And we're done!
Thanks so much to everyone who left questions and to Rachel and Adam, for taking the time to answer them.
Guardian staff Thank you so much for all your comments and questions. That was fun, and I do hope we managed to answer some of your questions in a very short time.
There's a lot to self-publishing and I'm always happy to chat to people, so please feel free to follow me on Twitter @RachelAbbott or Facebook RachelAbbott1Writer
SarahM59 asks:
I need my first draft proof read and edited. Can you recommend any service providers?
Guardian staff Hello. I'd recommend any of the editors I've worked with, but it really depends on your style and genre. Some editors prefer to work in particular genres or have specific strengths that would work best for your book. I'd advise finding books similar to yours (ones that are well edited!) and approach whoever the editor and proofreader were.
Adam: 'I set myself daily word counts, and work out a rough estimation of the completion date'
Freentglty1 has another question:
About the writing itself. Do u have a target time to finish the first draft in? Stephen King once mentioned ‘length of a football season’ as his thumb rule for finish the first draft. Do u have similar time lines?
Guardian staff Yes, I do have my own target times but it's certainly a lot shorter than a football season! I tend to write very quickly and get frustrated if a book takes me too long to complete, so I tend to write quite a lot each day. I set myself daily word counts, and work out a rough estimation of the completion date for the first draft from there. I spend quite a bit of time planning before then, which reduces the editing time dramatically, particularly the self-edit. The finished draft which then goes to my editors is more or less finished from my point of view.
Rachel has also replied to ChloeDawson’s question:
Do you think that anybody can be successful with self publishing with only one book, or do you have to have multiple books out? And on that, do sales overall get better every time new books come out?
Guardian staff Hard one to answer Chloe. I was successful with my first book but I think it's getting harder.
In general, I would say that sales will get better as you build your followers - but remember to build a mailing list so you can let people know when you have something new.
Freentglty1 says:
When I tried self publishing two years ago I found maintaining quality in edit and proofreading to be a big problem. Even when u r willing to spend money finding genuine pros r difficult for these work. Ur advice?
Guardian staff My advice would be to look at who those people have worked with before. Find self-published books (or even traditional ones) that are well edited, find out who edited them (the acknowledgements page is a good place to start) and approach them. Remember that anyone can set themselves up as a professional editor: there are no qualifications or standards.
Rachel: 'Independent publishing is a lonely job - my agent is a life-saver'
carolynmahony has a question for Rachel:
I’ve self published my first novel Cry From The Grave and have two more that I hope to get out this year. I’d love to get some professional help with feedback for structure etc., but it’s so hard to get an agent. How did you get your agent and what do they do if they’re not trying to find you a publisher! Did you get your agent after you’d self published and did that make it easier? What would you suggest I do?
Guardian staff Finding an agent either comes from writing them a query letter and submitting part of your novel (as per all the online instructions) or writing a novel that does extremely well and then approaching (or being approached) by an agent.
My agent is a life-saver. Independent publishing is a lonely job - and she provides the support that I need (probably too often). But more than anything she is the person who tells me if my book is good enough to publisher, and reads everything that I write, every idea that I have, etc. She tells me when the pace drops, when my characters are weak - the list is endless. Oh - and the agency has sold translation rights to my book in 20 different languages.
Don't knock the idea of having an agent - I think it's the best decision I ever made.
Rachel has also replied to HunkyPants’s question about the difference between going it alone and working with a publisher:
Guardian staff I don't know if Adam has ever worked with a publisher, but I have. I worked with a publisher in the US for my first two books, and it was a pleasure. They were helpful and supportive, and in many ways made life much easier. However, they wanted world rights for the next book, and I wanted to retain my independence in the UK - because it's working for me, and I was very nervous about fixing something that wasn't broken. But it is undoubtedly very hard work.
I will always say that for some people - many people, in fact - a traditional deal is the right route. For some it's not. I think it's brilliant for you that you have been picked up, and I wish you ever success with your novel.
Adam: 'You can be successful with just one book — but it's definitely advisable to write more'
ChloeDawson asks:
Do you think that anybody can be successful with self publishing with only one book, or do you have to have multiple books out? And on that, do sales overall get better every time new books come out?
Guardian staff Hello. You can be successful with just one book — my first one was quite successful — but it's definitely advisable to write more. Yes, sales of other books peak nicely when a new one comes out. Every new book will not only be seen by your existing readers but will also attract a new readership of its own, who'll (hopefully!) go back and read your back catalogue.
DotGumbi has a question for Rachel, who has an agent:
How did you acquire your agent? Did they approach you after your book was a hit? Or did you approach them? Was there more than one?
