...that actually work
In my experience, reaching readers, not to mention getting reviews, is nigh impossible for a self-published author whose budget for advertising is non-existent, especially if their book doesn't appeal to Booktok and Bookstagram users. However, there are a couple of ways I've found effective. What's more, they don't cost a copper.
You'll find out how it works by clicking the link (Worry not, I don't get any compensation for sharing it).
Submitting your book is completely free and as easy as breathing, and it is practically guaranteed to lead to at least a couple of reviews. So far, ER is the only channel through which I've received any feedback on my book.
If you are like me and don't have a vast circle of friends and relatives to read and review your book or are struggling to find reviewers for some other reason, this is a valid option.
(Again, I gain nothing from this except the joy of helping a fellow writer who might find this post useful.)
I've done it a couple of times, and the number of downloads has surprised me. I made the book free on Amazon as well in the past, but regardless of advertising it on various platforms, I gained only a handful of downloads there. Instead, to reach dozens of readers on Smashwords, I haven't needed to market my book practically at all.
It's not fair, of course, that we must give away countless hours of work for nothing except the possibility of getting it reviewed. Self-published E-Books aren't expensive, and the author gets only a thin slice of the price. Still, securing a sale is almost as likely as winning the lottery.
Be that as it may, in my case, there's nothing to lose. My book was never written for the masses, but finding the right audience has turned out even more difficult than I imagined. I can only hope that at least a few readers who download The Heirs of Duty during the Read an E-Book Week would belong to my target group.
The campaign is valid until March 8th, so if you'd like to read
The Heirs of Duty for free,
click here.
As the theme of this post is to help fellow writers in whatever tiny way I can, I'll end it by giving a shout-out to a friend whose internet presence is even lesser than mine.
T. S. Winterway's Allowing the Night (a refreshed edition) is also available for free on Smashwords. If you enjoy romantic dark fantasy, this novella should be right up your alley. It is a lovely little standalone (Although the little birds have been chirping that the author is working on an independent sequel) that I would recommend for readers older than 16 years.
Fear the dark. Don't go out at night. Keep to yourself.
Jaq lives by the rules until he meets Briar, and his life changes for good.
Jaq is a loner. He is completely happy with sharing his home with no one but his adopted dog and having as little to do as possible with the neighbors. Or so he thinks until he bumps into a grimling in the pouring rain. Whether he wanted it or not, the encounter in the murky woods changes his life forever.
When Briar sets out hunting with his clan mates on a rainy day, little does he know of how revolutionary consequences a simple act of goodwill can have. The nocturnal fays avoid contact with humans far as they can, but when it comes to choosing between saving a life or closing his eyes to evil, to Briar, the choice is clear.
But will anything good come out of the collision of the opposites? Is allowing the night to step over his threshold the biggest mistake Jaq has ever made, or could it result in something positive?
Allowing the Night is a character-based fae fantasy romance with a touch of darkness.
and then
click for your free copy.
Happy readings!
P.S. Allowing the Night is coming out as an audiobook soon! I don't know yet on which other platforms it'll come available except Aspenn Fantasy Payhip Store, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
