When I first announced the $100 gift card giveaway for reviewers of LK Rigel books, the response was great. People moved my books up to the top of their TBR lists, and a few others were inclined to post reviews they’d forgotten to post. Lovely!
My original thought was to keep the contest going and have a winner every month – but my fantasy here hasn’t matched reality. I’m just not getting enough new reviews to justify the contest, so it won’t continue after the end of this month.
I have a love/hate relationship with promotion. Love it when it works and we all have fun. Hate it when it doesn’t and we don’t. I’ve been selling so few books that I’m finding it hard to keep writing. But it isn’t the writing that’s killing me – it’s the begging. PLEASE READ MY BOOK! (said in the ‘leave Britney alone! voice).
I’m retreating to my writer cave for a while.
But I do want to say I’ve enjoyed reading the reviews you’ve posted – it truly helps to know people are enjoying the stories.
So with you on the “begging” thing. There has got to be a better way to get your name and work out there. I have two more of your books on my tbr list that have made it to the top of the stack. I will be reading them this week and get another review going. Never give up. Keep the faith. We’ll get the word out. You’re too wonderful a writer not to be read.
You’re too kind, Melissa! My thinking on this evolves continuously. These days, I’m less inclined to make books free (I just took Spacey off free at iTunes) and just plain tired of fighting the Amazon algorithms. They push more books down than they lift up, I suspect.
I think the only thing for it is time – time for the people who like my kind of books to find my books and time for me to write more of them. Time I shouldn’t be wasting on
beggingpromotion.Please, please, PLEASE don’t stop writing!!! I’m dying to read Copperhead, and have been for almost a year!!!
Your stories are wonderful, so easy to escape into. Your writing is SO much better than many of the writers I’ve “tried” in the last 18 months or so. I recommend your books to people left and right….
🙂
Ah, Kim! you’re the best. I will never stop writing – it’s just too much a part of who I am. I actually think I’ll get more writing done by pulling back on the marketing.
And Copperhead – which is half written – is next up for finishing as soon as Bride of Fae comes out.
Please, please, please don’t stop writing!!! You know how I feel about your writing. I love it! You are amazing. I totally get the promo stuff is a lot of work. I don’t think most people realize how much work an author puts in. It is soooooo much more than writing incredible stories. If only it were all about the stories!!! I have recently gotten a behind the scenes view of what it is really like to be a writer. (My best friend is writer) The hoops you have to go through are ridiculous. But that being said, your stories are such an escape and are so loved by so many. It would be a shame for us to lose the opportunity to be transported by your lovely writing. I promise to keep spreading the word about your books to everyone I know and those I don’t! Chin up! You are an incredibly talented writer.
I didn’t mean for this to be a pity post, ha! I just mean I’ll be pulling back on the marketing/prmotion/begging side of it to get back to the good stuff – the writing.
Thank you for your support and kind words! The best, best, best thing is when people enjoy the stories. That’s what it’s all about.
Well, I shamelessly plugged your books on my Facebook page. I’m a book nerd, and so are a lot of my friends. Hopefully they will be inspired to give your books a read!
Kim, that’s funny – and great. I hope they like apocapunk!