Self-publishing "Doh" and a change of writing scenery...
It's a garage waiting area. Not Cape Cod. But still...
I’m writing this from the garage where my car is getting serviced. The smell of coffee mixes with the smell of oil. The wall in front of me is white, and there's a cacophony of background noises—people bustling in and out. Oh, and two TVs blaring different shows (one local news channel and a kid cartoon).
And I forgot my headphones.
Yet, this change of scenery is surprisingly refreshing.
Writing away from my usual desk seems to help me focus today. Maybe it’s the lack of familiar distractions, or the pressure of knowing I have only 90 minutes here. Maybe it helps me see things from a different angle—or maybe it just jump-starts my creativity, revs up my creative engine? :-)
I'm reaching for a car metaphor here, but cars aren’t really my area of expertise.
Okay, maybe, this easier focus in the waiting area from the Honda garage isn’t only about the change in scenery. It could be that it stems from the fact that there are no termites there.
Yes, termites.
Yesterday, a swarm of termite swarmers decided to mate by our front door—yes, really. I shared that story with my wonderful readers (via my newsletter). Imagine trying to work, only to find your cat playing with not one but dozens of these pests at your doorstep. Inside your house.
Not exactly conducive to writing.
This was basically my face. Not. Amused.
I did get things done. (#1 Achiever over here - if you talk Gallup Strengths and Becca Syme). But I didn’t write (# 3 Empathy coming in strong I think - was I feeling with the swarmers who really should have stayed outside or…?)
This is some of the admin work I did yesterday:
Uploaded one more ebook on Tolino (direct);
Uploaded one print on Tolino (direct) which took me wayyyyy longer than planned to (a) get the print pages from Atticus to be divisible by 4 (one of Tolino’s requirement), (b) get the cover right (I ended up hiring someone on Fivver to fix the cover);
Work on German Audiobook Cover and more…
I also did start revising the first chapter of the prequel novella of # Dear Santa With Love, coming up with those sentences I absolutely love:
Yet, my legendary I-got-this attitude has gone undercover and my made-of-steel nerves have turned all jittery, playing vintage pinball with my heart. I don’t know who’s winning, but…
I want to believe that Margie Lawson would be proud. (If you haven’t taken any Margie Lawson class - I really recommend her - she has webinars, too and lecture packets).
All that to say, a change of scenery can sometimes help me refocus - and I also know my process (and myself) well enough to know that sometimes pushing it when I’m too rattled isn’t the solution. Especially when I need to get back “into” the story to write.
Now… those swarmers were kind of a DOH moment and had me rearranging my schedule, but another DOH moment that happened recently in my ups and downs in self-publishing?
MY SELF-PUBLISHING DOH (Well, one of them this week):
Well, I have a trope in one of my books that I can't advertise on Amazon. It’s steamy but not erotica. Everyone involved is over 18. There's nothing too scandalous, just a touch of the forbidden—and, well, that particular touch can't be advertised on Amazon. Which is annoying, because this is for my pen name which is actually on Kindle Unlimited, and the Facebook ads aren’t as effective as I’d like for those books.
I should have checked this before deciding to make those books either standalones or the first in a series.
Doh, Doh, Dohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
My pen name continues to perform well on Kindle Vella—it’s still in the top 250, and I’m getting more and more comments. It does okay on Kindle/KU, but my plan was to start advertising them on Amazon to boost page reads and attract more readers.
But I can’t.
Have you encountered similar advertising hurdles with your projects? How did you handle them? Let me know!
You may wonder what my thought process or options were after that realization.
I’ve been considering going wide with my pen name—including on Radish, since those stories do so well on Vella—but going wide might be problematic, too (Draft2Digital could reject the books in question).
Maybe changing the trope, but that wouldn’t really work;
Maybe adding a prequel that could be advertised, then crossing my fingers that readers like the following tropes...
Starting a Ream for that pen name, since some readers have asked for early access;
Writing a bunch of insta-love short stories, finishing with the introduction of one of the characters so readers are curious enough to continue with it - I’ve been listening to some podcasts on the topic and reading some to see if that’s something I could maybe do (and yes part of me really wants to try). And to my surprise, this morning I got this newsletter from Susan Dennard which was oh so fitting as I’m trying to see the different aspects that come with writing them.
For now, I am running three-dollar ads a day to two of KU books. And will assess in five days, then seven days.
So, this is just a reminder to you that you should probably check Amazon's ad guidelines before you start writing something you might want to advertise there, too. :-)
Did you have any “DOH” not “DUH” moments recently in your self-publishing career/work?
