It's a publishing jungle out there!!! The Wa(rn)ing Writer!!

And by the title you have already figured out the topic of this weekly post.
If you are a first-time self-published author, and you know nothing about marketing strategies, you might find yourself struggling with the usual question.
Ok, I have published my book, how to make people buy it?
And that is a very important question, so the best thing that I can suggest is make an extensive search on the internet, about:

💥 Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ groups, where experienced indie authors are ready to share their tips and advice.
💥Blogs of indie authors who give hints about how to market your book.
💥Companies which offer free of charge or paid marketing/promotional services
💥Arrange giveaways of your book in exchange for an honest review.
💥Create a blog about your writings or about what inspires you to write
💥Organise book signing events
💥BE CREATIVE!

Social media groups for authors:

This is a very valuable source for any sort of advice, from how to market your book, to how to choose the right book cover and where to find cover artists, where to find a proofreader and many other forms of support.
Of course, be sure you open an author Facebook account, a Twitter account together with LinkedIn, Instagram and Google+ where to grow your audience and professional connections.

BLOGS:

There are many authors who constantly write in their blogs some important piece of advice on how to bring your book in front of the public. Many of them will share their experience, good and bad, to make sure that whoever reads will never find him/herself to the same problems, or will have the same success faster.

You might wonder why an author would give away his/her secret of success? Because we are not in competition, there are readers for everyone, and there is no reason to be mean to each other. Moreover, with your blog you can reach many other potential readers and fans, they might not be the ones who will buy your books, but you will increase your visibility, and after all, it is all fun, which is the best part of it!

Paid/free marketing services:

This one requires you a very careful look before you send money to whoever. There are many kinds of services, and as much as many offer a good service for a reasonable price (ranging monthly from 8-15$ to a yearly fee between 49-200$).
Most of them give exactly the same service, but they target different audiences, adding one or few extras. Therefore, you might easily believe that having two or three different subscriptions to those services can give you extra visibility without going bankrupt. Moreover, if you put into practice the advice you get from other authors you might easily have already a great starter package that takes you and your book out of the anonymity.
Then, of course, there are the free services, and those are totally risk free, as the biggest risk is that they won't much help, but on the other hand, you haven't invested anything right?

Reviews:

Those are crucial, because they give a reason to the buyer to stop and look at your book. It gives the message to other readers that someone bought that book, someone liked it and someone else didn't, The more the reviews, the more your book become interesting and visible. Be sure that the first action you take in your marketing strategy is getting those reviews. Ten is the minimum target you should aim at.

Organise book signing events:

You can ask one local independent bookstore, or library whether they could host your event. Generally they won't refuse, because you will attract potential buyers, not just for your books, but also for the books they are selling.

BE CREATIVE:

This means, of course, that you have the right to use your imagination to attract people to take a look at your book, to entice them with your writing skills, and ability to create original plots because nobody knows whether you will be their next super favourite author!!

One thing I warn you about:

BEWARE THE SHARKS!!!

Those are the people who ask for insane prices and offer nothing but fried air. How to recognise a shark from an honest service provider?

Generally, those are authors who found a miracle formula to attract readers and sell millions of copies of their book, they are going to promise you skyrocketing sales in just a few weeks or months. They show you how many millions of copies of their books they have been selling and since they are so kind, they are going to offer you the same success for crazy prices (600 to over 1000$ 💀💀💀).

The best thing is that they do not say "we are going to bring your book in front of 500K readers distributed into four different social media groups," they are just selling you an advice without even bothering to promote your book.

At that point my question is, if you made millions with your books, why would you need my money for a piece of advice? 

There are thousand of authors who give advices for free!!

Now being sure that what works for one book, not necessarily works for other books, and that nobody can promise you millions in sales, you can be sure that this person didn't sell much anything and all of his/her income comes from this kind of service he/she sells for a high price.

Many authors wrote already about this big threat at the expenses of inexperienced indie authors, but one more post (this one) is not going to harm, and perhaps will save the bank account of other indie authors, who feel depressed about the low sales of their books.

One thing always to remember is that success is not something that happen suddenly, besides some rare cases. With zillions of books in the market, the question is who is able to stubbornly continue something that resembles more a marathon? Remember that success might or might not come, it might come soon or it might take the publishing of other seven books, nobody has the answer.

The best advice I can give you is to never lose your hopes. If writing is your passion, treat it this way, and never give up. Always keep your passions alive, after all, Rome wasn't built in one day.

I am not a super bestselling author, but I would like every indie author to feel relaxed about their sales, and not to stress too much, we all want to succeed, but only time will teach us the best way to do it, which will be different for each of us. 

