Joining us today is the lovely, quirky and downright hilarious Louisa Clarkson.
Here is what she has to say.... so listen up
Authors Hit Brick Wall When It Comes to Promotion
Things have changed in the publishing industry over the past decade, and today most authors must promote themselves to get their books noticed by readers. But promoting a book is never easy, especially for self-published authors or small press authors. They don’t have the backing of a big publisher; they compete against hundreds of thousands of books published every year, and many readers are hesitant to try new authors and stick with authors they know. So how do authors attract readers?
These are the issues Louisa Clarkson faced when researching ways to promote her children's fantasy novel, The Silver Strand, and that’s why she created the concept of Indicated, a place where authors help promote each other. "Authors are readers too,” she says, “when they find a good book, they tell their family, friends and colleagues, thus promoting a book to new readers.”
Indicated is a pay-it-forward promotional and educational tool, offering self-published and small press authors the chance to gain exposure to new readers through features and reviews. It also provides ongoing resources that will strengthen marketing endeavors and encourage feedback that will improve an author's writing craft. It’s a place to meet and socialize with other authors, perhaps even critique partners. “These activities,” says Clarkson, “are designed to stimulate word of mouth promotion, create spikes in sales, reviews and drive traffic to authors sales pages. This may boost a book’s ranking, get it seen by more buyers and gain additional recommendations to other customers.”
Clarkson runs Indicated from her home office, accompanied by Delta — the Maltese cross Shih Tzu — perched on the royal seat (desk chair) beside her. Louisa builds upon her experience as an Environmental Engineer and Project Manager by studying courses in creative writing and book PR and marketing.
And now for the good stuff...
To celebrate our launch on Tuesday November 19th we’re giving away the 7 goodies below to help authors and thank people for helping spread the word.
1. A $50 voucher for production of banners and bookmarks by Anastasia Creatives.
2. A $50 voucher for editing services by Indie Editing by Kathy Lapeyre (Kathy is an awesome editor with over 25 years editing experience).
3. 2 x guides from the Savvy Book Marketer (How to Sell More Books, and your choice of either 1. How to Get Your Book Reviewed 2. Facebook Guide for Authors 3. Twitter Guide for Authors.) Valued at $54.
4. 1 xGold membership to Indicated (includes access to the review and support system, and book promotion library). Valued at $77.
5. 1 x Silver membership to Indicated (includes access to the review and support system only). Valued at $27.
6. 2 x $25 Amazon gift vouchers.
Interesting concept. There are already a few of this type of sites that do not charge to promote. What is so different that an author would pay $77? Is that a yearly fee or a one time/lifetime fee?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been there yet but will stop by. I hope this works and helps good stories get past all the other lesser quality jamming up the system. Good Luck with the new venture! :)
[Where was the humor, you told me humor Julie, where is the humor!! You know I need humor. I thought maybe it was that an electrical engineer . . . nothing. I need humor!! ]
Just back from viewing site. Not much to see just yet. Did sign up. Have one suggestion. Have a list of reputable, pre-qualified book reviewers for each genre, in addition to other needed services, such as book cover designers, illustrators, publishers, print-on-demand, etc. Can't wait to check out the site.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, thanks for stopping by. We haven't seen hair nor tail of you around these parts for ages. he he. I am just the messenger, as this is all Louisa's venture, but I will pass on your helpful suggestions.
ReplyDelete