Guardian staff Hi - thanks for the question. I was approached by a few agents, but the one that I am now with - Lizzy Kremer of David Higham Associates - is somebody that was recommended to me. I liked her best of all of them because she was perfectly honest. Whilst others were telling me how wonderful my writing was, she told me I could do better - and that suited me just fine. She then edited my first book - which had already sold well over a hundred thousand. And she was right. It was hugely better.
I only managed to get an agent after publishing my first book, and its success brought the interest.
A question from Damian Connolly (@divillysausages) on Twitter:
@GuardianBooks @adamcroft @RachelAbbott What mainstream newspapers/sites should we cover when getting books reviewed/publicised? tks
— Damian Connolly (@divillysausages) June 13, 2016
Guardian staff I don't bother chasing reviews from newspapers and websites. Many papers and sites do review my books, but they do that entirely off their own bat. Again, it's a case of thinking whether or not the juice is worth the squeeze. For me, reviews don't lead to anywhere near the level of sales I'm looking for so aren't something I actively chase.
Adam adds:
Guardian staff I would add, though, that they're ideal — if not vital — for literary fiction.
Adam: 'I just don't think the vast majority of creative writing courses are the way to go'
DasgoodYa asks:
Have you completed a creative writing course? If so, would you recommend it?
Guardian staff I haven't, and I don't recommend them either. I'm sure there are some good ones out there, but most of the ones I've seen are being taught by people who've never had any success in writing (except, perhaps, for their obscure dystopian fiction novel that had a print run of 3,000 copies in 1993) and need to top up the income by teaching. Their methods then box you into their method of writing, which probably isn't all that successful as if it was that good they'd be making their money from writing rather than teaching. I'm generalising, of course, but it does seem to cover 90% of creative writing courses as far as I can see.
That's not to say that you don't need to learn the craft. There are some fantastic books and resources out there, and I spend a great deal of time learning the craft. With writing, you're never the polished article. You're always learning and always need to be learning. I just don't think the vast majority of creative writing courses are the way to go.
Rachel has also replied to albertclack’s question:
Guardian staff Hi Albert - and that's a really interesting question.
It is certainly the case that the number of books 'borrowed' or downloaded as part of Kindle Unlimited is growing. In the early days of this programme, authors got paid 'per borrow or download' but some writers got wise to this and were publishing several short books instead of one long one. Four short books brought four times the income on KU! Amazon changed this to payment according to pages read (yes - Amazon know how many pages you have read of each book!).
You are absolutely right that if people are hooked by your book, you will probably now do better with one standard length novel than four short ones - because sales and downloads of full length books are better I believe. The important thing, as always, is writing something that people want to read.
The income from borrows or KU is increasing all the time - so you should write what you believe in, and make your books unputdownable.
HunkyPants says:
I self-published my first novel last year and it changed my life. Not fiscally, but just my confidence and belief. My 2nd novel has now been picked up by a publisher and will be out in the shops in October.
I was just wondering, how did you find the difference between working with a publisher and doing everything yourself?
Guardian staff Hello. I've never worked with a traditional publisher so I can't really say. The closest I've come is my deal with Thomas & Mercer (Amazon), but their model is completely different from a traditional publisher. They're extremely author- and reader-centric, which is a breath of fresh air. It's much closer to the self-published model, with the added bonus that you've got the marketing clout of the world's biggest book-related company behind you.
keithyd says:
Adam, fellow Mark Dawson graduate, can you give me a hint how you chose your Audience on FB? I tried the usual Lee Child and James Patterson readers but got nowhere (their audiences are too huge) so I’d be interested to know who you used in your targeting.
Guardian staff Hello. I've used an enormous range of audiences. I've spent six figures on Facebook advertising over the past few months and have something like 20 or 30 audiences running at any given time. I've done everything from tiny audiences to huge ones. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I'd say experiment and see what works best for you. Don't be afraid to try something different, either. You might be surprised. Good luck!
Adam: 'Don't think 'I need to make this longer so it'll sell better' - think of the reader'
albertclack asks:
On my tiny scale, I am now earning more from ‘pages read’ by Kindle Unlimited customers of Amazon than from Kindle unit sales. Before this change, it seemed to make sense to aim to write more, shorter books in a series, so that they might cross-sell each other as units. But the KU payment model suggests that, if one’s book is good enough for readers to continue to the end, fewer and longer might pay off. My first one is 500 Kindle adjusted pages. I haven’t even finished writing the second one yet, so admittedly I’m getting a bit ahead of myself! But do you have a view on this, please?
Guardian staff My only view is to write your book to its natural length. That's one of the big advantages of self-publishing — there's no publisher asking you to write a specific number of words or pages so it's cheaper for them to print.
