When I finish (and publish) a project I inevitably take time off from writing. I need some space to breathe and evaluate. As I have detailed ad nauseum on this blog, my sales are actually worse than negligible. Except for a handful of authors, women's fiction is a non-starter. I would try a new genre, but I frankly don't read other genres and I would be completely lost. My reading list leans toward non-fiction -- true crime, biographies, expóses. I haven't committed any crimes 🤯, I have nothing to expose, and I once wrote my autobiography, but subsequently realized that my life is pretty boring.
I've focused on novellas for my last six works because novels are stressful to write and I'm not making any money anyway, so why put myself through that?
But I recently learned about a promotion through Bargain Booksy called Subscriber Surge Giveaways, which consists of a giveaway of twenty books in a specific genre plus a free Kindle. Entrants earn extra chances to win by signing up for each author's mailing list. Bargain Booksy fulfills the prize, eliminating any hassle for the author, and the sixty-day contest guarantees multiple entrants.
The promotion is a bit pricey for me, but at this point I'm willing to try a last-ditch attempt to garner sales, even if I have to create a newsletter, of which I have absolutely zero knowledge.
Thus, I dusted off a full-length novel I published in 2019 -- one that I queried relentlessly and resulted in zero interest -- and decided to take the leap. (Actually, the 350-word blurb I wrote for Bargain Booksy is far superior to the query letter I zipped off to multiple agents. Can I have a do-over?)
I've learned that giveaways rarely result in someone actually reading the book, especially if they are suddenly showered with twenty. They'll read the first couple of pages and if the story doesn't grab their interest, they move on. Nevertheless, if I can compose a compelling newsletter, there's a chance I can convince someone to buy one of my other works. If nothing else, it will pose a challenge and I like challenges.
My giveaway begins on October 1 and I will receive a list of subscribers halfway through and again at the end of the promotion. That gives me about six weeks from today to figure out how to create a newsletter, find a (free) host, and all the other stuff that's involved. I actually signed up for a couple of authors' mailing lists just to get my eyes on some successful efforts.
Oh, and here's the novel I chose:
Aubrey is not a criminal like her dad; not exactly. At least her acts didn’t get her killed. His did. But now Aubrey’s mom has been wrongly arrested for his death and Aubrey has to find a way to clear her without exposing her own bad deeds. Unfortunately, family secrets get in the way.
It goes without saying that this is my last gasp at selling. If this completely fails, I might be compelled to look for something to expose.
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