Granted, people trying to sell services don't know me, but when I respond to their LinkedIn messages, telling them I can't afford to do business with them, what part of that don't they understand? "Well, it's actually inexpensive." Define "inexpensive". I know a couple (through marriage) who are my age. They love taking cruises. They delight in being the ones at celebrations delivering the most expensive gifts. They're snobbish about the silliest things, like bottled water. It's water.
My point is, "inexpensive" means something completely different to them than it does to me. My biggest spending spree is getting a drive-through lunch. I'm not feeling sorry for myself; it's just that when I read posts from authors saying they can only afford to spend about $1,500.00 on an ad campaign, I'm flabbergasted. That's more than my house payment! And leaving that aside, I would never spend that much on ads even if I could afford to. What are they going to get? A couple more downloads?
It was a mistake for me to join LinkedIn. The only people who message me are folks selling their wares. I'm not a rude person ~ I feel obligated to always respond ~ even to unsolicited advances. My replies always begin with a thank you, and I proceed to explain that I have no budget (i.e., I'm poor). That's when I get the "It's cheaper than you think" line. No. First of all, you don't know what I think. I think that anything over ten bucks isn't cheap. Now, if you guaranteed me that I could reap a hundred dollars by spending twenty, sure. But not vice versa. I've lost more money on marketing my books than I've made ~ by far. Last month I earned seventy cents in royalties. In a month. That's roughly two hundredths of a cent each day. And last month was a good month.
The most I ever spent on an ad was $25.00 ~ one time. I only did that because I'd run a previous fifteen-dollar ad for a free book, which resulted in 42 downloads. I was feeling pretty giddy. Why not up the stakes? So I went with $25.00 on a book I was now offering for ninety-nine cents. It resulted in two purchases, a net loss of $21.02. I won't make that mistake again.
There's a reason I do everything writing-related myself. Well, two reasons, but the primary one is, I can't afford to do anything else. (I do like cover design, though.) If I paid for an editor, a graphic designer, a publicist, my family wouldn't eat. Not to mention a site that specializes in sending ARCs, book review sites, book creation software (like Scrivener), a newsletter marketing service.
I detest begging for ARC readers and reviews. Detest it. It would be so much simpler to have a company do that for me. I feel somehow sullied ~ "Dare I mention again that I'm looking for reviews? I just did it a month ago." "Should I ask for ARC readers in my newsletter? Won't people think I'm spamming them?"
I write my manuscripts on Microsoft Word. It's not perfect, but I don't have to pay for it. The only book review site I could afford turned me down. I use MailerLite's free service. I take my chances with my own editing for grammar and spelling. Yes, I've made a few mistakes with that ~ Word doesn't catch everything, like typing "cap" when I meant to write "can". If I happen to catch an error, even if the book is already for sale, I pull it down and fix it. I will send out my own ARCs, created with free calibre software, if and when someone actually requests one. I've had two experiences with graphic designers in eight years ~ I hated all three of the covers they created and replaced them with my own. One of the artists, I'm convinced, specialized in manga.
So, for future reference, "no money" means just that. None. Zero. I bet your services are great, though.
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