Countless times I have read the same thing – I as a self-published author must engage with readers.
This is common sense, and it does not take the brains of a rocket scientist to work out that it’s readers who will buy my books. However, the way to go about this procedure is usually left tantalisingly out of reach just around the corner. I’ve yet to read about a genuine strategy that doesn’t cost the earth and promises to connect authors with readers.
Here is another issue self-published authors face: When it seems the whole world population has written a book or twelve, how does one actually go about finding readers that are not authors?
We as Indie authors have a tricky problem in that our books are not usually on the shelves of large bookstores for the reading public to peruse. Therefore we tend to have to part with money in order to advertise our books and hopefully get them to stand out above the rest. I’ve tried this in the past, and much money has to be parted with in order to make a few sales. It’s not economically viable. Then I know I will be bombarded with emails ad infinitum to sign up for this or that promotional package, all costing an arm or a leg.
You need reviews, because reviews help sell your books … say the many writing advisors. To further add to the depressing picture, the few bloggers I’ve come across who are just readers are usually swamped with books and are not interested in reading and reviewing any more, even if the book is free. They have ‘book overload’.
You need to be active on social media… also say the sagacious. I am so active it’s taking over my writing time, but again, it’s authors I am connecting with who are all trying to find the same pot of gold as I am … those dastardly elusive readers.
So… here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be pro-active and make the readers come to me, in droves. Dear reader, all you have to do in the comments below is please leave an email address or a link to your website if you are open to submissions. Oh, and perhaps you’d also better say which genre you prefer to read. I can then begin engaging with you in the way I’m supposed to. Simple isn’t it? Why didn’t I think of this before?
I’m holding out my 18 contemporary fiction (women’s fiction/ suspense and darkly humorous) books and standing well back, so that I’m not knocked over by the rush …
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jjspina said:
It’s a puzzle for all of us authors. I guess there are just too many books online available for readers. We need to find what that magic mix is to attract the right readers to our genres. Best of luck to you, Stevie. We can start by supporting each other as authors and spread the work of each others’ books. I will share your post. Best of luck to you. Hugs
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Janice. That’s why I’ve started my Facebook review group. We’re all authors, but we’ve turned ourselves into readers and reviewers as well.
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jjspina said:
Great! I am one of your fans! Loved No Windows! 😘💕
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks. You can join if you like? https://www.facebook.com/groups/verifiedreviews/
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dgkaye said:
An eternal conundrum for us. 😦
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raynotbradbury said:
To engage with readers is very time consuming…
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, it’s a time suck trying to find any!
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tracikenworth said:
Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for re-blogging.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Stevie, as a yet-to-be-published novelist and avid reader, I divide my limited book-buying funds between books by my favorite best-selling authors and supporting indie-published authors within my network (writers’ group and online platforms like WordPress).
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Anna Dobritt said:
Reblogged this on Anna Dobritt — Author.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog!
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Stevie Turner said:
Look at my blog tomorrow, and there will be news of a possible new Facebook group. But only comment if you want to take part in it, so I will then know how many authors I’ve got.
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Don Massenzio said:
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this great post from Stevie Turner’s blog on the topic of engaging with readers
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Don for the re-blog.
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Don Massenzio said:
You’re welcome.
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Clive said:
As a blogger – one who will probably never achieve his ambition to write a book – I can’t see any easy answer to this. We poor readers are swamped with choice, and this can cause a kind of purchase paralysis! Should we buy an indie book because it has good reviews – but there are lots of those. Should we buy out of loyalty to a mutual blog follower – but they may not be writing in a genre that interests us. Or should we just await promotional freebies, and save our precious pennies? There is also the problem that Amazon offers 99p deals every day, in many cases from better known authors, and these offer a ‘safer’ option for the beleaguered reader. Sorry, but I don’t know what to say to help!
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Stevie Turner said:
None of us know the answer, Clive. It would help if we could get our books on display in bookstores, but hey, ho, it’s not to be…
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Clive said:
And therein lies the problem, I guess. I’d imagine it is hugely expensive for an indie author to have print copies of their books made, which rather precludes that as an option!
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Stevie Turner said:
And it’s cheaper to sell them on Amazon than to try and persuade the local Waterstones to stock them, who of course would mark it up so they get a profit.