The land of Nelson Mandela - The Wandering Writer

Straight from the wonders of the Mosi-oa-Tunya in Zimbabwe, we reached Cape Town via Johannesburg. The first impression as we arrived at the airport was that we were in a very different part of Africa. It keeps very high standards equal to any Western country. The airport is the third busiest airport in Africa, and I also presume on the top three most efficient too, so we didn’t have any sort of trouble to reach the taxi station to our hotel.

It was already dark when we arrived, and we were supposed to reach a bed and breakfast in the city by 21:00. The weather seemed to be fair, and we were not too tired either.

However, the more we were reaching the city, the more the weather seemed to deteriorate; it wasn’t a question of temperature, but it seemed that there was a hurricane approaching. Now, I know that South Africa is not subject to hurricanes, but the wind can reach impressive speed, as we learned right away. Moreover, finding the address seemed to be the most challenging of all the things, and our taxi driver struggled. We knew how the hotel looked like from the pictures, so in the end, we could find the right address.

At the time, the weather was really storming, and I was wondering whether the buildings could take that storm that also made difficult to walk.

The owner of the hotel came to greet us; she was a very kind looking middle-aged lady.

“My goodness, thank God you managed to reach the place; I was so worried,” she said letting us in.

“Thank you; is there a hurricane approaching?” I asked

“No, it has been like that for days, and much probably it will continue for at least another three days, according to the forecast,” she replied. “But let me prepare you something warm, would you like a cup of tea? I will prepare it as you settle into your room.”

“That is so kind of you,” I replied, speechless about the kind reception we just had. It was just like going to visit an old friend.

During the night, the wind grew up in intensity, but since, obviously, the building was not going to be wiped away, we fell asleep.

The morning after, the greatest weather welcomed us to a new day, although, the wind didn’t seem to be satisfied with the rage it discharged the previous day. 
However, the worst of all was downtown, as even a simple task as walking was challenging, so the wind was strong.

The first day was a bit of getting to know the city and the people around, and we found ourselves having a good beer in a bar on the long street:

After one entire day spent walking around, we suddenly noticed one thing, most of the customers of the bars and restaurants were white people and very few were black customers. However, taxi drivers, street cleaners, servants at the restaurants; they were all black, if we exclude kids who were paying their education by working in a pizzeria.

Looking at the sea, in the direction of the Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of imprisonment during the years of the apartheid, I thought that his job wasn’t quite done yet. For sure the black population had conquered the same rights as the white population, but is it really so, or is it only on the paper? According to the statistics, white people, which are just the 9% of the whole population in South Africa hold the 70% of the land, the rest is distributed to the black middle class, and too many people are still living in the slums.

I didn’t have the right time to ask the right person or to get a deeper insight of the real situation, but at least the appearances gave me the impression of a job that needs to be yet accomplished. For this reason, I decided not to go and visit the Robben Island. I will be back and visit it when all the people have the same opportunities regardless the colour of their skin, I thought.

Human rights aside, Cape Town looks like a perfect place where to live, even if the presence of the high gates around every house made me wonder about the criminality rate. Is it just a question of paranoia or those fences are there for a very good reason? I thought.

I asked our landlady about it, and it seemed as she didn’t want to go into detail. She assured us that, differently from all the other African Countries, in Cape Town is not so dangerous to go out after dusk. Nevertheless, she recommended to have her telephone number with us, and in the case of any sort of emergency, we were supposed to call her.

Because of the constant wind blowing, visiting one of the biggest natural attractions of Cape Town, the Table Mountain, is very rarely accessible, and the few times it is considered safe to reach the top, is also the time where hundreds of people convey there that same reason.

Therefore, we decided instead to walk on a side path that was supposed to bring us to the top within 2 hours or more, depending on the route chosen and the pace.

We didn’t make it to the top, but the view was something stunning and highly recommended:

There are plenty of places, spots and attraction in Cape Town and if you want to have a full experience, be prepared to spend there at least a couple of weeks.

Of course, you cannot miss a tour that will bring you from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope via Simon’s Town, where you can see the African Penguins.

It is told that during the colonial period, reaching the southernmost part of Africa was truly challenging, due to the irregular bottom of the sea and the strong winds which brought many failures and loss of lives. The name, Cape of Good Hope was given, despite the accidents, mutinies, loss of goods and lives, as a charm; something to bring, finally, good luck and the chance to find a way to successfully reach those coasts.

Africa has many faces, many cultures, and heritages; for this reason, is a destination that I will always suggest to anyone. Being away from it, it is sad, and my heart is yearning to go back every time I leave it. Africa has a bittersweet taste and, at least for me, it is highly addictive; maybe one day will happen that I will leave and never come back. 

Dr. Livingstone, I presume (the Wandering Writer)

As you already figured it out, this time we followed the steps of the famous Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who was the first European to discover the Mosi-oa-Tunya, (the smoke that thunders) or as they are known worldwide, the Victoria Falls.

