Have you seen
Independent Publishing
Tag

ellie

Browsing
Newsletter

Self-publishing essentials with Ellie Marney: Promo, marketing and all that jazz (part five)

Advertising

Welcome back! In the last article, we started talking about promoting in concrete ways—you can catch up with that article (and the three before it) right here. Now we’re talking advertising. This is a BIG topic—this article isn’t comprehensive, but rather offers an overview of some of the advertising options available to self-published authors.

The first (and most obvious) thing to remember is that advertising your book costs money. There’s no ‘cheap and easy’ way to advertise—while you can spend conservatively during your testing of ads and ad platforms, accepted wisdom is that ultimately you get better return on investment (ROI) and higher book sales once you ‘scale up’. And here’s a crucial tip: don’t spend on advertising until you have more than one book. Advertising works best when you have a catalogue of titles that you can funnel readers towards.

Check out the following platforms, which are the most-used ad platforms for authors:

Amazon ads

Positives: On Amazon, you’re only advertising to people already interested in buying. Ads here can also help attach good ‘also boughts’ to your book, which is a type of free promotion. No special images are necessary—your book cover is the only image required. Amazon advertising is considered the easiest ad platform to use, and you can start with small investments. It’s almost the only platform that lets you push full-price books.

Negatives: Amazon ads only drive buyers around the Amazon ecosystem rather than attracting outside eyeballs. Largely algorithm-driven, it’s an opaque and confusing system. It’s hard to figure out what makes an ad relevant, and therefore shown to buyers, and even harder to replicate results reliably—as Dave Gaughran says, ‘Identical ads with the exact same keywords and bids and budget and ad text, rolled out a week apart, can deliver completely different results.’ Ads often turn themselves on/off inexplicably. Overall, Amazon doesn’t give users the information it needs to be better advertisers, so tread carefully.

Amazon charges the advertiser each time someone clicks on a link in the ad (cost per click). You can choose between two ad options: sponsored products ads, which appear on book pages and search results, or lock-screen ads, shown on the screen when your Kindle is sleeping. Lock-screen ads operate with a lifetime budget (minimum $100), and they’re not generally recommended, as it’s hard to get a good ROI.

Sponsored products is a keyword-based system—you can target your audience with up to 1000 keywords. Allow Amazon to choose the words (auto) or choose your own (custom)—custom is generally a better option. Test out your keywords with split-testing to find the best performers. Use lower bids and a lower daily budget ($5) until you get the hang of things, then scale up with higher bids and budgets once you have a more focused keyword set.

The ACoS—advertising cost of sale—is the amount you spend in advertising divided by what you earn. But remember! Amazon only logs your total sales. It’s not an accurate figure, because in reality you only earn 70% (or 35%, if your book is under $2.99/over $9.99) of the retail price. So check your figures: if your book is priced between $2.99 and $9.99 and you’re making 70% on each sale, your ad is making money if ACoS is <70%.

There’s a lot of information out there to help you get the hang of Amazon advertising (if that’s possible). For Amazon keyword tips, try this article, or check out Amazon keyword tools—some people swear by Publisher Rocket for keywords, or you could try YASIV or the Keyword Multiplier. Written Word Media has a primer on Amazon ads for authors or you can check out these two case studies of good advertising practise—there’s even a free Reedsy learning course on Amazon advertising. Invest in Brian Meeks’ book Mastering Amazon Ads—or invest a great deal more with Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing Formula course, which is considered highly reputable.

Facebook ads

Positives: Facebook advertising is great for adding subscribers to your email list. Used well, it can become a giant network of connected advertisements that funnels readers towards your books and your list. Once mastered, Facebook ads can provide really good ROI.

Negatives: The system and the dashboard are fiendishly complex, making mastery difficult. Approval for ad images/text depends on Facebook rules that can seem arbitrary. Facebook is more expensive than most of the other platforms and can vacuum up advertising dollars fast (especially if you include your ad on Instagram).

