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The Stress and the Joy of Watching my Book go for Free on Kindle and the Importance of the Book Review.
Hello... I wanted to update you all on my experience of watching my book go for free on Kindle. Just recently my publishers approached me and said they wanted to do a Dead Game promotion, by putting it on Kindle for free for a limited time. Naturally I agreed and so, through experience, I have learned, it’s a nerve-wracking process. I thought I was well prepared by those at New Age Publishers, who had given me an in-depth rundown as to what to expect; I had spoken to other authors within the publishing house, whose books have gone through the same process but none-the-less, no matter how much you prepare and market your work, you can never quite plan for the response you are going to get. It’s a silent journey of discovery, where you sit motionless, barely breathing, for hours, staring at the screen, watching downloads as they happen and then every hour, re-shuffling the top 100 bestsellers... praying your book makes it on. You discover who your hardcore fans are and have to deal with emotions of elation and disappointment, as you wait... hoping to hit the top 100 bestsellers list, whilst your position rises and falls like a bird swooping in flight.
The social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, have all been saving graces; a great distraction, as well as a brilliant place to connect and spread the word about the promotion. There is so much support from fellow authors, which has been second-to-none, sometimes I really wish I could crawl into cyber space and shake each one of them by the hand and say ‘thank you’. It really does make a huge difference to have other authors routing for you. As well as this, networking on-line has drawn a great amount of intrigue to my work from curious readers, which is, likewise, wonderful and really the main goal.
My debut novel Dead Game, released by New Age Publishers back in April this year, went on Amazon Kindle for free on Friday 7th September until 11th September 2012. During that time it hit number one on the free kindle downloads for fairytales, number two for fantasy, fourteen in fiction and fifteen overall. So, as you can imagine, I was delighted. Since then it has remained in the top ten bestsellers for fairytales, fluctuating between 5th and 6th. It was nearly impossible to drag myself away from the bestsellers list; I was in quite a daze the whole weekend. It’s a good job the children had Gareth at home to entertain them because Mummy was useless.
I think if you take the time to look through the list of free Kindle books on Amazon, I’ve discovered you can find some real gems. So, if you or your publisher is thinking about putting your work on for free and you can handle the tension, remember that Amazon has a dedicated page, listing all of your options. It’s a brilliant opportunity to generate great exposure and to explore, not only established authors but find new authors to read yourself, some of whom don’t get the recognition from the big name publishers but certainly deserve to be read.
Before I go, I’ve a little to say on the importance of a book review.
When a book is launched into the world, the publisher obviously throws an elaborate launch party, with champagne and caviar. All those that matter in the literary world are invited to the glittering affair. Then there’s the book tour, where you’ll read at all the best independent bookshops in the country, there are radio and television interviews to prepare for. Glossy magazine journalists write stories, with professional and colourful photographs of you with the kids and the dog, giving the back-story to the book and the author. Followed swiftly by a bidding war for the film rights and once sold, the author is flown out, first class, to meet the producer and offered a part in her own story, starring alongside Brad Pitt.
Now... I believe, being a fantasy author, there is somewhere out there, in a galaxy far far away, a parallel universe where all of this could well be happening. Alas, it happens to one in a million on this planet. What really happens when an author gets published is; the author gets ten free copies to give to family and friends, a quick gin and tonic, possibly a slap up meal out with the family or a few beers with some close friends. Your local bookshop, where you’ve been a loyal customer all your life, agrees to let you do a book-reading and signing and occasionally if your book fits, your local school might have you in to do a writing workshop... but the students can’t afford to buy the book and ask if it’s in the library.
After that... if you’re not on the ball... Nada.
What really matters once your book is out there are the reviews. Book reviews are so important to authors and have a tremendous impact on sales. Along with good marketing and book ratings, the reviews are the most persuasive book-buying influence of all. People want to know what others think of the book before they buy it. Some will kindly post a review on Amazon, facebook or tweet and share their thoughts, while others keep it to themselves and make a private note to either support the author, or to never again read another word they’ve written.
For the author, it can be scary and intimidating, particularly as there’s always the possibility of negative reviews. But you’ve put your work out there for the world to read and to be judged, not everyone is going to be a fan but you have to take the risk to get the exposure. Rejection and negative comments are going to happen; it’s all part and parcel of being an author.
Dead Game had thousands and thousands of downloads over its short free spell on Kindle. The end verdict was... amazing. The exposure has been brilliant and personally I’d do it all again tomorrow if I could. I love the fact that people are reading my work. Reviews on Amazon are now coming in. What will the world think?
Find Claire on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Claire.Kinton.co.uk?ref=hl
Or on twitter - https://twitter.com/Claire_Kinton
Dead Game http://www.amazon.co.uk/DEAD-GAME-ebook/dp/B00500PYH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347571381&sr=8-1
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