When you're planning and writing your book, ONLY think of the reader. Don't get down the 'I need to make this longer so it'll sell better', and certainly don't try gaming Kindle Unlimited. You might get a bit more money per download, but you'll get far fewer downloads as you'll be strangling the quality of your book.
madmick53 has a question about adaptations:
Is it a good idea to try and market your book to film/TV production companies in the hope that it could be made into a TV series/film?
Guardian staff Hello. A very interesting question. This is a bit of a double-edged sword as it can take up your entire life if you let it. I've had a lot of interest from film and TV companies, but I'd definitely advise getting an agent to handle this for you. I'm always wary of agents and people wanting to take a cut for not doing very much, but on the film and TV side it's vital. If you're thinking of adaptations, there's very little chance they'll pick it up unless your book has already had considerable success and a strongly marketable hook (think elevator pitch!) to work with. I wouldn't say it's necessarily something that should be your priority in terms of a focus for your time and energy, but definitely something to keep brewing in the background as the potential gains to be had are enormous.
Rachel says:
Guardian staff I would second Adam's comment that this is something which is far better coming from an agent. I know Adam says he's wary of agents - but my agent is AMAZING and I wouldn't be without her. She adds so much and is the first person to give me her (very) honest opinion on any new work, and she reads and comments several times in the drafting process. But not all agents are the same, I fear.
However, if you do have an agent with a film and TV department, they have all the contacts and it's definitely the way to go.
Updated
Christine Gasbjerg, who recently attended a workshop with Rachel in Jersey, asks:
How many Facebook ads are you running a day, and for how long? What’s your demographic spread, and how many people will you target for each ad? And how/which people are you targeting?
Guardian staff Good to meet you too, Christine, and thank you for coming all the way from Denmark to my workshop in Jersey! I thought you might have made it home faster than I did – I was stuck for 24 hours because of fog!
I think Adam is probably much better placed to answer this than I am, because he has become a bit of a Facebook ads expert, I believe. In my case, I don’t target a specific number of users. I target readers dependent on the types of books they buy, authors they like and where they live (if I have a country-specific promotion). But it’s an area of marketing that I am hoping to learn more about, and will be avidly checking out Mark Dawson’s course on Facebook advertising. Over to Adam, I think!
Adam says:
Guardian staff Hi Christine. This changes all the time. At the moment, I'm running very few, but that's because I'm experimenting with some other approaches and need to keep a consistent baseline of sales to measure against. I'm also working on a 'calm before the storm' effect before the release of my next book ;-)
In terms of the ads I run when I do run them, they're always changing. I do some to very small, niche groups and some to absolutely enormous ones. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages, and the benefits to you will likely be completely different. I'd say experiment and see what works best for you.
carolynmahony says:
I would be interest to know what marketing techniques you find the most successful and when you start to apply them, prior to a new novel coming out? How much time does marketing-v-writing take up on a daily basis?
Guardian staff For me, it's been a combination of my mailing list and Facebook advertising. The marketing plan for the launch of a new book is far too complicated to fit into a comment here, but it involves quite a bit of pre-warming, lots of teasers and gearing up in the background. Maybe I'll write an article on my approach one day.
In terms of the time, it's roughly half and half. Depends how close I am to my latest deadline!
Rachel says:
Guardian staff I agree with Adam that it's far too complex to write in a single reply here, but here goes with my best shot!
My marketing plan changes with every new book – because this is such a fast moving world and things change all the time. But my plan is written about six months before each book is launched, and marketing begins at least three months before. This is just a warm up to begin with – to let people know that the new book is coming. When the cover is finalised, we start to give sneak previews, and then a few extracts.
The most important aspect of marketing – particularly in the early stages of building readers – is raising awareness (as I will probably repeat ad nauseam in this chat). How you do that depends on your market - different forms of social media, for example, are more (or less) appropriate to certain age ranges or genders of readers. But make sure that your cover is popping up everywhere that is relevant so that when people are browsing Amazon and they come across your cover, they think “I’ve seen that somewhere” and they click to get a closer look. That’s the first stage in the buying process.
The amount of time I spend marketing depends on where I am up to in terms of the latest book. Around launch it's probably 100% marketing, and then mid-year it probably drops to 10% marketing 90% writing. I'm fortunate, though, in that now I have some help with all of this - although it took me four years to be in a position where this was a viable option.
Julie McLaren wants to know about writing series:
Do you think it is possible to achieve real success as an independent author without writing a series? I am about to publish my sixth novel, but all are stand alone. For some reason, I don’t seem to have much inspiration for continuing with the same characters after I complete a novel, and I don’t always write in the same genre either. Am I condemned to remain in the ‘not doing badly for an independent’ category?