To get started, set up a Facebook page—either specifically label it as being your author page, or label it according to the genre in which you’re writing/publishing (e.g. ‘Contemporary Romance Readers’). When your ads are displayed, they will have ‘Sponsored by [Name of Page]’ on them.

Prepare images and ad copy, then go to your ad dashboard and create your ad. The most critical aspect of advertising on Facebook is granular audience targeting. Use ‘interest’ targeting or ‘custom’ audiences (‘lookalike’ audiences are a form of custom audiences). Interest audiences are different Facebook-identified segments of the broader Facebook audience—target your genre or comparable authors with interest audiences. Custom audiences are audience groups based off information you feed into Facebook—they are more likely to be your key audience, but can take time to develop.

Try to advertise to as narrow an audience as possible—you can specify audiences by age, location, gender, behaviours etc. This is where it really helps to know your ideal reader (i.e. your book’s audience)—so if you wanted to target for your contemporary romance novel, you might choose a custom audience of younger women readers in the USA who like reading romance books on their Kindles.

The ad formats on Facebook are more complex, but it’s best to start with simple link-click ads with static images. Worry about carousel ads and videos later, after you’ve mastered the basics. The most important thing to look at is the click-through rate (CTR) (especially outbound CTR) to judge whether your ads are performing.

The most comprehensive book on Facebook advertising is Help! My Facebook Ads Suck! by Michael and Mal Cooper, and Mark Dawson also has a book called Mastering Simple Facebook Ads for Authors, which comes recommended—you can also pick up more advanced tips from Jon Loomer’s website. You can find a cheat sheet to help you with Facebook images for your page here.

BookBub ads

Positives: BookBub has the largest book-buying community in the world, and BookBub’s featured deals generate excellent ROI, with a straightforward application process. BookBub ads are a new thing, so you can get in early and master it before it becomes overrun. The website is highly responsive, and a good ad campaign can radically improve sales rank overnight.

Negatives: Featured deals (and mastering ads) can be expensive. Deals are difficult to acquire—you don’t get to choose, BookBub has to choose you, and the field of applicants is highly competitive. Your book must be in great shape and with a certain number of reviews before you apply for a deal. Losing money to BookBub ads is very easy—it requires a lot of testing to learn which ads serve best. BookBub audiences are hungry for discounts, so pushing full-price books here is a way to lose money.

There are two points of entry into BookBub advertising: featured deals, or BookBub ads. Featured deals can be global, or focused on a particular market. You don’t get to choose which deal you get—you can select a number of categories/markets you’d prefer, but it’s really up to the BookBub gods. Make sure your book is discounted (free books often show a higher ROI—snag new readers with this loss leader) and ensure your platforms are well-coordinated before the date of your deal (Amazon and Apple can both be slow to update price changes so plan well in advance).

BookBub ads are best used for launching, price promotions, or offering a free loss leader. They use a cost per click or cost per mille (CPM, per thousand impressions) system. CPM is often the least hazardous way to go, until you have an ad campaign that’s successfully serving. Use strong, exciting images (created on a free program like Canva) and narrow targeting for best effect. Target with comp authors, but be selective—big-name authors with large followings will make your ad too scattershot.

For more info on using BookBub, Dave Gaughran is the most up to date and has just published a book about it—he also has some wisdom on using BookBub ads for authors who have wide distribution here.

Other advertising

There are other options out there—try the various book promo sites for cheap deals. These sites send out an email to their community members, and some of them have large communities. The most reputable are Ereader News Today, Robin Reads, The Fussy Librarian, Freebooksy (and its sister org, BargainBooksy), My Book Cave, Book Barbarian and Book Adrenaline. You can also try doing some cross-promotion with other authors who might agree to do a newsletter swap, where you advertise each others’ books to your respective email lists—this should cost you nothing, but ensure that your cooperating author is writing in your genre, as it’s pointless advertising your sci-fi space opera to people who want cozy mysteries.

There’s also a whole community of people online who specialise in providing advice about book marketing, including Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson and more (I personally like Dave Gaughran’s approach (and sense of humour), so I encourage you to read around and do your research.

