I'm a Library Journal Self-E Author!

Several months ago, I submitted two of my books to Library Journal for inclusion in their new Self-E collection. The SELF-E collection is available to certain libraries (and soon many more) to read and check out. All the books in the collection are self-published authors. I submitted in conjunction with the Cuyahoga County Library (Cleveland, OH), which is one of the first libraries to team up with Library Journal for this new innovative program. 

I'm excited to announce that both The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale and The Photograph were picked to be included in this collection. In addition, they are both featured books in the collection!

I'm super excited to be a part of this new program. You can read more about the program from SELF-E's press release below.

SELF-e, created by Library Journal in collaboration with BiblioBoard®, offers indie authors and aspiring writers the opportunity to upload their ebooks, expand their readership, and reach a new audience. Content submitted to SELF-e is evaluated by Library Journal and, if selected, appears in a curated collection of self-published ebooks showcased at participating libraries nationwide. Because SELF-e employs BiblioBoard's award-winning PatronsFirst™ platform, libraries can make local authors' self-published ebooks available to cardholders with no multi-user limitations or waitlists.

Library Journal has already chosen 16 high-quality, self-published books from authors contributing through CCPL, but every author who submitted is able to make their book available through the Indie Ohio module. Library Journal's selections can be found in the highlights section of the Indie Ohio collection. These specially featured titles range from playful children's books like The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale by Kristen Otte to thought-provoking adult dramas such as Scott Burr's Bummed Out City. The selected highlights will also become part of Library Journal's best-of-the-best genre modules and will be featured in full-page Library Journal advertisements later this year.

Permafree in the Children's Book Market

Permafree is a common term in the indie author world. Many authors will vouch for the strategy. The strategy is to set the first book in a series free (ebook formats only of course) to encourage new readers to try the book. The theory is the reader will like the book and be willing to pay for the rest of the series. Many independent authors have had tremendous success with this strategy. However, most of these authors are also writing adult or young adult fiction, not kids' books. The children's book market is a bit different and its transition to ebooks has been much slower. But there is evidence that more and more kids are reading on iPads and Kindles. With all this is mind, I decided to try permafree for my children's chapter book series. I had three books out, and I wanted to try something to spur some sales.

In the beginning of November, I set the first book in The Adventures of Zelda series free in ebook format on all platforms. I spread the word via social media, and I also had my friend Chubbs the Wampug tell her followers. (Chubbs is a pug celebrity) Since then, I haven't done any other advertising.

After almost three months of permafree, The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale hovers around number 5,000 in the Kindle Free Charts with some spikes. Those spikes are usually around 150 free downloads in one day. Otherwise, my downloads range from 10-50 on a typical day in the Amazon Kindle Store.

In December, I saw record number of paperback sales for the Zelda series as a whole, selling over 100 books. November was strong for paperback sales as well. To date in January, ebook sales for the second and third book of the Zelda sales have risen to their best month with a week left still in the month. I'm selling a few copies of the second and third book each day in the Kindle store.

The other platforms are not doing much for me. Apple's iBooks is the only store that moves copies. Usually, I have about 5 free downloads a day of the first Zelda book with a few sales here and there for the second and third Zelda books. Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, etc aren't moving any books most days.

It's hard to know exactly what spurned my jump in sales, but I'm sure permafree was a big component. Going permafree made Zelda start appearing in also boughts on Amazon all over the place. It kept me at the top of the free kids' pet books charts. I'm happy with the results so far.

I realize my numbers aren't huge. I realize I'm not making thousands of dollars, but in a very tough children's ebook market, I'm happy with the growth. I'm happy that kids and parents are enjoying the series and continuing with it past book one. I'm also happy with the results because I haven't paid a dime for any advertising yet. That's the next step. And writing book four!

Are there any other children's book or middle grade authors out there? Any success with permafree?

My Favorite Parts of the Novel Writing Process

The more I write, the more I learn about myself and my writing habits. I'm currently in three different stages of three projects. My first YA novel is getting ready for release. All major edits and revisions are done. Formatting is done. I need to do one more round of proofreading once I have a proof copy in hand.

I sent The Adventures of Zelda: Pug and Peach (the third in the Zelda series) to the editor a few days ago. In a few weeks, I'll get the edits back, revise, and work on polishing the manuscript for release.

