As a self-published author, I know what it's like to finish writing a book, publishing it and then... nothing... The silence is deafening.
I want to go to the news station and tell them, "Hey! My Book is Out! Check it out! It's an awesome book!" Even those of us who write for the sheer joy of writing and sharing, would be happy to see some book sales too. But more than the sales, being acknowledged and recognized validates our work and inspires us to write more. However, since most of us are new, we don't know how to go about putting our books in the hands of our readers. Some even become victims of so-called book promoters who know full well the fears and needs of new self published authors - and feed off those needs.
And that's what I saw in my first 2 months... authors paying for reviews, begging for them.... tripping over themselves trying to sell their book, most without knowing how. I did it myself. While I am perfectly aware that marketing and promotion is critical to self publishing, surely there's a better way of going about it and still keep our dignity intact? If we're so tied up soliciting reviews and promoting all day trying to reach our audience, when will we write?
What are we aiming for anyway? We all want the same thing...
We want to reach our audience
We want to build a reputation
We want our books to sell
It sounds simple, but it's not. It requires a lot of time and knowledge and a broad network to build book buzz that will convert to sales. Ok, so we do our part... We tweet and post like crazy. We create numerous author pages, on walls if we could. We blog. We backlink for SEO - and these are all good! In fact, all self pubs should be doing this, otherwise, you will hear that deafening silence while your book gets buried into nothingness.
But we can't do this alone.
But we can't do this alone.
What should we do then? How can we ensure that when we launch our books, it will have sufficient reviews to entice our readers? That it will be shared to as many people as possible? Where do we get some help?
Having a network of like-minded people makes a HUGE difference. By helping other authors with their own campaigns, you can help yourself. In the Alliance, we tap into each other's network and expertise. That can have a significant impact in terms of reach and exposure - and personal growth.
What do we hope to achieve in this community?
The Alliance is a support group for authors. We regularly review our members' books, help build book buzz during book launches, and whatever support is needed along the journey. The price? Only the author's commitment that the good deed will be reciprocated. It's an active and mutually beneficial group. You get what you give. No slackers and freeloaders here.
Just imagine, if the Alliance grows to just 100 fully committed authors supporting each other... what kind of reach would each of us have? The group can be a pretty powerful resource for self published authors. No more problems with reviews... no need to buy reviews or pay for useless book promotions. No need to do it alone. The Alliance of Self Published Authors will endorse their members' books and support them wherever they can. We're a family. We help each other improve and succeed.
So, if you're a self published author with the same mindset, join us! I look forward to seeing you in the community.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101220450927167128898
If you're a reader who wants to discover cool books from new authors - you might want to pass by and check out our books. :)
http://www.pinterest.com/eevalancaster/books-of-the-alliance-of-self-published-authors/
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