to hang out with people on facebook who are there because they like my books!

HG: When would you NOT recommend an author go permafree with his/her book?

TH: I would not recommend permafree if:

-The author only has one book

-The author’s titles are not in the same genre

-or, if in the same genre the books are too different to be grouped into some kind of series

-The author is philosophically against free. (There are plenty of authors who consider free promotions damaging to literature. I would never try and talk them out of their convictions.)

-If they are my direct competition. JUST KIDDING! I have happily talked lots of other Christian Cozy authors into trying it out, and I think they are all pretty happy with their results. (Check out the authors of Cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com to see what I mean!

     HG: I know that of all my marketing strategies to date, going free a few days with my books has brought the most results in terms of temporary sales boost. Would you say going permafree has been the best marketing strategy you have tried? If not, what is?

TH: Writing a series that follows one lead character and making the first book of that series free is the only marketing technique I have tried that has produced an increase in sales that lasted longer than about three days. (Click to Tweet!) Every other technique—and I have tried them all—was less effective in producing both short and long term sales (for me.)

HG: Finally, on a non-permafree note, how many books do you think an author needs to have out before making a full-time income on self-publishing, if you could give us an estimate? I've heard five books.

TH: I think an author needs to publish a minimum of three books a year to make a living. The point at which they start making a living is different for everyone. But it is the steady stream of quality new releases that makes a person able to live off their writing rather than a set number of books already published. Three is really the minimum for most people, and since it’s August, and I’ve only published one so far this year, I had better say goodbye, and get back to work! Thanks so much for the chat!

***Thank you, Traci! Readers, what about you--has a free book ever hooked you into buying a series or reading more from an author? Indie authors, if you have tried this strategy, how has it worked for you?***

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Traci Tyne Hilton is the author of the new Tillgiven Mystery Series, The Mitzy Neuhaus Mystery Series, and The Plain Jane Mystery Series. She was the Mystery/Suspense Category winner for the 2012 Christian Writers of the West Phoenix Rattler Contest, and has a Drammy from the Portland Civic Theatre Guild. Traci serves as the Vice President of the Portland chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association.

Traci earned a degree in History from Portland State University and still lives in the rainiest part of the Pacific Northwest with her husband the mandolin playing funeral director, their two daughters, and their dogs, Dr. Watson and Archie.

More of Traci's work can be found at http://www.tracihilton.com

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