Embracing the Indie: Month Two
I can’t believe I’m through two full months of being an Indie Author. Not gonna lie, it’s the best thing ever.
When I found out that I would no longer be continuing with either of my publishers, it really did feel like my writing career was over. Like I’d spent years creating all these stories, which then spent years going through the murky waters of small presses only to die tragic deaths.
But then I cried and got over it and decided it was time to take control of my own damn life. In less than two weeks, the final book in the Girl of Glass will be available. I have the covers ready to go for The Tale of Bryant Adams series, and my wonderful cover artist already has books one and two in The Tethering series done, too.
And because I’m in charge, I know the books are actually going to be released. The best part…people are actually reading my books! Readers are actively seeking out my books to spend their time devouring, and I know it’s happening because I can see them purchasing the books on my cool little author dashboard.
For the first time in my adult life, I am not fully dependent on theatre work. If I have a break between performing contracts, I can get work done on my books. (I’m diving into audio books soon, and I’m so excited it’s ridiculous.)
I have control of my career—nay, my destiny—and it’s the best thing ever.
Now, for how things are actually going.
Month two lessons
BookBub is the best thing since fire. Seriously, more than sixteen thousand copies of Girl of Glass were downloaded by readers from around the world. And, slowly but surely, a good handful of those free downloads are converting to readers for books two and three in the series.
Back matter matters. I might have made a little booboo and not had the first section of book two in the back of book one. Not having that teaser really hurt me. Luckily, I discovered the mistake before the BookBub.
The sales on book two jumped up as soon as book three was released. I always thought that maybe authors were exaggerating when they said readers like to binge. I was wrong.
While newsletter swaps are helpful, you can’t always assume other authors are on top of their part of the deal. Seriously, about one in four authors I’m supposed to trade slots with completely forget to include Girl of Glass in their newsletter.
Don’t signup for prize-based newsletter builders. A few months ago, I took part in a newsletter builder that had a really great prize bundle. I got lots of newsletter signups, and very few have converted into genuine readers. I would have been better off focusing on newsletter magnets to build my list. While it is true that some who sign up for my free stories only want FREE stories, at least they are reading and not just entering to win a prize pack with no guarantee they have any actual interest in books.
In summary, I am thrilled to announce that I have earned out of my financial investment in the Girl of Glass series, and I’m loving the freedom of my Indie Life!
