[This entry is a repost from my earlier, Goodreads blog.]
Well, so much for Amazon KDP Select being a waste of time.
I was skeptical of the program which lets you promote your book for free for five days if you commit to sell it exclusively through Amazon (at least in digital format). So far, it’s turned out to be a good deal.
My new novel, The Library of Lost Books, was downloaded by 423 people in one day last week during a special KDP promotion on Amazon. Here’s how it broke down across their stores:
US 358 downloads
United Kingdom 51 downloads
Germany 12 downloads
France 2 downloads
Of course, the book was FREE, but I still can’t believe it. In fact, for about an hour or so in the afternoon, it was in the Top 100 in the Amazon Kindle “Free” store in both genres I submitted it under: Literary Fiction and Fantasy Fiction.
Crazy. I was hoping to get the novel to 50 people total, over the book’s launch and lifetime. Now, it’s closer to 500. It peaked at 1,212 in the Kindle Free store which doesn’t sound impressive, until you realize that the store has a million titles. We’re talking almost the top one-tenth of one percent, if I’m doing the math right (and as a writer, I’m usually not). Needless to say it was great seeing my book up there with War and Peace, even if it was only for a day.
Now, the key is getting all you busy people out there to write reviews. I want to make this as easy as possible. You can post yours on the Amazon Kindle page for the book or here on Goodreads. A review doesn’t have to be long, just a star rating and a few words.
Also, don’t forget to “Friend” or “Fan” me on Goodreads or Facebook.
And thanks to all of you out there that were brave enough to click on a book from an independent author you’ve never heard of before and give him a shot. I can’t thank all of you have bought or downloaded my book enough. You really made my day.
Keep Spreading the Word,
,Darius
PS I’ll give the last word to the musicians. Why is it that they’re so often better at capturing emotions than us writers?
Velvet Morning by the Verve. Live at Wigan, 1998.
Inside the Writer's Mind 