I am also about 20,000 words into a first draft of a brand new YA fantasy novel.

Through this process, I've learned my favorite parts of the novel-writing process. I love the early stages of a novel. I spend time creating a broad outline of my novels before I start writing. Even though writing the words for the first draft are difficult, I love experiencing the story take off in unexpected directions. My first draft is about getting the story down, getting the words on to the page.  Immediately after I finish the first draft, I go back and put in more details into the story about the characters, the setting, etc, especially in the early chapters.

I set the manuscript away for roughly a month after the first draft and then return to it for the major revision stage.  These middle revision stages are the toughest. After I complete my own edits and revisions, I send the novel to beta readers and an editors. I wait for comments and the revisions with questions looming in my head– Will they like the story? Did I miss a big plot hole? Did they see that part coming? It's a bit nerve-wracking for me.

If I survive the middle round of edits and revisions, I don't mind the final stages of polishing and formatting. I enjoy the mindless nature of getting words formatted for ebook and paperback form after the tough revision stage. Of course, receiving the first paperback proof copy is a joy (even when I notice a typo or error).

What are your favorite parts of the writing process?

From One Writer to Another - Marketing on No Budget

I want to start off this post by telling you that life is good. I am happy. I love the move we made from Cleveland to Cincinnati. It was definitely the right move for us. I have no doubt. I say this because moving isn't easy and it isn't cheap. Neither is a quality editor or book cover designer. These facts have left me with nothing in the budget to spend on book marketing for the next few months. With no money to spend, I am forced to be creative and get out of my comfort zone to market and sell my books. I need to sell books so I can continue to pay for a quality editor and book cover designer. It's an endless cycle!! (At least until I get the next few books published) For indie authors, there are many paid opportunities to market your books. Bookbub is one of the most popular. If you are approved and pay the appropriate fee, your book is featured on a daily email that is sent to thousands of voracious readers. Bookbub is at the top right now for book promotion, but there are other options. The Fussy Librarian, Kindle Nation Daily, or Pixel of Ink are other options. You can buy twitter, facebook, or goodreads ads. All of these can help your book sell, especially in a hot genre. Of course, children's books don't do as well with these promotions because of the audience even if I had some money to spend.

So what if you need to market books on little or no budget? 

It's time to start hustling. No really it is. That means carrying your books everywhere you go and asking strangers to buy your books. Now, if you hate talking to strangers like me, this might be a terrifying option. But I think local marketing–working with people you can meet and see is a good option. Here are a few ideas:

Book Signings - Set up a book signing in your local coffee shop, bookstore, or ice cream shop. (Who doesn't want to eat ice cream while they get a book signed?) Spread the word to everyone you know. Print out postcards and hand out to strangers. (It's easier to hand someone a postcard then to ask them to buy your book) Use facebook events (perhaps the only useful function of facebook) to promote. Make sure you have plenty of books on hand, cash for change and a square reader for credit card payment. Then have fun! Even if you only sell ten books, the event only cost you minimal time and no money. And now you have ten new readers.

Author Days - Author Days consist of visiting a local school, usually an elementary school, reading to the kids, talking to them about being an author, and signing books. Kids can purchase copies of books in advance and you can have them signed ahead of time to save time. This is a great idea for fellow children's book authors. I also think YA authors should consider visiting middle and high schools. I am sure teachers and students would find value in the visit.

Local Events - Find out what is happening in your area and set up shop with a table to sell books. On my end, I am going to have a table at the Cincinnati Pug Fair (yes it is a real thing!) I am also looking into a table at a Farmer's Market and children's events in the area.

Workshops - I like teaching. My workshops are either writing or faith based. I've led the workshops at community centers, churches, and libraries. I always end up selling books in addition to my fee for teaching.

Those are a few ideas I am currently pursuing to market books and gain new readers. This type of marketing takes more time, but I believe the personal connection pays off in the long run.

What are your ideas to market books on no budget?

Also, I wanted to give a quick thank you to all of my wordpress followers. The number continues to increase. I hope you find value and some laughs here with my blog. If you want to join my street team, you can sign up here. The Street Team knows first (before the blog!) about new writing projects, promotions, and the opportunity for free advance review copies.