All right. It's been around ten active days since that The War Gate has been on sale for $1.99. I have a total of six sales--one crept in there from England. Now to me, this appears about average or slightly above. I've talked to several authors who've not made any sales, or just a few in that time frame. I'm announcing the book at all my regular channels, concentrating more on it than the other two titles. One of the other titles was featured in a guest blog at one of the very big romance sites, so I thought it might pull its weight and reap something off that exposure. Nada, so far. The other book received a glowing review in one of the semi-pro SF magazines...again, nothing came about as a result of that exposure. This tells me that very high readership in publications like those are no guarantee that your purchases will increase.
I've tried changing up the book blurb, the one that appears on the Amazon page. It seemed too long and extended off the page. I shortened it to accommodate a quicker attention span. I don't need to lose anyone while they're reading the description, which should have maximum punch and effect. I'm thinking about going back to the $2.99 price point. This seems to be the popular asking price amongst most self-published authors and I think Joe Konrath mentioned this. Below three dollars makes me feel like I'm in some kind of a low-quality gulag, for some reason and I can't shake that feeling. I've also mentioned that this is a back-list title that has had profuse editing. I'm not sure what effect that will have on attitudes and buying decisions. I've just heard that when in doubt change it up somehow. I don't have another stand-by cover, so that's out of the question. Although I've heard that changing the cover art can attract new buyers.
I know nothing about give-aways and lending at this point. Give-away announcements can be successful if you use your blog as a main station for holding the event. I've seen blog tours reap the buyers also, and I'm not quite sure how to hook up with a tour sponsor. That's another angle that needs investigation. Every once in a while I get offers for shared advertizing spots. Some of these ads can run upwards of $100 or more. I made a vow that I would not spend money pushing this book. I wanted to take the average route and see exactly what happens when social media is used. I still use FB and Twitter, but that's only for a few spots a day--you don't blast Twitter and FB multiple times a day without getting on your friend's nerves. Best to keep those announcements down to a whisper and hint, rather than begging and crying full-out for help. I think I'll update my FB author page as this seems to draw comments and viewers every so often.
And so we continue. Today will be a heavy promotion day. I'll list in all my regular spots and see if I can't dig up a few new sources. I'll report on anything that works other than what I've already tried.