Differently than David Livingstone, we could fly comfortably from the cold Finland, and we landed at the Livingstone International airport on a very warm day of December, leaving the winter and darkness to those who enjoy it.

The first impression is how small the airport is, it didn't even look like an international airport at all, rather one of those used only for domestic flights, and in fact, as we understood it later, the airport is a military airport, which is also used for public flights.

That also meant that the time we had to wait for the passport check and visas, were longer than normally you could expect. However, being on holiday, we didn't have any hurry, and we enjoyed chatting with other passengers in the queue.

We opted for a double visa for Zambia and Zimbabwe, as the price was very advantageous and we heard that from the Zimbabwe side, you have a better view of the falls.

It took something like one hour, from the moment we left the airplane to the time we were looking for a taxi, and once again finding a taxi was easy, so reaching our hotel was a smooth operation.

The town of Livingstone is very small, but, at least from my point of view, extremely cozy, and walking around was a pleasure.

Most of all, because right on that day there was a parade for the election campaign of the new president, so the streets became suddenly very colourful.

The morning after, we moved to see the falls, so we had a taxi driver waiting for us after breakfast to reach the border, after which we would have walked to reach the National Park and visit the falls.

We were told that December is a dry season so we might get a less impressing experience of the falls than during the wet season, so I was already hoping there could be at least something to be seen in the Park.

The walk from the Zambia-Zimbabwe border to the entrance of the National Park was not far; however, as we were expecting a lot of people were offering to reach the place with their rickshaw. If you are going there, prefer to walk, it takes just a few minutes, and generally, those guys are charging crazy sums, just for the old principle that since we come from Europe, we have a lot of money to spend. I don't know other people, but we always travel with a small budget.

So here we were, to the entrance of the park; we were supposed to meet our driver at about 17:00 on the Zambian border, so we had a lot of time to roam around discovering the marvels of the Park.

I must admit that the park itself is very beautiful and worth the visit, but then...
The FALLS!!!

MOSI-OA-TUNYA, the smoke that thunders, and indeed there was smoke, and believe me, it did thunder. It was almost difficult to hear each other talk so that we decided to stay silent and enjoy that breathtaking show nature was offering.

One thing really amazed me, and that was when I recalled that it was a dry season, just think about what it might look like during the wet season!!

I will have to go one more time to see that.

We walked some more, and in the end, we finally met him: Dr. Livingstone, looking at the falls with a severe expression, as to look for the next adventure, or still wondering about the source of the Nile.

Nevertheless, the park, as I told before, offers a lot more than simply the falls. Surely that is the main attraction and reason why tourists decide to visit the park, but you really need to take your time and look around:

The colours, the diversity of plants and animals amazed me and made me wish I could just remain there forever. I had no wish for returning to Finland, knowing that there, I would have been welcomed by the old brisk cold, darkness, and snow.

But even knowing we had time reserved for the next destination and to discover the beauties of Zambia, leaving the park was not easy.

Nevertheless, when you have your bungalow immersed in the very same nature, you might agree that being inside or outside any National Park in Africa, doesn't mean necessarily much any difference.

Mostly because during the wet season, also the elephants might visit the premises of the lodge, and it was a real shame that we arrived during the dry season. I suppose this is another reason why I should go back and have a fuller experience of the local wildlife.

We spent in Zambia only one week, due to the tight schedule to reach ad enjoy the other destination of our journey, for which you will have to wait until the next time, so stay tuned as other 'adventures' are waiting for the Wandering Writer.

The wandering writer, turns (for one day) into the marketing writer!

Changing my hat for one day, after which I will be back telling new traveling adventures to more or less exotic destinations.

It has been already three months since my first novel has been published. The public (people like you and me) found it quite interesting, and I have to admit it, it pleased me to see that my story wasn't enjoyed only by me as I was writing it, but also by people who had nothing to do with me.

You know, I do believe that every first-time author, particularly when we talk about self-publishing and indie, are taken by thousands of doubts.

"Should I publish it?"

"Is it good enough?"

"Will anyone read it?"

There isn't a clear answer to any of those questions because the world (Thank God) is made by people with different tastes, cultural backgrounds, and preferences.

There will be definitely people interested in what you write, the only shrewdness is to make sure that there aren't any sort of errors, particularly obvious grammar error.

Those can turn the best plot in the world into something unpleasant to read, and difficult to follow, and of course, it will turn down every potential reader/follower.

The third question is a great mystery, because if you don't have any experience in distribution and marketing, you might end up with making fatal mistakes, which will cost you dearly slowing down any chance of a result.

Surely there are thousands of websites, promising visibility and great marketing strategy, but who’s to trust? Orienting in this labyrinth can become difficult, stressing and frustrating, as in the meanwhile you try to figure out a way to market your book, building an audience, time is passing by, and nobody has yet even noticed that your book was there.