Here are my self-publishing ups and downs of the past two weeks:
That DOH moment I mentioned;
I've started selling books direct on Tolino (German distributor)—just two days after publishing my first book directly with them. Granted, the earnings are only EUR 2 so far, but if I continue uploading and possibly engage in some marketing, I might increase my visibility. Plus, this is for a book that was formerly available for free, which I've now priced at EUR 2.99. I’ll keep you updated. And Tolino has pies, too! I love love love looking where my books are being purchased and read… :-)
I’ve also seen a spike in interaction on my pen name TikTok account. From initial views of 30/50, I now receive between 200 and 500 views per post, using the trending templates that pop up as I scroll. My follower count has risen to about 250. My posting schedule is quite irregular—sometimes once a week, other times three times a day. Right now, I’m not focusing on any specific metrics. I've also posted a few videos on my main account, which led to a wonderful connection with a reader who purchased one of my books—something I'm incredibly grateful for. 😊 And crossing my fingers they enjoyed it!
I’ve increased my profit (without counting the Vella Bonus) by about 60% when comparing March 2023 to March 2024 (going from three-figure to a low four-figure). I had a release in French at the end of the month - but each month so far have seen an increase year-on-year.
I had a reader mentioning to me how much they love my books and that definitely made me smile.
Some of the conferences I’m thinking about attending…virtually.
Are you going to any of them in person or virtually? Let me know!
Publish Better-Faster Digital Conference with Becca Syme: May 16-17, 2024
InkersCon Digital Conference: July 20th – August 2nd 2024 (and then the classes are still available online)
Podcast episodes I listened to last and audiobook I’m currently listening to (non-exhaustive list because I listen to a loooot of podcast episodes):
Wish I’d Known Then Podcast: Author Sustainability and Kickstarter with Claire Taylor : Claire Taylor, humor and mystery author and Enneagram expert, shares how authors can use the Enneagram to create a resilient approach to the often chaotic writer lifestyle. We also discuss Claire’s successful track record on Kickstarter, and she tells us what she wishes she knew about using the crowdfunding platform.
Joanna Penn: Kickstarter for Authors with Monica Leonelle from two years ago (which led me to get her and Russel’s audiobook on the topic). Yes, yes I *am* thinking about doing another Kickstarter (my last one wasn’t successful and I have now a good idea why :P).
From Zero to 3K in 3 months writing Short Romance (Interview with Ella Barnard)
Podcast Episodes On my list to listen to (top 3 I’m getting ready to listen to ;-)
Ink & Magic: Ep 20: Romcom Deceptions & Revelations: I already love listening to Leslye and Ines but this episode has been personally recommended to me :-) (Thanks again, Mary for the rec).
Today, we discuss the crux of romantic comedies: the deception and the revelation. Ines postulates that there are four types of Romantic Comedy Deceptions: the Merry War, Identity Deception, Bet or Wager Deception, and the Magic Potion Deception. Each of these deceptions creates obstacles for the characters to overcome on their journey to finding true love.
The eventual revelation and resolution of these deceptions not only provide satisfying conclusions, but also highlight themes of authenticity, vulnerability, and the transformative power of love. And the humor comes as the characters continually try to conceal the deception.
Are You Building An Author House You Want to Live In? (The Quitcast 6.01): Every decision you make is a hammered nail or placed board for the house you’re going to live in as an author. Are you making choices that will build you a house you can live in? In this episode, we discuss burnout, overwhelm, FOMO, and the sustainability archetypes (which I’ll have to do another video on… this was just a primer). Please check out Claire Taylor’s work on the Enneagram, Sarah Baldwin’s work on the nervous system, and Nicole LaPera’s work on integrative psychology.
Imagining Success with Beverly Jenkins on My Imaginary Friends podcast.
“Imagining Success” is an interview series where I talk to authors who have achieved career milestones that others only dream about and ask them how they got there and where they go from here. In this interview, I speak with legendary romance author Beverly Jenkins about the power of representation, her unique relationship with her readers, and why she doesn’t have imposter syndrome.
What podcast episodes are you currently listening to/recommending? :-)
<3 Thank you so much for reading!
Elodie
Oh my goodness I am still reeling over this termite thing. Is it weird that I can't wait to hear all about it? And oh, Elodie - I know that's got to be frustrating. I am pretty sure I know which Vella story you are referring to and that sucks you can't advertise it because it's so good!