Guardian staff Hi Julie. The unfortunate answer is yes and no! The advice I've always read is no — you need to write in a series. I did that for five years and had good success, but the first standalone book I published has gone absolutely insane and been one of the biggest selling books of the year.
It depends on the genre you write. Psychological thrillers, for example, more or less rely on being standalones. Take a look at the likes of Mark Edwards — he never re-uses characters and he's cleaning up on Amazon.
Rachel says:
Guardian staff I don’t think a series is necessary. I think that if readers enjoy your books, they will be looking for the next book by you. I never intended to have the same character in my books, but after Only the Innocent readers asked when Tom Douglas would be back, so I have stuck with him and love him now. However, I don’t see him as the focus – my books are about the victims and perpetrators of a crime, but when murder occurs it’s useful to have a policeman around!
However, I think that swapping genres is more of an issue. Some people only read in limited genres, and if they enjoy one of your books and then pick up another that turns out to be completely different, you may have lost them as a reader. If you are swapping genres, it needs to be very clear from the cover of your book.
I think you should write what works for you, though – if you force yourself down a route that you’re not comfortable with, you won’t enjoy it and I think it could show in your writing.
Adam: 'There's a LOT of wastage in the traditional section of publishing'
Carlos Hughes has a question for both Adam and Rachel:
In what ways do you think traditional publishing needs to adapt their business model? They seem to be stamping their feet a lot, hoping that self publishing and Amazon somehow gets regulated or magically disappears, whilst charging as much (sometimes more) for an ebook as for a printed version. What advice would you give to them?
Guardian staff Hi Carlos. My advice would be to wake up and smell the coffee. Stamping your feet and pretending it's not happening isn't going to make it go away. Too many publishers have already gone to the wall (or had to merge to stay afloat) and nobody wants to see that, least of all me. We're not telling them this for anyone's good but their own.
In terms of adapting, I don't think their (admittedly poor) attempts at copying what the self-pub market is doing will work. Not while they're charging £8 for a Kindle book, anyway. There's a LOT of wastage in the traditional section of publishing. I've seen a lot of it with my own eyes. Self-publishing is far more streamlined and less bloated. It's almost direct from author to reader, which is what the experience should be. When a reader reads a book they don't even think of the publisher, despite the fact they're creaming off most of the money. It's the author they want to connect with.
I think the traditional model still has a big future, but it needs to accept that it's going to be a different future. Focusing on literary fiction, foreign/translation rights and those authors who don't want to go down the business route of self-publishing will be key.
Rachel says:
Guardian staff I think that the traditional publishing method has worked well for years, and continues to do so for many authors. I know lots of authors who have no wish to be independent because they enjoy the support of their publishers and genuinely don’t want to have to become embroiled in cover design, marketing, and the whole range of activities that are a necessity for a successful independent author.
Some – but not all – publishers have perhaps not been quite so quick off the mark in exploring non-traditional routes to market and it’s something that we have had to do in order to get our books noticed. But that’s changing too, and it’s clear to see that many traditional publishers are adapting quickly to this constantly changing market. I think we can work happily side by side, the only difference being that some of us take responsibility for the entire publishing process, whilst others are happy to share that burden with their publisher.
Kikarin says, in reply to TheThoughtFox’s previous question:
I’ve written and self-published literary fiction but ‘everyone’ says you cant sell/promote literary fiction; only genre [romance/noir/sci-fi]. I thought getting great reviews on Goodreads would make a difference but I have had tremendous reviews and sales remain non-existent. Walking round Waterstones recently, there is plenty of [new] literary fiction on the tables so there is a market out there but I seem unable to reach it.
I am failing. Not sure what to do. My books are very contemporary and their time will pass.
Guardian staff Hi also to Kikarin in relation to The ThoughtFox's question.
I have actually given my version of an answer above to TheThoughtFox, although I’m sure Adam will have more to say. I hope this is enough to answer your question too.
I think it’s interesting that you mention seeing the books in Waterstones, and that supports the theory that – in general – readers of literary fiction may prefer a physical book. I am in a book club, and we have two readers who both have Kindles, but if our book of the month is literary (or historical) fiction, both of them always buy the physical book.
But this is a fast moving market, and things are changing all the time, so don't give up hope!
Adam: 'In the end, it's the readers who choose'
TheThoughtFox says:
I hope I don’t offend anyone with my question. Both writers have emphasised the importance of marketing and social networking to promote their books, but do you think that your success would be possible if you didn’t write genre books of mass-market appeal? It seems the most successful books which are self-published are either in the psychological thriller/murder mystery genres, or the 50 Shades of Grey type erotica genre. Can you see a literary book gaining success through the methods you have used? Again, I’m not trying to be patronising, just genuinely interested in your opinions.
