Want to get your book out there into the hands of readers? Here’s an idea: give it away.
After seeing how a few indie authors have used the time-tested concept of "something for nothing" as a hook, I’ve allowed the eBook site Kobo to offer my first novel, The Red Gate, in several, currently supported formats, FREE for the download.
In two weeks I’ve had quitre a few takers, and have received review comments of four stars out of five.
Now, I am only doing this for a month, ending the First of June. Reg. price is US$4.95 — pretty inexpensive anyway., but the point is, with all the books now being released in print as well as electronic versions, the INdie author is up against it when it comes to getting some exposure for your work. I’ve just resigned myself to thinking of The Red Gate as the pre-release marketing for The Gatekeepers (industry specific pun intended). It seems to be working, as I’ve got readers now interested in reading the sequel, which is in it’s final re-writes.
It’s not a path I’d suggest for every indie author out there, but for me, the entire cost has been less expensive than bearing a full-blown distribution marketing campaign on my own shoulders. This is something I can afford to do. I’d be grateful to any others out there who’ve used this technique with good resultys, to let me know what they suggest from this point!