Looking for New Marketing Avenues
Don't get me wrong; it's been fun creating Instagram posts. It's kind of turned into a mini-hobby, actually ~ not that I spend an inordinate amount of time on it, but I've done a post every day for a couple of weeks. And it's true that a constant presence draws followers. I have 128 now, which is rather amazing, considering that for a year or more I had maybe one or two. The problem is, none of those followers are doing anything except hitting me up to buy their services. (I don't need -- can't afford -- any services.) It may be true that some are just regular people, but I would have no way of knowing. They're sure not buying my book, though.
Appallingly, I've still only sold 24 copies of Running From Herself. An author can get lulled into believing her book's a success if she's only gauging by social media "likes". It's attention, after all! Isn't that what we all want? I suppose I avoided looking at my sales report, hoping that if I stayed away, the numbers would magically multiply. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to work.
I knew at some point I would offer my novel for free, and that time has come. It is rather galling to pay $60.00 for the opportunity to give books away, and I'm still not on board with the rationale behind it. It doesn't result in reviews, and I'm skeptical whether it even results in the book being read. So, why am I doing it? Because I don't know what else to do. So, come this Saturday, Running From Herself will be offered for free on FreeBooksy, and I suppose I really should put the word out on social media (not that anyone will care). Once FreeBooksy is done, I will have exhausted my paid promotional options. Oh, there's still Facebook ads, but I'm concerned about them being a money-suck, among other concerns, such as how the F to do one. Sure, the mechanics, checking the right boxes, can easily be mastered by watching David Gaughran's video, but the targeting and the graphic creation and the budgeting are very iffy in my mind, and while Gaughran is a marketing expert, he's not artistic (at all!) when it comes to creating visual media, so I'd be on my own in that respect.
I read that an author shouldn't refrain from asking for reviews, particularly from bookstagrammers, but that sounds way easier than it actually is (which is true of a lot of online advice). I've done searches on Instagram for "women's fiction bookstagrammers", and for simply "bookstagrammers", and for "book reviewers". The first search term returns no results, while the others bring up tons of fantasy and romance lovers (or romantasy, which kills both birds). And even if I (hypothetically) found an appropriate 'grammer and DM'd them, why would they care about my book? Sometimes being ignored is worse than asking in the first place.
I thought about offering a specific number of free copies to potential readers in exchange for honest reviews, but you know, I've tried that before. Heck, I've even offered free copies and asked for nothing in return. No one, not one person, was interested.
An article I found suggests the following social media posts:
Certainly I can try that. I have nothing to lose, but these aren't very different from posts I'm already doing.
I have learned that Instagram reels are far more popular than regular posts, so I'll try to create more of those, even though I dislike doing them. I found out that Canva has an audio app, so perhaps I can locate some appropriate generic music to attach, which would no doubt amp up the interest. (I confess, I prefer watching reels, too.) I could potentially record some voiceovers on my phone and upload those to Canva, which is far preferable to showing my face! Still cringeworthy, though. And I have no idea what the hell I would say.
In summary, my only remaining options are Facebook ads, more Instagram reels, and...that's about it. I'm pretty much over the whole contest thing. That's another area where I spent money stupidly, but it was fun while it lasted, I guess.
I redid my blurb. I don't know if it's better; probably not. A great blurb, like a great book, does absolutely nothing if no one sees it. I kept some of the original, but tried to tighten it:
Leah Branch has the thirty-sixth most popular single in the country. And she’s disappeared.
She
wasn’t chasing the dream when a record deal found her, but it was her
chance to escape heartbreak; make a new start; make up for every mistake
she’d made in her life. Except in Nashville, the label proceeds to
change her name, remake her image, and force her to record songs she
hates. They wanted her; they just wanted a different her. With every
compromise, Leah feels herself slipping away.
Then one night she
breaks. Stranded in a winter storm with two sketchy musicians and a
hopeless manager, once the roads clear, she dumps her companions and
flees.
She knows she has to go back. Her last thread of
self-respect demands it. She knows her career, barely begun, is over.
But she also knows she has a voice, and it’s time to start using it.
Filled
with unlikely friendships, unbreakable bonds, heartbreak, and yes,
love, Running From Herself is the story of a woman’s journey to find
herself.
Fans of
Daisy Jones & The Six will be captivated by this poignant
exploration of redemption, resilience, and the raw truths of the music
industry.
At least I took out the whole "moving to Chance and why" background, which was needless clutter.
I'm not giving up on my novel. It doesn't have a sell-by date. It's not topical, even in its music references. It sure would be nice to see some momentum, though.
Once I win the lottery, I'll hire a publicist. And when I'm Number One, people will regret ignoring me.
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