What is the best strategy for a successful first-time self-pub from a nobody?

[Set2Stun]

I originally posted this on .com as they have a lot of self-pubbers on there, but I haven't gotten any replies, and the clock is ticking! Hoping y'all have some thoughts on this. Thanks in advance !


I'm very close to self-publishing for the first time. It'll be the third novel I've written (don't think I'll try with the first two, at least not yet), so I'm pretty confident that it won't come across as an amateurish first try at it. I wrote it with querying and publishing in mind, so the opening lines and chapter were created with the intention of hooking in readers. Not to humblebrag, just setting the stage, but I also have a few solid paid writing credits (short stories), so I'm fairly certain this book is of a pro-level quality.

So, I have faith in the content. Now, how to get people to look at that first page? I have an extremely hooky and memorable title, one that will likely pop up organically for some people while searching online retailers. I have also paid (quite a bit, for me, anyway), for a professional, original cover that prominently displays the title and features the two main characters as well as the antagonist.

I think the product itself is set up for success, but I am a nobody and want to remain a nobody. Meaning, I don't want to have a website and a blog, and I don't want to be on social media hawking my wares. I don't have a ton of friends on or offline, not that I'd want to pester them for sales anyway, so I am not quite sure how this might turn out.

I've been doing a bit of research and Facebook ads (imprints, not clicks) sound promising, and are very affordable. The ads system on twitter seems a bit convoluted, like this weird auction system? I think ads could work well because as I mentioned, the title and the cover really POP. Could definitely get some interest just from people looking at it.

The main issue is that I don't want any of this to be about ME. I'm not going to include an author photo, and I'm not sure I will even include a brief bio. I want this to all be about the book and nothing more. It seems like everyone says it has to be about the author - do I still have any chance of success without going that route?

 

[Naomasa298]

I've been doing a bit of research and Facebook ads (imprints, not clicks) sound promising, and are very affordable. The ads system on twitter seems a bit convoluted, like this weird auction system? I think ads could work well because as I mentioned, the title and the cover really POP. Could definitely get some interest just from people looking at it.

Do some A/B testing. Try both a clicks and imprint focused campaign, to see which is more effective. For the best results, define a tight audience, to keep your costs down, otherwise it could spiral very, very easily.

But if it's an impressions campaign, how will you measure effectiveness? That is, how will you know whether a sale has come through your FB ads? Personally, I reckon a clicks ad, with a strong call to action would be more effective, and make sure it leads to a compelling landing page.

You should use an FB business page as a supporting page for your ad. Publish things there to get people interested in it - bits of lore, maps, short excerpts, pictures of characters and so on, whatever is appropriate for the genre.

 

[Set2Stun]

But if it's an impressions campaign, how will you measure effectiveness? That is, how will you know whether a sale has come through your FB ads? Personally, I reckon a clicks ad, with a strong call to action would be more effective, and make sure it leads to a compelling landing page.

That's true, it won't be easy to measure effectiveness. I like the impressions model simply because it's so affordable; a picture of my book cover on a thousand screens for just a few bucks. The clicks model seems a bit pricey in comparison and there's no guarantee that a click will mean a sale. And even with self-pubbing, the profit margins are thin enough as it is. I don't have a ton to spend, so I'm hoping the cheapest options will be effective. I do have a pretty good idea of the target audience, so that will help.

I'm hoping impressions could have the effect of people remembering the title and cover (the title is absolutely something people will remember) for the next time they do a book order at Amazon or B&N. I'm counting on people liking it and then posting/telling others about it. Look at that title, cover - okay I'll read that first page - bam, sold.

I like the idea of a kind of fan site with posts and lore and stuff - I do want to do something like that if this is even marginally successful, but I need the fans first to really make it worth the effort. I'm not going to start writing a sequel unless I see some numbers that suggest it'd be worth doing.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I think the product itself is set up for success, but I am a nobody and want to remain a nobody. Meaning, I don't want to have a website and a blog, and I don't want to be on social media hawking my wares. I don't have a ton of friends on or offline, not that I'd want to pester them for sales anyway, so I am not quite sure how this might turn out.

I deeply sympathize with the desire to maintain anonymity, but if you aren't going to promote the book, who is? In order to do that, you have to come out of the literary closet. The successful self-publishers I know work relentlessly at marketing, which includes (but is not limited to) personal appearances, social media, and a meticulously collected list of email addresses of followers. They work much harder than I do, and I work hard enough. My work is trade published, which means the publisher takes care of most of the promotions, but the terms of my contract require me to maintain a website and at least one form of social media, Instagram being the one suggested for writers. Fortunately, I have a daughter who maintains the Instagram account for me.

The main issue is that I don't want any of this to be about ME.