Good luck with your advertising!

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family and her most recent book series, Circus Hearts, was published in November 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Keep Reading
By
Features

Self-publishing essentials with Ellie Marney: promo, marketing and all that jazz (part two)

Your book promotion footprint

In the first article in this series on book marketing, we talked about why marketing your book is worthwhile, why you’re the best person to market it, and the differences between promotion and marketing. Now it’s time to talk about the things that make you and your book stand out from the crowd, and how to develop those things organically to create a ‘promotional footprint’.

Your best assets

Before you rush out and make a website, buy Facebook advertising, and sign up for Instagram, it’s important to have a few concepts figured out. It will save you a lot of time (and money) later.

First tip: First, think about yourself: who are you as a person and as an author? Are you outgoing or quiet? How do you best engage with people—in groups or one-to-one? What sorts of social media do you use (if any)? What themes and ideas come to the fore in your books? Apart from writing, what are your personal interests? These things may not seem important, but they can help inform the strategies you use to market your book and engage with your intended audience.

Your personal platform, or ‘brand’, is a combination of your presence on social media, the tone you take in email newsletters and the way you present in public. This should (ideally) reflect who you are in real life, otherwise it will be tiring to maintain and will seem fake to your audience. Are you a quiet, introverted person? Then use social media like Instagram, that’s not too wordy or overwhelming, and engage like a special confidante with your readers via email. If you’re outgoing and extroverted instead, go louder. Above all, for publicity, play to your strengths. Be yourself—just tidied up a bit for public consumption.

Second tip: Think about the things that make your book special. What is it about? Why is it different from other books on similar themes? Why did you write it? What’s unique about it? How does it compare to other books in the same genre or category? Understanding the things that set your book apart can be the key to marketing it effectively.

Promotion is—to a large extent—about making your book stand out from the crowd. To do that, you first need to know what your book is giving your ideal reader. Only you really understand what makes your book valuable. Is it jam-packed with interesting facts? A hugely entertaining page-turner? A collection of special recipes? Whatever it is that makes your book worth reading is what makes it worth buying.

Third tip: Think about that ideal reader: your audience (i.e. the folks most likely to read your book). They’re the people you wrote for. How old are they? What’s their gender or identity? Where do they hang out, in real life and online? How do they like to read—paperbacks, ebooks, from libraries, on their commute? Figuring out as much as you can about your ideal reader is really important for what is called targeted marketing, and you’ll go back to this information a lot later.

You might think marketing is about throwing your book out to the four corners of the earth—not so. Targeting your audience is important, as it saves you from wasting your efforts on people who aren’t ever going to pick up your book. Knowing who to target is also really important for things like advertising, which needs a tight audience to be effective.

Fourth tip: Consider how much time you have for promotion—you might already have a day job, or a family, so consider all the variables. Also think about a timeline for marketing—when and for how long will you promote this particular book? You’ll also want to a timeline for results—when will you assess the effectiveness of your promotion? Be prepared to spend time keeping track of results.

Social media presence, attending events, scheduling advertising … it all takes time. Devoting an hour a day to marketing is about the minimum requirement, so think about where you will fit that in. It’s customary to promote a book heavily at release time, and maybe a while after, but marketing efforts for indie authors (especially on standalone and first-in-series titles) can happen anytime, over longer periods. And you should know what works and what doesn’t—schedule regular checks of your sales against your marketing efforts, to make sure you’re not wasting your time and money.

Fifth tip: Finally, work out how much money you can afford to invest. Paid promotion can be very effective, but it can also be costly, so sort out a budget. And remember, all marketing is a financial investment—the time you spend marketing your book is time you could be using to earn money in some other way, so factor that in.

Don’t waste money needlessly. Work out what things you feel comfortable doing yourself (like posting on social media and sending out your own newsletters) and what things you might need to outsource (like making a website). Tap into your own skills—but remember there are people who can help if necessary. And make a budget for advertising and stick to it.

