I recently published my first fantasy e-book, Engaging Enchantment. It did alright getting downloads on its free download days and even hit the Amazon.com bestseller list once. Readers seem to like it pretty well. But I have the darndest time trying to get anyone to pay for copies of the e-book.
It is available for Kindle Unlimited free borrow, which I don't mind because authors get paid when subscribers borrow their books. But even getting people to borrow the book seems next to impossible and I have spent more money advertising my e-book than there have been downloads to offset my costs. In other words, in addition to the oodles of time I spent writing the thing, I have wound up paying money I don't have to get people to read it.
I have done press releases, an email blast, 2 blog interviews, etc. All of which I have paid for and I cannot charge anymore to my credit card. I decided that I really need a gimmick to get some media exposure and get people curious about my books. So I have been racking my brain with trying to figure out an idea.
Well, a few days ago, I was chatting online with my overseas "#1" fan about what kind of gimmick I could possibly do that would cost little to no money. She had some ideas that would cost, but I can't spend anything. I and my credit card are tapped out. I wanted to drive my point home so I thought of something plentiful and free. Off the cuff, I thought of soda cans.
I think maybe the silence that ensued gave my brain just enough time to mull because, out of the blue, it hit me. My house is right off of a business route. I can build a large sculpture out of soda cans and put it in my front yard! Even if it does not get "media" attention, the truckers who drive past me will see it.
But what kind of sculpture could I construct from soda cans? I wondered. What would be a significant symbol of my books? The answer hit me before I was finished asking the question. The name of my series is The Legend of Lord Randall Castle. I will build a front face mock-up of the castle. Its name? Lord Randall Cans-tle.
I have only glued together 12 cans so far but, in the week since I thought of the idea, it has become a huge, community project.
It is available for Kindle Unlimited free borrow, which I don't mind because authors get paid when subscribers borrow their books. But even getting people to borrow the book seems next to impossible and I have spent more money advertising my e-book than there have been downloads to offset my costs. In other words, in addition to the oodles of time I spent writing the thing, I have wound up paying money I don't have to get people to read it.
On the other hand, it does have a 5-star reader review rating.
I have done press releases, an email blast, 2 blog interviews, etc. All of which I have paid for and I cannot charge anymore to my credit card. I decided that I really need a gimmick to get some media exposure and get people curious about my books. So I have been racking my brain with trying to figure out an idea.
Well, a few days ago, I was chatting online with my overseas "#1" fan about what kind of gimmick I could possibly do that would cost little to no money. She had some ideas that would cost, but I can't spend anything. I and my credit card are tapped out. I wanted to drive my point home so I thought of something plentiful and free. Off the cuff, I thought of soda cans.
So I asked, "What can I do with soda cans?"
I think maybe the silence that ensued gave my brain just enough time to mull because, out of the blue, it hit me. My house is right off of a business route. I can build a large sculpture out of soda cans and put it in my front yard! Even if it does not get "media" attention, the truckers who drive past me will see it.
But what kind of sculpture could I construct from soda cans? I wondered. What would be a significant symbol of my books? The answer hit me before I was finished asking the question. The name of my series is The Legend of Lord Randall Castle. I will build a front face mock-up of the castle. Its name? Lord Randall Cans-tle.
I have only glued together 12 cans so far but, in the week since I thought of the idea, it has become a huge, community project.
- The neighbor thinks I am crazy. He is saving soda cans for me.
- The waitresses at my favorite lunch hang-out are saving soda cans for me.
- My brother has already saved garbage bags full of soda cans for me.
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