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Clive said:
I just hope you get one of those film deals – they’ll be fighting each other to stock your books then!
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Stevie Turner said:
Ha ha, some hope!
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Rebecca Bryn said:
yet there must be millions of readers who aren’t authors, so where are they all?
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Stevie Turner said:
Good question.
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Audrey Driscoll said:
They’re reading books, not our blogs!
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Stevie Turner said:
What a depressing thought! So .. what’s the point of having an author platform if no reader is looking at it?
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Audrey Driscoll said:
Through my blog, I’ve connected with many excellent and congenial writers. I’ve gained some valuable information about self-publishing. Some of my books have received great reviews from other writers, which is wonderful. But I can’t say I’ve attracted any readers who weren’t also writers and/or indie authors. I suspect only writers with celebrity status in the publishing world attract followers who are purely readers. As you said in your post, almost everyone seems to be writing and publishing now. It could be there’s too much on offer at the book buffet and readers are simply sated. We writers just have to keep writing — or not — in this environment. (But then, I have no pretensions to marketing expertise and admit to underperformance in that area). 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
I think you said it there, Audrey…writers who are celebrities attract readers.
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Phil Huston said:
Buying franchise trash from “name” brand authors at the checkstand in Wlagreen’s across the street from the businbess suites hotel. Or the airport. An issue, or at least a mentality, addressed by David Foster Wallace in “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” where, using McDonald’s and Advertising/Media as a vehicle, he elaborates on the “global community restaurant” concept, how comforting it is in an era of unrelenting change and disord, to consume the familiar. He bags on a LOT of other things as well, but the continuous punch is at convenience and consistency and the numbness required of and the result of both.
And that is what we are fighting. Known quantity. McDonalds to Catholicism. Walk in and you are immdediately familiar. Koontz and King and Patterson and…and…and…. pick your formulaic procedural/conspiracy/romance/darkly woven family secrets and off you go. Direct result of the marketing genius of Pulp. Rounders and displays of books, author’s color coded and bold, to be easily grabbed and consumed on flights and drives. Literature as Happy Meal. The same mentality is pervasive in music programming, streaming content, everywhere you look. We are told what we want. The Vacuum cleaners WalMart sells and the easily accessible “books” we should be reading. Feeding the franchise is the name of the game. And if you’re not one? Set up a cart in the Lowe’s parking lot and get someone to read your books aloud. Sound Effects optional.
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Phil Huston said:
Typos are going to be the death of me.
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Pingback: The Discovery Dilemma « Frank Parker's author site
Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for sharing, Frank.
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franklparker said:
I couldn’t have outlined this problem better myself – so I’m ‘pressing this’ to share it on my site.
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Stevie Turner said:
Much obliged!
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cagedunn said:
Reblogged this on Cage Dunn: Writer, Author, Teller-of-tall-tales and commented:
Want to add your thoughts, contribute to the answer we all seek? Go ahead, make a mark … or a review
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog.
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cagedunn said:
You’re very welcome – thanks for the inspiration.
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jenanita01 said:
Whoever comes up with a viable solution to this dreadful conundrum will go down in Indie history as the savior of writers everywhere!
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog. I’ve added my idea in the comments. Would be interested to find out how many authors are up for this idea. Speak later.
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jenanita01 said:
I would be interested…
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Stevie Turner said:
Good!
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jenanita01 said:
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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jwebster2 said:
I’ve had a brainwave
I try to sell to authors, there’s more of them 😉
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Stevie Turner said:
True, but they’re too busy authoring to read …
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jwebster2 said:
it can be an issue, but as long as they’re not too busy to buy it’s something we can work around 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
If they put their book in the thread, then they’ll have to buy the one in front of theirs.
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cagedunn said:
Maybe all the Indie authors could get a group together for the purpose of reviewing the work of other Indies – quid pro quo. I’m willing.
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Stevie Turner said:
Sure, but it cannot be review swaps, otherwise Amazon will reject them. Let’s see who else is willing to join the group.
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cagedunn said:
I can’t do Amazon reviews (don’t spend enough money with them apparently), but Goodreads, or Google+ (and my blog). And as a BookBubs author, I can do a recommend (if I like the story, that is).
Or is it that if you don’t get the reviews on Amazon, they don’t count?