Next time, we’ll talk about promotional basics and how to get started.

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her latest book, White Night (Allen & Unwin), was published in March 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Twitter or Instagram.
Keep Reading
By
Newsletter

Self-publisher essentials with Ellie Marney: your publishing one-stop shop

When first researching the process of self-publishing, it can seem as if there are hundreds of different articles and books on the subject but no single map of the journey. This article outlines the most basic steps of self-publishing to at least make that part easier—you will still need to sort out banking, and social media and promotional platforms. While we’ve tried to include only reputable organisations and companies here, remember to do your own research and check the fine print—the providers listed are not guaranteed, but they’re a good place to start.

Step 1: Write the book

Always the first and most crucial step! If you’d like some professional advice on writing, with the chance to attend workshops and masterclasses, check out the writer support networks in your state or area:

Step 2: Beta the book

Ask some trusted friends—hopefully keen readers, and hopefully also readers from within the demographic the book is aimed at—to read your work. Alternatively, you can find manuscript assessment services at most of the writers support networks listed above.

Step 3: Edit the book

Search the databases of these professional organisations to find freelance editors who work in your state or area. If you’re involved in a writing or self-publishing group, ask members for recommendations.

Step 4: Copyedit the book

Most freelance editors worth their salt will also provide copyediting services. Check the professional editing organisations listed above.

Step 5: Get a cover

This is one of the most important parts of the self-publishing process—and your book’s primary sales pitch! Look for local freelance cover designers to find someone whose portfolio and qualifications seem like a good fit. Alternatively, try an overseas-based designer—there are a lot out there, so be clear about what you want. Remember you will need to use PayPal (or equivalent) to pay an overseas designer. It’s also possible to have covers designed by freelancers on sites like Reedsy, but it might involve some work to find someone who seems reputable.

Quality designers are booked months in advance, so plan early. Have a clear understanding of what you want—ebook cover? Paperback cover? Both? What fonts and design elements do you need? What’s your publishing schedule? It’s worth reading Lara Willard’s article on working with a book cover designer to get some tips.

Local:

Overseas:

Step 6: Buy ISBNs

All ISBNs (in Australia and overseas) are sold by Thorpe-Bowker Identifier Services. It’s much cheaper if you buy a pack of 10.

Step 7: Typeset/layout the book

Typesetting is when you set up the pages of the book, populate it with your text, and make sure the fonts and titles all look good. Some editors do typeset and layout, so ask your editor. You can also do this yourself—if you have graphic design skills, you might be equipped to use InDesign to create pages. If you’re less skilled, then user-friendly interfaces like Blurb or Vellum or Book Design Templates might be the way to go, or you can search online for book layout services.

Remember, if you’re also producing paperbacks of your book, you’ll need to ensure that layout is correct for both ebook and paperback—paperbacks need extra attention for things like gutters and margins.

Step 8: Proof the book

Read through your pages again (for the hundredth time!) and after you’re done, ask or hire someone with fresh eyes to read through and catch the tiny errors that you’ll inevitably miss—proofing might be something you can swap with another self-publishing author.

Step 9: Convert your book to formats

Once you have the completed pages of your beautifully typeset and laid-out book, you can convert it to the appropriate formats for publication with a free tool like Calibre.

Step 10: Publish the book

Read through the instructions for creating an account for each platform, and the uploading process. Be aware that you will need to fill out banking, tax and identity details for each platform you use.

As an ebook:

As a print-on-demand (POD) paperback:

  • IngramSpark—most popular choice for local print copies
  • KDP Print—the easiest choice for overseas print
  • Createspace—now Amazon-owned; it’s likely this will eventually be folded into KDP Print
  • Lulu—but be aware of postage costs

Step 11: Market and promote

Marketing tips and techniques are available all over the internet, but it’s a good idea to look at some of the information provided by the people listed below:

Keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the market by checking:

If you’re struggling to keep up with it all, you might want to consult a local author service provider (but again, watch the fine print):

Finally, good luck with your self-publishing efforts, and all the best for your next publication!

