Monday 2 June 2014

How I Became a Bestseller on Kindle by Juliet Greenwood

When I heard, several weeks ago, that We That are Left was going to be a 99p Kindle Daily Deal, I never imagined for one moment that it would get into the top 100, let alone to the dizzy heights of number #4 in the Kindle store.

We That are Left
At first I told myself there was nothing I could do to prepare. I couldn’t tell anyone until the day itself, and it was just one day. I’m with a small press, the incomparable Honno Press, and I’m not a big name. Besides, like most writers, trying to balance the day job, writing, editing and promotion (plus a life) means that choices have to be made.

But no one ever got anywhere by looking a gift horse in the mouth. So I took the risk, put everything else on the back burner for a couple of weeks, and went for it. I’m so glad I did.

Preparation

Juliet Greenwood
I couldn’t publicise the Daily Deal in advance, so I focussed on upping my profile. I increased my number of blog posts during those weeks, both on my own blog and on that of the wonderful and supportive Novelistas Ink, and publicised them as much as I could on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter is an amazingly supportive place. I made a real effort to use it more efficiently, following people back, tweeting blog posts, and retweeting publicity. Along the way, I grew my numbers of followers and learnt so much about really interacting, instead of just popping in now and again – plus I met some great people and made new friends along the way!

The day itself

I had decided to set aside the whole day to focus on networking and publicity. Which was just as well, as it turned out, because apart from a short dog walk and a few cups of tea in the sun, it was nonstop all day. I put a blog post publicising the deal at around 6.30am, and hit the social networks. It’s no good just shouting ‘buy me!’, so much of the time was the usual tweeting of information and other people’s blogs, and lots of retweeting, interspersed with a quick wave.

#2 in Sagas (Amazon UK)
It was all quite sedate for a while. I didn’t realise (until fellow Novelista Louise Marley told me) that it takes a few hours for Amazon’s figures to show, and what I was actually looking at were sales figures from several hours before. It was great being in the top 500, and definitely higher than I had ever been. There was just a small niggle that was thinking of all that work I’d put in over the past weeks, but I told myself to be philosophical. I was nervously looking at the figures, holding my breath and taking screen shots (work out how to do them before the day!) as a record.

Just before lunchtime I found one of my screenshots was blurred and dived back in without thinking. And there it was. We That Are Left had jumped to #61 in the Kindle store. Top 100. (Luckily I have very understanding neighbours, who nod sagely at the odd wild squeal and don’t call the men in white coats.) That’s when I knew all that work had paid off, and from that point on, until I finally collapsed at midnight when the promotion ended, it was one rollercoaster of a ride, up to number 2 in three saga categories, and number 4 in the overall Kindle store. Still pinching myself.

#4 in the Bestseller Chart (Amazon UK)
What have I learnt? That writers are the most generous and supportive bunch on the planet. That social networking really does work. Facebook and Twitter are amazingly supportive. That all the blog posts I’ve done over the past six months also helped to make the book familiar: I’ve done it myself, remembered a post and a cover of an author I don’t know and thought ‘that sounds interesting’, but done nothing about it until it appears in a charity shop or at 99p! That it is possible to get to #4 in the Amazon charts with a small publisher.

Top Tips:
  1. Do your preparation – network, blog, make yourself as visible as can be. Keep on doing it - you never know when the chance might come your way.
  2. Support other authors. Not just before you need them, but all the time. We’re all in this together.
  3. Love your readers. They are your best advocates, and hopefully feel just as passionately about your book as you do.
  4. Set aside the day. It’s a promotional opportunity, make the most of it. It’s only one day. The sun will be there tomorrow.
  5. Be prepared for things to happen both slowly and very fast.
  6. Take screen shots each time there’s a change, it might be your only chance! I made a folder on my desktop, so I could label each one and shove it in there out of the way until I had time to sort them out.
  7. Share your excitement. I loved sharing the journey with my Twitter and Facebook friends, it was part of the blast, and it definitely helped to spread the buzz.
  8. Forget about healthy eating, head for the chocolate. I was a nervous wreck by lunchtime, in need of the hard stuff (i.e. sugar).
  9. Write the best book you can, straight from the heart. Listen to what your editor tells you, however much you want to sulk. She’s right. And if you believe passionately in your book, it’s not just about me, me, me, it’s about the book. You’ll fight to the ends of the earth to get your baby out there to take her place in the sun - and believe it or not, that’s catching.
  10. Whatever happens, it’s only a day. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? Enjoy!
We That are Left

12 comments:

  1. Well done, Juliet. I got excited for you as you zoomed up the charts! Can't wait to read the book. It's next on my tbr pile. Mx

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    1. Thank you Morton! It was such a blast being able to share it with you on the day. One of the most exciting rollercoasters of my life. It's also when you realise how supportive and generous fellow writers are. I'm ready to cheer in my turn too! :-) Happy reading x

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  2. Brilliant blog Juliet - thanks for sharing your experience. It was great getting your tweets and texts and watching 'We That are Left' shoot up the charts! Helena (Honno)

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    1. Thank you, Helena! It was great getting yours too and sharing the excitement. An unforgettable day :-) And (it can never be said enough) Hurrah for the brilliant Honno Press, and having faith in 'We That are Left' :-)

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  3. Fabulous, Juliet. I was so pleased for you when I saw that you had soared up the Kindle charts! Caroline x

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    1. Thank you, Caroline! That's lovely. Twitter and FB are wonderfully supportive. I love writers! x

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  4. Love twitter, it's like going down to the village to see who is around and all the villagers have speech bubbles showing us their thoughts. I just happened to arrive on twitter that evening and saw one of your tweets and so shared a link to my review of your book and loved being part of the excitement for a little while. It's a fabulous book, one of my top reads of the year!

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    1. Thank you, Claire x It was great seeing your tweet and the flurry of excitement it set off. I was flagging at that point, and you gave me another burst of energy. It was great having you as part of the excitement. I love your reviews. Especially your ones of 'We That are Left' and 'Eden's Garden', of course! xxx

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  5. so pleased for you Juliet - and next time we meet I want you to teach me how to take screen shots please!

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  6. Thank you, Annie. Yep, one masterclass, no worries! :-) Easy once you know how, and has endless uses. Including catching trolls, but hopefully none of us will need it for that. Dunno if it helps in catching heroes (sigh)..... ;-) x

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  7. I saw this article on the Twitter feed and I'm so glad! Congratulations on your success! I had to share it with all the other authors I know who could use some encouragement (all of us).

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    1. That's great, Alexandra! I'm still astonished that it happened at all. It's great that it can happen with a small publisher and without a huge load of publicity - thanks to the power of readers and writers and the wonderful community on Twitter! Good luck! :-)

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