My recently published book Dad Was Right was about ten important life lessons my father taught me when I was growing up. The publication of the book also taught me three important things that I need to know as an independent writer.
This wasn’t unexpected. It was actually part of the plan all along.
I had three big reasons for publishing Dad Was Right.
First, I’d written something I very much wanted to share with people.
Secondly, I wanted to use the book as a way to grow my readership for future projects.
Thirdly, as an independently published author I wanted to learn how the whole Amazon thing works.
All of those goals have been fulfilled, but it’s what I learned about independent publishing that will have the biggest impact on my future projects.
1) Pre-Sales are Important
Rather than offering Dad Was Right for sale on the same day it was it was published, I should have made it available for purchase a few weeks before it was available.
This would have enabled me to get the word out about the book and bank sales for the first week.
Those first week numbers would have improved my rankings on Amazon which would have also increased the visibility of Dad Was Right to a wider group of readers.
2) Produce Audio Versions
I learned that a lot of people interested in reading Dad Was Right don’t have the time to sit down and read it, even though it’s quite a short and easy read.
However many of them are commuters with Audible accounts. Having an audio version would have given them a chance to enjoy the book that they’re too busy to read.
3) Release All Editions Simultaneously
I originally planned to release both the paperback and the Kindle editions of Dad Was Right at the same time. But I ran into numerous formatting challenges with Amazon.
After the paperback became available, both interest in Dad Was Right and its sales rose. Having those two different options available for readers made a huge difference in how the book was doing.
What Does It All Mean?
In the most basic terms this all means my knowledge of “how the whole Amazon thing works” has increased.
For my next book (which I’m currently working on and plan to soon reveal) there’s a lot that’s going to go into the pre-release activities that didn’t happen with Dad Was Right.
The book will go on sale in advance of it becoming available — and at a discount to my loyal readers.
An audio version of the book will be produced for those whose preference is to listen to the book.
Additionally, the paperback, Kindle, and audio editions will all be made available on the same day.
Why am I telling you all this?
It’s simple. You came on this journey with me that’s not only exciting for me, but educational. I’m learning what it takes to write, publish, and sell books.
And a big part of selling books is making them available in the formats that readers want them.
You’ve not only provided me support in this process, but also your advice and suggestions which I’m now implementing.
Thanks for coming with me on this ride. It’s been quite the trip so far and I’m excited for what the future has to offer.
I hope you are too.