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her latest book, White Night (Allen & Unwin), was published in March 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Twitter or Instagram.
Keep Reading
By
Features

Self-publishing essentials with Ellie Marney: the legal checklist

New to self-publishing? Then it’s important to tick all the legal boxes related to releasing your work, so you don’t run into trouble. It’s particularly worth noting for hybrid authors, whose traditional publishers have previously done all this work for them.

Listed below are some of the legal requirements for self-publishing in Australia, and a few tips to set you straight.

Copyright

Don’t get scammed: there is no ‘fee’ for retaining your copyright in Australia, and you don’t have to register—copyright protection is automatic upon creation of your manuscript.

But you do need to include a copyright page (or imprint page) in the front of your book to assert your copyright—this is also the first page checked by librarians, booksellers and distributors, so it’s pretty important. Your copyright page displays your copyright notice, ISBN, reservation of rights, and any Prepublication Data Service (formerly known as Cataloguing in Publication) or edition information. It’s also the place to attach any disclaimers, or contributor credits (such as acknowledgement of cover designers etc.). A short primer on the copyright page, and a template to create one, is available here.

Copyright lasts for the life of the author until 70 years after their death. You can find out more about copyright in Australia at the Arts Law Centre here.

For issues of copyright, the Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) is a genuine non-profit organisation that protects author copyright, collects licence fees and distributes royalties. Membership is free, and you can claim payment for use of your work—particularly handy for authors who have books distributed in government or educational settings. You can join CAL here.

Cover image/font usage

You can’t just grab a cool image or font off the internet and stick it on your self-published book’s cover—a photographer or artist’s image, or a typographer’s font, is copyright protected. You can only use them by paying a licensing fee, or obtaining permission from the copyright holder.

If you’re creating your own book cover, or providing images to a cover designer, it’s up to you, as the publisher, to ensure those images are legally obtained and paid for, or are available through a royalty-free site (like Shutterstock).

Using quotes

In Australia, quoting a single line from another book may be considered a copyright infringement if the part you’re quoting ‘distils the essence of the work’.

If you’d like to use a quote in your book, even as an epigraph, you need to obtain permission from the copyright holder—the author and the publisher—and attribute the quote, and you might have to pay a licensing fee.

Some texts are considered ‘public domain’—works published in the US before 1923, for instance—but you need to check Australian law carefully before using any quotes.

Using song lyrics

Again, you have to obtain permission and pay a licensing fee. Song lyric permissions are notoriously expensive and hard to acquire—but if you know the musician or composer personally, you might get lucky.

Legal deposit

Every book published in Australia, or published by Australian authors or organisations, for free or for sale, must be deposited with the National Library of Australia (NLA) and the relevant State library.

Even if your book is printed overseas, if you’re an Aussie author, you’re obliged to deposit. One copy should go to the NLA, and one copy should go to the State/Territory library in which you reside. You are obliged to cover the cost of the books and postage yourself. If you’re working with a self-publishing service, it is you, not the service, who is responsible for deposit—but check with your service, so there’s no doubling-up. ISBNs are not a requirement for books to be eligible for deposit.

Ebooks: With improvements in digital technology and storage, the NLA is now requesting that self-publishers who only release in ebook deposit an electronic copy of their book via their new edeposit service.

Print: Find out where to deposit here. If you publish in both print and ebook, you only need to deposit one format.

Legal deposit isn’t really a chore: it’s a way to be confident that your work will always be accessible over time. Contact the NLA if you have any queries about legal deposit.

Still confused about legal requirements of self-publishing?

Contact the Arts Law Centre of Australia for a great info sheet covering most of the basic issues for self-publishers. They also offer legal advice to subscribers at radically reduced rates.

Ellie Marney is a teacher and hybrid YA author. She lives in Victoria with her family, and her latest book, White Night (Allen & Unwin), was published in March 2018. Find her at www.elliemarney.com or on Twitter or Instagram.
Keep Reading
By