Being an indie author has both perks and a downside. The best part is having complete control over your books, where you publish them and how often you publish them. Amazon now has the Kindle Lending Library that gives authors 5 free days every 3 months to pulse their books free. There are so many things that I love about being an indie author, it's hard to list them all.
But, there is a definite downside and that is, the marketing piece. As an indie author, you are responsible for getting the word out about your books. It's good strategy to have a blog, Facebook account, and a Twitter account. There's also Google+, Triberr and Pinterest.
I have an account at Google+, but honestly, I haven't done much with that. I have no interest in joining Pinterest. This week I joined Triberr to see if I could expand my blog readership. You join a tribe and it's kind of a "pay it forward" place. Your blog posts import into your tribal stream and the other members tweet it for you. My responsibility is to check the tribal stream for other tribal member's posts and decide whether or not to re-tweet them based on whether it would be of interest to my twitter followers.
All this social media activity definitely cuts into my writing time. It's a constant struggle to get the word out about my books and still have time to write new stories. Some days I only have time for social media. The blog takes up most of my time. I try to blog about subjects that will keep my readers coming back day after day.
So, how do you handle everything? Do you have a dedicated time put aside each day for writing and one for your social media activities?
Excellent observations, Debra. This is our mutual dilemma...time management. Thank you for explaining how Triberr works; I'll check that out next.
ReplyDeleteI don't spend a great deal of time blogging, but share current news articles on Joan of Arc the subject of my newly released biography) as they come into me each morning, courtesy of "Google Alerts". Any time Joan of Arc or Jeanne d'Arc is mentioned in an international publication, it is added to the list I receive daily. Joan is topical right now, as the 600th anniversary of her birth is causing a stir. She is in the center of political turmoil in the upcoming French presidential election. Artists are offering up new portraits of her, and some of these are worthy of sharing. My website blog is linked directly to my Facebook author page.
How do you feel about Amazon's Kindle Lending Library? Has interest in your books been "kindled" by this controversial program?
Hi Marcia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I have 4 books in the Lending Library at the moment. You have to manage your 5 free days carefully to get the most out of them. I've found that by making a book free for 2 days at a time, I sometimes get a good bounce when it comes off free back to paid. 90 days seems to go by fast. I don't enable the "auto-renew" for any of the books so I can see how this first trial period works out.
I checked out your website and the book sounds intriguing. If you are still looking for reviews, let me know. My email is in the Contact Me box in the sidebar.
I'm with a small publisher but I find I spend a lot of time online - usually between three and six hours. Most of that is blogging. I like to stay in touch with my followers. Some on Twitter, some on Goodreads, and I am in two Triberr tribes. I have a book release coming up, but after that (and the A to Z Challenge) I will pull back so I can write the next book.
ReplyDeleteTruth is publishing has become easier. Almost anyone can get a book published now. But that is where easy ends. Even having an agent and "regular" publisher does not guarantee sales. After I published my book I walked into the local newspaper and offered a bi monthly column, which I am still writing - not for pay, but the exposure is good. I also blog, which as Debra has said, takes a lot of time. I set up Google alerts to send me links to other articles and blogs which are relevant to my subject, some I comment on and that increases the traffic on my blog. But again, my blog does not automatically translate into money. I am running a long term campaign. If I were to give advice to a new author, it would be not to spend if-come; don't plan your finances around being a best seller in the first 6 months. Maybe this sounds cynical, but it is realistic. Actually I don't count on it at all. But when it happens I will party.
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