Guardian staff I think that it may be the case that the world of genre fiction is an e-world! Many readers of this type of fiction like to read their books in digital form and are devotees of the many blogs and websites that are set up to promote it and share ideas with readers. Literary fiction tends to have a more traditional face. Its readers are said to prefer print books - they like to re-read and share books and have them on display on their bookshelf afterwards.
Literary fiction is also more review-driven through mainstream media, and this is important because it may be through them that a reader’s attention is grabbed. I think it’s very hard for e-book originals to get the attention of these reviewers so we have to market, and market constantly, to get ourselves seen and heard.
As to whether literary books could achieve success through the methods I use, I think there is little doubt that it is more difficult because it is harder to pinpoint interested readers in specific categories. Thrillers speak for themselves, and so it is easier to find places where these readers go to look for books.
That doesn’t mean that writers of literary fiction can’t be successful. I think they can if they are happy to employ marketing skills and to put in the long hours to deploy those skills. But without the promotion that comes from the reviews and the awards programmes, there is no doubt that it is going to be more difficult.
Adam says:
Guardian staff Hi! Don't worry — it's not patronising or offensive at all. You're absolutely right. But that goes for traditional publishing too. Literary fiction just doesn't sell. There's nothing wrong with it, in the same way as there's nothing wrong with any niche, but because it doesn't have the appeal of the mass-market it's not going to sell particularly well however it's published. Readers of literary fiction tend to be more loyal to independent bookshops, which tend to be quite anti-Amazon and stock only traditionally published books, so that pairing is ideal for all parties involved. Lit fic can and does sell well self-published, but it's not really a viable business model so is better suited to traditional publishing. That'll definitely be the future of the trad model, in my opinion.
In the end, it's the readers who choose. We can sit and talk all day about the quality of writing, prose and all of that nonsense, but if the readers don't want it, what can you do? It's an argument that's been done to death over the years across the media, from books to classical/pop music. I don't think it's one we're going to solve this afternoon :-)
Rachel has also replied to kushti’s question:
Guardian staff I understand your point, and I don’t think that readers actually care who is responsible for the publishing of a book. However, the media is still in general more focused on traditionally published books and it remains difficult – but not completely impossible – to get reviews in mainstream media, and even more difficult to be included in an awards programme. The PR department of a large publishing house can concentrate on the plaudits for their authors’ books, while we have to focus more on the quantity of positive reviews. That is one reason that we have to tell the world that lots of readers have bought our books. We’re not alone in that – many traditionally published authors do talk about their total book sales, number of translations, etc. And it is also true to say that the media is fascinated by the money that we earn, and that’s where we tend to get mentions.
We care every bit as much as a traditionally published author out the quality of our writing and the content of our books, and I think in time the fact that we are self-published will cease to be of any interest at all – we will blend seamlessly with all authors from a wide range of publishing backgrounds.
Adam: 'There's still a small pocket of resentment and snobbery from some towards self-publishing'
kushti asks:
Does it frustrate you that the conversation about traditionally published and self-published authors tends to be very, very different, at least in the mainstream media? Discussion of traditional authors tends to be about the quality of their writing, or the content of their books, while coverage of self-published authors seems to be almost exclusively around sales figures and money earned. I have to say that even the author bios here are representative, in that they say everything about how many your books have sold, and next to nothing about why. With all due respect to your achievements, do you think a time is coming when self-published books will be discussed on equal terms?
Guardian staff Hi. It doesn't really frustrate me too much. I think the traditional end of the publishing industry will always be focused on literary fiction. That's fine, because readers of those books are always a little slower to react to market changes and the traditional model suits it far better.
There's still a small pocket of resentment from some towards self-publishing and a bit of snobbery, with some people thinking the quality in self-publishing is lower. It's all quite funny, though, particularly when I point out that I use the exact same editors, proofreaders and designers as the major publishing houses and 'high street' names.
I think we're pretty much already on equal terms. In terms of readership and sales, we're actually well ahead. There were studies last year that showed that there are more self-published books read around the world than traditionally published ones and that a self-published author typically makes far more money than a traditionally published one.
As for the way news pieces are spun, I'm certainly not worried that the attention seems to focus more on my achievements and sales figures than on the books themselves. I'm very proud of what I've achieved, and I think I have every right to be after five years of sixteen-hour days spent getting to this point! :-)
Rachel: 'Work out what you want to achieve and then write a number of objectives that lead towards that goal'
DanHolloway has a question for Rachel:
A big part of your success you put down to your business plan. Could you talk us through how you went about drawing it up, what points you felt it should contain (and importantly for the many newcomers wanting to “do it right” what you felt didn’t need to go in), and how you held yourself too it?