My personal experience is that spending money on marketing getting the help of a professional is an investment, rather than a waste of money. And for this reason, I have been investing some money also in that direction.

In that meanwhile, somebody started to read and buy my e-book, and with that, the first review started to come on Amazon (different marketplaces) and also in Goodreads. Of course, the road is still long from where I am now, the small, almost unknown author to the Author with an established audience.

 

So if you are wondering about what I do write, I tell you that my first published novel is a crime story. However, what makes it different from all the common crime/thriller, is the introspective journey each of the characters is going through during the entire story.

Each character has his/her own personality and nature which meets the ones of all the others in an engaging plot.

Ok, I know what you are thinking, “well, of course, you as the author, you won't say negative things.”

That is undoubtedly true, but going to see all the feedbacks I received, this is also the impression of general readers. Some of them gave me 5 stars, others 4 or 3 stars, but I really value their opinion, as it is a way to grow up and improve.

At the side of this post you are reading, there is a link to BookViral, there you can find a more detailed feedback about my novel, or going to Amazon.com, you can find what readers say about it. 

I do not exclude that even you, who are reading my blog at this moment, might find it a compelling read as much as I do not exclude that you might find it nothing special. Everything is possible, but I dare you to give it a try.

If you are looking for crime, thriller, introspection, complexity, heartbreaking moments and revenge; my novel, A Tale of a Rough Diamond, is what you might be looking for.

I would be pleased to have also your opinion.

Another issue that had been bothered me for a long time is also concerning the cover of my book. It is clear that a cover is the business card of a book, and an uninteresting cover can push away a potential reader. Although a cover does not necessarily speak for the book itself, rather for the cover artist who has designed it, I would like some opinion about it, and whether would be a good idea to change it.

As I am approaching to say goodbye, and the sun is setting, I greet you with a cozy, freezing view of Helsinki:

 

 

A new beginning

I have waited a bit before writing again, and that was for a good reason. Just yesterday I received my author copy of my novel.

I have to be honest, it made me a bit proud of myself, but what mostly thrilled me, was today a great feedback I received from one of my first readers. As a first time writer, I do not have an audience waiting for my next novel, so I have to build my reputation; well let me tell you something, it is not easy.

I knew someone bought one kindle copy of my novel, and I wasn’t really expecting anything positive. You know, it was like I didn't want to believe too much on my work, so that I wouldn't be too disappointed if someone found it "not good enough."

I kept telling myself that this is how it goes and that I should not get discouraged by the fact that my book is not selling immediately. I knew from the beginning that with so many great writers in the business, I was not going to have an easy start.

However, today my very first reader sent me an extremely flattering feedback.

Nothing compares to the feeling of hearing someone say “Bravo!” I think this is one of the most powerful words. It means that the story you were writing with your heart, was able to touch other people's hearts with the same intensity. I really hope that my book can entertain other people like it entertained this first one.

Getting published

I do believe that all the people who decided to publish something for the first time found themselves in the same situation.

I finished to write my novel, and I was happy about it, then when I decided to publish it I realized that since there were many companies and private professionals offering services like proofreading, copy-edit, manuscript critique and so on, I should as well invest on polishing my manuscript. I gave the job to one proofreader who assured me that the turnaround time would have been 12 weeks.
Now, I do not know if there is a different way to count the time in different parts of the world, all I know is that I got the final version after 16 months. I cannot really express my frustration, but since my career didn't depend on that, I just kept waiting patiently.
In the end, I finally got my novel ready for the public, and since I was satisfied with the result, I felt like I couldn't complain.
What now? I had the novel, it was proofread, so what was left was to publish it; but how?
Should I have to ask for a literary agent? That is something I tried, but it was like a never ending list of rejections... again it was frustrating.
One suggestion for all the people who want to get published: Do not let anything stop you if you really believe in your manuscript.
I tried then to look for all the self-publishing possibilities, and they are many. However, only one seemed to give a real chance of visibility, offering at the same time the best royalties: CreateSpace of Amazon.
The decision was made!
So what now? I have my perfect novel, I have a place where to publish it, what is missing?
Oh God, yes! The blurb and the bio, not to mention the cover...
The cover???
Whether CreateSpace offers a very nice selection of customizable covers, I thought that I wanted something that was totally "me."
Hiring someone to make my cover would have been easy, but terribly expensive; I had to come out with another solution.
HEUREKA!
Did I or did I not graduated at the Art Institute? Yes, I did!
Therefore, I could easily do it by myself. At my side, my husband who worked for some years at an advertising company, and together we could reach the final solution for the cover.
I left the writing of the blurb to a professional, after all, that is the most important part; the text the potential readers are going to read before deciding to buy the book.
I could not fail that.

In the end, I had everything ready, and it was finally on sale (what a satisfaction!)

"What next?" I thought.
Promote, promote and promote.
Don't forget to promote :-)