Once again, I am in absolute sympathy with you, since putting myself forward is the thing I hate most about publishing. I'd hide out and never admit to writing the book in the first place if I could, but unfortunately publishing, especially self-publishing, doesn't work that way. Writing the book is the easy part. My best advice is cowboy up, abandon the idea that a wonderful book sells itself, and learn the marketing end of the job. Once a writer opts for publication, writing becomes a business. That's the bottom line. You can accept it and go with it, or you can remain in the quiet ivory tower of pure intellect and no sales.

I wish you the very best of luck, Set2Stun.

 

[X Equestris]

The ads system on twitter seems a bit convoluted, like this weird auction system?

Twitter ads are a mess these days; I’m not sure how much people even pay attention to them. Lots of weird stuff, lots of crypto, and lots of random people paying to promote their own random tweets? None of it seems to correlate with a user’s actual interests. Since Musk bought out Twitter, the algorithm has undergone some massive changes that took it from one of the best social media platforms for writers to one of the worst, if you haven’t already established a following.

So if you’re not wanting to really put yourself out there or make it about you, I wouldn’t bother with Twitter.

 

[Stuart Dren]

I like the idea of a kind of fan site with posts and lore and stuff - I do want to do something like that if this is even marginally successful, but I need the fans first to really make it worth the effort. I'm not going to start writing a sequel unless I see some numbers that suggest it'd be worth doing.

Have you thought about expectations? Some people who self-publish may consider even 100 sales a success, others might want to gross $5k in the launch year. I assume you want to get past investment cost at least.

Now, how to get people to look at that first page? I have an extremely hooky and memorable title, one that will likely pop up organically for some people while searching online retailers. I have also paid (quite a bit, for me, anyway), for a professional, original cover that prominently displays the title and features the two main characters as well as the antagonist.

There's so much noise out there. I'm not saying it won't erupt, but doing all those things well seems to just be the minimum.

At least for Amazon and probably others, I know having reviews is important for discovery, so you might need to give away copies for that. Also, it's worth researching SEO, possibly subtitles.

Amazon SEO For Authors

Learn the worst and best practices for Amazon SEO keywords.

writingbytheseatofmypants.com

Good grief, that article is from way back in AD 2021. Probably already out of date in many ways, but a few things in there might be worth considering.

 

[Naomasa298]

That's true, it won't be easy to measure effectiveness. I like the impressions model simply because it's so affordable; a picture of my book cover on a thousand screens for just a few bucks. The clicks model seems a bit pricey in comparison and there's no guarantee that a click will mean a sale. And even with self-pubbing, the profit margins are thin enough as it is. I don't have a ton to spend, so I'm hoping the cheapest options will be effective. I do have a pretty good idea of the target audience, so that will help.

From my understanding, the clicks model is essentially the same as the impressions model, it just favours people who have historically shown a propensity to click on adverts. So you still pay for impressions, the CPC is essentially the total amount you have paid for impressions divided by the number of clicks you got. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure. Also, I'm only talking about FB ads, as those are the ones I know best.

 

[Set2Stun]

Have you thought about expectations?

Yeah, I've put a lot of thought into this. It's extremely possible I move 20 copies in the first month and then it fades away into the ether. In the end, I'll be satisfied with knowing that I tried my best (created the best product that I could, queried agents and publishers for a year, invested in a great cover) and that I've put my work out into the world. If I sell a few hundred over some months, I'll do a sequel. If not, I'll move on to another project.

Also, it's worth researching SEO, possibly subtitles.

Thanks for mentioning this, definitely important. It's going to be difficult to stand out if I focus on the spec-fic/sci-fi aspect of it, so I am going to focus on satire/humour. I also feel that this work will be appealing to what I think is an untapped market - one that the uber-progressive and risk-averse publishing industry is deliberately ignoring.

From my understanding, the clicks model is essentially the same as the impressions model, it just favours people who have historically shown a propensity to click on adverts. So you still pay for impressions, the CPC is essentially the total amount you have paid for impressions divided by the number of clicks you got.

I might just try both models and see how they go. I'm willing to spend a couple hundred on it to see if it makes any kind of impact. I've definitely wasted money on stupider things than trying to give my writing ambitions a boost !

 

[balgay]

You probably know but Amazon give a new book a boost in the first month so if you have a decent cover, good blurb and title, and a quality sample then you should get a few sales without marketing. Number of sales without marketing also depends on how competitive your genre is. Not for your launch period but if your book slips down BSR then a free five day promo should boost it back up. That is the only marketing I do so I only get low level sales. I get most readers through KU but, of course, that requires exclusive rights to Amazon. Not an expert but thought my experience relevant because I do not do the sort of marketing that will get volume sales. I get very few reviews but pleasantly surprised at ratings. Please do report back on your experience as it is always interesting to hear from other self publishers. Good luck!