Guardian staff In answer to the first part of your question, when I do my one-day courses on this complex subject, what I always ask people to do is analyse what they actually want to achieve – what does success look like to them. From that, you can identify your goals and write your business plan according to that. Some people are looking for recognition and critical acclaim while others are trying to maximise their income. Each has a different approach in terms of a business plan.
You need to set yourself clear targets, whatever your overall goal. For example, if you want to build your Twitter following, that alone is not a well-defined objective. You need to set a specific target – such as ‘increase my Twitter following by 300 people within one month’ and then you need to write down what actions you are going to take to achieve that.
So – work out what you want to achieve and then write a number of objectives that lead towards that goal. If your goal is critical acclaim, then your objectives will all be geared towards reviews, awards, etc. Work out the steps you need to take, and your targets and actions along the way.
This is really a huge topic, and I’m sorry to skip over it all so briefly.
In case you didn’t catch the article we ran about Adam that spawned this webchat, you can read about his amazing career trajectory here.
Amira Makansi asks:
Could you share with us what you think has been the single most effective technique you’ve used to sell more books and reach a wider audience?
Guardian staff Hi Amira. Thanks for the question, and I really wish I could give you a single answer (although I suspect Adam can). As you may know, I always produce a marketing plan – so I suspect that has been my most effective technique! But the plan is multi-layered. I try, above everything, to build awareness of my books. To me, that’s the magic word. When I launched my first book I was online all the time – on forums, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In – you name it, I was on it. I posted the cover of my book everywhere I could, I contacted online reviewers with details of my book and asked if they would consider reviewing it (and always sent them the cover and a link to post), and if they wouldn’t I asked if they would do an interview, a Q&A or whether I could write an article for their blog.
Probably the most effective technique when I started was working fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, for three months.
It’s not easy – you require determination and an ability to be able to cope with setbacks.
Adam has his experience with Facebook to add:
Guardian staff Hi Amira. For me, it was definitely Facebook advertising. That enabled me to reach enormous numbers of people very quickly and boosted sales of my latest book through the roof. People who've bought that book have then joined my mailing list and Facebook page, which enables me to keep in touch with them and market my future books to them too. It's a very powerful tool if used in the right way.
Rachel: 'If Amazon sees something happening, they may start to push your book a bit harder'
Tracey Hope has a question about promotion:
I’m about to relaunch my heavily edited children’s book. Did you use KDP to get your book noticed? Is there something I could do to get my book noticed in the children’s market? Did you send your manuscripts out to publishers at the same time as self publishing?
Guardian staff Hi Tracey. KDP is purely a publishing outlet for Kindle books, although there are a couple of advertising platforms available to KDP authors only. These require exclusivity to Kindle, though, which is something I'm not willing to entertain as I have very strong sales on other digital outlets apart from Kindle.
I'm afraid I really don't know the children's market very well at all. I would imagine the marketing channels that would work best here would be very different from what I use for my serial killer thrillers! :-)
I didn't send any manuscripts to any publishers or agents and still haven't. A few have approached me over the years but their offers have never been good enough to even warrant negotiation. The money and exposure just isn't there in traditional publishing any more. When Amazon approached me in February of this year it was very different, as their model is pretty revolutionary and much, much closer to the self-publishing model that I know and love.
Rachel says:
Guardian staff Thanks for the congratulations, Tracey.
I didn’t send my book to publishers, although I did send to a small number of agents. With regard to getting your book noticed in the children’s market, that is a different audience and one that I don’t have any experience in. But you might like to consider doing something innovative. For example, contact your local paper (to start with) and ask if you can write a short story for children (very short) or an extract from one of your stories. Think about where the parents and grandparents of these children hang out – both on and offline – and how you might attract them to your books. Maybe have some downloadable samples on your website, or a couple of free short stories that you can advertise on Facebook (over to Adam for advice there).
I don’t know what age of children, and that clearly makes a difference – but you could do some readings in local schools – and yes, these are small steps. But what you need on Amazon is to get a boost of sales in a short period, and a boost of reviews. And then if Amazon sees something happening, they may start to push your book a bit harder.
Again on ‘official ISBNs’ - Adam has this to add to Rachel’s reply to DotGumbi:
Guardian staff I agree with all of Rachel's points here too, but would point out that Amazon/Createspace books aren't just printed in the US. If you buy in the UK, they're printed in Bedfordshire, just a couple of miles up the road from where I live. There are also print outlets across Europe that are used for local demand there.
DotGumbi asks:
What’s your advice regarding ‘official’ ISBNs? Do you need them?
