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Persistence is Tough

As I sat down to start writing this blog about being persistent, I mentally stumbled because, well… persistence is tough. Especially during the lull that inevitably comes after the flurry of a book launch. Actually, it’s not a lull, it often feels like a crash and burn! How can I write about persistence when all I want to do is hide away and curl up with a good book?

Love those Sugar Highs

It’s like the crash after a sugar high. My new book, Deep Deceit, came out with a bang! It reached the Kindle Top 10 in mystery/suspense on Amazon.ca during launch week. Heady stuff. The problem is, there’s no way, other than huge sales or continuous free downloads, to keep it there. But, the idea ultimately is sales, right? My book is in a very popular genre so I’m competing with some heavy hitters, but I persevere.

Helpful Resources

I read self-publishing and marketing books voraciously. One I read a while back and pulled out again recently is called Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran (also the author of Let’s Get Digital). It does a deep dive into understanding Amazon’s algorithms. For new authors, he recommends finding sub-genres that aren't as crowded, so I search. It’s complex and detailed but… I’m determined. And, my background is in PR and marketing (20 years!) so I’m not afraid of doing what needs to be done… but I would also like to get down to writing my next novel.

A Healthy Obsession?

But, I’m obsessed. The action has slowed down to a trickle. All the experts warn authors about that, but it’s hard to watch the sales graph flatten. But, I will persist. The reviews have been stellar (even from people I don’t know) so, I’ll keep my nose to the marketing grindstone and keep sending it out to reviewers, scheduling author appearances (coming up next month in my hometown of Halifax, NS), finding new online listings to add it to, doing guest posts and author interviews and promoting on social media (just to name a few things I’m doing). I'll let you know if persistence does pay off as everyone keeps telling me and I keep telling myself. 

I know the real secret is to get the next in the series written (and the next... and the next) so I’ll be clearing the decks to make time this summer to get started on Deep Freeze, the next Susan Morris Expat Mystery!

Uptick is Encouraging

On the positive side, during the launch activities of Deep Deceit I did also see more attention and an uptick in sales of my first novel, Mental Pause. So, the advice that keeps popping up as I scour the shelves for more advice and guidance is, write more… while, of course, doing at least one thing a day to market your existing books.

I’ve just started reading Jessica Bell’s Self-Publish Your Book, which she gave me in return for an honest review. I know there will be some great new nuggets in there so I’m looking forward to sharing. In case you didn’t know, Jessica is also the author of the ‘In a Nutshell’ series, which I highly recommend.

Have a great week and watch for my review of Jessica’s new book. In the meantime, happy writing!!!

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