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Stevie Turner said:
Have a look at my idea in the comments. I don’t think $0.99 / £0.99 is much to pay.
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Stevie Turner said:
The person buying your book would of course not be able to put their review on Amazon.AU and it would probably have to go on Amazon US.
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mike2all said:
evanswrite@icloud.com. Tou show me yours and I’ll show you mine Read After Burnout .com Mike Evans Amazon
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Stevie Turner said:
Ha ha, if you want to join the review group I can set one up, but it wouldn’t be any use doing review swaps. We would have to pick a book randomly from the group if enough people want to join.
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mike2all said:
Makes sense.
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Stevie Turner said:
It’ll be easy enough to set up a Facebook group, and buy and review one book from the group every month. A verified purchase and honest review is what we’re all after. It would be a bit of a nightmare to try and match up every book with the correct reader though, so I would put forward the idea of everyone buying and reviewing the book on the thread before theirs. The first one in the thread would review the last book. There would be a time limit to add your book, and each one would be reduced to $0.99 /£0.99. I have to go out now for a few hours, but it would be interesting to see who would be up for this idea. It’s usually the thought of buying a book in the first place which puts everyone off, but everybody in the group would not have to take part every month, only when they add their book to the thread.
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mike2all said:
I like this idea.
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Stevie Turner said:
I’ll need a list of everyone willing to take part. So please could everyone who wants to do this please send me an email to stevie@stevie-turner-author.co.uk and put Reviews in the subject box. I need to have a list to work out if it’s worth doing.
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cagedunn said:
I’m attaching a link:
https://justpublishingadvice.com/amazon-book-review-policies-updated-with-50-minimum/
which is why I can’t do Amazon reviews. Is this for real? Does anyone know? If it was only a ‘verified purchase’ it would be fine, but $50?
As I live in Australia anything I buy adds at least 27% to the cost of purchase. And I certainly can’t afford a min US$50 spend (unless more people buy my books – round and round the merry-go-round).
I’d still be happy to do one for Goodreads and Smashwords, and a ‘recommend’ on BookBub for the 4+ star reads.
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Stevie Turner said:
Ah, I was assuming everyone had an Amazon US or UK account, but why not buy on your home site Amazon.AU? Authors would still get a review, and then perhaps you could share it on Goodreads, as could all the other authors.
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jenanita01 said:
This sounds workable, tell us more?
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Stevie Turner said:
As I said, I’ll set up a Facebook group if there are enough interested authors. Each one would put their book on a 99 cent or pound promotion on the same day, so that the next author after them on the thread would buy, read and review it. I’m thinking of giving each author 6 weeks before I put up a new thread, and also having a few different threads according to genre, and then we can all read the genre we prefer.
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jenanita01 said:
Could mean a lot of work on your part, but well worth it, I would say.
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Stevie Turner said:
Here’s the link. When you 2 ladies join there’ll be enough members for the first month’s reviews: https://www.facebook.com/groups/662487267428741/
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jenanita01 said:
We’ll be back shortly with a reduced book each, see you there!
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks. Don’t forget to reduce on US and UK sites in case the person buying yours is from the US.
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jenanita01 said:
I didn’t know I had to do that, something else I have learned this week…
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Stevie Turner said:
Also to add your book to the July/August thread, which is named.
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jenanita01 said:
Do you mean me or Anita?
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Stevie Turner said:
Anita. I’ve already added your book to the thread. Anita needs to add hers to follow somebody else’s, otherwise she will be reviewing your book!
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jenanita01 said:
I am confused. You just mentioned Anita twice…
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Stevie Turner said:
I have now added Anita’s book to the July/August thread. She now needs to buy Chris-Jean Clarke’s book. I am sorry this is confusing for you. I was hoping my instructions were clear.
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jenanita01 said:
Yes, I got my head around it in the end. Both books are now in house! Going well, I think?
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, seems to be.
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franklparker said:
Stevie’s idea is fine – except it simply continues the real problem she identified in her original post – we are all of us engaging with other writers, not with readers who are not also authors. I’ve tried Goodreads review groups which operate in a similar way to Stevie’s proposal and would certainly recommend them to Stevie and the rest of her writer followers
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Frank. I can’t see any other way around it really.
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