I’m self-published, and for cost use Amazon’s free ASIN, and other free ISBNs (from Lulu, Smashwords etc). However, I’ve read opinion that claims self-publishers who do this are shooting themselves in the clichéd foot. In an ideal world everyone would fork out for the ‘official’ ISBNs, but am curious to know whether the whole free/paid ISBN thing was something you considered when publishing.
Guardian staff Hi. I've looked into this a few times and I've never seen a benefit to 'official' ISBNs. I've used the ones provided by Createspace since I started and haven't seen any reason to do otherwise. A lot of people do, but in self-publishing there are always a lot of choices to make. For me, it's a case of whether the resultant benefits will outweigh the effort and time involved. Otherwise you can spend a lot of time doing a lot of things that don't bring much benefit. For me, official ISBNs probably fall into that category, but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise. Things might have changed since I last looked into it!
Guardian staff I'm not a world expert on this, but this is my best shot at an answer.
It all depends how you intend to publish your book. If you are e-publishing only, then I don’t think it’s a huge concern, although a single ISBN makes it easier to check overall sales. It becomes much more important if you want to sell paperbacks into bookstores.
Print on demand books published through CreateSpace do get an ISBN provided by Amazon, but it is currently difficult for bookshops to buy these books – mainly because they are printed in the US and the cost is prohibitive. (I am sure that will change, though.)
It all depends on what format you are publishing, and where you ultimately want to sell your books.
I hope that helps.
Rachel: 'Somebody has to see your cover seven times before they are truly aware of it – so get it out there'
Martin Gore wants to know how to get ‘your book noticed amongst the thousands available on Amazon’:
I can use Twitter and Facebook, but what else do you typically do? Did you do book signings when you were unknown? Any author networks worth joining?
Guardian staff Hi Martin. This is a great question, but the answer would be WAY too long for just here. I usually do a whole one-day workshop on the process. The (very) short answer is that you need to raise awareness of your book through any means possible. You need people to recognise your book cover so that when they go to Amazon and see it, they click on it to find out more. So you need to make sure your cover is seen in as many places as possible – as a signature on your email (and make it a clickable link), on your Twitter and Facebook pages, on as many blogs as you can find – if they will allow you to do a Q&A or a brief article. Always include your book cover. They say that somebody has to see your cover seven times before they are truly aware of it – so get it out there.
But this is only phase one of many. After that we have to focus on grabbing their interest and creating a desire to buy. If I had to give one tip it would be ‘be as professional as you can – think like a businessman’. You have to divide your head between the joys of writing, and the needs of being an entrepreneur.
I didn’t do book signings early on, but I do now and I love doing talks at libraries and bookshops. It’s great to meet readers. As to author networks, some of that comes down to your genre. There are often genre specific networks on Facebook.
Adam uses social media advertising to get his books out there:
Guardian staff Hi. I don't use Twitter and Facebook in the conventional ways to advertise my books. The best way to think about this is to put yourself in the customer's shoes. What makes you buy a book? Is it seeing an author tweet 'Please buy my book'? Usually not. But I do use Facebook and Twitter to place commercial adverts. They're a different beast altogether but can be extremely powerful. I'd recommend looking at the Self Publishing Formula's free courses on this for further information.
I did do some book signings, but the exposure they get you is quite small for the amount of time it takes. In self-publishing, you're looking for national and international exposure. It's all about numbers. As for author networks, I haven't joined any as they don't make much sense from a commercial point of view. It's readers I need to connect with most.
In terms of top tips for getting noticed, my advice would be (in this order): Write more books, get yourself a mailing list set up and power it with reader magnets and other offers, then take a look at boosting things with social media advertising.
Adam: 'It's impossible to self-edit - I say that having worked as an editor myself.'
Adam has also replied to hogarth1’s question:
Guardian staff Hello. I've always written stories and have always loved reading, too. I didn't do any formal classes, but I've always studied the craft. I have countless books on the subject of writing, story composition and structure, driving plots... the list goes on. I use professional editors and proofreaders and would certainly advise anyone to do the same. It's impossible to self-edit, and I say that having worked as an editor myself. It's all about taking a professional approach and taking as much care over the finished product as you can. I wish you all the best in your quest to become a full-time writer!
Rachel: 'I didn’t have an editor before I published my first novel, but I regret that now.'
hogarth1 says:
Forgive me if this sounds naive, but I’d be interested to get your tips on the process of how you got to being where are you now. Did you always write? Did you join a writing class? Do you have editors of some kind, which assist you? I ask as someone who yearns more than anything to be able to live as a full-time writer. Best wishes.
Guardian staff Hi and it's not naive at all - it's a good question.
I didn’t actually start writing until I had taken early retirement from work, and I did it purely for my own enjoyment without any hopes or intentions of getting published. I didn’t always write – at least, not novels. I always had to write for my job – but more in the form of creative proposals for clients, and fascinating (!) things like board reports (which could be quite creative, of course).
I didn’t have an editor before I published my first novel, but I regret that now – even though Only the Innocent got to number one in the Amazon chart. When it was subsequently edited professionally, it became a much better book.
I now work with my agent, who gives amazing editorial input into my books, and then they go through a traditional editing process – which has a number of stages. I always had the idea that an editor would make the changes necessary to my book, but it’s not quite like that. They tend to tell you what is wrong with your book – eg the pace drops here, or this character is a bit ill-defined, or you need another sub-plot, etc – and than it’s the writer’s job to put it right. Which is excellent, and I love the whole editing process and seeing my book take shape.
I chose to self-publish because I just didn’t want to go through the lengthy process of finding an agent, and then the agent finding a publisher, and then the delay while the book was published. I thought I was too old for all of that. So I just decided to try uploading to the Kindle. Even then, it wasn’t enough. I was selling a few books a day – so I wrote a marketing plan and worked out the steps I was going to have to take to sell my book. It worked!
Martimbac starts us off, asking for ‘a professional’s view’ of their project:
I’ve taken a bit of a different approach to self-publishing. I wanted to design a “virtual book” so as to control the look of the page as well as the content. It was great fun, I involved a small circle of friends as readers/editors, and discovered that a physical book was also in demand. So I used Lulu.com to produce a print-on-demand edition. This project took over three years. I doubt there’s a way to turn it into a Kindle book given my “experimental” use of typography and graphic design to bolster the book’s discussion of postmodernism. So far the full text has been downloaded over 750 times, which proves I suppose that I’ve been successful at giving it away.
Rachel says:
Guardian staff Good afternoon and thanks for the question.
I checked out your book, and I can see the issue. It’s great to see innovation, and I think very quickly we are going to see new forms of interaction in ebooks. But I’m no expert, I’m afraid. I’m not able to advise on whether your experimental use of typography can be converted right now, but I am certain that graphics are – over time – going to be more important.
I think the fact that it has been downloaded over 750 times is very impressive. It’s going to be a hard market to crack, but if you can discover your core audience and look at ways of reaching them (which will very probably be entirely different to the way that I reach my audience) your innovative approach might help you to break through into this niche market.
Adam says:
Guardian staff This sounds a really interesting concept. It's difficult to say if there'd be a market for it. I'd suspect not from a mainstream point of view, but unfortunately that's the same for most experimental works. It could certainly have a niche, though.
The wonderful Rachel Abbott is here too:
Guardian staff Good afternoon everybody and thanks for coming along to join in. There are some great questions on here, and I will be answering the ones that have been posted earlier first, and then racing to catch up.
For some reason, my photo (which is there is my profile) doesn't seem to be appearing - but I'm here and ready to chat.
And we're live!
Thanks to Adam and Rachel for joining us today. If you haven’t already left a question, please do now - Rachel and Adam are with us for the next hour.
Guardian staff Hi everyone! I hope you're all well. I've got a big mug of coffee with me, ready and waiting to answer your questions.
Post your questions for self-published authors Rachel Abbott and Adam Croft
When we published an interview with self-published sensation Adam Croft about his success – from writing in his back room, he’s sold more than half a million copies of his psychological thrillers to date – so many questions were posted in the comments that we thought we should host a webchat for people to ask questions and get advice.
So on Monday 13 June at 1pm BST, we will be joined by Adam, as well as Rachel Abbott, the UK’s bestselling independent author. They’ll be around to answer any questions you have about working without a publisher, how to market a book and any tips and advice for those who have a manuscript, but don’t know what to do next.
Post your questions for Rachel and Adam in the comments below, and they’ll answer as many as possible.
Rachel Abbott is the UK’s most successful independent author. She has sold more than 2m books and is the 14th bestselling author of the last five years on Amazon’s Kindle, putting her in the company of authors such as Gillian Flynn and Lee Child. Her most recent book, Kill Me Again, is set in Manchester, where she was born and raised. When she hit 2m in sales, Rachel wrote this for the Guardian about her career.
Adam Croft was running an internet marketing company in Bedfordshire when he wrote his first novel, Too Close for Comfort, in 2011. More than half a million sales later, Croft’s books have been bought by Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. His 2015 thriller Her Last Tomorrow sold more than 100,000 copies across all platforms and became one of the bestselling books of the year, reaching the top 10 in the overall Amazon Kindle chart and No 12 in the paperback chart. His Kempston Hardwick mystery books are now being adapted as audio plays.
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Thanks, everyone! It's been a lot of fun. If anyone has any other questions they'd like me to answer, I'm more than happy to chat on Twitter, Facebook or through my website.